James Olsen and Reality Sales Training pursued American International’s business for ten+ years. We had a tradition of in-house training programs that were sufficient so we did not need an outside entity training our people.
A few years back I came to the realization a significant portion of my trading floor was going to retire within five-to-ten years. More so, the transition of trading and training responsibilities was going to stress the available time my core group of business drivers had on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. I recognized the need to reexamine how we trained our inexperienced and entry-level traders.
I had received high praise for James’ work from a colleague who was using Reality Sales Training. I invited James to interview me and a collection of our senior traders. He answered our questions openly and with a knowledge of sales that impressed our team. We decided to commit to a year’s trial.

First Eleven month’s results:

• 31% Increase in profits with all members in the training
• Weeding out of three salespeople that were not helping us grow
• Strengthened sales culture
• Was able to detail a method & system for sales growth
• Enabled training groups participants to increase overall # of trades

American’s performance expectations are high and our culture can be described as gritty, energetic, and results-oriented. Those qualities are shared by James in the way he brings an intensity to sales, leadership, and sales training that can help move a group to higher levels of achievement – the right way. American continues to use James Olsen and Reality Sales Training today.
I highly recommend James Olsen to any leader that wants to invest in the longevity of their organization as well as strengthen the culture.

Wholesale lumber sales is not an easy business. We’re quite particular about the proper sales training and approach needed for success in this industry. Historically we’ve trained all of our people “in-house” and have had great results.

Over the years we’ve used supplemental approaches to this training and have tried the Dale Carnegie-type courses, the Tony Roberts tapes, local sales guru training sessions, etc. Those of us in the trade are well aware that selling lumber is different than selling cars and copiers and there was never enough of a direct connection with these generic sales courses to have any true measurable benefit.

After 15 years of searching for a sales training supplement that had a direct tie into our industry, I came across James Olsen’s book Selling Lumber: Sales Secrets of a Lumber Broker. The combination of personal wholesale lumber experience, direct sales approach, and individual accountability was exactly what I thought could help my floor.

I followed up the read with a phone call to James. Soon after, I attended one of his seminars to evaluate first hand whether this guy had what I was looking for or whether he was just another sales trainer. My initial skepticism was quickly erased. James is anything but another sales trainer.

Shortly after the seminar, I hired James to work with a dozen of my traders over a one-year period. Their experience ranged from 2 months to 10 years and James made a positive impact on every single one of them. He returned real ROI in the most difficult of markets. The sales volume for this group actually increased year over year! James’ straightforward approach allows for no excuses and a few of my traders may not be in the business today if it were not for their involvement with Reality Sales Training over the last twelve months.

We are now in the midst of the second year of partnership with James Olsen and Reality Sales Training. More veterans, some with 20+ years of experience, have made the decision to take advantage of his expert training in an effort to increase their sales. Imagine your sales force actually seeking out ways to improve rather than just hiding in their bunkers waiting for the storm to pass! That’s a monumental shift I wouldn’t have envisioned a few years ago.

In addition to his personalized training with each trader, James has been a tremendous value to me as a manager. He’ll open your eyes as to what steps you can take to get the most out of your traders. We’re in uncertain economic times, you’re trying to survive, and you can’t afford outside sales training? What you need to realize is that you can’t afford NOT to use every tool and take every step to increase sales. Reality Sales Training can help you get there while producing real, measurable results.

I have been selling for over twenty years. After my two-year initiation into sales, I have always been the top performer or one of the top performers wherever I have worked. In 2005 I started Carter Forest Products.

I quickly learned that selling and being a good salesman is not the same as hiring, training, and leading salespeople. I had heard about James through friends and salespeople in our industry and decided to give him a call.

Reality Sales Training has been a fantastic investment for us. James helps us, interview – he has helped me dodge at least one bad hire – hire, train, and manage our sales team. James’ thorough, no-nonsense, and in-depth knowledge of sales, the sales process, and most importantly, his ability to communicate the information to adults and get them to act on it has made all the difference. A sales manager of his caliber would not make sense nor would it be financially feasible for my company. I get world-class sales training and management support that grows sales, for a fraction of the cost or hassle of having a sales manager.

I hear from my peers that the market is tough. (James does not allow us to talk about down markets.) That has not been our experience. We have +133% year-over-year growth with our experienced group. Our new salesperson hit the ground running; generating 90K in profit in the last ninety days of his first year. Our new man continues to grow under James’ tutelage and is on pace for a very profitable first year!

If you are looking for a way to grow your sales quickly Reality Sales Training is a great choice.

Sincerely,

I wanted to take the time to thank you for your instrumental role in helping me reach my professional and personal goals.

James, before I started your class I thought I knew everything there was to know about relationship sales. Boy was I wrong. The blueprint provided by Reality Sales Training is the conduit to success.

Lessons covering organizational skills, goal setting, prospecting, closing, and relationship building are a “can’t miss” approach to successful sales.

Challenging, thought-provoking, and fun, your classes had me leave my excuses at the door and brought out my very best. I learned that professional sales are an art that incorporates nuance and finesse. And equally important is to view ourselves as the respected, valuable assets we truly are.

Sometimes hard work is not enough. But when you incorporate a comprehensive sales strategy like your Reality Sales Training with a solid work ethic and an open mind, success WILL follow.

I know this reads like a pie in the sky endorsement but I literally doubled my numbers in one year. DOUBLED. And I have been a professional salesman for 18 years! I wish I would have met you back then.

Sincerely,

When I interviewed James to decide if we would engage him, I told him that we would measure his success by measuring our sales numbers. The only way to justify spending the money on training is to see improved sales. James was certainly successful in that regard. Without any reservation, I can recommend James Olsen to you for improving your sales volume.

I trust James with my business. He has established himself as one of those elite salesmen that you feel is working for you while on someone else’s payroll. He is analytical and objective. Creative and thorough. Optimistic and realistic. He is urgent. While these combined qualities are rare, rarer still are conviction and integrity. James Olsen says what he means and means what he says.

On several occasions, James has addressed our sales force and recently served as the keynote speaker at our company annual meeting. We have always come away motivated, enlightened, and inspired. The value was created.

The day I read James’ article, “Epiphanies of a Salesperson” I realized I had found what I had been looking for. We needed help on the sales part of our business. We have an excellent product and reputation. We have a hardworking and responsible crew. We excel in certain market segments. Our quality of manufacture is world-class. But our sales were down and needed badly to increase. With Reality Sales Training they did. We added 155 new accounts in less than one year! Our year over year shipments are up 17% and our revenue increased by 30%.

As a leader of our team, James challenged and confirmed my thinking. James helped me take action on changes that are crucial to our future growth. These actions have yielded positive results. James has an in-depth knowledge of sales and the sales process. He also is a good teacher. He will challenge you and your group to become better salespeople. You will get better.

Finally, James respected our culture. Changing adults and getting them to try new things while being respectful is delicate. James pulled it off. I would highly recommend James Olsen and Reality Sales Training. You will grow your sales rapidly and strengthen your sales team in the long term.

Best regards,

I am writing to highly recommend James Olsen and the services of his company, Reality Sales Training. My sales team has been working with James since January 2011 and since that time the transformation in the quality of our sales and the professionalism of our sales team is truly remarkable.

With the assistance of Reality Sales Training, our sales have grown 275% since 2011. We have been in business since 1976 and had established a mature and consistent sales growth record prior to working with James. To achieve sales growth at the level we have experienced over the past three years is an accomplishment to which we give James Olsen considerable credit.

James’ classes are designed to educate and challenge. James is a master seller and knows the qualities and methods required to become a master seller. He is not an enabler of those salespeople who do not want to change in order to improve.

If you seek greater sales, greater profitability, higher rates of closing, and a more professional sales team, you owe it to your company to give James a year to transform your salespeople into master sellers. Partnering with James has yielded one of the best returns on investment our company has ever made. I hope you will make the same decision we did and put Reality Sales Training on your team.

James is an outstanding sales coach. His personal experience trading lumber gives him the credibility to command attention from both new and experienced traders. His advice is practical and to the point. James has helped several of my traders to improve their performance significantly and I can recommend him highly.

Over the years, I have attended many sales seminars. Most of these had instructors that could teach sales theory, but most did not have any successful practical experience to accompany it. James Olsen is a rare individual that was not only successful in sales but also possesses the ability to teach it from a hands-on approach.

Sales training that brings value is hard to find. We bring James Olsen back on an ongoing basis because we get value from his training. James is excellent with our new salespeople. He gives them the fundamentals they need to succeed in sales, and to succeed right away. He shows them how the sales process works. Step by step he leads them through each part of the sales process. He shows them what situations happen in sales calls and how to handle them when they do. Our new guys get up to speed very quickly. This is great for their confidence and our bottom line.

James also works with our experienced salespeople. He fires them up, makes them laugh, and gives them the refresher they need from time to time.

If you are looking for sales training that really works, I highly recommend James Olsen.

Reality Sales Training’s Leadership Sales program will have an immediate positive impact on your sales team.

Fifteen years ago, as a young sales representative for UFPI, I was fortunate to be trained by James Olsen. The skills he taught me made a big difference in my life as a salesperson.  James approach is practical, to the point and at the same time gives the sales professional a broad-based approach to sales that applies to any and all situations.

Two years ago, we engaged Reality Sales Training to train our sales team in Texas/ Our group is a mix of experienced and new salespeople.

Our new reps progressed much faster than previously. Our experienced reps applied new ideas and sold more also. Surprisingly, many of our experienced people have opted to stay in the training, even when given the opportunity to opt out. (This just doesn’t happen!) We opened more new accounts in the last two years that we had opened in the previous five combined. Besides teaching the nuts, bolts, and psychology of sales, James has taught us how to sell programs; this has helped us secure larger and more loyal customers.

In addition to working with our sales reps, James also works with me and our leadership team to tackle any management challenges we might face.

We continue to see the effect of his presence within our organization. We are hitting and exceeding budget numbers across all sales sectors. Our sales leaders are more effective. Our inside and outside sellers are excited about sales and being salespeople. If you want to increase sales and strengthen your sales culture, I highly recommend James Olsen to help take you and your sales organization to the next level.

Just want to thank you first of all for venturing out on the streets of S.F. with me. I’m convinced now that you are as fearless as you say.

Seriously, it was a good experience. You demonstrated at least two things to me:

1. Work outside my comfort zone and be DIRECT sometimes… I was surprised at the positive result. (When you pointed out the “lying” I first wanted to dive under my chair but it worked)
2. The power of PROMOTING and taking the lead. Be ahead of the game…don’t wait for their menu. Even if they don’t use my idea, I can make myself part of the process.

It is unnerving to work outside of the classroom with someone but it really was helpful to see the real deal in action. This program reminds me of that cable show Overhaulin’ where they totally remake classic cars with high-performance parts.

Thanks for the direction in selling especially in prospecting (the concept of it), listening to customers, and understanding that customers, no matter who they think they are, have to buy from somebody. …all of the selling instruction really helps me in increasing sales volume and trying to make my job as easy as possible while doing it.