discounting

What An MBA Didn’t Teach You About Sales

The sales profession is challenging. You need to work hard at it to succeed. You need to learn from the best. You need to improve your skills continuously. If you think you can sell since you are a hit at parties and have a lot of friends, you may soon find that you are a failure as a salesperson. Blunt truth:

because the sales profession is so hard, you have to focus on doing everything in sales very well, or you will be considered a failure.

I call this blog, Skinned Knees because I try to relate all of the learning that I have done over the past 4+ decades (while skinning my knees in the learning process).

I hope that you learn from my mistakes so that your business will grow!

Two Tall Guys Talking Sales – Winning Without Discounting: Mastering Value Selling at Premium Prices – Episode 135

by Sean O'Shaughnessey

When it comes to holding firm on pricing, many salespeople stumble at the finish line, undermining their value and margin in pursuit of a quick win. In this episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales, Kevin Lawson and Sean O’Shaughnessey explore the essential topic of value selling, especially when offering a premium-priced solution. They break down how business acumen, sales strategy, and relationship-based selling contribute to sales success—and how to confidently command the price your… Two Tall Guys Talking Sales – Winning Without Discounting: Mastering Value Selling at Premium Prices – Episode 135

Two Tall Guys Talking Sales – From Regular Season to Postseason: Coaching Your Sales Team to Win – E128

by Sean O'Shaughnessey

As a sales leader, are you coaching your team for the long haul, or are you scrambling in the final weeks of the quarter? In this episode of Two Tall Guys Talking Sales, Kevin Lawson and Sean O’Shaughnessey break down the difference between regular season and postseason play—whether in sports or sales. They explore why last-minute Hail Mary strategies can be damaging, how to manage time, and the importance of effective and consistent coaching. With… Two Tall Guys Talking Sales – From Regular Season to Postseason: Coaching Your Sales Team to Win – E128

The High Cost of Discounts: Navigating Sales Strategies for Maximum Profitability

by Sean O'Shaughnessey

This article, “The High Cost of Discounts: Navigating Sales Strategies for Maximum Profitability,” delves into the nuanced implications of discounting strategies within the B2B sales arena. It critically examines the traditional practice of offering discounts to boost sales volume and its potential adverse effects on profitability. By exploring key financial metrics such as Gross Profit, Net Profit, COGS (Cost of Goods Sold), and SG&A (Selling, General & Administrative Expenses), the article sheds light on the essential balance businesses must maintain between generating sales and sustaining profitability. It challenges the conventional sales approach, advocating for a more strategic application of discounts and emphasizing the importance of aligning sales strategies with the company’s broader financial objectives. Through a detailed analysis, it reveals how indiscriminate discounting can undermine net profit margins, necessitating a significant increase in sales volume to maintain overall profitability. The article concludes by suggesting a shift towards value-based selling, strategic negotiation, and aligning product offerings closely with customer needs as effective strategies for enhancing profitability without relying on discounts.

CEO Workshop: Drive Revenue During A Crisis

by Sean O'Shaughnessey

The global pandemic has caused crisis after crisis to hit US companies. These crises include:

global supply chain problems affecting worldwide shipping
increased prices due to the shortage of components or subassemblies
labor shortages

To assist our clients, Sean O’Shaughnessey and Kevin Lawson teamed up to create the following webinar. The webinar originally aired on January 13, 2022.

The following is a transcript of the webinar video above. It has been sparsely edited to increase its readability, but many of the idioms and poor spoken grammar have been left in place. The transcription was automatically generated by Sonix.ai and, as capable as that product is, there are times when words are missed or sentence structure was incorrectly interpreted. We have tried to catch all of these software misses, but we are confident that some still remain. The below text is provided for those that would rather read than watch a video.

Read the rest of the article…