Sales Skills: The Complete Practical Toolkit

Created by Miles Croft (a sales expert who specialises in Cold Calling and Direct Sales), and brought to you by Chris Croft (an internationally respected management trainer who has helped more than 1,000,000 people develop their professional skills). This practical course will teach you proven Cold Calling techniques that can be applied immediately. This course develops practical, real-world cold calling skills for beginner and early-career sales professionals and other business communicators who work in English. You’ll start by reframing sales as a problem–solution process and learn why effective cold calling must be adapted to different sellers, products, and prospects. You’ll also explore the psychology of fear in outreach, analyze realistic best- and worst-case scenarios, and apply concrete techniques - such as tackling hard calls first, calling with a clear reason, and gamifying outreach - to make cold calling more manageable and sustainable. From there, you’ll learn how to prepare like a professional: researching prospects using company, role, and contextual information; setting up a productive calling environment; and building concise, value-focused elevator pitches. You’ll design structured but flexible call blueprints that guide attention-grabbing openings, smooth transitions into discovery, and confident closes that secure next steps or permission for follow-up. You’ll also focus on qualification using the BUNTA framework, open-ended and repeated “why” questioning, and active listening to uncover real needs and motivations, not just surface-level interest. Finally, the course trains you to handle gatekeepers and objections with respect, strategy, and empathy. You’ll practice practical methods for working with or getting past gatekeepers, and you’ll use tools like Peel the Onion and Feel–Felt–Found to respond to objections in a human, conversational way. You’ll close by mastering essential aftercare: capturing accurate notes, updating your CRM, scheduling calendar-based follow-ups, and using relationship details and callback permission to create a reliable pipeline and more personalized, effective future outreach.

Chris Croft is an international speaker, and widely published author, who's been teaching practical sales skills for over 20 years. He's taught all over the world, as well as over a million students online, and has an entertaining and practical teaching style. This course is guaranteed to keep you engaged and amused, and teach you life-changing skills for home and work. Starting a new sales role is a pivotal moment that can define your future success. This course guides you step by step through your first 90 days, from onboarding and understanding your company’s sales process to building productive relationships with colleagues, managers, and internal partners. You’ll learn how to quickly gain product, company, and competitor knowledge, project confidence and credibility, and get comfortable using CRM systems, sales metrics, and reporting to manage your pipeline and demonstrate impact. You’ll also build the practical, day-to-day skills needed to generate and convert opportunities. The course covers lead generation, networking, social selling, and referral-based selling, as well as how to structure outbound prospecting, calls, and cold emails that secure meetings. You will learn to prepare and run effective customer conversations: from discovery questions and benefit-focused presentations through handling objections and closing in a confident, ethical way. Throughout, you’ll apply time management, prioritization, and activity tracking techniques to keep your pipeline healthy. Finally, the course helps you think beyond the first few weeks so you can sustain momentum. You will analyze your pipeline for risks and gaps, set realistic expectations with yourself and your manager, and build a personal learning plan for ongoing growth. By the end, you’ll have a clear, actionable roadmap of habits and actions for your first 90 days and beyond—designed to build trust with customers, hit your targets, and grow a successful long-term sales career.

Chris Croft is an internationally recognised business trainer and author specialising in practical sales, management, and professional skills. Miles Croft is a sales and business expert with practical experience in sales conversations and customer relationships. Together, Chris and Miles answer real sales questions with clear, actionable advice. This course gives beginner and intermediate sales professionals practical tools for handling common sales challenges. You’ll learn how to prepare for sales meetings, re-engage stalled prospects, and move indecisive customers towards a decision. You’ll learn how to respond to discount requests by focusing on value, negotiating thoughtfully, and knowing when to walk away. You’ll also learn how to position yourself honestly against competitors and differentiate your product when alternatives seem similar. The course explores how to build strong customer relationships while still achieving short-term sales goals. You’ll learn about consultative selling, sales ethics, and the role of likeability and rapport in building trust. You’ll also learn the difference between assertive and manipulative selling. Finally, you’ll develop the resilience and professionalism needed to handle difficult sales situations. This includes dealing with aggressive or dishonest customers, managing conversations when you don’t have all the answers, and staying motivated when your pipeline is quiet. You’ll also learn how effective follow-up can support onboarding, retention, referrals, and long-term sales success.