Sales Today

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...

Brittany Baldwin has a simple philosophy, she aspires to inspire before she expires. Her mission is spreading the message that selling is simple and there's nothing complex about having conversations with customers. She explains that business is like a clock. The cogs need to turn and the hands need to tick. And it's the same with your sales. You need to get the gears in place and your sales ticki...

Aidan is Transformation Consultant in Innovation, Leadership, Neuroscience, Cognitive Bias, Culture and Mental Agility as well as a speaker, podcast host and retired professional rugby player. He talks about the speed of change and what 'exponential change' really is. We consider the brains response to crisis and how this can make you less intelligent meaning both a hazard and opportunity for sale...

Todd is a Transparency Nerd, Sales & Science Amalgamator and a Sales Historian and also a second time guest on the show. This time the conversation turns to sales leadership and how he dealt with promotion on the basis of 'we think you're ready'. As someone who value process and structure he set about building a way of working optimised withh behavioural science. This has further developed with an...

Bob Moesta is a founder, maker, innovator, speaker and now a professor. He is the pioneer of 'Jobs To Be Done' Theory. He has worked on and helped launch more than 3,500 new products, services and businesses across nearly every industry, including defence, automotive, software, financial services and education. As part of this he has turned his mind to how salespeople can perform more effectively...

Dave is all about partnerships & collaboration. He explains they are not only of one the most enjoyable ways to work, but they push things forward in the most effective way. We talk about what makes a collaborative mindset and how focus on a greater good plus honesty are key factors. But effective collaboration does not happen by accident so systems/process/checks are also important. It is interes...

Jon understands how stand-up comedy works and brings this to the world of sales. The best comedians make it about their audiences and trigger their emotions. By discussing relatable topics - and highlighting common truths about life's struggles (like marriage, dating, raising kids or smelly socks) - comedians are able to capture and hold their audience's notoriously-hard-to-capture attention. Cust...

Wesleyne is a 'recovering chemist' who transitioned into an international sales manager leading teams of technical sales reps so understands the challenge of that role. She now focuses on helping others in Science, Technology, Engineering and Manufacturing succeed in selling. We discuss what makes this type of sale different and how technically minded people can adapt. It can be hard to articulate...

Ben is back! This time with his coaching hat on to elicit a story from Fred. After a reminder of why the method is so powerful, he explains the process and then uses it in real life signposting the stages. Is Fred clear on his customers? What is the old way and what has changed? Can he create a deep enough subconscious shift to stimulate a desire to do something different? You be the judge!

Telling prospects not to buy the entire package straightaway... is this crazy? Chris explains that while it may initially cost him in commission he also knows that the customer is guaranteed to fail if they buy everything at once. It is all to do with having to deal with too much change. Even when they want to move fast it is best to go in phases. He explains that he wants them to be successful in...

Are you a strategist, change agent and decision architect? If you are selling B2B at a senior level you need to be. Douglas shares some of the principles and frameworks he has outlined in his book written as a result of his own sense-making. Sales professionals need to understand the overlapping external, organisational and interpersonal dynamics that present themselves with every opportunity. Gen...

This is a special series tailored for people working and selling in the region to discuss some of the unique challenges it presents. We talk about what is different about selling in the area and what the best companies and salespeople do to adapt. Mohamed is a marketer 'with a twist' and we talk about the importance of tailoring content to suit the target audience. When communicating with customer...

It was a dumpster fire. This is how a CEO described a salesperson attempting to be a 'challenger' and failing dismally (though the story is fairly amusing). In her role as evangelist for this style of selling Jen Allen takes us through what Challenger is and what it is not. We discuss why such a powerful approach is badly applied so often and what to do to avoid this. Research and respectfully 'se...

Are you average or elite? Antoine shares his thoughts on what salespeople can do to reach the top of their game. He sees 'leading with problems' as a key way of beginning customer interactions to show you are different by having a focus on them. We talk about what 'personal branding' actually means for a salesperson and what to do about it as well as how elite performers take ownership of their ow...

This is a special series tailored for people working and selling in the region to discuss some of the unique challenges it presents. We talk about what is different about selling in the area and what the best companies and salespeople do to adapt. Yulia shares her experience working as a Sales Coach and we explore how learning can be turned into results. We address the myth of the 'natural born' s...

Make sure you are relevant. Sales professionals need to be increasingly aware of what they say and do. This episode gives an overview of the VALUE Framework introduced in the book 'Selling Through Partnering Skills' that encourages salespeople to work with a partnering mindset to develop a more collaborative approach. In the spirit of practising what we preach the YouTube version tries out new tec...

This is a special series tailored for people working and selling in the region to discuss some of the unique challenges it presents. We talk about what is different about selling in the area and what the best companies and salespeople do to adapt. Corina shares how she fell in love with the region and why she dedicates herself to helping others understand the potential of working there and how to...