Now he is the CEO of a growing legal services firm in Washington DC.

Daniel Waldschmidt is his name, and he credits me with getting his head on straight and turning him into a Sales Allstar. Daniel is an interesting study in success. Read what he has to say in his own words straight from his CEO blog, The DEW View…

I got a bad ass mentor the first time around. In my growing self-dissatisfaction days as an early twenty year old punk in sales (trying really hard but kind of clueless…) I hired Shamus to turn around my skills and make me the “CLOSER”… Shamus Failed!

He didn't teach me how to close anything…

Starting with my first 'zen session', Shamus taught me that the head game was the most important part of the battle for success. He confirmed my disdain for the Zig Ziglar-esque 'put a post-it note on the mirror that reminds you how good you are' type of tactics and taught me to examine and qualify opportunities and LISTEN to client's pain…

Imagine that! Instead of practicing fancy 'lines' or tricky 'tactics', I was taught to 'listen' and 'empathize'… I learned and I became an AllStar…"

Daniel was doing well when he hired me as his sales coach, and after a few short months of working together he was doing even better (I call a 90% close rate an "improvement").

I think Daniel is a major success now for the following reasons:

• He's a tornado of activity.
• He sets high standards for himself.
• He seeks constant improve in himself.
• He is an intense questioner, listener, and thinker.

Not everyone aspires to be a CEO and a tornado of activity like Daniel. I wanted to share this with you because it's a true story of success that I think you might be able to gain something from.

You can get more of Daniel's take on success in business and his DEWisms as he calls them at his blog TheDEWview.com

Sell with Pride,

Shameless Shamus Brown

P.S. I am not currently taking any new sales coaching clients on at the moment, so please don't ask. I am contemplating a new coaching program for this fall, and if I decide to do it, I'll let you know here.

P.P.S. Wanna learn everything I taught Daniel Waldschmidt? Go here now and start drinking it up.

Doing so, gives away your power and results in you getting treated as if you are an interruption

Whether you are an interruption or not is something you cannot know ahead of time.

Whether you are making a phone call or an in-person sales call, you don't know what is on your prospect's mind before you see or talk to him.

You "might" be an interruption if what you are selling is not important to your prospect.

But if what are selling IS important to your prospect, then you are not an interruption.

You should always approach every phone call and every sales call as if what you are selling IS important to your prospect.

And you should act this way with every level of influencer and decision maker that you call on.

Don't get flustered by the thinking that what you sell is too lowly for executive who will make the decision. If it will make or save them money or time, then it is important.

And likewise don't take no crap from the gatekeepers and receptionists assuming that they won't understand. If what you do can make or save money or time, then what your doing might just help save or pay for that admin's job.

How can you know if what you are selling is important to your prospect or not?

Ask.

Ask them if solving their problems is important to them.

When you begin to approach every prospect as if you have something important to speak to them about, you reclaim your power.

You go into each and every sales interaction with the attitude that you have value to give or to help uncover.

This causes people to want to talk with you, to be more open with you, to welcome you and not reject you.

Project value and you will find value.

Believe you are an interruption and you will be an interruption.

It's your choice.

Sell with Pride,

Shameless Shamus Brown

P.S. Get to the core of every sale fast and use it to stop prospect stalls, delays, and other B.S. head-fakes with the easy and powerful techniques I show you in the Persuasive Selling Skills Audio Program right now.

I didn't always know this.

But getting people upset is the fastest way to make more sales.

Strange but true.

This can be a bit hard to understand and accept at first. Especially if you are like me and most other sales people and you really like relating to people.

But here's the truth:

The sale is made only someone gets fed up with a problem and decides to do something about it.

The decision to "do something" is an emotional one. And most action starts from dissatisfaction.

The ultimate decision to buy, and to buy from you happens when someone is feeling upset, frustrated, angry, anxious, etc. about a problem and they believe you have the solution to their problem.

Emotion even is in control when you are in a competitive deal.

The difference is, when prospects are "evaluating" products or solutions from multiple competing companies, those people in an intellectual mode a lot more of the time. They certainly use this ability to detach from the decision for awhile to control the evaluation and to try and control you.

The emotion they feel though when you upset them about the problems they are having and how those problems will effect their business, their career, or their life is what get's them wanting to buy, and wanting to buy now rather than later.

People can't help it.

None of us can.

All decisions are rooted in emotion, and rationalized with logic.

It may be the dog days of summer for you. Gas prices are high. Inflation is creeping up. Housing is down. There's all kinds of excuses for why people won't buy from you.

The simple fact though is that if you can find and get someone emotional about a problem they are having (or might have), you got an insanely high chance of making the sale.

So go out and find some pain now.

Sell with Pride,

Shameless Shamus Brown

P.S. Discover my 4 question model for uncovering pain and using it to drive your sales forward fast with the Persuasive Selling Skills Audio Program today.

If you only go after the deals that are already competitive with vendors like yourself, then you are working harder than you need to and probably closing less than you could be. You should also be spending part of your time prospecting for deals in accounts that haven't contacted you or your competition yet. Your closing rate will be significantly higher when you create your own opportunities.

Sell with Pride,

Shameless Shamus Brown

P.S. You create a new deal when show someone how to solve a problem that they are either unaware of or are ignoring. Discover how to quickly and easily get you’re your prospects to want you to help them with the Persuasive Selling Skills Audio Program now.

Tomorrow morning, starting around 7am, I am getting together with a few friends to roast a whole 150 lb. pig.

Nope, tis not organic.

Just plain old, fresh killed pig.

In fact it's in the butcher's icebox at my grocery store right now.

It's my friend Andrew's Birthday this week. So we're starting a new/old tradition round here, and throwing a big bash on the beach of a local lake with a pig roast as the center attraction.

I say "new", cause this is a new tradition for me with Andrew and my friends here in Grass Valley and Nevada City where I work and live. And I say "old" cause Andrew threw this party as a summer birthday bash for himself in his previous life when he used to live in Southern California.

It's called the MegaFest.

It's gonna be fun. No, it’s gonna be MegaFun.

I am gonna get lots of pictures and we'll be shootin some video too.

If you want get live updates as this crazy day unfolds, then you can follow me on Twitter. I'll be posting updates from my cell phone (as long as my sobriety allows) to http://Twitter.com/ShamelessShamus

Don't know what Twitter is? Then watch this 2 minute video explanation. Twitter's pretty simple, and it's a great way to connect with and follow people's activities from your cell phone (or web browser).

If I can get a good shot, I'll post a picture of the pig in the butcher's icebox sometime this afternoon (we're going over to pay for it around lunchtime).

UPDATE 4:00PM Pacific Time: Here's a pic of me and the pig…

The rest of the pictures I'll put up next week. And you'll want to add me as a friend on Facebook, cause I'll probably put the photos and videos of me and the pig up on Facebook first.

Now I don't expect anybody to get nakyd or anything like that. But hey, you never know what's really gonna happen. So make sure you follow me on Twitter and friend me over on Facebook.

Oh, and this message wouldn't be complete without my Shameless Sales Plug. So here it is. Yes, I am going to be partying tomorrow, but next Monday it's back to makin more buckaroos for me and you. So go get yourself a copy of my Persuasive Selling Skills Audio Program. It's almost as much fun as my pig roast, and will certainly put more sales bux in your pocket this summer!

Sell with Pride,

Shameless Shamus Brown

P.S. If you are wondering what happened to the video earlier this week on my blog, it got removed from YouTube (where it was hosted), and I don't know why. It was a video from another YouTube user, and they haven't said why they took it down. I hope you gotta chance to see it before it got yanked cause it was pretty hilarious!

Maybe your company hired lots of sales people with the idea of saturation coverage.

Personally I have been in that situation more than once!

Or maybe you sell something really specific to a market that has a small, finite number of organizations in it (one of my customers sells only to State and Federal law enforcement and he tells me his market is limited to 62 prospects).

In such circumstances, you can't be a dick to your prospects, now can you The first rule is simple.

Don't Beg.

It's real easy when you have a finite number of prospects to make a picture in your head that shows your opportunity as being too small.

The harder things get, the less opportunity it seems you have.

Don't Beg.

No matter what happens with one prospect, you have to approach each new prospect as if you are King.

You must approach every new prospect contact with a high degree of self-respect and self-esteem.

All my same rules apply.

You still have to make them qualify for your sales time.

You only give them demos, customer references, whatever, once they have given you a commitment of some sort. A commitment to give you higher level access. A commitment to give you their honest opinion as to whether they will recommend you further in the decision process.

Always get something of value when you give something of value.

If the deal slows down, then match their pace. Slow down your interaction with them too, and use the newfound time to go work other prospects in your territory. Don't "stalk" the prospects that have slowed down or aren't in buying mode.

You should keep "marketing" to them though. That is keep finding reasons to call them and discuss potential ideas related to what you sell. Stories and facts about what your current customers are doing are a great reason to call and keep the interaction going over time until the deal gets heats up again.

Be persistent in other words, but don't let your rules breakdown so that you look desperate. That's a sure way to become the second choice loser at worst, or get forced to discount your prices at best.

Selling with pride means something. You should do it at all times because it will put more bux in your pocket this year, next year, and for the rest of your career.

Sell with Pride!

Shameless Shamus Brown

P.S. If your closing rate isn't at least 70%, then you are doing something wrong. Discover how to get your closing rate up to 70% and higher and double or triple the bux you put in your wallet with the Persuasive Selling Skills Audio Program.

I got this email from a guy who has sold big venture capital investments in both the US and the UK.

Here's what he told me…

My staff used to crowd around the tape recorder (in the days when you didn't have to warn people you were taping the call for training purposes)…. they wanted to see what it was I did that made ALL of my prospects say the following…

'You know Stephen, I like the look of this, and I'm interested, what do you think I should do?'

My response was always the same:

'In your position, I'd buy 5!'

We were selling investment units in private equity deals, and what I taught my employees was that I am not the salesman, but rather a trusted advisor. The investment meets his risk tolerance, and he sees me as a second opinion to back up his own decision.

Strange how I sold more multiple units than anyone else and how I NEVER had someone call up a day later with buyer's remorse."

-Stephen Jones, Director, JIEC Ltd.

Stephen succeeds because he assumes the best for his clients and himself.

He's doesn't bring any head garbage to the sale. Most people underperform in this area because they bring their own biases and assumptions to the sale about how much one should spend, what's "affordable", what's "too much risk", etc., etc.

That kind a crap will screw you every time. Sometimes you won't know how bad you've screwed yourself, cause you'll still close the deal, it just won't be as big as it could have been.

At its worst though, your head garbage stops you from closing the deal at all.

But Stephen is successful because he doesn't assume. He reads the prospect, and then gives the prospect the confidence that the prospect needs to make a good decision.

Let the prospect show you what he wants to do and then sell him everything he needs that you have to make him successful.

That's smart selling.

Sell with Pride,

Shameless Shamus Brown

P.S. Get rid of your head garbage and stop limiting your sales when you listen to my Persuasive Selling Skills Audio Program.

Others don't always see eye-to-eye with me.

Yesterday a woman wrote in to excoriate me about the fact that since women represent about half of the population, and therefore probably half of my readers, that I shouldn't use non-inclusive words like "salesmen".

I should appeal to everyone, and I should offend no one (to take her free marketing advice).

Well I use the word salesmen intentionally.

And since I do this on purpose, I know what I am doing, I know why I am doing it, and it works very well for me.

Wanna know why I do this?

There's a big clue in this video (and it's pretty damn funny too). So watch it now…

UPDATE 8/1/08: This video has been removed from YouTube (where it was hosted), and I don't know the reason why. This video was posted by another YouTube user, and they haven't said why they took it down. I hope you gotta chance to see it before it got yanked cause it was pretty hilarious!

FYI - If you "get" this video, then you'll "get" what I am doing.

Sell with Pride,

Shameless Shamus Brown

P.S. You can double or triple your closing rate fast when you stop trying to sell to anyone who can fog a mirror. Get your copy of the Persuasive Selling Skills Audio Program and put my methods for strategic focus into action now.

Real salesmen don't have to close their deals at the end of the sale. Real salesmen qualify their deals up-front, and then put their time and sales effort only into the deals that they have high-odds of closing. Real salesmen ask "the hard questions" early so they can make these decisions quickly.

Sell with Pride,

Shameless Shamus Brown

P.S. A closed sale is the natural consequence of a deal properly qualified up-front. End the suspense of whether or not your deals will close at the end with the Persuasive Selling Skills Audio Program now.

Your position, your job is not enough.

The right to sell has to be earned from each prospect.

Too many eager sales people don't know this simple rule.

Some sales people get lucky. They get lucky with their first sales job and they start out selling a hot product in a hot market.

When you sell a hot product in a hot market, there is very little selling you need to do.

The man who sells a hot product usually need do little more than show up.

Thing is though that hot products and hot markets eventually cool off.

Most products and things that people sell take some effort on our part.

And so you can't just show up, say "I'm here, and here's my stuff" and expect people to buy it.

I know this may sound simplistic to you, but I gotta remind you - even myself from time to time - not to forget the basics.

You earn the right to sell by uncovering your prospect's buying motive.

In other words…

No Buying Motive = No Right to Sell

Soooo many people skip this.

They jump right into why they are good, why they are great, what "benefits" you'll get when you buy their stuff, bla-blah, blah-bla, bla-blah!

None of that matters if there is no buying motive.

When you do discover the buying motive, selling is mucho easier IF you use it right.

You see I can bet that you know a lot of benefits that your prospects can get if they purchase your stuff. Probably a dozen or more bene's - right?

Usually though only one or two of them drive a sale. That is, only one or two of them matter to each individual prospect.

So when you know their buying motive, you can stop throwing all the other stuff at the wall to see what sticks.

Instead you can focus your sales energy like a laser beam on their buying motive and show them how they will get just what they want in spades by doing business with you.

Your prospects will gladly let you sell to them when they believe you are going to help them with a problem that is important to them.

The right to sell is easy to earn if you will just ask the right questions.

Sell with Pride,

Shameless Shamus Brown

P.S. My Persuasive Questioning Techniques Sales Training Course is the fastest and most effective method you will find for uncovering your prospect's buying motives and get them fired up to purchase your stuff.