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The world of work is in the middle of a major shake-up, with implications for companies of every shape and size. The term ‘agile working’ is becoming commonplace as the relationship between businesses and their workforce is redefined – and…
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In previous generations, salespeople were the buyer's primary source for research and education. Today's savvy buyers, however, have already scoured the Internet and studied the product before walking into the first sales meeting. Since so much of the sale is…
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When President John F. Kennedy visited the NASA space center in 1962, he encountered a janitor sweeping a floor and asked him what he was doing. The custodian replied, "I'm helping put a man on the moon." Every single person…
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Relying too much on a single salesperson, a single customer–or both–can set a business up for catastrophe. Businesses should protect themselves by establishing diversity of revenue streams, both internally with salespeople and externally with customer accounts. 80/20: The Pareto Principle…
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Salespeople are the soul of a business. The single best way to give them a shot at success is to provide them with ongoing, consistent sales training. Training makes them better salespeople, better teammates and helps them understand their role…
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A generation ago the quantity of face time between salesperson and prospect was often valued over the quality of the discussion. Twenty-first century customers, however, have more resources available to them to make decisions independently. Today's savviest salespeople know that…
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You don’t need a degree in psychology to perform in sales, but knowing customer personalities can make all the difference between sealing the deal and walking away empty-handed. Industry Insights Understanding your customers is a huge asset – in negotiations,…
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Equality is an essential ingredient of a healthy sales culture. By making sure the entire team is given the same opportunities, the same resources and the same expectations, sales leaders will improve morale and increase productivity. Complete uniformity is difficult…
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By upselling, sales teams can increase the customers’ value to the organisation. But that is only part of the equation: what is the benefit to the consumer? When salespeople can identify and capitalise on upselling opportunities, they can increase the…
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Salespeople can't be effective unless they speak the prospect's language. The value of customer-centric communication drives some salespeople to make the mistake of memorizing fashionable buzzwords, key phrases and industry jargon in an effort to create the illusion of expertise…
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Businesses that sell highly technical, industry-specific products generally follow one of two sales models. The first option is to create a sales team made up of technical experts who are authorities on every aspect of the product. In the second…
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Firing a salesperson should never be an abrupt decision. Rather, it should come only after an employee has consistently failed to meet the expectations outlined during previous performance discussions and goal setting meetings. By providing employees with clear job descriptions…
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“It’s nothing personal – we decided to go with one of your competitors, sorry.” Sound familiar? You go into a final sales meeting call brimming with optimism and enthusiasm, but emerge a realist, having taken a hit of rejection despite…
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In the Barclays Premiership, Juan Mata is Manchester United's hardest-working player. Covering an average of more than 11.3 km per game, he outpaces his only comparable teammate by roughly 300 meters every 90 minutes. After they stretch and warm up,…
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To sales leaders and coaches, watching a top-performing salesperson pitch is like watching someone who is top of their game and in tune with the company that they are selling to. That may be why there’s an illusion that when…
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As time is precious in any business role, do you ever think how much your sales force costs you by pursuing fruitless sales leads? Sometimes the differentiator between high and low generating salespeople isn’t their persuasiveness – it’s their insight…
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Sales leaders increasingly understand and appreciate the value of salespeople who are skilled at reading customers. But short of listing “ESP” – extrasensory perception or a “sixth sense” - as a job requirement, it can be difficult to know what…
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Salespeople are sometimes called great storytellers, but the problem with storytelling is it often conveys a rehearsed message. Too many storytellers don’t take enough time to find out what the customer really needs. The best sales techniques are less about…
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It’s a truism that we vote for people, not policies – and similarly, we buy from people, not products. Do your salespeople understand this insight and know how to apply it to their selling strategy? Do your hiring managers know…
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Everyone in sales knows employee performance reviews are essential for building a successful sales team. In such a highly competitive field, the need to share knowledge, monitor market trends and anticipate consumer behaviour is never ending. Not everyone, however, knows…
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In today’s marketplace it’s easier than ever for customers to buy their products online, informed with the knowledge they need to make smart purchases. For most simple transactions, this works. In these cases, customers don’t want, or need, to engage…
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When a new leader asks the sales team how they were trained when they first got hired, the most likely answer is that they learned on the job. If the leader follows up by asking if they think they could…
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Selling is a difficult, important and undervalued skill — one part art, one part science. A good salesperson can help the client understand the granular differences between similar products. A motivated salesperson can protect customers by helping them make the…
