The Shift Control Sales Podcast

Recent discussions about AI with clients, coaching colleagues and friends has opened up different avenues of thinking. No denying the benefits of AI and the opposing concerns and fears that clearly exist over work displacement. Then there is the threat to human intelligence through over reliance on AI for speed and efficiency for even the most basic of tasks. AI can be a game changer for sales tea...

There's a great line from the book "The paradox of choice" by Barry Schwartz - “The more options we have, the less satisfied we are with whatever we choose.” I was drawn to it recently when I was getting a coffee and some breakfast in Belfast - the choices we make and what influences them. Location, price, familiarity, curiosity, recommendation - whatever motivates you puts pressure on the busines...

I have noticed recently how businesses have become reliant on data to determine whether their business development efforts work or not - over-reliant maybe. The numbers, lead indicators or whatever the performance metric will tell you what is working on that campaign but what is there to tell you how well your 'brand' is performing overall in the minds of your potential or existing customers. Well...

A first networking event in years - a breakfast event at The Reform Club on Belfast's Royal Avenue in the company of business leaders, listening to journalist Simon Kuper talk about what business can learn from sport. Simon has written books on Barcelona, taking a different approach to Damian Hughes but also writes extensively across other areas than sport. A journalist for the FT he brought a per...

Contracting is a concept that that has been applied to the coaching, psychotherapy and counselling industries whereby boundaries are created and clarity given to collaborative work between a coach and a coachee. Is this something that can be applied to our meaningful interpersonal relationships and is there space for it to add value to your sales activities? Many coaching methodologies offer guida...

Beginning a new learning journey and I have picked up some valuable insights already - one being the use of the word 'why' in sales and the importance of finding a different way of asking that question without it. This podcast suggests a rethink on your questioning / information gathering techniques. I also talk about the value of learning later in life and starting the journey of getting to know...

I used to work with a business man who was as good at coaching as he was at growing a multi-million pound business. “I really pity the man that doesn’t know he doesn’t know.” He said to me one day, almost 20 years ago. It took a while to land but he was talking about that thing everyone is afflicted with – a blind spot. The phrase ‘blind spot’ comes from the Johari Window, a psychological model de...

Having invited guests over last week, I found myself without some key ingredients for a vegetarian dish I had planned to make. Taking the list of ingredients I challenged CHAT GPT to create a recipe for a similar meal - and it did. At no point did I question the recipe and it made me realise how much trust I have placed in this technology in such a short space of time. Research suggests that almos...

Plenty of the recent episodes focus on the importance of process, from pipeline management to presentation formats. We can get caught up with the lure of CRM, believing that data and data management is everything. It gets tiring, sat in another sales meeting, discussing pipeline and nothing has moved from the previous meeting. A slow agonising death. Data is important, process is important but whe...

I was making plans for this coming weekend - Tyrone V Kerry in Dublin. Should I or shouldn't I? Weather isn't all that relevant but I looked at the forecast and found another reason to go. The importance of being able to predict something accurately. (It was in 2008 that Croke park was flooded after one of the quarter finals - so accurate is the operative word.) And so to sales forecasting - the d...

I came across the following quote from a post on Instagram: “It doesn’t make sense to continue wanting something if you’re not willing to do what it takes to get it. If you don’t want to live the lifestyle then release yourself from the desire. To crave the result but not the process is to guarantee disappointment.” The journy of 1,000 miles doesnt begin with the first step - it begins with awaren...

A different episode to the usual - about going to a fundraiser for Palestine at the Dockers Club in Belfast, music supplied by Irish DJ, David Holmes, Roisin El Sherif and Bernadette Devlin McAliskey. At the age of 78, Bernadette can hold court now just as well as she did in 1969, on her maiden speech in Westminster. She read out some poetry on the evening from an Irish Poet, Dorothy Cullen from h...

According to Gartner research, only 17% of the buying process is spent with suppliers — that’s not much more than one-sixth of the journey. So if you're waiting for that 17% to come to you, you’re missing the 83% where the buyer is actually shaping the deal. That’s why proactive prospecting isn’t just good practice — it’s survival. In this episode there are some intended and unintended points for...

I found myself a little hypocritical in the previous episode - trying to maybe make everything sound so easy when in truth getting into good habits in any part of your life can be anything but easy. I felt it important to reframe a few things - it is a struggle for me in loads of areas and I try hard to inject some stability and form rituals where i can in order to improve myself, in the margins....

The second part of the podcast devoted to the importance of Process is itself broken down into 2 parts - the practical part of the process that impacts the physical work you do and the prices you have (or don't have) that helps you emotionally and mentally prepare for the work that you need to do. Sales is not an easy job and you can find yourself under pressure from a number of different angles d...

Episode 1 of 2, were I talk about the importance of disciplined process in sales management and leadership. It's all pretty straightforward and common sense and yet many sales leaders are fixated to the outcome - the revenue target for the month, quarter or year instead of having a clearly defined sales management process that offers you every qualitative and qualitative measurement to ensure that...

Following hot on the heals of the last podcast - can a great sales person become a great sales manager - I had some feedback from listeners who had shared some of their own experiences and so I thought I would record this episode to focus on some tangible stuff that can be implemented quickly or at least can influence your thinking as you begin to consider recruiting from within. I have always fol...

In life, some things can be both "good" and "bad" and in the middle of the drama to get things attended to we often only see them as simply 'bad' or 'good.' It's hard to find the time to work towards a balanced opinion and so we go for the position that seems the most logical at the time and with the evidence we have. Social media and smart phones are a decent example - they can be both a curse an...

It hits everyone at some point along the sales journey - overthinking or self sabotage. Sales is hard enough due to market forces, economic turbulence and the competition without the added pressure of the inner critic giving you a kicking at the same time. It can be a problem but it can also be tackled relatively easily and quickly - as long as you put some work into it. Again the driver for succe...

The previous episode (Nature of Man with Diarmuid Lyng) had generated more discussion and feedback than most other episodes. The feedback had been mixed in the sense that many people related to the content but as many were of the opinion that the retreat or the idea of a retreat 'wasn't for them.' The best way to continue the discussion is to literally do just that. This episode is with Michael Ry...

In March, I found myself at a retreat in the Wicklow mountains, facilitated by Diarmuid Lyng and Michael Ryan. An entirely transformative experience and one that I felt the need to share through a discussion with Diarmuid - Wexford County Hurler, TG4 Commentator, retreat facilitator, husband, father and builder of a cultural facility in south Kilkenny. The podcast covers alot of ground but is cent...

In a number of conversations this last few weeks - on a personal and professional level - a common theme was the importance of taking time...time 'out', time to prepare, time to think and the benefits of not rushing. The control of our subconscious / unconscious in what we do and how we do things is evident but only when we stop to think. Take a breath, a moment too get some clarity and perspectiv...

A recent walk through Belfast city centre reminds me of a time when I lived in the city and encountered the homeless problem first hand. In 2013 there were a number of deaths on the streets in quick succession that should have sparked some deliberate action from local politicians and government. 9 years on and a new Rolex store will open up soon, directly opposite where Catherine Kenny died in Mar...

The shouts from the sidelines - and the media - at Ange Postecogolou over the last few months have been pretty clear. A coach sticking to his principles, lacking as many as 8 first team players is now deemed not good enough. Unless you've played or coached at that level, then it's hard to fully appreciate what is going on. A journalist only has a perception of what is going on, not the full pictur...

How quickly do you filter out the expert buyer from the amateur buyer?