Work · People & Progress
Before the Year Ends, Learn to Sell Your Value
What would change if you could explain your value clearly, ask better questions, and handle your next important conversation with more confidence?
The advice we are tempted to dismiss
In a recent LinkedIn post, I reflected on Robert Kiyosaki’s encouragement to learn how to sell, and on the resistance that advice can meet. It made me think about a question that is closer to home: which useful skill have I kept postponing because learning it would feel uncomfortable?
For some of us, that skill is selling. We associate it with pressure, rejection, or being unusually outgoing. Yet we regularly need to explain an idea, ask for an opportunity, discuss our fees, or help someone decide whether what we offer fits their needs.
Start with the conversation you keep avoiding
Perhaps you deliver good work but struggle to explain why a client should choose you. Perhaps a prospect raises a concern and you rush to lower your price. Perhaps you want a sales role, but you are still unsure how to begin a useful conversation with a potential customer.
Choose one situation. Give it a name. “I want to improve myself” is difficult to practise. “I want to ask useful questions before presenting my service” gives you something concrete to work on.
What would make you proud on 31 December?
A meaningful year-end result can be modest and specific: a clearer explanation of your service, three practice conversations, a written negotiation plan, or a course assignment you can show and discuss.
Make the result something you can influence. A sales course can provide structure and practice; the way you apply it will matter. Choose an outcome you can demonstrate even while job offers, clients, or income take longer to follow.
Give the remaining days a job
The calendar gives you a useful planning boundary. Start with a weekly commitment you can keep. Two 45-minute learning sessions and one 30-minute practice session give you two hours a week. Repeated for four weeks, that is eight hours invested in a specific skill.
Put those sessions in your calendar. After each lesson, try one idea in a role-play, a draft message, or an appropriate conversation. Ask a trusted person for feedback. Keep a short note of what worked and what you would change.
As December gets closer, make the milestone smaller if necessary. You can begin with one lesson and one practice attempt, then continue into the new year. The useful step is the one you can actually take.
Choose a course around your actual difficulty
A broad search for “sales” can leave you with more tabs open and no decision made. Use your immediate need to narrow the choice. Here are three Coursera options to compare.
HubSpot Academy · One course · Beginner
Sales Training: Building Your Sales Career
A fit to consider: You are starting out or want to understand buyers and ask better questions.
An introduction to inbound sales, buyer context, and a consultative approach to sales conversations.
About 10 hours · Your pace may differ.
View course and enrollment optionsHubSpot Academy · Four-course specialization · Beginner
Sales Training for High Performing Teams
A fit to consider: You want a broader learning path across selling, sales management, and strategy.
A wider sales learning path. Review its individual courses and start with the part that matches your immediate need.
Listed as 4 weeks at 10 hours a week · Your pace may differ.
View course and enrollment optionsUniversity of Michigan · One course · Beginner
Successful Negotiation: Essential Strategies and Skills
A fit to consider: You want to prepare better for discussions about price, terms, or agreements.
A focused course on preparing, conducting, closing, and evaluating negotiations, with negotiation practice.
Listed as 2 weeks at 10 hours a week · Your pace may differ.
View course and enrollment optionsOpen the course page and check the syllabus, language, workload, assessments, and the enrollment options available to you. Review the price, any trial conversion, renewal terms, and cancellation rules before paying. Available previews, financial aid, and certificate options depend on the program and your eligibility.
Turn the decision into a first step
- Today
Name the skill gap. Compare the relevant course. If the content, cost, and schedule fit, choose the enrollment option you can afford.
- Your first study session
Complete the first lesson you can reasonably cover. Write down one idea you will test.
- Your first practice session
Use that idea in a role-play, a draft message, or a suitable conversation. Ask for specific feedback.
- At the end of each week
Record one improvement, one remaining difficulty, and the next practice attempt.
At the end of the year, you can have a concrete story to tell: “I identified a skill I needed, made time for it, and used what I learned.” That is a result worth being proud of.
Affiliate disclosure: BlueDare may earn a commission if you enroll through an affiliate link, at no additional cost to you.
Your next step
Give your intention a practical plan.
Use the short check-in below to identify your skill gap, compare a course, and choose a first step that fits your time and budget.
Find my sales learning pathSources and course information
Course descriptions and workload estimates reviewed on 8 October 2026. The course pages show the current syllabus and enrollment terms. Course matches are BlueDare’s editorial suggestions.
Work · People & Progress
Before the Year Ends, Learn to Sell Your Value
What would change if you could explain your value clearly, ask better questions, and handle your next important conversation with more confidence?
The advice we are tempted to dismiss
In a recent LinkedIn post, I reflected on Robert Kiyosaki’s encouragement to learn how to sell, and on the resistance that advice can meet. It made me think about a question that is closer to home: which useful skill have I kept postponing because learning it would feel uncomfortable?
For some of us, that skill is selling. We associate it with pressure, rejection, or being unusually outgoing. Yet we regularly need to explain an idea, ask for an opportunity, discuss our fees, or help someone decide whether what we offer fits their needs.
Start with the conversation you keep avoiding
Perhaps you deliver good work but struggle to explain why a client should choose you. Perhaps a prospect raises a concern and you rush to lower your price. Perhaps you want a sales role, but you are still unsure how to begin a useful conversation with a potential customer.
Choose one situation. Give it a name. “I want to improve myself” is difficult to practise. “I want to ask useful questions before presenting my service” gives you something concrete to work on.
What would make you proud on 31 December?
A meaningful year-end result can be modest and specific: a clearer explanation of your service, three practice conversations, a written negotiation plan, or a course assignment you can show and discuss.
Make the result something you can influence. A sales course can provide structure and practice; the way you apply it will matter. Choose an outcome you can demonstrate even while job offers, clients, or income take longer to follow.
Give the remaining days a job
The calendar gives you a useful planning boundary. Start with a weekly commitment you can keep. Two 45-minute learning sessions and one 30-minute practice session give you two hours a week. Repeated for four weeks, that is eight hours invested in a specific skill.
Put those sessions in your calendar. After each lesson, try one idea in a role-play, a draft message, or an appropriate conversation. Ask a trusted person for feedback. Keep a short note of what worked and what you would change.
As December gets closer, make the milestone smaller if necessary. You can begin with one lesson and one practice attempt, then continue into the new year. The useful step is the one you can actually take.
Choose a course around your actual difficulty
A broad search for “sales” can leave you with more tabs open and no decision made. Use your immediate need to narrow the choice. Here are three Coursera options to compare.
HubSpot Academy · One course · Beginner
Sales Training: Building Your Sales Career
A fit to consider: You are starting out or want to understand buyers and ask better questions.
An introduction to inbound sales, buyer context, and a consultative approach to sales conversations.
About 10 hours · Your pace may differ.
View course and enrollment optionsHubSpot Academy · Four-course specialization · Beginner
Sales Training for High Performing Teams
A fit to consider: You want a broader learning path across selling, sales management, and strategy.
A wider sales learning path. Review its individual courses and start with the part that matches your immediate need.
Listed as 4 weeks at 10 hours a week · Your pace may differ.
View course and enrollment optionsUniversity of Michigan · One course · Beginner
Successful Negotiation: Essential Strategies and Skills
A fit to consider: You want to prepare better for discussions about price, terms, or agreements.
A focused course on preparing, conducting, closing, and evaluating negotiations, with negotiation practice.
Listed as 2 weeks at 10 hours a week · Your pace may differ.
View course and enrollment optionsOpen the course page and check the syllabus, language, workload, assessments, and the enrollment options available to you. Review the price, any trial conversion, renewal terms, and cancellation rules before paying. Available previews, financial aid, and certificate options depend on the program and your eligibility.
Turn the decision into a first step
- Today
Name the skill gap. Compare the relevant course. If the content, cost, and schedule fit, choose the enrollment option you can afford.
- Your first study session
Complete the first lesson you can reasonably cover. Write down one idea you will test.
- Your first practice session
Use that idea in a role-play, a draft message, or a suitable conversation. Ask for specific feedback.
- At the end of each week
Record one improvement, one remaining difficulty, and the next practice attempt.
At the end of the year, you can have a concrete story to tell: “I identified a skill I needed, made time for it, and used what I learned.” That is a result worth being proud of.
Affiliate disclosure: BlueDare may earn a commission if you enroll through an affiliate link, at no additional cost to you.
Your next step
Give your intention a practical plan.
Use the short check-in below to identify your skill gap, compare a course, and choose a first step that fits your time and budget.
Find my sales learning pathSources and course information
Course descriptions and workload estimates reviewed on 8 October 2026. The course pages show the current syllabus and enrollment terms. Course matches are BlueDare’s editorial suggestions.