35 years of sales experience – the journey of a top salesperson

Have you ever wondered why some salespeople seem to have selling in their blood, while others struggle despite years in the profession? The answer lies not in talent or luck—it lies in how thoroughly you practice the basics. When Mattias Asserstål, sales consultant at Adviser Partner, returned to door-to-door sales after 35 years, he found fascinating proof of this principle: his skills were still there, as if they were programmed into him. The step in the door, the handshake, the way of mirroring the customer – it was all there, just like riding a bike.

In his conversation with Jonas Olofsson, Mattias shares several invaluable strategies that shaped his career. Here are three insights you won't want to miss:

1. Well-trained fundamentals never disappear—they become your automatic defense.

When Mattias and a sales team went out to knock on doors in Gothenburg, his plan was to observe from the sidelines. But at the first door? "It lasted exactly ten seconds," he says. Instinctively, he stepped in, filled in, and used techniques he hadn't actively thought about in 35 years. Everything from his time at Lux—the mirroring, the step, the handshake—was there as muscle memory.

This is the power of what Adviser Partner calls practicing on a gradient: once you have spent enough time on the basics, you can build advanced skills on top of them. As Mattias puts it: "What incredible power you have with such a well-trained behavior. You can compare it to riding a bike. Of course, I haven't ridden in over 30 years, but it was still pretty much there."

How many times have you trained your salespeople in the basics? Once? Five times? The best athletes train the basics thousands of times. Why should sales be any different?

2. Role models shape your career – and you shape others'

For Mattias, Thomas Ive at Lux was the mentor who changed everything. "Thirty years ago, maybe it was... someone else, when you mention a name in that room, came in about seven years ago and took a different direction somewhere then," says Mattias about Jonas' influence on his life.

Recently, a former salesperson contacted Mattias with the words: "There are three people who have influenced me, and one of them is you." This story illustrates a powerful truth: you are not only the product of your role models—you are also a role model for others, whether you know it or not.

According to Adviser Partners' Way of Sales methodology, successful sales are based on establishing structures and processes that can be transferred from person to person. When you find a role model who "knows their numbers game," as Mattias puts it, you don't just get techniques—you get a whole mindset that can be carried forward.

Ask yourself: Who is your role model? And more importantly, who can you be a role model for?

3. The numbers game is not outdated—it is eternal.

During the evening in Gothenburg, the team booked 13 meetings. Normally, they get 2-3. That's an increase of 500%. But the reaction from the group? "You take your achievements down a notch somewhere. It's so far removed from yourself." Instead of celebrating, they began to question.

This is typical of salespeople who don't understand that sales is basically a "numbers game." As Mattias points out: "Know your numbers game. And there's no big difference between today and back then."

Adviser Partners' manuals describe this as understanding the fundamentals: the more activities, the greater the chance of sales. Twenty bookings give twice the chance of ten, it's that simple. But it also requires you to dare to try, dare to fail, and as Mattias mentions from research he has read: "People who became very successful made more mistakes. In other words, they tested their way forward."

How many activities does your team do per week? And more importantly, how often do you analyze your numbers to understand what actually works?

Next Step

This is just a fraction of the knowledge Mattias Asserstål shares. Want to hear the whole conversation, get more concrete examples, and dive deeper into how to build sales skills that will last for 35 years? Listen to the entire episode of We Love Salespeople here!

Do you and your sales team want to build a future-proof sales culture filled with energy and values?

Adviser Partner helps you transform sales through a combination of methodology, personal development, and value-based selling. Our Way of Sales method focuses on creating salespeople who both perform well and enjoy their work—regardless of what technology comes next.

Contact us to learn more about how we help sales teams future-proof themselves.