ABOUT US
Meet Our Expert
Pete Athens is the founder of Athens School of Selling. His vision is to Help You Sell More Better
Business Faster on Purpose via employing Common Methods, Common Language, and Common
Tools. His passion is Coaching others to reach their full potential.
He most recently worked as the General Manager Sales Excellence/Deal Desk for Dyno Nobel for
five years where he developed and implemented a sales, leadership, and communication
effectiveness curriculum. He ensured that the training sessions were not just an event, but had
practical skill reinforcement with monthly Prep and Practice sessions to drive real sales growth.
Pete was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA and graduated from Bucknell University with a
Mechanical Engineering degree. While at Bucknell, he played varsity baseball and had a ROTC
scholarship. Upon graduating, he was commissioned into the US Army as Combat Engineer Officer
with the 5
th
Engineer Battalion. After fulfilling his US Army commitment, he joined Nalco Chemical
Company where he had over thirty years of field sales, sales management, corporate account
management and commercial leadership experience.
In addition, he served as Director of Nalco’s Sales and Leadership training for seven years. Pete is a
Master Certified Instructor for the Counselor Sales Person, Versatile Sales Person, and Strategic
Selling courses. In an addition, he is a Certified Instructor for the Strategic Negotiations, 7 Habits of
Highly Effective People, Speed of Trust, Crucial Conversations, and Leader Manager courses.
Pete and his wife, Susan live in Nolensville, TN with their ten year old daughter, Michaela. He also
has two sons, Anthony – 33, Larry – 30, and daughter, Lia – 23.
Pete is a published author and has written the Sales Training book, A Tee Time for Selling. He has
coached Youth Baseball and Basketball for over twenty years. He also served on the St. John’s
Greek Orthodox church parish council and was also elected to the Yorkville School Board. He likes
to golf, run, and bike ride in his free time
Experience and Expertise
35
years
Sales and Leadership Experience
15+
years
Master Certified Facilitator
5,000+
Sales Professionals Trained
OUR SERVICES
Sales and Leadership
Training Offerings:
Counselor Sales Person - (CSP)
Participants will learn how to overcome the four barriers in any Buy-Sell relationship - No Trust; No Need; No Help; No Satisfaction. The class will use an Explanation, Demonstration, Practical Application process to teach the concepts and reinforce the skills.
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Value Selling
Participants will learn a model and process to formally Create, Capture, and Communicate value in the areas of Safety & Reliability; Continuous Improvement; and Innovation.
Versatile Sales Person - (VSP)
Participants will build upon the foundational CSP Skill by learning how to be more Versatile to be even more effective communicating with all four of the various Social Styles. They will learn their own Social Style and how to Identify, Reflect, and Modify their style to make someone more comfortable. The class will use an Explanation, Demonstration, Practical Application process to teach the concepts and reinforce the skills.
Sales Opportunity Workshop - Strategic Planning
Participants will learn how to build and map out a Sales Strategy for one of their key opportunities. They will develop the Key Business Drivers; Compelling Events; Customer Milestones; and People Survey to understand what next best actions to take to win the business.
Appointment Setting
Participants will learn the art and science of securing appointments with customers and prospects. They will develop their own Elevator Pitch and also practice handling common objections.
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Time Management
Participants will learn how to maximize their productivity and effectiveness via implementing monthly and weekly planning.
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CAM Community Call
Corporate Account Managers learn how to plan and conduct a Community Call to drive Alignment across their portfolios.
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"ALIGN" Prep & Practice Method and Sessions
Participants refine selling skills and pre call planning best practices by focusing on their identified Target Opportunities to map out and execute sales plans. 1. Create and Edit Target Opportunity Plans 2. Draft Meeting Agendas 3. Prepare for Customer Objections​
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Coaching 100
Participants will learn how to demonstrate positive intent as they formally give feedback to improve overall performance and develop skills for their team members and peers.
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Business Planning
Participants will learn how to build and develop their own business plan which empowers them to have a winnable game.
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Coaching 200
Assess Your Teams - Strengths and Areas of Improvement to gain insight on WHAT to Coach
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Meet OUR Partners
