Stop pitching early
Build sales conversations around diagnosis before presentation.
Common Sense Selling online
Sales Coach
From the authors of Common Sense Selling, learn the online sales process that helps reps stop pitching too early, qualify real opportunities, protect price, and get clearer commitments from modern buyers.
6-module launch52-week reinforcementRep and manager paths
Created by Jim Dunn & John Schumann, authors and trainers behind Common Sense Selling.The problem
Most sales training teaches reps what to say. SalesCoach teaches them what to find out.
Buyers resist generic pitches. SalesCoach gives reps and managers a shared process for diagnosing pain, qualifying opportunity, creating trust, and moving deals forward without pressure tactics.
Qualify harder
Separate real prospects from polite conversations using pain, resources, and authority.
Coach the process
Give managers better questions for pipeline reviews, deal strategy, and weekly reinforcement.
The method
Diagnosis before prescription.
Common Sense Selling gives reps a simple way to lead the conversation without acting pushy: set expectations, investigate the buyer's real problem, confirm the decision path, then present the right solution at the right time.
- OpenSet a meeting agreement and remove pressure.
- InvestigateQualify pain, resources, authority, and urgency.
- PlanClarify what happens if the solution fits.
- PresentConnect your solution to the buyer's stated problem.
Course paths
Choose the path that matches the selling problem.
Start with the role. Each path points back to the same Common Sense Selling language, so reps and managers can reinforce the method together.
Sales Training for IndividualsFor salespeople who need a repeatable process for prospecting, qualifying, handling price pressure, and getting decisions instead of vague follow-up.Sales Training for Sales ManagersFor leaders who need the questions, exercises, and cadence to coach reps around real pipeline behavior instead of vague activity reports.Online Team TrainingFor sales organizations that want reps and managers using the same language for discovery, qualification, next steps, proposals, and coaching.
Proof
Salespeople remember the method because they use it in real deals.
The strongest results come when reps stop treating training as information and start using a common process for prospecting, qualifying, proposing, and coaching.
This training has revolutionized my sales process.
Stacy McKibbinAction CoachI finally have a system that is just plain Common Sense.
Roy SlavinPhotoBadge.comClient-centric sales process and sales philosophy that is top class and highly effective.
Unconditional guarantee
Try the process in your own pipeline. Keep it only if it earns its place.
We are so confident your sales results will improve after taking SalesCoach that we give you a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Let us know within 30 days that you want a refund, and we will send it back with one click.
You will find value in the program and be able to put it to use immediately. After this training, you will have a process to help you close more business without discounting, get out of dead deals sooner, and sell with more confidence.
- Online by designNo need to block out days away from the field to learn the system.
- Reinforced for a yearThe method keeps showing up in weekly practice, assessments, and manager coaching.
- Built for applicationThe point is not course completion. It is better sales behavior in live opportunities.
Common objections
Questions buyers ask before they commit to sales training.
The answer is usually the same: the selling environment changes, but buyers still need trust, relevance, qualification, and clear next steps.
See all FAQsWill this work with modern selling?
Yes. Modern buyers are more informed, more skeptical, and less patient with generic pitches. Common Sense Selling works because it starts with diagnosis, qualification, trust, and clear next steps before a solution is presented.
My business is different. Will this still apply?
The examples change, but the sales problems are familiar: weak qualification, unclear authority, price pressure, stalled proposals, and vague follow-up. The process gives your team a way to adapt the questions to your market instead of memorizing a script.
My salespeople are different. Can one process fit everyone?
The goal is not to turn every rep into the same personality. The goal is to give every rep the same discipline: set expectations, uncover the real problem, qualify the opportunity, and earn a clear decision path.
My customers are different. What if they do not respond to sales training tactics?
That is exactly why the method avoids pressure tactics. It helps reps ask better questions, listen earlier, and connect the solution to the customer's stated problem instead of assuming what matters.
How does this work in an email-centric world?
Email works best when it supports a clear sales process. SalesCoach helps reps write emails that earn the next conversation, confirm meeting agreements, summarize pain, and avoid sending proposals before the opportunity is qualified.
How does this work in an AI-centric world?
AI can help with research, call planning, follow-up drafts, and role-play practice. It does not replace judgment. Common Sense Selling gives reps the structure to decide what to ask, what to verify, and when the deal is real.
Does this work remotely?
Yes. Remote selling makes structure more important, not less. Reps need better opening agreements, cleaner agendas, sharper questions, and more explicit next steps because informal room cues are weaker.
Does this work during Zoom calls?
Yes. The same process applies: set the agenda, create comfort, diagnose the problem, qualify the decision path, and agree on what happens next. The format changes, but the buyer still needs trust and clarity.
Jim Dunn & John Schumann
The guys behind the system.
SalesCoach is not anonymous courseware. It is the online home of the Common Sense Selling method built by Jim and John, the trainers and authors behind the books, tools, and lessons.
Founder, author, sales process architect
Jim Dunn
Jim founded Whetstone Group in 1992 and helped develop Common Sense Selling into a practical sales process used by thousands of salespeople and managers. His background includes national speaking, sales books, financial services, commercial banking, technology, commercial real estate, manufacturing, life sciences, and professional services.
- Founded Whetstone Group
- Author or co-author of 6 sales books
- U.S. Navy officer
International sales trainer and course leader
John Schumann
John brought decades of sales and marketing experience from national and international companies into the Common Sense Selling system. His training background spans complex selling, sales leadership, corporate teams, and the online SalesCoach curriculum.
- International sales trainer
- 27+ years in sales and marketing
- USAF pilot and decorated veteran
LinkedIn recommendations
Clients describe Jim and John as practical, adaptable, and easy to apply.
Excerpts from LinkedIn recommendations point to the same pattern: complex sales, different industries, better qualification, stronger sales culture, and long-term use.
most effective sales tools I have found
Worked with Jim for many years and says the tools Jim and John teach are highly effective and worth the investment.
change the way you think about selling
Credits Jim with moving salespeople from product pushing to problem solving and building confidence early in a sales career.
best of the best
Credits John with helping build a sales process for a complex consultative environment, with stronger win ratios and new client acquisition.
The results speak for themselves.
Says John helped move a sales organization from features-and-benefits selling to a diagnostic model that outperformed the market.
Used by serious sellers
Built for teams that sell complex products and services.
The legacy SalesCoach materials include company examples from construction, technology, professional services, real estate, manufacturing, and financial services.
Start training
Stop winging sales conversations.
Pick the online training path that gives you or your team a practical process for prospecting, qualifying, presenting, and coaching.