by Mike Brunel | Dec 25, 2025 | Sales, Strategy, Uncategorized
I am often asked what makes good sales training and coaching.
Here are five tips to help you make the right decision when hiring a sales trainer or coach.
1. The sales team don’t see the sales training as relevant to them.
Usually what happens is that a sales person will be sent on a sales training course and they get there and it’s straight out of a manual. Taught to them by rote and disappointing.
2. The ‘one size fits all’ approach doesn’t suit their business situation.
The trainer has not spent the time to evaluate the salesperson’s needs. Tailor making specific programmes work better. Before any training ask the sales trainer to work with you on YOUR outcomes for the training programme.
3. Lack of Outcomes once at the course.
This is similar to point two, sales people have different needs, just like their clients, many times sales people arrive at course and at are never asked what their specific outcomes today for this course.
4. Sales trainer, not a sales person.
In this case, it’s more about creditability, if the trainer has no experience selling in any form, it’s difficult to build rapport with the audience you are training. The theory is fine, but not realistic. Sales experience is must for a trainer.
5. Learning as you go.
If the training is not carried out in an environment of learning and facilitation it’s seen as boring and lacking in depth. In the ever increasing world of soft skills training involving your participants in ‘learning by doing’ is a must.
These tips have certainly helped my clients and may help you.
Good selling
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Mike Brunel – Author, Sales Trainer and Coach at Mikebrunel.com. Mike started mikebrunel.com after being a successful entrepreneur. He was a co-founder of NRS Media a global leader in media sales. His products and services generated $350 million a year in revenue for his clients. He sold that business in 2014 and now consults to business owners throughout New Zealand and beyond. He works with any business that wants to increase sales that have a sales turnover of 1/2 million up to $10 million. He works closely with digital and marketing services to help attract sales for his clients.
by Mike Brunel | Dec 8, 2025 | Sales, Uncategorized
What You Should Coach:
You can coach someone to:
Show up better
Teach them how to be on time, stay organised, and stick to a routine.
Say the right things.
Help them learn what to say on calls, in meetings, and when handling objections.
Do the work properly
Show them how to build a pipeline, follow up, and keep things moving.
Get more confident
Confidence grows when skills grow. If they practise, they get better, I promise.
Use a system
Teach them the steps. Show them how to follow a process. Make it simple.
These are skills. Skills can be taught.
What You Can’t Coach:
You can’t coach someone to:
Want it more
If they don’t care… You can’t make them care.
Be hungry for success
You can’t install ambition like an app.
Love the chase
Some people naturally enjoy calling, meeting, and selling. Others avoid it.
Keep going when it’s tough
Grit comes from inside, not from a pep-talk.
Push themselves without being told
You can’t teach “initiative” to someone who doesn’t have it.
These are personality traits. They come baked in.
Easy Summary
Coach the skills.
Hire the drive.
Have a great month selling your stuff
Mike.
P.S. Want to book a call to hire better salespeople? Try out the POP 7-Sales DNA Assessment for FREE.
Click on this link, and book a test.
by Mike Brunel | Nov 24, 2025 | Uncategorized
Want a More Focused Sales Team? Do This Every Friday.
In my media sales management days, I had this great coach, Brian.
One of those blokes who could see the whole chessboard when I was still trying to remember the rules. And Brian had this mantra:
“The more you focus on a result… the more likely you are to achieve it.”
Sounds obvious. But like most simple things, it only works if you actually do it. Fast forward to a recent coaching gig. I was helping a client get a weekly sales meeting up and running. We started strong… then the wheels slowly came off. Meetings wandered. People rambled. And yes, I’ll put my hand up — that was on me.
Brian would’ve given me the look.
His rhythm was simple: Monday/Tuesday → a clear agenda.
During the week → “Coach in the car,” he’d say
Friday → a sharp 15-minute review, celebrate wins, finish strong. Nothing fancy. Just consistent. But here’s the thing: Doing that every single week turned one loss-making media company into a profitable one… In six months. So if you’re wondering whether a Friday review is worth it.
Yeah.
It absolutely is.
Have a great week running your time:
Need some help?
Check out why 24 million salespeople have taken this assessment.
Mike
by Mike Brunel | Nov 17, 2025 | Leadership, Uncategorized
Why Some Sales Teams Love Mondays… and Others End Up in the RIP Zone
If you’ve been in sales leadership long enough, you already know this truth:
Monday morning exposes everything.
Some managers walk in smiling, because the numbers are lining up.
Others walk in bracing for the post-mortem, the weekly RIP for the pipeline.
This is the heart of any sales team performance review.
It’s not about spreadsheets, dashboards, or colourful charts. It’s about people — and whether they walked into the week with discipline or drift.
Two Teams, One Monday
I’ve coached teams where Monday feels like a launchpad, reps arrive with energy, clarity, and a plan.
And I’ve coached teams where Monday feels like a funeral service for last week’s excuses.
Here’s the difference:
Some reps show up ready to create new conversations.
Some show up waiting for the phone to ring.
You already know which group drives your revenue.
The One Question That Tells You Everything
If 20–30% of your team consistently underperforms, try asking this simple prospecting question:
“Walk me through your plan for creating new conversations this week.”
That’s it. No pressure, no complicated framework, no interrogation.
This single question does three powerful things:
1. It reveals their process.
If there’s structure, they’ll show it.
If there’s no structure, you’ll see the blank stare instantly.
2. It reveals their initiative.
My favourite part.
High-potential reps speak proactively , they’ve already mapped out their activity.
Low-potential reps speak reactively, they talk about what they’re waiting for.
3. It reveals their problem-solving ability.
Great reps lay out a clear path.
Strugglers drift into excuses, deflections, or vague “I’ll try to make some calls” lines.
Why This Matters More Than Ever
Sales is a performance business. Always has been.
But today’s environment, remote selling, distracted buyers, tighter competition — means that personal accountability is everything.
Your Monday question isn’t just a check-in.
It’s a reset button.
A calibration.
A chance to help your team own their week before the week owns them.
How to Make It Part of Your Rhythm
- Start every Monday with it.
- Ask it 1-on-1 or in team meetings.
- Listen for clarity, ownership, and forward motion.
- Coach on gaps immediately — don’t wait until Friday.
Small question.
Big shift.
And it works every single time.
Have a great week selling your stuff.
— Mike Managers and Sales Directors Love Monday mornings!
Well, some do and some don’t, the week in review, or RIP for some.
For some, it’s going to be a great review. For some, it’s going to be RIP.
Reps are insufficient and simply not performing. What’s RIP in today’s sales world?
You have some team members who wait for leads, quickly lose focus, and need constant pushing.
If you are in that world for 20% 30 % of your team, ask this prospecting question: “W𝙖𝙡𝙠 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙠.”
Here is the takeaway: It does three things for you.
It reveals their process. If there’s no structure, you see it instantly.
It reveals their initiative- 𝗠𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲
High-potential reps talk proactively.
Low-potential reps talk reactively.
It reveals their problem-solving ability.
They’ll either give you a clear path, or they’ll drift into excuses.
Sales is a performance business, nothing more, nothing less.
Have a great week selling your stuff.
Mike
by Mike Brunel | Nov 11, 2025 | Uncategorized
If your team is sending proposals instead of starting conversations, you’ve got a people problem, not a pricing one.
Sales Rep: “I just wanna email him. That’s all he wants.”
You: “So you’re going to email the presentation, the proposal, and all the pricing, correct?”
Sales rep: “Yes, that’s what she wants.”
You: “Okay, have you done a qualification exercise?”
Sales Rep: “No, I haven’t. What’s that?”
Now I know that’s the extreme for a lot of Sales Directors, but it’s what could be going on inside your organisation without you knowing.
Why? Lots of reasons: you’re as busy as hell, the world is falling apart because sales are hitting the floor, and you’ve only got six weeks till Christmas — or should I say four weeks?
But when you really think about it, it could be the fact that you didn’t recruit the right person at the right time, or you rushed it.
You had to fill a hole. You didn’t have someone on your team; you rushed it because it would have cost you money.
But now it’s costing you more money.
Is that you?
I’m looking for five Sales Directors who are keen to participate in a pilot program to help them recruit better, train more effectively, and retain their staff for much longer.
You’ll find out who can sell, who you need to move on, and who actually qualifies to begin with for every client who comes across your business.
It starts with January and again. I’m only looking for five Sales Directors.
If you want the details, pop yes in the comments.
by Mike Brunel | Oct 14, 2025 | Uncategorized
Most Sales Interviews Are Guesswork — And It’s Costing Companies Millions.
Most sales interviews are guesswork, and it’s costing companies millions.
Here’s the simple fix I use.
I’m often asked, “When I interview salespeople for a role, what should I do?”
My answer: ask every candidate the same questions.
It sounds simple, but consistency is the secret to fair and accurate interviews.
When every candidate answers the same set of behavioural questions, like:
“Tell me about a time you had to overcome rejection.”
You can compare answers side by side.
You’ll quickly see who gives vague, general stories (a warning sign) and who provides real, detailed examples (a sign of experience and self-awareness).
Consistency turns interviews from guesswork into data.
One of the new tools I’m offering alongside my sales coaching is Sales Recruitment, because no one seems to be effectively leading salesperson selection.
Right now, it’s mostly second-guessing, and it’s costing companies millions in lost time and bad hires.
Wany my Free Interview Library.
Just email me and I will send the details.
Have a great week selling your stuff.
Mike
