5 Reasons You Shouldn’t Sleep on Sandler
Sales methodologies have become a hot topic in the last couple of years. As the post-COVID milk-and-honey era came to a close and pipelines dried up, sales leadership suddenly realized that their sales people weren’t as good at selling as their previously-crushed quotas might indicate.
And thus began the Sales Skills Panic of 2024.
All at once, the enablement community Slack channels lit up with requests for opinions on different methodologies and rollout best practices. Enablers all over were being asked to help their sellers get “back to basics”. Suddenly, threads on Value Selling, MEDDPICC, BANT, SPIN, Winning by Design, and all the others were whirling around.
One methodology, however, wasn’t mentioned nearly as often as I would expect: The Sandler Selling System. While I was familiar with Sandler, I’ve only recently dived deep into the system. After being well on my way to certification, here’s why I think too many of us in Enablement are sleeping on Sandler.
1. It’s Not Just a Qualification Framework
Most “methodologies” out there are really just checkboxes in disguise. Did we find out who the economic buyer is? Did we ask about timeline? Is there pain?
But the most critical piece of these “methodologies” are missing is the actual method. In other words, they lack the guidance for sellers of how to actually discover and uncover the information they need in order to qualify their buyer. I’ve been on too many calls with vendors where I’ve been BANTed to death. The questions the AE asks are clearly written on a scorecard sitting in front of them.
The Sandler System not only helps sellers understand what they need to find out from buyers, but gives them actual techniques for communication. It teaches them not just what questions to ask, but how to ask them. The emphasis is less on us qualifying the buyer, and more on helping the buyer qualifying themselves. It’s art and psychology all rolled into one. When done correctly, buyers sell themselves! Isn’t that cool!?
2. It Can Be Applied to Any Sales Process, for Any Size Buyer
Although I’ve mostly seen methodologies be applied primarily to Enterprise or B2B sales, Sandler surprised me with how well it works in every kind of buying cycle. Currently, I work for a B2C company where we’re primarily selling home services to residential customers. It was surprising to me just how well Sandler worked in a short, transactional cycle. When I thought about the B2B experience, I realized that it worked just as well there.
Some methodologies, like MEDDPICC are really more suitable for enterprise or longer deal cycles. I’ve used them in more transactional sales and they felt too bulky or complex. With Sandler, the system works no matter what you’re selling, or who your buyer is.
3. Sandler Doesn’t Just Work in Sales, But in Life Too
What makes Sandler unique is its ability to transcend sales. At its core, Sandler teaches better communication, trust-building, and problem-solving—skills that are invaluable in everyday life. Whether you’re negotiating with a client, managing employees, or even navigating personal relationships, Sandler principles are universally applicable.
For example, the Sandler focus on asking questions before jumping to conclusions applies to countless real-world scenarios. The “Upfront Contract” concept—establishing mutual expectations before proceeding—is as effective in a sales meeting as it is in a conversation with your spouse, kids, or colleagues. I’ve found myself using the techniques I’ve learned in Sandler when working in any part of the business, not just when I’m teaching our Salespeople. Whether I’m getting a clear future commitment from my executive stakeholders, or setting expectations for what we’ll accomplish in a meeting, Sandler is right there to help!
Sandler isn’t just about closing deals; it’s about improving human interaction and achieving outcomes that benefit everyone involved.
4. It Focuses on Qualifying, Not Chasing
In traditional sales processes, sellers often waste significant time chasing unqualified leads or trying to convince people to buy. Sandler flips the script. Instead of pushing for the close, the Sandler methodology prioritizes qualifying prospects quickly and thoroughly. The Sandler Mantra is “Qualify hard, close easy.” Wouldn’t that be an awesome way to do sales, instead of playing the chase game?
When we tell sellers to focus on closing the client, they’ll skip and justify and get happy ears during qualification. But when we shift the focus to deep, thorough qualification, the close comes a lot more easily, with less chasing.
5. David Sandler Understood that Behavior Change is How we Win
Sandler’s book “You Can’t Teach a Kid to Ride a Bike in a Seminar” says it all in his title. Even as someone who sold sales training for a living, he shared with his audiences that they would not learn how to sell in that training. Instead, they would learn when they took the concepts into the field, applied them, fell on their faces, and tried again. Just like a kid can’t learn to ride a bike by watching a video, salespeople can’t actually learn and grow by passively listening to training or reading a book.
Reading that was music to my Revenue Enablement ears!
Many sales methodologies focus on short-term tactics or quick wins, but Sandler goes deeper by targeting behaviors and attitudes that drive long-term success. Through reinforcement, coaching, and continuous practice, Sandler helps sales professionals internalize its principles until they become second nature.
This approach ensures that sellers don’t just learn new techniques—they transform how they approach selling altogether. The result? Consistent, repeatable success that compounds over time. Organizations that adopt Sandler often see sustainable improvements in sales performance because the methodology addresses the root causes of sales challenges.
Final Thoughts
Unlike other sales methodologies, Sandler is adaptable, transformative, and universally applicable. It doesn’t just give you tools to close deals; it changes the way you think about selling and communication. If you want to help sellers truly nail the basics to accelerate their results, I encourage you to give Sandler a try.
