For many salespeople, the word “sell” comes with baggage. It can conjure images of pushy salespeople, awkward pitches, relentless follow-ups and conversations where the customer feels like a target rather than a person.
But what if we changed the way we think about selling? What if, instead of focusing on selling, we focused on helping? Because great salespeople don’t simply sell products or services. They help customers solve problems, overcome challenges and achieve better outcomes.
Stop Selling. Start Helping.
The best sales conversations don’t begin with, “Let me tell you about our product.” They begin with questions.
What are you trying to achieve?
What’s getting in the way?
What’s costing you time, money or opportunities?
What would a better outcome look like?
When salespeople approach a conversation with genuine curiosity, the dynamic changes. The customer isn’t being “sold to”. They’re being listened to. And when people feel heard and understood, they’re much more open to exploring whether your solution can genuinely help them.
The Customer Doesn’t Want Your Product
They want what your product or service can do for them. A business may not want a new CRM system. It wants better visibility of its pipeline. A customer may not want another piece of software. They want to save time. A manager may not want sales training. They want a sales team that is more confident, capable and consistent. This is where effective salespeople add value. They connect the dots between the customer’s situation and a potential solution. That requires more than product knowledge. It requires the ability to ask great questions, listen actively, uncover needs and communicate value. In other words, sales is less about convincing and more about understanding.
Helping Builds Trust
Trust is one of the most valuable assets in any sales relationship. Customers want to know that you understand their challenges and that your recommendation is based on their needs, not simply on your desire to hit a sales target. That doesn’t mean salespeople shouldn’t be commercially focused.
Of course they should. But there is a powerful difference between “How do I get this customer to buy?” and “How can I help this customer make the right decision?”
The second question creates a very different sales conversation. And it can lead to stronger relationships, greater customer confidence and more meaningful conversations about value.
Train Your Team to Help, Not Just Sell
Changing this mindset takes more than telling your sales team to “be more consultative”. Salespeople need practical skills they can use every day. From discovery and questioning techniques through to handling objections, communicating value and confidently asking for the business. That’s where tailored sales training can make a difference. To find out more about KONA Training’s Hearts & Minds Sales Methodology, click here.
Because your team, your customers and your sales challenges are unique. Training should be designed around the real-world situations your people face, rather than simply delivering generic sales theory.
At KONA Training, we believe sales training is about developing practical skills that help salespeople have better conversations, create genuine value and ultimately achieve better commercial outcomes. Because perhaps the most effective way to think about selling is surprisingly simple: Don’t focus on how to sell more. Focus on how to help more. And when you consistently help customers solve the right problems, the selling becomes a natural part of the conversation.
Ready to help your sales team sell differently?
Contact KONA Training today to discuss tailored Sales Training designed around your sales team, customers and business goals. Call 1300 611 288 or Email info@kona.com.au
How jumping straight to price can make value harder to establish
“How much does it cost?”
It sounds like a straightforward question. So the salesperson gives them a straightforward answer. “$4,500.”
“Okay, thanks. I’ll get back to you.”
And just like that, the conversation is over. The salesperson may have answered the customer’s question, but they may also have missed an important opportunity.
Because when a customer asks for a price before the salesperson understands what they actually need, price can become the main thing being compared. And once the conversation is about price, it can be much harder to establish value.
Price isn’t always the real question
When a customer asks, “How much?”, they aren’t necessarily saying price is the only thing that matters. They might be trying to understand whether the solution is within their budget.
• They might be comparing several providers. • They might not understand what is included.
Or they may simply be looking for enough information to decide whether it is worth continuing the conversation.
The salesperson needs to understand what sits behind the question.
Instead of immediately responding with a number, a salesperson can acknowledge the question and ask something like: “Absolutely. There are a few factors that can affect the price. Can I ask you a couple of questions first so I can give you an accurate figure?”
This keeps the conversation moving while creating an opportunity to understand the customer’s situation.
You can’t establish value before you understand the problem
Imagine a customer is looking for a new business system. The salesperson immediately provides the price. The customer now has a number, but they don’t necessarily understand what they are getting for that number.
The salesperson hasn’t established:
What problem the customer is trying to solve
How significant that problem is
What the current situation is costing them
What outcome they are looking for
What is important when selecting a solution
What risks they want to avoid
What would make the investment worthwhile
Without this information, it becomes difficult to demonstrate value. The customer can easily compare “$20,000” with another supplier’s “$15,000”.
But if the salesperson has uncovered that their solution will save the customer significant time, reduce errors, improve productivity and solve a problem that has been frustrating the team for months, the conversation becomes very different. The price is still $20,000. But the context around the price has changed.
Questioning comes before pitching
Good salespeople don’t just provide information. They uncover information. This is where quality questioning becomes so important. Before talking about price, the salesperson should be trying to understand the customer’s needs, priorities and desired outcomes.
Questions might include: • “What are you currently using?” • “What prompted you to look at changing?” • “What isn’t working with the current approach?” • “What would you like to improve?” • “What is most important to you when choosing a solution?” • “What would success look like for you?”
These questions create a much clearer picture of what the customer actually values. They also allow the salesperson to tailor the conversation rather than delivering a generic pitch.
Don’t be afraid to talk about price
This doesn’t mean salespeople should avoid the price question. In fact, avoiding price completely can damage trust. The issue is when and how the price is introduced. If a customer asks for a price, the salesperson should be comfortable discussing it. But where possible, they should first establish enough context to explain what the customer is getting and why it matters.
Think about buying a car. If someone simply told you, “This car costs $65,000,” you wouldn’t necessarily know whether that was expensive or reasonable.
But if you knew it included the features you need, reduced your running costs, came with a strong warranty and solved specific problems with your current vehicle, you would have more information with which to assess the investment. Sales conversations work the same way, value gives price context.
When price becomes the only comparison
If the salesperson introduces price too early, they can unintentionally turn the conversation into a comparison exercise.
The customer asks: “How much?”
The salesperson answers.
The customer asks another provider. “How much?”
Then another. “How much?”
If all three salespeople are providing similar answers without first understanding the customer’s needs, the customer may simply choose the cheapest option. The salesperson has made it difficult to differentiate. This is particularly dangerous when the business genuinely provides greater expertise, service, quality, reliability or outcomes. If those differences haven’t been established, the customer may never know they exist.
Teach your sales team to slow down
One of the most valuable sales skills is knowing when not to answer immediately. That doesn’t mean deliberately withholding information. It means recognising that a customer’s first question isn’t always the question that should determine the entire sales conversation. The salesperson’s job is to understand before recommending.
• Ask questions. • Listen carefully. • Explore the customer’s situation. • Identify the problem. • Understand the desired outcome. • Then position the solution around what matters to that customer.
And when price does come into the conversation, it has something important supporting it: value. Because the goal isn’t simply to tell customers what something costs. The goal is to help them understand why the investment makes sense for their particular situation.
To find out more about the importance of training your sales team to sell on value rather than price, click here.
Is your sales team too quick to talk about price?
If your salespeople are regularly discounting, losing opportunities on price or giving quotes before they have properly understood the customer’s needs, the problem may not be your pricing. It may be the sales conversation.
At KONA Training, we provide tailored Sales Training for sales teams, focusing on practical skills including quality questioning, active listening, identifying customer needs, communicating value, handling objections and progressing opportunities.
Contact KONA Training today to discuss tailored Sales Training for your Sales Team and help your salespeople have better conversations before they start talking about price. Call 1300 611 288 or Email info@kona.com.au
The Sales Team had a Training Problem but it Wasn’t What They Thought
The sales team was struggling. Targets were being missed. Follow-up was inconsistent. Some salespeople were discounting too quickly, while others were avoiding difficult conversations with prospects. Managers were spending more time chasing activity than coaching performance.
The obvious solution seemed simple: more sales training.
So the business booked a training program. The team attended. Everyone was engaged. There were great conversations, plenty of ideas and lots of agreement around what needed to change.
A few weeks later, however, things looked much the same. Sound familiar?
The problem may not have been the quality of the training. The problem may have been that the business had identified the wrong type of gap. Before investing in another training program, it is worth asking a more important question:
What is actually stopping your sales team from performing?
There are three common possibilities: a knowledge gap, a skills gap or a performance gap. While they can look very similar from the outside, they require very different solutions.
1. The Knowledge Gap: “They Don’t Know What to Do”
A knowledge gap exists when someone simply doesn’t have the information they need to perform effectively. Perhaps a salesperson doesn’t understand the company’s sales process. Maybe they don’t know how to use the CRM properly, aren’t familiar with a new product or don’t understand the difference between features, benefits and customer value. They may genuinely want to do the right thing, but they don’t know what “right” looks like.
For example, a salesperson might be asking: • What questions should I ask during a discovery meeting? • How do I structure a sales call? • What information should I record in the CRM? • How does our new product solve the customer’s problem? • What is our process for qualifying opportunities?
In this situation, training can absolutely help. The solution is to provide the knowledge, information, frameworks and processes the salesperson needs. But knowing something and doing something are two very different things. And this is where many sales training programs stop too early.
2. The Skills Gap: “They Know What to Do, But Can’t Do It Well”
Imagine your salesperson understands that they need to ask quality questions. They know that asking, “What are your biggest challenges?” is more useful than immediately launching into a product presentation. They understand the theory. But when they are sitting across from a prospect, they still dominate the conversation. That’s a skills gap.
A skills gap occurs when someone has the knowledge but hasn’t developed the ability to consistently apply it in real situations.
Sales skills include things such as: • Quality questioning • Active listening • Building rapport • Presenting value • Handling objections • Negotiating • Managing difficult conversations • Prospecting • Closing • Following up effectively • Communicating with different customer personalities
These skills aren’t developed simply by talking about them. They require practice, feedback and repetition. This is why effective sales training should be practical and interactive. Salespeople need opportunities to test new approaches, work through realistic scenarios and receive constructive feedback. A salesperson doesn’t become better at handling objections because they understand the definition of an objection. They become better because they’ve practised handling them.
3. The Performance Gap: “They Know It and Can Do It, But Aren’t Doing It”
This is often the most frustrating problem for sales managers. The salesperson has attended the training. They know the process, they have demonstrated the skills, they can handle a role play brilliantly. And yet, when they return to their territory, the behaviour disappears.
This may be a performance gap. A performance gap exists when someone has the knowledge and capability to perform, but their behaviour or results aren’t matching expectations. The reasons can be very different.
Perhaps the salesperson: • Isn’t consistently following the sales process • Doesn’t prioritise prospecting • Avoids uncomfortable conversations • Has poor time management • Isn’t being held accountable • Lacks confidence • Has developed unhelpful habits • Is unclear about expectations • Isn’t receiving enough coaching • Is motivated by different priorities • Is struggling with workload or competing demands
In this situation, sending the salesperson to another training course may not solve the problem. They may not need more knowledge. They may need coaching, accountability, clearer expectations or a change in behaviour.
The Same Problem Can Have Three Different Causes
Consider this common example: “Our salespeople aren’t asking enough questions.”
That sounds like a training issue. But let’s look closer.
Knowledge gap They don’t understand what quality questioning looks like or why it matters.
Solution: Education and sales training.
Skills gap They understand quality questioning but struggle to formulate and ask effective questions in a real conversation.
Solution: Practice, role plays, coaching and feedback.
Performance gap They know how to ask quality questions and have demonstrated that they can do it, but they don’t consistently do it with customers.
Solution: Coaching, accountability, observation and behavioural reinforcement.
Same symptom, three very different solutions.
So, Does Your Sales Team Actually Need More Training?
Before booking another training day, sales leaders should take a step back.
Ask: What are we actually seeing?
Look at the behaviours behind the results. • Are salespeople struggling because they don’t know what to do? • Are they trying but lacking the skills to do it effectively?
Or do they know exactly what to do, have demonstrated they can do it, but aren’t consistently putting it into practice? This distinction matters. Because throwing training at every sales problem can become expensive without necessarily changing performance.
The best sales training starts with diagnosis. It looks at what the sales team is doing today, where the gaps are and what needs to change. Then the training, coaching and reinforcement can be designed around those specific needs.
Training Should Change What Happens After the Training
A successful sales training program shouldn’t simply result in a room full of people who enjoyed the day. It should result in salespeople doing something differently when they get back to work.
• Maybe they’re asking better questions. • Maybe they’re uncovering customer needs rather than jumping straight to solutions. • Maybe they’re more confident handling objections. • Maybe they’re having better value conversations instead of immediately discussing price. • Maybe they’re following up more consistently.
Or perhaps sales managers are becoming better sales coaches and helping those behaviours stick. That’s where the real value of sales training lies. Not in what the team knows at the end of the day, but in what they consistently do differently afterwards.
The Right Sales Training Starts With the Right Problem
Every sales team is different. Some need new knowledge. Others need to build specific sales skills. Some don’t need more training at all and instead need coaching, accountability and support to turn existing capability into consistent performance. Understanding the difference can make your investment in sales development far more effective. Click here to read more about the benefits the right Sales Training Program can bring to your Sales Team.
At KONA Training, we believe sales training should be tailored to the people, challenges and commercial goals of your business. Our Sales Training & Coaching programs are designed to identify the real gaps, build practical capability and help sales teams turn learning into measurable changes in behaviour and performance.
If your sales team has a training problem, but you’re not sure what the real problem is, contact KONA Training to discuss tailored Sales Training & Coaching for your sales team. Call 1300 611 288 or Email info@kona.com.au
One of the most interesting things about sales training is that the people who know me and have worked with KONA rarely ask, “What if it doesn’t work?”
They’ve watched conversations change, they’ve seen salespeople ask better questions, challenge customers’ thinking, uncover opportunities that were previously invisible and become more confident in asking for the business. And importantly, they’ve seen the impact on the numbers.
The biggest risk isn’t investing in sales training
For many organisations, the hesitation around sales training is understandable.
• There is a cost. • There is time away from the field. • There is the question of whether the training will actually change behaviour once everyone gets back to their desks.
But I would argue that the bigger risk is doing nothing. If your sales team is having the same conversations, asking the same questions, responding to objections in the same way and competing on the same basis as they did 12 months ago, why would you expect different results?
• The market has changed. • Customers have changed. • Competitors have changed.
And now AI is changing the way customers research, compare and make decisions. Standing still is no longer the safe option.
Training shouldn’t feel like training
At KONA, we don’t believe sales training should be about sitting in a room, listening to someone talk about selling and then hoping people remember it on Monday. Sales capability needs to be practical, commercial and embedded. We work with sales teams to change the way they think and behave in real customer conversations.
That means: • Asking questions that uncover what really matters to the customer • Moving beyond features and benefits to demonstrate genuine VALUE • Creating compelling reasons for customers to change • Challenging customers respectfully rather than simply agreeing with them • Handling objections without immediately discounting or defending • Building stronger commercial relationships • Improving confidence, consistency and accountability • Turning sales activity into measurable sales growth
The objective isn’t to make salespeople better at presenting. It’s to make them better at creating value and winning business.
I’ve seen the upside
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working with sales teams across a wide range of industries and organisations. The common thread isn’t the product they sell.
It’s the willingness of leaders and salespeople to say: “We can do better.” When that mindset exists, the results can be significant.
• Salespeople become more deliberate. • Managers have better coaching conversations. • Customer meetings become more purposeful. • Opportunities become better qualified. • Teams become more commercially confident.
And ultimately, businesses create more revenue from the opportunities already in front of them. That’s the upside.
So, is there a risk?
Of course there is. There is always a risk when you invest in anything designed to improve performance.
But I would suggest asking a different question:
“What is the cost of not changing?”
“What are those missed opportunities worth?”
“What does another year of inconsistent prospecting cost?”
“What does discounting because a salesperson hasn’t established value cost?”
“What does losing customers to a competitor who is better at selling value cost?”
And what does it cost when your best salespeople are relying on experience and instinct rather than a consistent, repeatable sales process?
Those costs rarely appear on a training budget. But they’re very real.
Those who know me already know
The clients who know me know how I work. They know I’m not interested in delivering another motivational sales day that everyone enjoys and nobody remembers. They know I challenge people.
I challenge salespeople to think differently. I challenge managers to coach differently. And I challenge businesses to stop accepting sales behaviours simply because “that’s the way we’ve always done it.”
Most importantly, they know that the goal is not training. The goal is performance. Because those clients have experienced the upside. And once you’ve experienced what a capable, confident and commercially focused sales team can achieve, the question isn’t: “Is there a risk in investing in sales capability?”
The question becomes: “Why wouldn’t we?”
KONA Sales Training
To read more about KONA’s Sales Training Programs and the benefits they can provide to Sales Teams, click here.
Ready to turn sales capability into commercial performance? If your sales team has the potential to perform at a higher level, let’s have the conversation.
But what if “no” wasn’t actually the end of the conversation? What if it was an invitation to ask another question? That is where effective objection handling can make a significant difference.
Not every “no” means no
One of the biggest mistakes salespeople can make is treating every objection as a rejection. There is an important difference.
A rejection can mean the customer has made a firm decision not to proceed. An objection, however, can indicate that there is something standing between the customer and a decision. • It might be price. • It might be timing. • It might be uncertainty. • It might be a lack of trust. • It might be that the customer does not fully understand the value of the solution.
Or it might simply be that the salesperson has not uncovered the real need yet. The challenge is that customers do not always explain what is really stopping them.
That is why experienced salespeople do not immediately try to overcome an objection. They investigate it.
The problem with jumping straight into a response
Imagine a salesperson presents a proposal and the customer says: “It’s too expensive.”
A salesperson who is uncomfortable with objections might immediately respond: “We can give you a discount.”
The problem? They have just solved a problem the customer may not actually have.
• Maybe the customer wasn’t concerned about the price. • Maybe they were questioning whether the investment would deliver enough value. • Maybe they had an internal budget constraint. • Maybe a competitor had offered something cheaper.
Or perhaps the salesperson had simply failed to demonstrate why the solution was worth the investment. By immediately defending the price, the salesperson has missed the opportunity to understand what is really happening.
A better response might be: “Can I ask what specifically concerns you about the investment?”
That question changes the conversation. Instead of arguing, the salesperson is investigating.
Objections are information
A structured approach to objection handling starts with recognising that an objection contains information. The customer is telling you something. The salesperson’s job is to understand what it means.
Consider these common objections: “We need to think about it.”
Instead of: “Absolutely. When can I follow up?”
Try: “Of course. What specifically would you like to think through?”
“We’re happy with our current supplier.”
Instead of: “I understand, but we’re better than them because…”
Try: “What is it about your current supplier that works particularly well for you?”
“It’s too expensive.”
Instead of immediately offering a discount: “Compared with what you were expecting, what feels too high about the investment?”
These questions do not guarantee a sale. They do something more important first. They create understanding.
The structure behind better objection handling
Great objection handling isn’t about having the perfect comeback for every possible objection. It is about having a structured process that helps salespeople stay curious rather than becoming defensive.
A useful approach is:
1. Listen
Don’t interrupt. Don’t start preparing your response while the customer is still speaking. Listen carefully to what they are saying and, just as importantly, how they are saying it.
2. Acknowledge
Show the customer that you have heard their concern. This doesn’t mean you have to agree with it. It simply demonstrates that you are taking the concern seriously.
3. Clarify
This is where the real opportunity often appears. Ask questions that help you understand the objection more deeply. “What makes you say that?” “Can you tell me more about that?” “What is the biggest concern for you?” “What would need to change for this to become a viable option?”
4. Explore Once you understand the initial objection, explore what sits behind it. The first objection is not always the real objection. “Price” might actually mean perceived value. “Timing” might mean lack of urgency. “We’re happy with our current supplier” might mean fear of change. “Send me some information” might mean the customer isn’t sufficiently engaged to have another conversation.
5. Respond
Only once the concern is understood should the salesperson respond. Now the response can be relevant. Rather than delivering a rehearsed answer, the salesperson can address the customer’s actual concern.
6. Confirm
Finally, check whether the concern has genuinely been resolved. “Does that address your concern?” “Is there anything else that would prevent us from moving forward?”
This gives the customer another opportunity to be honest and prevents the salesperson from assuming the objection has disappeared.
The salesperson who walks away too early
Going back to our original salesperson. The customer said no. The salesperson walked away. Perhaps they did exactly the right thing. There are certainly situations where a salesperson should walk away. Not every customer is the right customer, and not every opportunity is worth pursuing.
But the salesperson should know why the customer said no before deciding that the opportunity is over. There is a big difference between: “No, we don’t have a need for this.”
and: “No, it’s too expensive.”
The first may genuinely be a rejection. The second could be the beginning of a much more valuable conversation. That distinction matters.
Great questioning creates opportunities
Effective objection handling is closely connected to questioning skills and active listening. When salespeople ask better questions, they gain access to information that would otherwise remain hidden.
They may discover: • An additional business problem • A different decision-maker • A stronger customer need • An upcoming project • A competitor weakness • A timing issue • An opportunity to expand the solution • A concern that needs to be addressed before the customer can commit
In other words, the objection can actually help the salesperson uncover the opportunity. At KONA, our approach to objection handling focuses on understanding the concern rather than simply trying to defeat it. As we explain, objections can be opportunities to clarify concerns, explore the underlying issue and create a more constructive conversation.
Don’t train salespeople to fight objections
One of the dangers of traditional objection handling is that it can turn the sales conversation into a battle. Customer says something. Salesperson counters it. Customer pushes back. Salesperson counters again. Eventually, both sides become frustrated. The goal shouldn’t be to win the objection. The goal should be to understand the customer well enough to determine whether there is a genuine opportunity to solve their problem. That requires confidence, it requires curiosity, and it requires a consistent sales process.
What happens when objection handling becomes a sales skill?
When salespeople are properly trained to handle objections, “no” doesn’t automatically mean “next”. Instead, they become more comfortable slowing down and asking questions. They stop taking objections personally. They become better at identifying the difference between a genuine rejection and a concern that needs to be explored.
Most importantly, they become better at having commercially valuable conversations. Because sometimes the biggest opportunity isn’t hidden behind a customer who says yes. It’s hidden behind the customer who says no. The question is whether your sales team knows what to ask next.
Is your sales team equipped to handle the “no”?
Objection handling is not about giving salespeople a list of clever responses. It’s about developing the questioning, listening, communication and commercial skills required to understand why customers hesitate and what can be done next. If your team is walking away from opportunities too quickly, struggling with price objections, accepting “we’ll think about it” or finding it difficult to confidently challenge customer concerns, tailored Sales Training can help. For more on developing stronger objection handling skills, read KONA’s How can I Effectively Handle Objections?
Ready to strengthen your sales team’s objection handling skills?
At KONA Training, we deliver tailored Sales Training programs designed around your people, customers, sales process and commercial objectives.
From questioning and active listening to objection handling, value selling, negotiation and closing, we help sales teams build practical skills they can apply immediately in real customer conversations.
Contact KONA Training today to discuss a tailored Sales Training program for your sales team. Call 1300 611 288 or Email info@kona.com.au
How sales training can align large teams around a consistent sales process, customer experience and commercial strategy
The sales team looked impressive on paper. There were experienced salespeople, talented account managers, capable sales leaders and a strong product portfolio. The business had invested in CRM technology, marketing campaigns and sales tools. There was no shortage of activity.
Yet something was missing.
Sales results varied dramatically between regions and individuals. Some salespeople followed the company’s preferred sales process, while others had developed their own way of working. Customers could receive completely different experiences depending on who they spoke to. Managers were coaching their teams differently, and sales forecasts were becoming increasingly difficult to rely on.
The problem wasn’t capability, the problem was alignment.
When everyone sells differently
As sales teams grow, inconsistency can creep in almost unnoticed. One salesperson may be excellent at asking questions and uncovering customer needs. Another may move quickly into presenting products and solutions. Someone else might rely heavily on relationships, while another salesperson competes primarily on price.
Individually, these approaches might produce results. Collectively, they can create a problem. A large sales team needs more than talented individuals. It needs a common understanding of what good selling looks like.
This means agreeing on the fundamentals: • How opportunities are qualified • How customer needs are uncovered • Which questions should be asked • How value is communicated • How objections are handled • How opportunities progress through the sales process • How salespeople manage their pipelines • How customer relationships are developed • How sales activity connects to commercial objectives
Sales training can provide the framework for bringing these elements together.
A consistent sales process creates consistency in performance
A sales process should not be about forcing every salesperson to sound exactly the same. Instead, it gives the team a shared framework.
Salespeople can still bring their own personality, experience and communication style to customer conversations. What changes is the underlying approach. Everyone understands the stages of the sales journey and what needs to happen at each stage.
This is particularly important for larger sales teams where different regions, business units or managers may otherwise develop their own versions of the process. Effective sales training can turn the sales process from a document sitting in a CRM into something people actually understand and use.
KONA’s approach to sales training focuses on practical, real-world techniques that can be customised around an organisation’s industry, customers and commercial objectives. Alignment isn’t just about sales, it’s about the customer experience.
Imagine being a customer of a large organisation. You speak to one salesperson who takes the time to understand your business, asks thoughtful questions and focuses on outcomes. A few weeks later, you speak to another salesperson who immediately starts talking about products, pricing and features. Both work for the same company, which experience represents the brand?
This is where sales process and customer experience become closely connected. When sales teams are aligned around a customer-focused methodology, customers are more likely to experience consistency regardless of which salesperson they deal with.
The goal isn’t to create robotic conversations. It’s to create a consistent standard for how customers are understood, supported and progressed through the buying journey.
KONA’s Hearts and Minds™ methodology, for example, focuses on helping customers rather than coercing them into buying, with an emphasis on understanding customer ambitions and pain points.
Sales training can connect strategy to everyday behaviour
One of the biggest challenges for large sales teams is translating commercial strategy into everyday sales activity. Leadership might have a clear strategy for growing key accounts, increasing margins, entering new markets or improving customer retention. But does the sales team know what that means when they are sitting across the table from a customer? Sales training can help bridge that gap.
Instead of simply telling salespeople what the strategy is, training can demonstrate how to apply it. For example, if the organisation wants to move away from price-based selling, salespeople need the skills to uncover value, quantify customer problems and have commercial conversations.
If the strategy is focused on growing existing accounts, the team needs to know how to identify opportunities, map stakeholders and uncover broader customer needs. If the business is pursuing larger and more complex opportunities, salespeople may need stronger qualification, questioning, negotiation and stakeholder-management skills. Strategy becomes much more powerful when people know exactly how to execute it.
Managers need to reinforce the same message
Alignment doesn’t end when the training workshop finishes. For a large sales team, sales managers play a critical role in keeping the team aligned.
If managers coach different behaviours, use different terminology or measure success differently, the organisation can quickly return to inconsistency. This is why sales training should ideally be supported by ongoing coaching and reinforcement. At KONA Training, we view follow-up coaching as an important part of our approach because it helps salespeople apply new skills in the real world and prevents them from simply returning to familiar habits after training.
Managers can reinforce alignment by regularly asking questions such as: • Are we following the agreed sales process? • Are we uncovering the customer’s real needs? • Are we selling value rather than simply discussing price? • Are we using the same qualification standards? • Are we progressing opportunities for the right reasons? • Are we creating the customer experience the organisation wants to be known for?
When everyone is coaching toward the same standards, consistency becomes much easier to maintain.
Alignment creates leverage from your best people
There is another benefit to aligning a large sales team. It stops the organisation from relying too heavily on individual performers. Every sales team has people who seem to have figured it out. They know what to say, when to say it and how to navigate difficult customer conversations.
The challenge is that their knowledge can remain in their heads. Structured sales training helps turn individual knowledge into shared capability. The objective is not to make everyone sell like the top performer. It is to identify the behaviours, skills and processes that produce strong outcomes and make them accessible across the wider team.
That creates something far more scalable than individual talent. It creates organisational capability. The best sales teams aren’t just talented. They’re aligned. A large sales team doesn’t necessarily need more activity. It may need more consistency. When salespeople understand the same process, use a shared language, understand the customer experience expected of them and connect their daily activity to the organisation’s commercial strategy, the entire team can move in the same direction.
And that is where sales training becomes more than a skills workshop. It becomes a way of aligning people around how you sell, how you serve customers and how you grow the business.
If you’re interested in how effective sales training can build capability and consistency across your team, read KONA’s The Ultimate Guide to Sales Training for a broader look at the role of ongoing sales development.
Ready to Align Your Sales Team?
If your sales team is growing but your sales approach isn’t consistent, it may be time to look beyond individual performance and focus on alignment.
KONA Training can work with your business to develop practical, customised sales training that aligns your people around a consistent sales process, stronger customer conversations and your broader commercial strategy.
Contact KONA Training today and start building a sales team that isn’t just talented, but truly aligned. Call 1300 611 288 or Email info@kona.com.au
How value-based selling training helps sales teams move conversations away from price and towards outcomes
The meeting started well. The salesperson had spent time preparing, they understood the prospect’s business, knew their product inside out and had a strong proposal ready to present.
The customer seemed interested, then came the question every salesperson knows: “How much can you do it for?” The salesperson answered. The customer pushed back. “Your competitor is cheaper.” The salesperson offered a discount. “Can you do any better?” Another discount.
Before long, the conversation that had started around solving a business problem had turned into a negotiation about price, and the salesperson was no longer selling the value of the solution. They were defending the cost. Sound familiar?
When the conversation becomes all about price
Price objections are a normal part of selling. The problem occurs when salespeople allow price to become the centre of the conversation before they have established value.
If the customer does not clearly understand what they are getting in return for their investment, the price can become the easiest thing to compare.
$50,000 versus $45,000. Supplier A versus Supplier B. Option one versus option two.
Suddenly, the salesperson is competing on a number rather than demonstrating why their solution is worth the investment. This is where value-based selling becomes so important.
Value is more than a list of benefits
One of the common mistakes salespeople make is confusing features and benefits with value. A feature explains what the product or service does. A benefit explains how it helps the customer.
Value explains why that benefit matters to the customer’s business. For example, a salesperson might say: “Our solution can reduce processing time by 20%.” That sounds positive, but the customer may still ask, “So what?”
A value-based conversation goes further. “What would reducing processing time by 20% mean for your team?”
Perhaps it means employees can spend more time with customers. Perhaps it reduces overtime. Perhaps it allows the business to process more orders without hiring additional staff. Now the conversation is no longer simply about what the product does. it is about the outcome it creates.
The questions that change the conversation
Value-based selling starts long before the proposal is presented. It starts with better questions. Instead of rushing to explain the product, trained salespeople take the time to understand the customer’s current situation, challenges, priorities and desired outcomes.
Questions might include: • What is the biggest challenge you are experiencing at the moment? • What impact is that having on your business? • What is that problem costing you? • What would you like to improve? • What would success look like? • How important is it to solve this? • What would happen if nothing changed?
These questions help uncover something far more important than the customer’s budget. They uncover why the customer needs to make a change. Once the salesperson understands that, they can connect their solution to the outcome the customer actually cares about.
Sales training can change how teams sell
The ability to sell value is not simply about giving salespeople another script. It requires a change in how they approach the entire sales conversation. Effective sales training can help sales teams develop skills such as:
Quality questioning Learning how to ask questions that uncover genuine business needs rather than simply collecting information.
Active listening Listening for what the customer is saying, as well as the challenges, priorities and opportunities behind their words.
Value proposition development Being able to clearly communicate why a solution matters to a particular customer.
Objection handling Responding to price concerns without immediately reaching for a discount.
Consultative selling Moving from simply presenting products and services towards understanding problems and helping customers achieve better outcomes.
Confidence Giving salespeople the confidence to have commercial conversations and defend value rather than automatically defending price.
What happens when customers say, “You’re too expensive?”
This is where the difference between product selling and value-based selling becomes particularly obvious.
A salesperson focused on price might immediately respond: “I can see what I can do.”
A value-focused salesperson may instead explore the objection. • “Compared with what?” • “What were you expecting to invest?” • “What specifically feels too high?” • “Is the investment the concern, or are you unsure whether the return justifies it?”
That final question can completely change the conversation, because sometimes the customer does not actually think the price is too high. They simply do not yet see enough value and that is a very different problem.
The goal isn’t to avoid price conversations
Value-based selling does not mean pretending price does not matter. Of course it matters!
Customers have budgets, procurement processes and commercial considerations. They will compare suppliers and evaluate their options.
The goal is to make sure price is considered in the context of value. If a customer is choosing between two solutions purely because one costs less, the salesperson has a problem. But if the customer understands that one solution could save time, reduce risk, improve productivity, increase revenue or create a better customer experience, the conversation becomes much more strategic.
The question changes from: “How much does it cost?” to: “What will we get for our investment?”
That is a much healthier sales conversation. The salesperson left the meeting with a different outcome. Imagine going back to that original meeting.
The customer still asks: “Can you do it cheaper?”
But this time, the salesperson does not panic. They go back to the customer’s priorities. “You mentioned earlier that reducing processing delays was one of your biggest priorities. If we can help you achieve that outcome, how would you measure the value of the improvement?”
The conversation changes. The salesperson is no longer arguing about price, they are exploring outcomes. That is the real power of value-based selling.
Sales teams need more than product knowledge
• Knowing your product is important. • Knowing your industry is important. • Knowing your competitors is important.
But great salespeople also need to understand how to create value in the customer’s eyes. That requires the ability to ask better questions, listen carefully, uncover pain points, connect solutions to outcomes and confidently handle objections. This is why tailored sales training can make such a difference.
Rather than simply teaching salespeople what to say, effective training gives them practical frameworks they can use in real customer conversations.
Stop competing on price. Start selling the outcome.
When every salesperson is competing on price, margins suffer, differentiation disappears and customers have little reason to choose you over the competition.
But when salespeople can clearly demonstrate the value of their solution, the conversation becomes much more meaningful. The best salespeople do not simply explain what they sell. They help customers understand why it matters.
If your sales team is struggling with price objections, discounting too quickly or finding it difficult to communicate value, it may be time to invest in their sales capability.
Contact KONA Training for tailored Sales Training designed around your sales team, your customers and the challenges you are facing.
KONA’s customised programs can help your team develop the practical skills, confidence and sales techniques needed to move conversations beyond price and towards value, stronger customer relationships and better commercial outcomes.
• Make more calls. • Book more meetings. • Send more proposals. • Follow up with more prospects. • Close more deals.
But what if the problem isn’t that your salespeople aren’t selling enough? What if they aren’t being managed effectively enough?
The best sales managers understand that their role isn’t simply to monitor sales numbers. Their job is to create the conditions that allow their people to perform consistently.
They coach. They challenge. They remove roadblocks. They create accountability. They inspect the pipeline. They help their people improve. And importantly, they do these things every week.
Because great sales management isn’t something that happens during an annual performance review. It is built through small, consistent leadership behaviours that keep salespeople focused, motivated and accountable.
1. They Know What Is Really Happening in the Pipeline
A strong sales manager doesn’t simply ask, “How’s the pipeline looking?”
They know the answer. They understand which opportunities are real, which are stalled, which need intervention and which are unlikely to close.
They look beyond the total dollar value of the pipeline and ask questions such as: • What stage is each opportunity actually at? • Who is the decision-maker? • What problem are we solving? • Why would the customer buy? • Why would they buy now? • What could prevent the deal from progressing? • What is the next agreed action?
This distinction matters. A pipeline can look healthy on paper while producing disappointing results. Effective sales management means understanding the quality of the opportunities, not just the quantity.
2. They Coach Instead of Taking Over
One of the biggest traps for sales managers is becoming the salesperson who happens to have a management title. When a salesperson struggles with a deal, it can be tempting for the manager to jump in, take control and fix it themselves. But that doesn’t develop the salesperson. The best sales managers use difficult situations as coaching opportunities.
Instead of saying: “Here’s what you should do.” They might ask: “What do you think is stopping this opportunity from moving forward?” Or: “What have you learned about the customer’s real priorities?” Or: “What would you do differently if you had another opportunity like this?”
The goal isn’t simply to solve today’s problem. It is to help the salesperson become better at solving tomorrow’s problem. That is the difference between managing performance and developing performance.
3. They Focus on Activity, Not Just Outcomes
Revenue is the result. Sales activity is what creates the opportunity to achieve it. Great sales managers understand the relationship between the two. They know which activities drive results for their particular team and make those activities visible.
That might include: • Prospecting conversations • New meetings booked • Follow-ups completed • Proposals presented • Customer reviews conducted • New opportunities created • Existing accounts developed
The important thing is not to create activity for activity’s sake. It is to identify the activities that actually contribute to sales performance. KONA similarly emphasises the connection between sales activity and outcomes, including through its Sales Activity Calculator, which is designed to help sales leaders focus on the activities that drive performance.
4. They Have Regular One-on-One Conversations
The best sales managers don’t wait for something to go wrong before speaking with their people. They create a regular coaching rhythm.
A weekly one-on-one might cover:
What went well?
Recognise progress and reinforce positive behaviours.
What isn’t working?
Identify challenges before they become bigger problems.
What opportunities are you working on?
Understand the salesperson’s priorities and pipeline.
Where are you stuck?
Identify where the manager can provide support.
What will you do next?
These conversations don’t need to take hours, consistency is more important than length. A focused 30-minute conversation every week can be more valuable than a two-hour performance discussion once a quarter.
5. They Hold People Accountable Without Micromanaging
Accountability isn’t about constantly checking whether someone has completed a task. It is about creating clear expectations and following through.
Strong sales managers make sure their people know: • What they are responsible for • What success looks like • What actions they need to take • When those actions need to happen • How progress will be measured
Then they give their salespeople enough ownership to deliver. This is particularly important because there is a big difference between accountability and micromanagement.
Micromanagement says: “Let me check everything you’re doing.”
Accountability says: “You committed to this outcome. Let’s review your progress and work out what you need to succeed.”
The second approach builds capability and trust.
6. They Celebrate the Behaviours They Want Repeated
Sales managers naturally celebrate the big wins. A new account, a major contract, a record month. But the best managers also recognise the behaviours that created those results. They acknowledge the salesperson who consistently prospecting despite a difficult market.
They recognise someone who improved their questioning skills. They celebrate a salesperson who recovered a difficult customer relationship. They acknowledge the person who shared a successful approach with the rest of the team.
Why? Because what leaders recognise, teams tend to repeat. If you only celebrate the final result, you may miss the opportunity to reinforce the behaviours that consistently produce that result.
7. They Spend Time Improving Their People
The strongest sales managers don’t assume their team already knows everything they need to know. Every week, they look for opportunities to develop capability. That could mean practising an upcoming customer conversation, reviewing a lost opportunity, role-playing an objection, discussing a negotiation strategy or helping a salesperson prepare for an important meeting.
Development doesn’t always require a formal training session. Sometimes the most powerful coaching happens in the middle of the working week, using a real customer, a real opportunity and a real challenge. That is where sales management becomes practical.
8. They Look for Patterns, Not Just Problems
A weak sales manager might look at an underperforming salesperson and ask: “Why aren’t you hitting target?”
A stronger manager looks for patterns.
• Are several salespeople struggling with the same objection? • Are opportunities consistently getting stuck at the same stage? • Are proposals being sent without enough customer engagement? • Are salespeople discounting too quickly? • Are new opportunities being created fast enough? • Are managers spending too much time managing administration and not enough time coaching?
When the same problem appears repeatedly, it may not be an individual performance issue. It could be a sales process, capability or management issue. The best sales managers don’t just treat symptoms, they look for the cause.
9. They Make Friday About Learning, Not Just Numbers
One of the most valuable habits a sales manager can introduce is a short weekly review.
Not simply: “Did we hit target?”
Instead, ask: • What did we learn this week? • What worked? • What didn’t? • Which customer conversations taught us something? • Which objections are appearing repeatedly? • Where did we win? • Where did we lose? • What should we do differently next week?
This creates a culture where salespeople aren’t afraid of losing a deal because every experience becomes an opportunity to improve.
The secret to improving sales performance isn’t always more selling. Sometimes it is better leadership. A sales team with talented people can still struggle when there is inconsistent coaching, unclear accountability, weak pipeline management and limited development.
On the other hand, a team with strong sales management can continuously improve because its people are being supported, challenged and developed.
That is why the best sales managers don’t spend every week telling their teams to sell more. They spend their week helping their people sell better, they create the rhythm, they create the accountability, they create the coaching environment. And ultimately, they create a sales team that doesn’t just rely on individual talent, but has a repeatable approach to performance.
The Best Sales Managers Don’t Manage Numbers, They Manage the People and Behaviours Behind the Numbers
If your sales leaders are spending most of their time chasing results rather than developing the people responsible for achieving them, it may be time to rethink your approach to sales management.
KONA Training provides tailored Sales Management Training designed around your sales leaders, your team, your market and your business objectives. KONA’s programs focus on practical strategies that help managers become better coaches, strengthen accountability and develop high-performing sales teams.
How curiosity helps salespeople uncover needs, build trust, and increase conversions
Many salespeople believe that success comes from having the perfect pitch. They spend hours refining presentations, memorising product features, and preparing answers to every possible objection. While preparation is important, the highest performing sales professionals know that winning more business rarely starts with what you say. It starts with the questions you ask.
Customers today have access to more information than ever before. Before they even speak to a salesperson, they have often researched products, compared competitors, and read reviews. By the time you meet them, they are not looking for someone to simply repeat information they can find online. They are looking for someone who understands their business, listens to their challenges, and helps them make the best decision. This is where curiosity becomes one of the most valuable sales skills you can develop.
Curiosity Builds Trust
Trust is not created by talking about how great your product or service is. It is built when customers feel heard and understood.
When a salesperson approaches a conversation with genuine curiosity, the focus shifts from selling to understanding. Instead of trying to convince the customer, they become interested in learning about the customer’s goals, frustrations, priorities, and desired outcomes.
Questions such as: • What prompted you to start looking for a solution now? • What challenges are you currently facing? • What would success look like for your business? • What happens if nothing changes?
These questions encourage customers to open up and provide valuable information that would never surface during a standard sales presentation. Customers buy from people they trust, and people trust those who genuinely listen.
Better Questions Reveal the Real Problem
One of the biggest mistakes salespeople make is solving the first problem the customer mentions. Imagine a customer says they need a cheaper supplier. Many salespeople immediately begin discussing pricing. A curious salesperson digs deeper.
They might ask: • Why is price the biggest concern today? • What impact are rising costs having on your business?
Apart from price, what else is important when choosing a supplier? Very quickly, they may discover that the real issue is unreliable delivery, inconsistent quality, or poor customer service. Price was simply the symptom, not the actual problem. By uncovering the true challenge, the salesperson can position their solution around value rather than competing on price.
Questions Help Customers Think Differently
Great sales conversations create clarity. Many customers have not fully considered the consequences of their current situation. Thoughtful questions encourage them to reflect on their challenges and recognise opportunities they may not have seen before.
For example: • How much time is your team spending on this issue each week? • What is this challenge costing your business? • If this problem was solved, what would that allow your team to focus on instead?
These questions help customers quantify the impact of their problems and often strengthen the urgency to take action. Instead of creating pressure, you are helping customers reach their own conclusions.
Curiosity Creates Better Solutions
No two customers are exactly the same. Even businesses within the same industry have different priorities, goals, and challenges. A standard sales pitch cannot address every situation. The more questions you ask, the more tailored your recommendations become.
Rather than presenting every feature your product offers, you can focus on the specific benefits that matter most to that customer.
Customers appreciate solutions that feel personalised because they demonstrate that you have listened carefully and understand what success looks like for them.
Listening Is Just as Important as Asking
Asking questions is only half the equation. The best salespeople actively listen to the answers without rushing to respond. They pay attention to tone, emotion, and the language customers use to describe their situation.
Often, the most valuable information comes after a short pause. Allowing customers time to think and elaborate often reveals concerns, motivations, or goals that would otherwise remain hidden. Listening also helps salespeople identify opportunities to explore further rather than jumping straight into a solution.
Better Questions Lead to Better Conversions
When customers feel understood, they become more confident in your recommendations. Sales conversations become collaborative rather than transactional. Objections reduce because your solution has been built around the customer’s unique needs instead of generic assumptions.
Better questions also improve qualification. Salespeople spend less time chasing opportunities that are unlikely to convert and more time helping customers who are genuinely looking for the right solution. The result is stronger relationships, higher conversion rates, and increased customer loyalty.
Develop a Culture of Curiosity
Curiosity is not simply a personality trait. It is a skill that can be developed through coaching, practice, and feedback. Sales leaders should encourage their teams to spend less time perfecting presentations and more time improving their questioning and listening skills.
Simple coaching activities such as reviewing customer conversations, practising discovery questions, and role playing different scenarios can dramatically improve sales performance over time. The most successful sales teams are not the ones with the most polished presentations. They are the teams that consistently ask better questions, listen with intent, and help customers solve meaningful problems.
Ready to Help Your Sales Team Win More Business?
If you want your sales team to move beyond product pitching and develop the skills to uncover customer needs, build trust, and consistently increase conversions, KONA Training can help.
How consistent follow-up and relationship building increase sales success
Every salesperson has heard the word “no.” Some hear it once and move on. Others hear it five times and still refuse to give up. One of the biggest clients we have ever worked with started exactly that way. Every conversation ended with some version of “No, not right now.”
The easy option would have been to remove them from the CRM and focus on someone else. Instead, the salesperson chose a different path.
They stayed in touch. Not with relentless sales pitches or constant pressure, but with genuine relationship building, valuable conversations and consistent follow up.
Months later, that same prospect picked up the phone and said something unexpected. “We’re ready to talk.”
That conversation eventually turned into one of the company’s largest and longest standing clients. The lesson is simple. A “no” today does not always mean “never.” Sometimes it simply means “not yet.”
Why Prospects Say No
Salespeople often assume rejection is personal. In reality, prospects say no for many reasons that have nothing to do with your product or service.
They may be:
Too busy to consider change.
Locked into an existing contract.
Managing other business priorities.
Waiting for budget approval.
Unsure whether the timing is right.
Not yet convinced they need to act.
When salespeople understand this, they stop viewing objections as dead ends and start treating them as opportunities to build trust over time.
Follow Up Builds Familiarity
Research consistently shows that many sales are won after multiple follow up conversations, yet many salespeople stop after one or two attempts. The businesses that consistently outperform their competitors understand that professional persistence creates familiarity, and familiarity builds trust.
Every follow up is another opportunity to demonstrate reliability.
It shows that you are organised.
It shows that you care.
It shows that you are committed to helping rather than simply making a sale.
The key is ensuring every interaction provides value.
Add Value Every Time You Reach Out
Nobody enjoys receiving the same sales email every fortnight asking if they are “ready to buy.” Great salespeople use follow up as an opportunity to educate.
Share an industry insight
Send an article that solves a common challenge
Congratulate them on a business milestone
Ask thoughtful questions about how their priorities have changed.
These conversations keep you front of mind without becoming intrusive.
Relationships Outlast Transactions
Customers rarely remember the cheapest quote. They remember the salesperson who listened. They remember the person who understood their challenges. They remember the professional who kept in touch without making every conversation about themselves.
Strong relationships create opportunities long before contracts are signed. When the timing is finally right, the salesperson who invested in the relationship is usually the first person they call.
Consistency Beats Intensity
Many salespeople prospect hard for a week, become busy closing deals, then stop prospecting altogether. Eventually, the pipeline dries up and the cycle begins again.
The highest performing sales teams avoid this feast or famine approach by developing a structured prospecting rhythm with consistent follow up built into their daily activities. This creates a healthier pipeline and more predictable sales performance over time. Consistency almost always beats short bursts of activity.
Great Salespeople Play the Long Game
Not every opportunity closes this month. Not every prospect is ready today. But every conversation has the potential to strengthen trust. Sales success is rarely about one perfect presentation.
It is about showing up consistently, asking great questions, building meaningful relationships and being there when the customer is finally ready to make a decision.
Sometimes the prospect who tells you “no” five times becomes the client who stays with you for the next five years.
Build a Sales Team That Never Gives Up
If you want your sales team to become more confident at prospecting, relationship building and consistent follow up, KONA Training can help. Our tailored Sales Training programs equip sales professionals with practical frameworks, proven sales methodologies and coaching that improves conversations, strengthens customer relationships and delivers long term sales success.
Contact KONA Training to discuss a tailored Sales Training program designed to help your sales team build stronger pipelines, improve conversion rates and create lasting customer relationships.
Hi Garret, I just wanted to say thank you again for today the feedback I was given this afternoon was that it far surpassed what they expected and that it was completely different to expectations but it covered everything in such an immersive and engaging way. I hope you had a safe trip home. And I will be in touch for some more future training opportunities!
Erica Wilkinson
Pathways Business Manager
Thank you Garret Norris. Your dissemination of knowledge was inspiring, insightful, thought provoking and lot of Fun! Your ability to create a safe, relaxed & energetic environment in which to deliver & demonstrate your ideas and knowledge is remarkable! Made for lots of learning and had a positive impact on us all! Thank you
Melissa Peace
Strategic Partnership Expert
A fantastic 3 days, you had us engaged, interacting, learning and threw us out of our comfort zones in the best possible way. I echo what my colleagues have said below, all of which is 100% true. Implementing these three days into what we do is now the focus and I look forward to connecting again soon, and look forward to more sessions where we can continue to learn, develop and and thrive in what we do, whilst living and breathing our WHY. Still buzzing, thank you!
Hessa Robinson
Education Sales Manager
The team loved the day and were raving about it to our marketing colleagues and managers who were unable to make the session. Garret, you were an amazing and engaging presenter.”
Dominic Taafe
Oncology Portfolio Manager
Hi Garret, I would like to say thank you for your time and effort last week at the Martec sales conference. The session from you went beyond my expectations in both your delivery and the involvement from my team. Thank you once again!
Ken Dick
General Manager
Hi John,
We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the sessions and contribution in our journey towards service excellence. The sessions were very well planned and relevant to our modus operandi. The team is very appreciative of your guiding principles and quick lessons from the sessions. The immediate display of the lessons learnt will be witnessed during our current peak time. I’m definitely a better listener now Thank you.
Aakanksh Nyayapati
Senior Analyst, IT Service Delivery
Again I found the training session really engaging, you can tell that Garret is very passionate about what he does. It may sound cheesy, but I left feeling inspired and refreshed.
Kimberly Britts
As always I thought Garret was amazing and motivational, great refresher and gave me some new ideas to try and apply to what I do. Always great to participate in these sessions.
Stuart Gill
Honestly I don’t think it matters his cost as always has something insightful and thought-provoking to leave you with no matter how many times you’ve seen him or your position or length of tenure.
I would love to see what he could offer the wider company (not just sales) from a psychology point of view because I feel that the provocation he provides is beneficial to all he comes in contact with. I really enjoy it because we just get each other.
Daniel Jura
Being relatively new to this industry I was a little apprehensive going into my company training day, I thought it may have been scientific and technical and it's an area where I feel a teeny bit inadequate. The relief I felt when Garret started "warming up" the room was ridiculous. He made everyone feel comfortable, relaxed and engaged. At times I feel we over complicate things to make ourselves feel more important or special. In the end, Garret reinforced the need to slow down, fully engage, leave the ego at the door and listen. This training is a must have for all teams, no matter the level. It will make you stop, think and love sales again. Can't wait until the next one.
Stacey Taylor
Account Executive
Garret Norris is a rock star coach. He has transformed our Inside Sales team.
Love his work!
David Piggott
Managing Director
Having just competed a national customised training program where we engaged Garret and KONA all I can say is thank you Garret does his homework and prepares.
The impact we were able to achieve with our teams in rolling out a game changer was fantastic. Thanks Garret appreciate the effort and the results to date.
Iain Whyley
National Sales Manager
It has been an absolute pleasure and privilege to participate in a number of Garret's training and skill enhancing workshops and I cannot recommend him highly enough. Even as an experienced sales professional I always learn new things from him, think harder about what I do, and become more effective in my role. Garret's presentation style is both unique and genuine, honest to the core, while his role play and coaching principles are easy to understand and extremely worthwhile.
For anyone who needs to hone or develop sales and negotiation skills Kona, and particularly Garret, are certainly the RIGHT choice.
Craig Alderson
Business Manager
As a sales and negotiation professional, I have been involved in a few courses. I am very impressed by the way Garrett gets to the point directly and I know he speaks from experience. He has lived it.
I would like to work with Garrett more in the future as I believe we speak the same language in business. I’ll be in touch soon. Thanks Garret.
Shane Campbell
Senior Key Account Manager
Garret and Healthy Business Builder has been a huge influence on our business and its staff, The results have drastically increased thanks to his techniques and on going support. Very impressed with the overall service and I look forward to continuing our partnership in the future. Highly Recommended.
Johnny Justic
Founder and Managing Director
If we have the opportunity to have more sessions, I think it would be very beneficial. I have found that the concepts presented and the skills we are working on are quickly delivering results and are relevant to us, not simply adapted from their usual clientele. He is much more engaging than other speakers we have had in the past, and from the way other members of the team have been speaking about him it’s a feeling and opinion shared by many others. Also : if he can turn skeptics like Palagy around, I feel that says something!
Rebecca Landers
Tax Depreciation Specialist
Thank you again for spending time with our team over past 2 days.
Some valuable tips learnt and looking forward to seeing the impact it has on our team moving forward.
Jeremy Sinclair
Team Leader, Business Development
Definitely the best training session I have attended (including my own ha ), I could relate to the methods conveyed to us very easily. Well done Garrett and look forward to another head bashing
Gary Tozer
Tax Depreciation Specialist
We certainly appreciate the time and effort and will be making sure we include some of the hints and tips into our processes moving forward.
Matt Jenkin
Team Leader, Business Development
I really thought Garret was brilliant, its not just about selling, its about getting the conversation started. I felt it was really good. I have started using some of the techniques already and adapting to my style.
1 – First call Thursday, did a different approach, lady called in, started the chat by tell me about the property, then went onto telling me the info on the house, I went over everything, she was sounding relaxed, got her remaining details and said “lets get this started today for you” response Great lets do it.
2 – next call was a guy, same style all went well, then the Cost question, Ï can get this for $660.00 from another company” My response, that’s great, Do you want to save $100 today or save $thousands more in deductions with us in the long term, slight silence, then said good point, went ahead!
Stewart Gill
Tax Depreciation Specialist
I enjoy his take on what to say to clients who have been given the wrong free from their accountant. He said not to apologise and don’t get stuck on it and simply say that the fee is $770 and that you’ll call the accountant afterwards to make sure they know the fee’s, but then move on straight away. It was refreshing to have an outsider’s perspective on that. I tried it yesterday and didn’t apologise to a client when the accountant gave them the wrong fee. Not sure if it was just luck, or if Garrett is a genius or if it made me sound more confident or what but she converted.
Sarah Jackson
Tax Depreciation Specialist
I was so impressed with your training programmes, I felt compelled to write to you in appreciation. Although it was blatantly obvious you were a professional outfit right from our first meeting, your services have far surpassed my expectations.
I have been in sales and sales management for 15 years with 5 different companies and have attended many quality-training programs. During this time I have never experienced a program that adapted its philosophies and methodology so succinctly with a companies industry, market, products and value proposition.
Ultimately! The test of any training program is the results it delivers. Since KONA has worked with James Hardie the sales effectiveness of the team has increased dramatically. But an even more noticeable improvement is the quality of leadership displayed by the sales management team.
Glen Doherty
General Manager Sales
Glenn Dobson is the most charismatic and inspirational sales training and business development coach I have ever had the pleasure of working with.
At times confronting, Glenn breaks down your current sales process and delivers honest direct feedback! With a thorough understanding of your customers, product and industry, Glenn provides you with the necessary tools and roadmap to be more effective in professional sales.
Glenn's material is all his own and is presented in an easy to understand format, tailored for your business. I look forward to working with Glenn in the future. Ps, all the best for the IronMan world champs Glenn!
Graham Winder
BDM
Not only has our partnership with KONA proven to be highly beneficial for our management team… it has also proven to be an enormous return on investment with sales improving by over 23%.
Mark Lucas
Director XEROX UK
I have enjoyed working with KONA several times.
KONA have worked with my sales team strategically to raise the bar on their performance and belief in their ability to deliver results.
As personal coaches the HBB Group have guided me through my career by reminding me to clear away the clutter and keep it simple Sam. Keep on running Glenn.
Frank Courtney-Jay
Sales and Marketing Manager HP Singapore
Next Business Solutions used the team at KONA to take us through their Hearts and Minds training. Great team at KONA of people who are not only very experienced their product but they also bring their people skills that have been developed through their extensive global activities.
Rob Clydesdale
Microsoft Next Business Solutions Franchisee
Garret is a true professional and constantly challenges the norm which creates the high performing teams we have at MLA.
Garret has lead and coached our team to deliver outcomes that make a difference.
The approach from Healthy Business Builder was unique to our business and it has proven to be successful for MLA.
I would highly recommend Garret for any other business wanting positive, successful outcomes for your business.
Lisa Sharp
Chief Marketing Officer
The KONA Group has provided excellent customised training and coaching for our managers and staff at Nova Employment. First of all the KONA team gave a vast amount of knowledge to our managers on how to manage their staff. They then educated the employment consultants on how to handle difficult employers when telemarketing for jobs, before also giving them the skills on how to hold a face to face sales meeting. KONA have increased our jobs by 50% ever since they have been providing Nova managers and staff training and coaching.
They are always willing to provide assistance when needed and are always available to call if we need any further help.
Their training has been very successful for our organization and has been able to put Nova Employment in an extremely strong position. I highly recommend the KONA training and coaching as they are very good mentors in providing the best outcomes.
Peter Delimitrou
Employment Service Manager
The development programmes have had an outstanding effect on our business and results, and on the way our sales people treat our customers.
Frank Morberger
State Manager
As a consequence of KONA’s efforts and commitment very quickly we have seen some explosive changes with the team through the introduction of various client focussed and sales strategies, measurements and skills. Their motivation, direction and activity have all increased… and we expect our profits to escalate accordingly.
Ian Crowther
General Manager
Glenn Dobson and Garret Norris are coaches that really stands out to me as they take pride in what they do and deliver. I first utilised KONA around 7 years ago when he evaluated our business which ended up delivering some hard hitting facts , as a result changes needed to be made BUT as a consequence of those initial chats KONA helped set up a sales pipeline where we could track our activity and results which led to a 300% increase in sales within the first 6 months of implementing his sales tools.I HIGHLY recommend KONA but don't want the world to know what they can provide a business as this will give other companies an unfair advantage like we have !Glenn is now a mentor, a friend and above all someone that inspires you to always achieve your best.
Keiran Hathorn
Managing Director
Glenn is high highly talented leader who has assisted us in defining industry leading strategy. I would recommend KONA to anyone requiring an honest, intelligent, strategic, motivating and hard working business leader.
Troy Dawson
Chief Information Officer
Dear Glenn
As we complete stage one of the Campbell’s and John Lewis learning and development programs, I would like to take this opportunity to say a huge thankyou to you and the KONA team for all of your time, commitment and energy to the project.
The response from our managers and sales team has been absolutely outstanding and everyone has benefited immensely from your involvement.
I agreed with both Brian and Geoff at the time when they stressed the importance of developing a program tailored to our business and you more than achieved our expectations.
I know you invested a lot of time in preparation and the time you spent with our people out on the road, visiting customers, was obviously well worth it. Included in the feedback from participants from around the country are, amongst many others, the following quotes: “Already I am putting some of the new techniques we learnt into practise and getting results from them”
“ I now feel as if I have greater control and structure over my sales approach and customers”
“I am communicating with my customers like never before and they are telling me things about their businesses that prior to the course I didn’t have a clue about” “I am managing my people in a far more effective and productive way and I feel that I can now start to see the light at the end of the tunnel” Once again Glenn, thankyou very much for all of your efforts and I personally can’t wait for the next stage!
Kurt Wilson
National Training Manager
Since NOVA and KONA started working together we have almost doubled our results in less than 9 months!
I had identified a need for developing our sales skills, but KONA delivered so much more than sales training to our business. Glenn encouraged us to take a step back, analyse our methods and develop a performance culture. As a manager responsible for performance, I appreciated that he clearly and fearless articulated our performance gaps from an outsider’s perspective to our management team, helped us to reverse engineer our results so that we could clearly identify what was needed to achieve performance KPI’s, and delivered practical, real world and customised training based on our business.
I look forward to a continuation of our partnership with KONA and learning more to help NOVA move forward and be even more successful.
Anne Goyer
Training & Development Manager
KONA professional sales and sales management training has been an excellent educational journey on how to enter the Hearts and Minds of our customers and Shareholders. To become business resources and strategic advisors. To build a relationship that understands our customer’s hopes, fears, dreams and vision to create opportunities for future growth that we can be a part of. The course has been taught in detail that can easily be implemented and has brought the entire sales and management team at Plumbing World into focus looking to achieve a common goal. I highly recommend any time spent with the KONA Group.
Russell Thomas
Branch Manager
KONA Group’s services were used by Brickworks Ltd in the form of Sales Management training. Glenn is unlike any other in his ability to connect with the audience. Glenn motivated me so much during a session. I decided at that point I would change my life forever. There was a group of us, that very moment who decided it was a time for change. Glenn explained the model for change and by using this model, it was possible to increase your chances of success 10 fold in anything you wished to achieve. The change we wanted to make was a healthier lifestyle. We decided to embark on a weight loss challenge. Using the attributes of the model, many achieved their ideal weight within months. My personal journey has seen me continue with the challenge and have now lost 29kgs, with 10 kgs until I am at my ideal weight. My lifestyle is now very different, being very careful with what I eat, walking approximately 50kms per week and doing Crossfit 3 times a week. I am on the way to fantastic health. my dad said to me yesterday, son you are looking the best you have in 30 years. They were great words to hear considering I am only 44 years old. I am healthier, I am stronger than I have ever been, I am more motivated, I am more focused and feel like a real winner. I don't believe I could have achieved this without using Glenn's model for change. Thanks Glenn, I would not have been able to do this without you, you have changed my life.
Trevor Marshall
Sales Manager
I have been lucky enough to attend B2B sales training run by the KONA Group. I have found Glenn to bring the same drive and passion that he applies to Iron Man training across in his training sessions. His training is not something you could read straight out of a text book - there is no "turn to page three". Glenn delivers real world pointers that are applicable in the changing workforce of today. The tools that he gives you, help you go through the door to be become a true business/strategic partner for your customers. Without these tools you would be standing on the curb, looking in, being a 3 P flogger! I would highly recommend attending a training session if you get the opportunity.
Keith Geenty
Sales Representative
Glenn is one of those fearless "can-do" high achievers that every business needs. His team at KONA make a valuable blend of skills and experience that deliver Sales results fast and ongoing. The hands on approach makes the KONA business a Sales consultancy suited to SMB up to large corporate, because it is all about people and their activity. Highly recommended regardless how good you think you are!
Paul Scanlan
General Manager
I would like to recommend The Kona Group for sales training that is succinct and professional and works.
I would have to say that after the training that we had received we have noticed a huge difference to our KPI's and have made for the great results that we are now seeing.
Belinda Hamburger
Branch Manager
KONA has provided a unique sales program to the Sales Team at Plumbing World, with an in depth knowledge of the subject and passion for sales that has ensured that the key tools required to be a successful sale person and build business to business relationships has already started to occur in the company in only a short period of time.
Casey Stuart
Regional Manager New Zealand
KONA has a unique approach to sales training, which has allowed Plumbing World to make a significant step change with its sales team. The training is fully customised for Plumbing World, which is important, as the it has developed far more engagement and buy-in from the sales team. The results have been immediate, giving Plumbing World a better understanding of and relationship with, our customers. Leading to new accounts being opened and an increase in sales from existing customers. For example as a direct result of the KONA training, a customer who's spend had dropped away for the previous 12 months, has increased their spend 16 fold.
Mike Dyer
Sales & Operations Manager
I was so fortunate to be able to attend the KONA training workshop at the 4life office in Sydney in February. I cannot begin to tell you how motivating and inspiring I found it to be. You gave me tools that I can use for both my personal and business growth. You demonstrated in a very simple manner how to set short and long range goals that are attainable. As you said hope is not a business strategy.
The day spent training with you was so worthwhile I have been implementing some of the strategies and am passing it to my downline. I would recommend this workshop to anyone who is serious about business building.
Jyoti Sidhu
KONA has a passion for seeing both people and business's improve through the process of training and educating staff. They will encourage and coach the business and your people to become better at what they do and to improve your "bottom line.
I have known Glenn both professionally and as a friend for 13 years now, and I have no hesitation in recommending KONA as a Business professional and also as person who commits fully to whatever challenge, be it business or physical such, as Ironman triathlon or running across the Sahara desert.
Robert George
Team Leader Inventory Control
Following the reorganisation of the field sales force, the KONA Group provided a number of workshops and coaching sessions in order to improve the understanding of how the company was changing the way that it operated. KONA supported us with the change by building trust and gaining buy-in from the team. KONA did an excellent job of emphasising the role of the field force in developing new business and building the sales and performance culture.
Jonathan Shinn
Operations Manager
Glenn is one person who knows how cut through to the real issues facing sales organizations of today, unearth the real potentials of a market of opportunity and help managers develop their companies unique "point of difference" to increase sales beyond what they ever thought possible.
Glenn is a master coach for both business and life's goals.
Paul Winter
QLD State Manager
I had the pleasure of meeting Glenn Dobson through our participation in one of the toughest footraces on the planet, The Marathon De Sables. In the time we spent together leading up to the race I became quickly aware that Glenn was an extraordinary human being.
His athleticism and endurance not only humbled me but inspired me to push myself to peg new boundaries. Whilst Glenn's achievements in Ironman and other endurance events puts him in a very small minority group his drive, motivation, energy and business knowledge puts him amongst an even smaller elite group of people. I have been fortunate to have been a professional in the financial markets for close to 20 years and this has exposed me to a vast array of individuals, their ethics and work practices.
During this period I don't think I have meet a person with the focus and drive to consistently deliver quality outcomes to his clients and business associates. Having an opportunity to interact with Glenn on any level whether it be business or social is something that will ultimately make you a better person. I have been fortunate to have shared an extraordinary challenge with Glenn but have been as equally enriched by the relationship we now share as a result of the race.
Justin Gallagher
Head of Equities Sales Trading and Execution
During my tenure in the building and construction industry the KONA Group was engaged to help align the sales function with the business and marketing strategy - a major shift in how we presented to market. KONA’s Hearts and Minds program challenged past paradigms and equipped our sales resource with a robust sales strategy, along with sustainable sales management and tactical skills which continued to deliver year on year growth.
Linda Ginger
Marketing and Branding Director
Glenn Dobson is a rare individual worthy of being on anybody's list of potential mentors. Glenn is an entrepreneur, successful business-operator, world-class Ironman Triathlete, terrific father and rumour has it, a pretty good husband! We have worked together on various projects over the last decade and I continue to marvel at his pragmatic ability. Glenn is a master at taking any 'theory' in the field of sales and translating them into immediately applicable methods for any client. He truly understands that "Results Count" and has consistently been able to cut through the bullshit in our project work, for his clients and in his own businesses. If you ever wanted to see a living breathing example of a 'balanced' individual who exemplifies Covey's "Important vs. Urgent" Glenn is your man. Add to that Collins' "Disciplined (person), applying disciplined thought and taking disciplined action." and you've found yourself a winner! Good on you Glenn. You really are a role model.
James Michael
Founder and CEO
We have been very impressed with your capabilities and see you as a key player in rolling out our customer service programmes.
Andrea Westwood
Capability Development
Throughout my career with Commonwealth Bank I met several business coaches, but 'Glenn Dobson' is the only name that I don't need to challenge my memory to remember. Glenn is an amazing coach with unique techniques; structured and interactive. He is one of the most positive people I have ever met, his amazing achievements are certainly as a result of his dedication, his commitment and his 'can do' attitude.
Odette Shahnazari
Manager
I was introduced to the KONA Group some five years ago through a mutual and respected business contact. My first impression was that Glenn has a unique sense of purpose, he is driven, motivated and passionate about achieving results personally but also in supporting others to achieve beyond their own expectations.
Over the past five years I have witnessed KONA in many business scenarios including business consulting, change management projects, sales management projects and executive level leadership programs.
Glenn is a natural leader and a manager in these environments. People respond well to him and his down to earth style.
Personally Glenn has an engaging communication style, an unstoppable enthusiasm to exceed expectations and first class networking skills.
I am proud to call him a friend, colleague and business partner and would recommend you consider his services when required.
Susie Lomas
Director
I have been in Glenn's training groups for the past 10 months, 4 to 5 sessions. I have found him to be a very enthusiastic speaker with a wealth of knowledge for us to take on board and work with. His presentation is hands on and easy to work with.
Working with KONA has had a huge impact on the Nova's business as we have increased results in some areas by between 50 -100%. I would highly recommend him and his business.
N/A
Glenn is one of those clients that truly partners with you and adds value back to you as a service provider. He's not a slave to his own views, nor is he a passenger in the process. He's very outcome focused and understands the core drivers of personality and individual values in achieving goals. That said, this is a man that no doubts lives by the virtue that profit, without honour, is loss. There's nothing manufactured or contrived about his work, quite simply he is inherently like this by nature. His background and experience speaks volumes. Over and above that he is a quality person.
Craig White
Director
Glenn is an effective business owner and trainer, he is clearly passionate about his company and the services Kona provides. Glenn has an energy and enthusiasm that is both infectious and motivating, which leads to confidence in his delivery and professionalism.
Nick James
National Sales Manager
KONA Group facilitated several workshops at the Advanced Group of companies for both the sales and operations teams. They are highly motivational and provided the teams with tools and techniques to improve their ability to connect with customers in both business development and service delivery roles. KONA is very business focused and pragmatic and focuses on what gets results.
I would recommend KONA to any other business that is looking to improve their sales capability or turn their project managers and operations managers into customer champions.
Jonathan Shinn
National Operations Manager
You'll only meet one Glenn Dobson of this caliber. Glenn is an International Ironman, Businessman and Sales Guru. With an extensive career in sales across UK, Europe, Asia and Australia.
Glenn is a consummate professional who has 'been there and done it all' when it comes to competitive sales environments. Commercially aggressive, his ability to identify growth opportunities and drive activity to deliver results for his clients is astounding.
The energy and discipline required to compete as an athlete at the elite level is evident in everything he does. As a Speaker, Glenn is inspiring, direct and highly motivating. All his business engagements are conducted with the highest level of integrity and results are always the number one priority.
Sue Thompson
Business Manager
Glenn is a master at focusing the attention of any sales team, business owner or sales manager on the importance of having a strong sales pipeline to the future prosperity of any business. He lives and breathes what he teaches and is able to succinctly and very effectively impart his extensive knowledge of how to establish and then manage a sales pipeline that will continually deliver new and profitable business. If your business needs a significant improvement in its sales performance Glenn should be the first person that you contact.
I recommend him highly for any size business or corporate enterprise.
Daniel Watson
Managing Director
Glenn is one of those rare individuals that makes you feel positive about life, just by being in the same room with him. I have known Glenn for a couple of years now and I am constantly amazed at the total energy output this man has. A true strategic thinker who has the ability to spot a great idea and turn his skills into a passion that is so infectious. If you are considering getting alongside this true gentleman, then I would say that this is one of the best things you will do today, if not the week, month or even year.
Greg Gillespie
Owner
I have worked with the KONA Group for over 6 years and have found them to be some of the most consistent and driven people ever!
A dynamic trainers with a strong emphasis on activity and results, KONA has brought invaluable experience to my own, and my staff's training.
If you are involved in any Sales capacity, or are managing a team involved in Sales, then KONA Group is a "must call" individual.
Aaron Williams
Founder and Managing Director
Garrett and Sienna at KONA group, were absolutely fantastic from appointment right through to the follow up of initiatives post workshop. Both had communicated effectively prior to the workshop and made sure the day was a phenomenal success for our Leaders at Openmarkets Group. Most importantly, Garrett is very engaging and all our leaders were switched on throughout the session with some key insights. I highly recommend Garrett, Sienna and the KONA Group.
Heidi Mehl
Executive Assistant to CEO
Engaged Kona Group to deliver account training workshop for Etex - Siniat. Great collaborative approach to course preparation and workshop execution very effective and extremely engaging for all participants. Great job Garret!!
Joe Mori
National Business Development Manager
Right from my first call to the actual day of DiSC profiling session, the KONA group were fantastic and provided excellent service. Garret facilitated the session, and his delivery technique was impactful and valuable to all attendees.
Umesh Datwani
Operations Manager | Investment Services
Garrett is a great coach/mentor, it was an honour having him here, and the progress was WAYYY more than I had anticipated, so I am very thankful.Hope you guys have an awesome day, just like you! ☺
Hana Hellou
Customer Support Manager
I have recommended Garret and the team at KONA to many organisations I have worked with. Their methods constantly challenge the norm, creating and supporting high performing teams. Garret has lead and coached our team to deliver positive and sustainable outcomes that make a difference to our teams and stakeholders. The approach from KONA is unique to each business or organisation and it has proven to be successful time and time again. I have witnessed many dysfunctional teams make changes to the way they operate after sessions with Garret and it is such a delight to see our teams work collaboratively and cohesively. They begin to communicate in new ways due to the deeper understanding of how individuals operate, communicate and learn. I would highly recommend Garret and the team at KONA if you are wanting positive, sustainable and successful outcomes for your business.
Kathryn Emmett
Executive Assistant to Head of Asset Projects | Olympic DamExecutive Assistant to Head of Technical Portfolio
My team and I had the pleasure of hosting Garret for Sales Training and it was absolutely fantastic. A thoroughly enjoyable day as we tackled key concepts, engaged in role play and absorbed the benefit of Garret's extensive experience. We look forward to working with Garret and his team again in the future.
Melanie Pritchard
Group Manager - Digital Revenue
Truly the most insightful and relatable training/professional course I’ve had the pleasure to be a part of. Absolutely will leave a review - 5 stars
Narissa Chan
Senior Digital Account Manager
Garret took our team of 10 (experienced) sales consultants for the day looking at profiling and strategic sales techniques. It was motivating, insightful and fun. I wouldn't hesitate in recommending Garrett and Kona - we will be back.
Stephen Richards
Director Sales Marketing
Thank you for the most insightful and relatable professional workshop session. It was gratifying, and I feel empowered and more confident.
Thank you so much for delivering such a valuable and engaging session. It was certainly in the spirit we intended. I have had positive feedback, and the team mentioned how valuable they found your session specifically.
Ekta Manwal
HR Advisor
Thanks Garret Norris & the KONA Group for an awesome day yesterday! We learned a lot, but also has so much fun along the way. We look forward to working with you again.
Peg Vaghaye
Executive Manager, Broker Relationships
Thanks Garret Norris for a fun filled 2 days with not only lots of laughs but lots of valuable lessons on how to improve our skills when communicating with our customers and fellow work mates. I know all of us are excited about putting all we’ve learnt into practice.
Heather Priest
Head of Sales APAC at Altura Learning
Garret has a gift which enables him to connect and engage with everybody in the room. Although he is very accomplished, he is very down to earth and uses his Irish charm and humour to put everyone at ease. His delivery of the training was excellent and kept our groups attention for the whole 2 days which is no easy feat! The tools learned in the workshop re-ignited my passion for the sales environment - which is exactly what I was hoping for. All feedback from our team was positive and I would not hesitate to recommend Garret and his team.
Jaime Reid
Senior Business Development & Training Manager
Excellent session with you both Garret and John. Really appreciate the insights into delivering a better experience for all parties involved in a negotiation. Couldn't recommend KONA enough for anyone looking to enhance their Sales and Negotiation capability.
Luke Day
Business Development Lead
Thanks so much Garret Norris and John Wright. It was great training and the team have been talking about it all week. Just what we needed! We will definitely be getting KONA back again!
Judy Cole
Managing Director
Garret delivered some sales training for our team in Brisbane. We are a specialist recruitment agency with people of various experience levels. He was able to tailor an engaging session that everyone was able to benefit from. Thanks Garret!
Forrest Briggs
Principal Consultant & Director
The training that was provided by KONA and delivered by Garret was second to none. I believe my team and I have learned a lot over the training and have had a lot of positive feedback from them.
Benjamin Helmore
Branch Manager
This was a fantastic few days, thank you Garret.
Donavan Derman
CFO
Garret's Sales Communication Training delivered a strategic advantage to our team, who are now equipped with the practical tools needed to drive customer success.
Robert Guerin
Chief Executive Officer
Very interesting/enlightening experience. Quite surprising to receive and witness such accurate profiling of each individual's DISC Profile.
Mitchell Jeggo
Operations Manager
Hey Garret. Just a quick word of thanks. My time on the road with my team has become so much more intentional and productive. One thing I hear when I ask about what they want from the meeting is they say things they want to share. I am getting them to ask what do they hope to learn and discover from the meeting. Anyway just saying again, you have helped me.
Marco de Geus
General Manager - Sales
Really enjoyed our group training day. Learned some interesting insights about myself & colleagues.
Betty James
Senior Marketing Specialist
I couldn't speak any higher of Garret and his team! To gain the trust in our team and instil such empowerment so quickly, is incredible! The ongoing support and encouragement following the training has been wonderful and invaluable. To anyone looking for sales or leadership training for yourself or your business, this team is the best I've ever come across!
Samantha Sullivan
Sales & Marketing Manager
Very down to earth and very easy going.. extremely informative and made the day fun. Thank you greatly.
Adam Carr
Supagas Australia
I've had the good fortune of being trained by Garret on two separate occasions - firstly as a sales agent & later as a leader. His highly engaging delivery, backed by his extensive knowledge is inspiring & insightful. I will always be grateful to Garret at the Kona Group for re-igniting my passion for sales & mentorship.
Gary Lawson
Senior Sales Development Manager
We had the pleasure of John at KONA facilitating some DISC training at our workplace. The group was cohort of different leadership levels at a federal government department. John's expertise and engaging teaching style made the half day thoroughly enjoyable. His real-world examples and interactive approach kept everyone involved and provided valuable insights into team dynamics and personal communication styles. Highly recommend John and KONA for professional development needs!
Jahn Giolitto
Assistant Director
My favourite session at mid-cycle was the guest speaker Garret Norris. It boosted my motivation & made me rethink the way I have conversations in scoping calls with potential customers. I came out of that session with new skills in communication & questioning and found it really valuable as someone new to the sales world.
Natalia Henderson
Pharmacy Business Consultant
Fantastic hands-on coaching by Garret. Really appreciated the wealth of insights and strategies from Garret’s breadth of experience working with other businesses that we can reference. Highly recommended to anyone who would like to improve their external engagement or sales skills!
Lily Che
Senior UX/UI Designer
Thanks Garret, the team really appreciate everything that you did, it was extremely informative, you made the role play interesting and comments from our team that have been on sales courses before, "The best sales course they have ever done.” Our focus now is to put some of these techniques into play!
David Arndell
General Manager
It is really easy to improve our teams communications and ability to work as a team..... when you have a competent, engaging and professional facilitator delivering a message like "Communication and response". Garret Norris certainly gave our team at Rural Financial Counselling Service NSW - Northern Region access to the tools that they need to go forward in meeting our vision with enthusiasm! On behalf of the team.... Thank you Garret!!!
Gary Goldberg
CEO RFCS NSW - Northern Region
One does seldom come across a presenter that builds value, brings real world examples and enables you to be pushed in an environment that is not only safe but also fun. Garret's style is fitting and relevant to the world of today's customers and practices. In my career, I have been to a number of these sessions and left with a textbook approach. However, after spending time with Garret I have a new toolbox of solutions that enable me to best serve my customer and provide true value for all parties. If you're wanting a change approach and down to earth sense of fun with serious outcomes you cannot go past his sessions, real world examples and genuine impromptu approach.
Wade Bailey
Sales & Operations Management
An excellent few days of genuine, modern sales training and workshops. Garret has just the right demeanour to engage the room, providing new tools and sharpening existing ones, all whilst having a bit of fun.
Gareth Spencer
National Sales Manager
✨️"The quality of communication, can only be measured by the response you receive" - G. Norris.
Today, I had the privilege of participating in an incredible Account Management and Sales Training session delivered by Garret Norris. The experience was both insightful and inspiring, with practical strategies and techniques tailored to drive impactful client relationships and sustainable business growth.
What truly stood out was the focus on understanding personality profiles using hashtag #DISC, tailoring our conversations to suit, fostering trust, and aligning solutions to create value. The interactive approach and actionable takeaways made it not just a training session but a transformational experience. A huge thank you to Garret Norris and team for delivering such a well-structured and engaging program. I’m excited to implement these strategies in my work and continue refining the skills shared today. To those seeking to elevate their account management or sales expertise, I highly recommend The KONA Group. Let’s keep growing and delivering value together!
Michelle Koch
Strategic Relationship Manager
This is the first time we've worked with Garret, but it won't be the last. Garret's engaging style is totally relevant to today's market conditions. Our team left energized with many insights on how to grow and create business opportunities. Would highly recommend working with Garret and his team.
Lisa Collie
General Manager
Garret has become an integral part of uplifting the capability in our sales team. He is an engaging facilitator, very seasoned sales trainer and has become an integral part of our team. Thank you Garret!!
Cherie Habashi
Head of People & Culture
Great days training on questioning and value, highly recommend!
Daniel France
Business Development Lead
Thank you Garret for your fabulous words of wisdom to our Melbourne Jim's Antennas & Security Franchisees at our recent Mini Regional Conference. Everyone came away with something to implement into their small business. Looking forward to seeing you on Wednesday with the Sydney group.
Heidi Schieren
General Manager
Garret was a brilliant speaker. Emptying his knowledge on a group of technicians. I always get a lot out of sales trading even if it’s just to restore previous knowledge or learn new tactics about how I treat customers.
David McDonald
Antenna Engineer
We had a great session with the KONA Group today on sales prospecting. Garret did an excellent job shifting the team’s perspective on both selling and prospecting. The session was engaging, practical, and thought-provoking. I’ll definitely be a returning customer for more sessions!
Mouaz Alnouri
Founder
Garret from The KONA Group delivered fantastic training at our Melbourne and Sydney Jim’s Antennas & Security conferences. His energy, insight, and practical approach really connected with our team - the feedback was overwhelmingly positive!
Alex Legge
CEO - Jim's Digital
Thank you again for the fantastic session yesterday. The feedback from the team has been overwhelmingly positive - many shared that it was the most insightful and inspiring training they’ve had since joining Envu.
A number of people even described it as the best training they’ve ever received here. I’m looking forward to working with you again soon.
Thanks, Julii
Julii Liu
Commercial Excellence Manager - ANZ
Hi Garret, I’ll definitely leave a Google review, but I wanted to thank you here first for such a fantastic training session. I’ve heard nothing but enthusiastic, glowing feedback from the team. Everyone truly valued the experience. My only regret is that I couldn’t be there in person!
I especially appreciate your collaboration and flexibility in adjusting the agenda so we could incorporate the real sales planning work into the session. It made a big difference and was greatly appreciated by all.
Thanks again for an outstanding training!
Marilyn Hui
Strategy & Planning | Driving Strategic Initiatives, Commercial and Operational Excellence Director
For over 2 decades, our customers have reached out to us because we are an expert Australian team with local and global expertise. We are passionate about empowering individuals and teams growth - developing talents, cultivating leadership skills, and overcome any obstacles.
Let's embark on this transformative journey together.
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Our team of expert coaches and trainers are dedicated to crafting personalised strategies that align with your unique goals and aspirations. We have the tools and expertise to guide you towards greatness.
By contacting us, you are taking the first step towards transforming your team and achieving the extraordinary.
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