To succeed, distributors should move away from the traditional selling model of saying “yes” to everything their clients want, says veteran salesman and trainer Ron Marks of Southwestern Consulting. Instead, keep an open dialogue, asking lots of questions to get to the heart of your client's goals; this dialogue most likely will generate many ideas, some of which you'll need to nix. "The challenge is that traditional salespeople want to build the relationship," Marks says. "In order to best serve your clientele, challenge them by asking questions. That takes a little bit of courage."

Learn more in his "Experts Secrets" video below.