Sales Today

Is selling to senior executives different?   Steve talks through how and why plus what to do.   It is worth paying attention as research shows that salespeople are not very good at it (according to the execs and its their opinion that matters).   We discuss some of the common mistakes and how to avoid them.   Many of these are made when trying to operate 'at scale' but that doesn't mean that the w...

What if there was a better way to present information to customers?   Imagine sharing things that they needed to know as they make their way on increasingly difficult buying journeys?   Rory discusses how microsites can be used to do this to supply the right information at the right time.   In doing so salespeople can help the customer make sense of the things that are important to them.   Using i...

Why are the skills associated with sales so important in everyday life?   In this special episode Javi and Fatima, two students on an internship, share their learning on how the skills sales professionals train to perfect are useful for everyone.   They talk about their own experiences where they have had to use some of the skills and how they feel more prepared to use them more deliberately as th...

Get the party started.   Rebecca shares how being from a family of clowns has equipped her for a role today in creating and building communities.   We discuss how humans are wired to gather in tribes and how communities today present a massive opportunity for sharing and problem solving.   Now this can be on a global scale so the power of community is stronger than ever.   Good groups will provide...

Dr Howard Dover is a seriously busy guy.    A sales professional, sales coach, database analyst, systems analyst, marketing modeler and university professor all in one.   But as he explains there is work to be done.   We discuss the state of sales and why buying is such a horrible experience for many and where the sales innovation paradox comes from.   Is modern technology ruining us as salespeopl...

But I have my own special way.   A classic objection poor salespeople make about using process.   Aviv explains that it is not something to be afraid of.   Indeed it should be embraced.   Much about sales process is overcomplicated but really it is pretty simple.   It's about getting results by aligning buyers and sellers.   When we start thinking about outcomes rather than techniques the magic st...

What makes you 'swipe right' on sales outreach?   Nadia shares her approach that is proving successful for her.   It is based on taking time to understand the individual and crafting a message that demostrates this and that she is not a robot.   She explains that the human side is important as the message is the beginning for the relationship which is why it's worth injecting a little bit of perso...

Matthew fell into sales and before long he was a top performer at Zoom.   It clicked when he realised that the harder he worked the more money he could earn.   He puts his success down to being able to undertake the same repetitive motions whilst working out how to do more and make it more refined.   Perhaps being a champion latte artist had something to do with this and certainly where he draws h...

Stuart wrote the book he would have liked to have had in his early years as a salesperson.   Having seen (and made) the mistakes that make the role more difficult he was driven to provide a 'go-to' resource for sales professionals.   The step by step framework is predicated on understanding the challenges a customer has and communicating this and a way to think about addressing it.   Personalising...

Louis is pretty straight up with his dislike for boring marketing.   Getting new customers is probably THE most important thing for any business.   But it's not always easy and can be incredibly frustrating.   Every business has wasted time, effort, and money on marketing strategies that get no results.   But some businesses, are doing things differently.   They are getting response rates as high...

Richard wears many hats which is indicative that he cares deeply about sales and that it is done well.   In this episode we look at the elements of PQ - partnering intelligence - and discuss how it can be used to guide a modern sales approach.   He brings his unique spin to this and shares a number of powerful maxims and NEAT structure.   We talk about language patterns and the mindset of being un...

David's favourite title is actually 'Values Activist' and when you hear him talk this makes sense.   He focuses on values because we are all values-driven.   It's what makes us human.   Understanding human values will absolutely change the way we look at ourselves, the people around us, and those we hope to engage with our work.   We are all driven by what we value.   Think of your values as the G...

'Muddled Mindset'.   This is being misaligned. It can happen at organisation, management and individual level and means that the confusion leads to frustration and wasted effort.   We can counter this by creating better alignment through ensuring clarity within the organisation which allows management to provide better coaching.   This in turn confirms for individuals that their approach is consis...

'Olde Worlde'. This is being old fashioned.   It is when salespeople are too self-centred rather than customer focused, too technical in their approach or use bad techniques better suited to a bygone era of selling.   We can counter this by getting up to date.   Flip attention to the world of the customer.   Follow an approach that identifies issues rather than forces a solution.   Focus on things...

'Busy Busy Busy' . This is being ineffective. It results in wasted opportunities, is tiring and stressful and means the focus is on the wrong activities to deliver results.   We can counter this by preparing to make the most of opportunities, planning to balance work to reduce stress and using process to focus on the right activity.   The top salespeople will also work on their mindset and approac...

Imagine being 15% better at selling. Or even just 2%.   Georgia explains how the Sales Enablement function pulls together training, tools, process and culture to help make this happen.   The key is to focus on what really matters rather than doing different for different sake.   The focus should always be on the effect any initiative has and how to make the most of this.   When 'skills are our cur...

Red talks about things being 'broken' in the sales industry.   One of these is asking all people to act alike when we don't all think alike.   We explore the differences in how introverts and extroverts replenish energy and how this impacts on different aspects of best practice in selling.   With sales more than ever about 'solving a puzzle together' the introvert strengths seem increasingly bette...

Sales people are stressed. Too many of them.   Indeed in the latest Mental Health in Sales report a staggering 63% of salespeople said they were 'struggling' with mental health. An increase on the year before.   Jeff explains that mental health is the the most important growth metric every sales team on the planet is ignoring or under prioritising.   Consider the things that frustrate sales leader...

Sales is changing and Charlotte embraces this by amongst other things focusing on her personal personal brand. She explains that as well as positioning yourself as the person best suited to work with customers, developing a personal brand also helps improve skills now necessary to be successful in sales including copy writing and becoming comfortable with video. We discuss just how 'personal' we s...

How is raising funds like selling? James explains that this is because that is exactly what it is. As a result selling is a crucial part of the founder's mindset when looking to raise capital. We discuss how not thinking in terms of a 'campaign' and therefore not being properly prepared is a mistake often made when fundraising - just like in sales. He shares how targeting the tight kind of investo...

What happens when you make a price increase request? Martin talks us through the process a procurement professional will go through together with ways salespeople can deal with responses they might expect to get. Unsurprisingly as with most negotiations this comes down to good preparation as well as an ability to remain calm and keep emotions in check. An understanding of power dynamics and avoidi...

Lisa explains how positive psychology isn't something 'pink and fluffy' but a study of optimal human function. She explains how 30 years ago some psychologists shifted their focus fron trying to fix things to helping people thrive. She shares the PERMA Model (Positive emotion/Engagement/Relationships/Meaning/Accomplishements) and we explore how salespeople can apply this to themselves and with cus...

How do you listen? Having worked both sales and procurement Graham is able to help answer this question. He explains how the reponses to this rarely go deep enough and that this is a reason that business is lost. Listening is the number one skill rated by buyers that sellers should have, yet few really reach the levels required to make a difference. This is why he now dedicates himself to help imp...

Pritha has noted that performance change happens when there is an emotional shift in the professionals. She combines the science of selling with emotional intelligence to build 'Sales Intelligence' in the sales team. We talk about how sales are best achieved when there is a mindset to serve and how high levels of self-awareness and self-management are key to achieving this. Sales professionals can...

Drew explains how 'Adaptive Selling' is the ability of a salesperson to change their communication style, the content of their pitch, and their overall approach while interacting with prospects, based on perceived information about the person or situation. Using a personality framework can reveal how prospects want to behave, communicate, and make decisions, so adaptive selling techniques can be i...