Dangerous Dogs Don’t Bark
What I mean is dangerous men don’t run their mouth. They don’t need to. The guy that screams and puffs out his
March 31, 2026
Our Blogs
We're a think tank of ideas. We share our favorite sales tips, techniques and insights for modern sales professionals.
Not All Leads Are Equal. Most Salespeople Have No Idea.
I said to a client last week that their reps had no appreciation for the steady flow of leads landing on their
March 25, 2026
Sales is unlike EVERY other profession
I once overheard someone ask a CEO why Jamie gets paid so much. The CEO replied, “Because you don’t see the ten
March 25, 2026
Your Reputation Is Now a Sales Function. Is Yours Working For You or Against You?
I have been banging on about customer experience and basic customer service for a long time. Long before it was a LinkedIn
March 20, 2026
Why More Selling Is Producing Less Buying
There is an old expression in sales. Tellin’ ain’t sellin’. I have been saying it for years and I am saying it
March 16, 2026
The One Thing Missing From Most Sales Pipelines Is Not a Tool, a Script, or a Strategy.
When I started a new job years ago there was an Italian café in the building. First day I walked in, gave
March 11, 2026
How is AI impacting sales and marketing in 2026?
AI Is Reshaping Every Part of the Sales Process. Here Is What That Actually Means for Your Business. About ten years ago
February 26, 2026
C.A.R.E.F.U.L.S.
The Lie We Tell Ourselves About Rational Buyers We have all been trained, implicitly or explicitly, to treat sales as a process
January 21, 2026
20 Week Guerrilla sales plan
The 20-Week Guerrilla Sales Plan for Founders Who Are Done Waiting for Leads to Show UpI am going to be straight with
January 21, 2026
The Golden Handcuffs
Why Did You Actually Start Your Business? Ask most founders that question and they will either laugh or go quiet for a
January 21, 2026
Working for Big business Vs Small business
Specialists Vs Generalists: The Career Advice Nobody Is Giving You When I worked in recruitment I used to ask candidates the same
January 16, 2026
The Aussie end of year shutdown
I am an ex-digger, Parramatta Eels bred, and I love this country unreservedly. But for thirty years there has been one thing
January 16, 2026
Company Culture Vs Sales: Why You Can Only Have One
Here is a reliable rule of thumb. The companies that push culture the hardest are almost always the worst places to work.
January 16, 2026
Enthusiasm Sells. So What Do You Do When Nobody Has Any?
Managing enthusiasm Since COVID it feels like the world is running on five percent battery. Tired is the new black. The minimum
November 12, 2025
Why You Should Decline the Next Sales Strategy Offer You Get
I went to a networking event recently. Within five minutes I had met two business consultants, three sales consultants, and two lead
November 12, 2025
The Real Reason Your Business Needs a Sales Playbook
I spent two weeks writing a sales playbook for a small to medium business. When I handed it over, the Director looked
November 12, 2025
Why Coca-Cola Spends Five Billion Dollars a Year on Advertising Nobody Needs
Coca-Cola spent an estimated $5.146 billion on advertising last year. Let that number sit for a moment. Five billion dollars. On a
October 9, 2025
Put a Kangaroo in Your Sales Manual
You might have read that the kangaroo appears on the Australian infantry badge because it is a universally accepted and uniquely native
October 9, 2025
Seven Calls. Two Contracts. Why Volume Is the Wrong Metric.
We had a client who signed two major contracts by our second day of working together. The owner rang me, genuinely ecstatic.
September 30, 2025
Use Your Right Brain
There are two worrying changes coming for humans, and they are more connected than they appear. The first is the rise of
September 30, 2025
Your Voice Is Your Instrument. Most Salespeople Never Learn to Play It.
Your Voice Is Your Instrument. Most Salespeople Never Learn to Play It. Speaking is not just about what you say. Any experienced
September 17, 2025
Us and Them: The Simplest Way to Read Who You Are Dealing With
In sales we put the other person first. Our job is to listen to understand. The salesperson who is thinking about themselves,
September 12, 2025
What Has Once Been Done, May Be Done Again
What Has Once Been Done, May Be Done Again I am re-reading The Count of Monte Cristo at the moment. One of
September 12, 2025
The Sales Recruitment Merry-Go-Round: Why That Big First Month Is a Red Flag
The Dunning-Kruger effect describes a specific and well-documented cognitive pattern. Confidence is high. Competence is low. The person performing does not know
September 2, 2025
Dating Is Just Sales
Dating is just sales. When I was nineteen I was not having a great deal of success with the opposite sex.
September 2, 2025
Tell ‘Em the Price, Son
Tell ‘Em the Price, Son If you grew up watching Australian commercial television in a certain era, you will remember the
September 2, 2025
Quality Control: The Standard Sales Communication Has to Be Held To
Quality Control: The Standard Sales Communication Has to Be Held To I had a recent experience that reminded me why precision in
August 29, 2025
Our data is correct
Bad Data Doesn’t Just Slow You Down. It Breaks Everything. One of our company values at Outsold is three words. Our data
August 4, 2025
Social Reciprocity
Give Before You Ask: The Real Mechanics of Social Reciprocity in Sales There is a behaviour in humans that is so deeply
July 17, 2025
Negotiation Is a Gunfight. Information Is Your Ammunition.
Negotiation is a gunfight, where information are bullets I have explained this to salespeople hundreds of times and the analogy lands every
July 17, 2025
Why Sales Isn’t Taught in University
Why Sales Isn’t Taught at University You need a licence to cut hair. You need a degree to be a teacher. A
July 17, 2025
The Real Cost of Hiring a Salesperson Nobody Talks About
Sales onboarding and ramp up Most founders think about the cost of hiring a salesperson in terms of the salary. That is
November 15, 2024
Sales Recruitment Is Broken. Here Is Why You Keep Paying for It.
Sales Recruitment Is Broken. Here Is Why You Keep Paying for It. Hiring salespeople should be the most important thing a
November 15, 2024
Bet You Dollars to Donuts
Written by Jamie May Bet you dollars to donuts There is an old expression, bet you dollars to donuts, that was used
November 8, 2024
Be a sales ninja
Written by Jamie May Be a sales ninja Early in my career a sales manager pulled me aside and told me I
November 8, 2024
Stop Playing Games With the First Offer
Stop Playing Games With the First Offer Written by Jamie May The oldest negotiation trick in the book is to always reject
October 11, 2024
Why Discounting Is the Most Expensive Thing You Can Do
Why Discounting Is the Most Expensive Thing You Can Do Written by Jamie May Offering a discount is the crutch of a
October 11, 2024
Why Small Businesses Win More Than They Think They Should
Why Small Businesses Win More Than They Think They Should Written by Jamie May There is a principle in statistics called Price’s
November 3, 2023
Australian law and your sales team
Australian law and your sales team Written by Jamie May A sales representative is just that. A representative. Every call they make,
October 18, 2023
Buried Treasure: Why Not Following Up Is Leaving Money in the Ground
Buried Treasure: Why Not Following Up Is Leaving Money in the Ground Written by Jamie May Picture this. You are comfortably seated
August 18, 2023
The Extreme Demands Close
Salespeople love a neat script, but real deals rarely follow one. Sometimes you don’t know what your product is really worth to
October 9, 2025
False Objection close
Like all closing techniques all you are trying to do is help the customer clarify their thinking and make a yes/ no
September 17, 2025
Fine print close
There’s several dodgy versions of this we won’t go into. This is from Harvard Law School of negotiation for writing contracts. There’s
September 2, 2025
Fire Sale Close
This one is easy, just imagine there is a fire in your warehouse, you get your stock damaged and need to sell
September 2, 2025
Loved ones close
The ‘Loved Ones Close’ is a sales negotiation and closing technique where a salesperson asks the potential buyer to imagine how their
August 29, 2025
Loss Aversion Close
Before you scream ‘Jamie this is all old hat stuff’, have you ever considered the why? Let’s look at the old sales
August 29, 2025
The If-Then close
The If-Then close Written by Jamie May The if-then is as simple as it sounds, a good technique if you don’t know
October 11, 2024
Ignore what they say close
Ignore what they say close Written by Jamie May You provided exactly what the customer wanted, at the price they demanded, in
October 11, 2024
Impending event close
Impending event close Written by Jamie May This is for raising urgency. The impending event close, involves coming up with an upcoming
October 11, 2024
Inoffensive close
Inoffensive close Written by Jamie May If your prospect is a dominant type. In sales there are pattern interrupts, which are designed
October 11, 2024
The IQ close
The IQ close Written by Jamie May Everybody likes to feel smart, and you can certainly use it to win a customer
October 11, 2024
The Jedi Mind Trick Close
The Jedi mind trick Written by Jamie May It’s called the Jedi mind trick because it is so effective in negotiation. When
October 11, 2024
Just in time close
Just in time close Written by Jamie May Just in time sales enablement, or johnny on the spot close. You have to
October 11, 2024
Land and expand Close
Land and expand close Written by Jamie May Also tip of the spear sales, pace car sales, initial engagement. This is a
October 11, 2024
Let them disagree close
Let them disagree close Written by Jamie May I’ve noticed an increasing trend that many sales conversations are no longer with a
October 11, 2024
The logic close
The logic close Written by Jamie May There’s two types of Logic negotiation. The first is a simple acronym (LOGIC) Legitimise (qualify out
October 11, 2024
Give & Take Close
Give & take close Written by Jamie May All negotiation is give and take as a basic function. All of these examples
October 5, 2024
The handshake close
The handshake close Written by Jamie May Handshake contracts are a form of verbal contract and can be Legally binding. Handshakes only
September 25, 2024
The Frozen Close
The frozen technique Written by Jamie May Ask for the agreement up front, fully expecting the no. Then ‘Let it Go’, ‘Let
September 12, 2024
The Hot Button Close
The hot button close Written by Jamie May I remember as a kid on my dad’s sales floor all the reps talking
August 26, 2024
The Gil close
The Gil close Written by Jamie May Most people have too much ego for this technique. Marketing would probably be shocked. In
August 17, 2024
Follow the leader Close
Follow the leader Written by Jamie May It’s easiest to explain this negotiation technique by switching sides to purchasing. If you know
July 26, 2024
The hurry close
The hurry close Written by Jamie May The hurry close can feel a little icky and stereotypes the old fast-talking hustler. There’s
July 14, 2024
The Guilt close
The guilt close Written by Jamie May Using guilt to close a negotiation can feel sleazy. Like all closing techniques there’s a
June 2, 2024
The hard close
The hard close Written by Jamie May This can also be called mode-1 negotiation. The easiest way to explain this is in
May 23, 2024
Legal Close
Legal Close Written by Jamie May I’ve posted previously about the importance of understanding the law in sales here Australian law and
May 17, 2024
The Golden Bridge Close
The golden bridge Written by Jamie May This closing technique comes out of conflict resolution, but originally from Sun Tzu’s The Art
May 10, 2024
The hero close
The hero close Written by Jamie May The hero close tells a story to your prospective customer. Social proof is powerful, or
May 3, 2024
Future close
Future tense close Written by Jamie May Stop thinking that ‘not now’ means no. Timing is one of the pillars of negotiation.
April 15, 2024
Humour close
The humour close Written by Jamie May Not everyone is funny all the time and I’ve certainly had several jokes in sales
April 2, 2024
Front of mind close
Front of mind close Written by Jamie May Also called the ‘follow up close’, ‘stay in the game close’, or the ‘keep
April 1, 2024
The handover close
The handover close Written by Jamie May This is similar to good cop bad cop; but more similar to having a dedicated
January 6, 2024
Snail Mail
I recently pitched a procurement manager at a major company. One breath to convince him I was worth talking to, which is
March 20, 2026
Drinks, coffee & walking meetings
Written by Jamie May When I was 25 I had a boss ask me to one-on-one Friday drinks. He said ‘you’re really
March 20, 2026
Land and Expand
Written by Jamie May Big purchasing decisions are hard to get approved. They involve multiple stakeholders, procurement processes, risk assessments and budget
March 20, 2026
Ex clients, old proposals, old leads
Written by Jamie May Before you spend another dollar finding new prospects, open your contacts and have an honest look at what’s
March 20, 2026
Introductions
Written by Jamie May If you want to understand where your best customers actually come from. Work backwards through your pipeline, start
March 20, 2026
Partnering and co-branding
When I was selling digital transformation services we had a problem that every small business knows well. Finding new leads takes time,
March 18, 2026
Video Content
Video Content: The Prospecting Channel I Leave on the Table Written by Jamie May I cold call and I write. That’s how
March 18, 2026
Warm Calling
Cold calling is hard, grinding work most will never have the stomach for. You make hundreds of calls, get rejected most of
March 18, 2026
Cold calling
Cold Calling: Still the Most Direct Way to Find New Customers Written by Jamie May Cold calling gets a bad reputation. Most
March 18, 2026
Top 50 ways to get customers
# GTM Channel ROI (%) Cost Lead Time Scalability Effort 1 SEO (Search Engine Optimization) 500-1000% $$ Long High High 2 Cold
August 17, 2025
Online reviews
Online reviews Written by Jamie May Online Reviews: How to Use Them to Actually Find New Customers Written by Jamie May I
October 11, 2024
Merchandising
Merchandising Written by Jamie May Merchandising: The Oldest Trick in the Book that Still Works Written by Jamie May One of the
October 11, 2024
Customer Success (CX)
Customer Success (CX) Written by Jamie May Stop Looking for New Customers. Start Keeping the Ones You Have. Written by Jamie May
September 3, 2024
The Plus One (+1) Prospecting Technique
The Plus One (+1) Prospecting Technique Written by Jamie May The plus one or (+1) is a simple prospecting technique for on-the-road
June 18, 2024
Networking
Networking Written by Jamie May Networking: How to Actually Make It Work for Your Business Written by Jamie May Networking is just
March 11, 2024
Canvassing & soliciting
Canvassing & soliciting Written by Jamie May Canvassing: The Lost Art of Just Walking In Written by Jamie May My son needed
February 28, 2024
Brand Ambassador
Brand ambassador Written by Jamie May Brand Ambassadors: Putting a Human Face on Your Business Written by Jamie May People buy from
February 5, 2024
Email campaigns (marketing)
Email campaigns (marketing) Written by Jamie May Email Campaigns: Low Cost, Easy to Ignore, Still Worth Doing Written by Jamie May Email
June 29, 2022
How to Find Customers: Using Sales
Written by Jamie May How to Find New Customers: Using Sales Finding new customers is hard. It’s roughly twenty times harder than
June 15, 2022
How to Find New Customers: Advertising
Written by Jamie May How to Find New Customers: Advertising How to Find New Customers: Advertising Written by Jamie May Advertising is
June 15, 2022
How to Find New Customers: Marketing Channels
Ways to find new customers through marketing channels Written by Jamie May How to Find New Customers: Marketing Channels Sales goes out
June 15, 2022