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Should ‘Selling’ be studied at University?

March 30, 2011 in Coaching, Education, Sales Research, Sales Training, Self Development, Success

Barrett Research invites you to express your opinion about whether ‘Selling’ should be an applied academic degree.  Please complete our Graduate Degree for the Sales Profession’ survey and voice your views.

With the profession of Selling becoming increasingly more complex involving many more variables and the shift from product being at the heart of selling to strategic relationships, collaboration, true value, sustainability and transparency now on the agenda we believe it’s time for ‘Selling’ to step out under the shadow of Marketing and MBA’s to have its own degree status.  Recently I was invited to speak at the Melbourne Business School’s MBA Entrepreneurs program on the topic of Selling.   This was a great opportunity to put the topic of Selling on the agenda.   The feedback was phenomenal – the mostly young students had many questions that needed answers to ranging from how to sell effectively, prospecting, what it the right way to sell, and the right sales mindset to name a few.

The emphasis was on the practical as well as the theoretical. Their concerns about having the Sales function and Sales Processes operating effectively in their start-ups and growing businesses were along the same lines as the questions many seasoned business owners and leaders ask every day.  They were quite unaware just how much you need to know, learn and apply when it comes to selling, running a sales team and keeping up or ahead of your market on the sales front, especially now that social media is now making such an impact on sales and marketing.

While selling strategies have been around for years the actual function of being a sales person and sales leader have been poorly regarded and understood, however in recent years there has been a growing body shining light on sales as a complex and skilful profession with most of the academic work emanating from overseas.  In Australia, there are currently topics or short courses (i.e. up to 7 hours duration) on the topic of selling at some Australian universities, however, they are not very comprehensive and do not cover all the aspects of Selling a skilled professional needs to know.  There are certainly no Degrees in Selling in Australia.  We understand that knowing how to sell effectively doesn’t happen until you get out in the field and start applying it, however, being well trained in the science of selling and understanding its many variables would help most people and businesses make a much better start.   At last count there are 42 universities in the US with graduate and undergraduate sales courses on their curriculum.

At Barrett Research we view Selling as an applied science where it fits perfectly well into a business school framework and so do not see it on the pure end of academic education.   I believe we need more accredited courses or at least dedicated business courses where people can properly study the science and art of Selling.  Having tertiary trained sales professionals would certainly raise the standards of the profession.

We can take a leaf out of the procurement industry which is the fastest growing business profession. CIPSA has worked tirelessly to professionalise ‘purchasing’ and rightly so, given the enormous complexity facing the profession. There are now tertiary qualifications including degrees and post graduate programs in procurement.

To complete the survey, go to: ‘Graduate Degree for the Sales Profession’ survey

We will publish our survey findings soon.

Remember everybody lives by selling something.
Author: Sue Barrett, MD of  www.barrett.com.au, a Sales Training firm.

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2011 the year of Sales leadership and Integrity

January 27, 2011 in Sales Leadership, Sales Management, Success

In December 2010 we published The 12 Sales Trends of 2011 and invited readers to vote on what they thought would be the most important trends in sales for this year.  Thank you to everyone who shared their views and voted.  Every month we will explore one of the trends in more detail, starting with the trends voted as most important to you.

Without doubt Sales Leadership and Integrity topped the rankings; the voting was overwhelming in favour of these two trends.    The voting revealed the sales trends for 2011 in order of importance:

  1. The Year of the Sales Leader
  2. Integrity – your sales edge
  3. Knowing your business
  4. Prospecting and Social Media
  5. Results not Solutions
  6. CRM as a Business Strategy
  7. The Sales Pioneer
  8. Rethinking Incentives (The Science of Motivation)
  9. Procurement and Value Managed
  10. Leading and Examined Life
  11. The New Sharing
  12. Getting Personal

It’s the year of the sales leader.   The increasing complexity of business structure, market changes, people dynamics, customer buying patterns and evolving technology, amongst other things have made the made the job of sales managers and leaders that much more challenging.

Keeping on top of their jobs will be a test of character as much as anything.  The message is clear if businesses don’t get their sales leadership and management capabilities functioning effectively, their sales efforts will be in peril in 2011 and beyond.  The research is clear, educate and develop your sales managers to be effective sale leaders and the impact on sales results will be dramatic.

International research into sales training reported that if Sales Managers were more frequently and better trained and coached then their sales teams achieved higher performance and results.  In no other type of sales training was a more positive correlation found between frequency of training and sales performance.  The study in Sales Force Effectiveness also reported that Sales Management training is the category of sales training that is addressed with the least frequency, in fact it is less than annually or not at all.   Most sales managers are given very little or no support when it comes to being a competent, effective Sales Manager.  In fact, many Sales Managers reported that they were given no formal training in Sales Management practices, either before or during their tenure as a Sales Manager.

Smart businesses will invest in the ongoing development of their sales leaders, producing highly effective professional business people who are knowledgeable and skillful in strategic action, technology, and global perspectives, and who excel at coaching, and proactive review.

Given the rapid pace of change, we need highly functioning Sales Managers and Leaders who can lead from the front with courage, insight, skilful action and a clear vision.

In 2011 and beyond what do sales leaders need?

  • Knowledge about: markets, customers, products, competitors, technology, new marketing, what  good sales talent looks like, how to develop strategy, fiscal management,  etc.
  • Skills in: coaching, leadership, management, recruitment, conflict resolution, negotiation, strategic thinking, planning, creating and leveraging networks, stakeholder management, selling, problem solving, etc.
  • Personal Insight: self awareness, ethics, integrity, professionalism, resilience, optimism and future mindedness, achievement focus, initiative, innovation and improvement,  collaborating to achieve results, team orientation, decisive, etc.
  • Sales Resources: sales templates, coaching guides, recruitment resources, sales planning tools, CRM systems, performance management systems, etc.

Achieving mastery in all these areas can take a life time, however those companies that support and train all their sales leaders and managers in these core areas will gain a significant competitive advantage in 2011.

If you need further information on sales management and leadership training please contact us on (03) 9532 7677 or email us.

Remember everybody lives by selling something.

Author: Sue Barrett, www.barrett.com.au

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A Time for Reflection and Renewal

December 16, 2010 in Attitudes & Behaviours, Success, Tips

As this year comes to a close, I find myself reflecting on the last 16 years in my own business.  A lot has changed, yes, but many things have remained the same too.  On 9th January 2011 my business will be 16 years old.

While anniversaries and birthdays are celebrated differently all over the world, a common thread is that they are often marked with a celebration or a rite of passage.  So, to mark our 16th year in business, we would like to share with you 16 key lessons we have learnt since the business began.  While there are many more than 16 lessons learnt, we thought it fitting to have one for each year.

Lessons learnt over 16 years

  1. Values
    Define your values and what you stand for; what is acceptable and what is not in your business and for you.  Make your values a part of your daily work habits, your charter and your selection process when hiring people.  It helps you to know when to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to trivial or important matters.
  2. Leadership and Humility
    Central to management and leadership are trust, respect and openness; listen and learn from your staff, clients, mentors and guides and adjust yourself on your journey to become a proficient, effective leader; build a bridge and get over yourself – don’t let your ego get in the way; follow through; don’t assume anything; be available and responsive; it is important to remember that helping others helps you.
  3. Strategic Planning
    Is your vision viable?  Can it make money and be self sustaining?  Once you have decided to move forward, build a plan.  From top to bottom and back up again – strategic to tactical.  Review it on an ongoing basis not just once a year; involve all staff in its development; make it actionable, accessible and relevant to every role in the business.
  4. Pick Your Counsel Wisely
    Find those people who understand you quickly and easily, who can paraphrase and verify what you have just said.  They should bring in different perspectives and help you see links and gaps you may be unaware of.  Don’t take them at face value – check that their ideas are valuable and valid – put their comments through the ‘fact versus effect’ filter to see if they are being genuine or not.  And don’t pick too many at once because listening to too many people only creates confusion and indecision.
  5. Managing Setbacks
    Always confront and resolve issues straight away, as they only get worse when ignored.   Never see yourself as a ‘failure’, and always try to learn from your mistakes.  You can never fail and succeed as a whole person: you can only fail or succeed at the things you do.  Don’t be afraid to take risks – instead take calculated risks, so if your new idea or initiative back fires you haven’t lost everything in the process.
  6. Teachable and Transferable
    Build your products or services so they can be easily taught and transferred to your team, and in turn, they can easily sell and deliver them to your clients directly or via channels.  And make sure it is always in language your clients can understand.
  7. Trust
    Even when things are not going the way you want them to you need to trust your vision and have faith in yourself and others that you will come through.  Remember, people buy from people they trust.  Trust supersedes like.
  8. Passion
    Without passion you just won’t have enough energy or desire to make business success happen.  Staying focused is crucial.  Think as big as you like then set clear goals and ‘see’ yourself achieving them.
  9. Self Mastery Rather Than Success
    If we focus on enjoying rather than proving ourselves we value mastery rather than success, effort rather than outcome, and the relationship rather than approval.  Our journey to self mastery is ongoing on every level.
  10. Your Health and Time to Reflect
    It’s worth it.  Look after yourself and make sure you take care of the whole person – exercise, diet, rest, get variety, take holidays, etc.  Because if you don’t then you are no use to anyone especially yourself.  Take at least 5 minutes each day to sit quietly and reflect.
  11. The Principle of Exchange
    We all exist because we are exchanging something of value.  Knowing how to communicate that value so others may appreciate and understand what you bring is critical.  Be clear about the value you bring to any relationship whether it is business or personal otherwise you may create confusion about its true value.
  12. Worthiness
    We are all worthy, whatever our station in life.  Our worth is not measured by what we do.  We are worthy just because we exist.
  13. Creativity and Innovation
    Create something new, think outside the box, challenge prevailing views and attitudes, and don’t let yourself be bullied.  Read outside your area of expertise to see how others learn, lead, make decisions, function and work – look at how it may apply to you and your business.  Learn to be flexible and open minded.  Trial new initiatives and see if they fit your business.
  14. Application Rather Than Theories
    Don’t get hooked on only one way of doing things as most theories don’t hold true in real life.  You need to be able to use a mixture of ideas, theories, processes and models.  Always have a full ‘kit bag’ of ideas, processes, resources, etc. that you can draw upon, and learn how to use them when you need them in life; take bits and pieces and apply them; trust your common sense; be prepared to make mistakes and learn from them.
  15. Get a Reputation
    If you don’t have a reputation, align yourself with someone who does.  Or put your business up for reputable awards i.e. Small Business Awards, etc.  It’s worth it just for the audit process itself.  And, who knows, you might even become a finalist and maybe even win.  There’s nothing like an award to elevate your reputation.
  16. Courage
    Check ‘what am I here to do?’ and have courage in the face of adversity – stand up for what you believe in.  Remember, courage doesn’t always roar sometimes it’s a little voice inside your head that says I’ll try again tomorrow.

To all our readers, supporters and business colleagues, thank you for your patronage.  The team at Barrett wish you all the very best for 2011 and look forward to sharing many more insights, research, findings and tips on how to lead an honourable, healthy and prosperous career in sales.

Remember everybody lives by selling something.

Author: Sue Barrett, www.barrett.com.au

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More lessons from MasterChef – Can you take the heat?

July 29, 2010 in Attitudes & Behaviours, Emotional Intelligence, Performance Management, Sales Skills, Self Development, Success

As the saying goes, “If you can’t take the heat get out of the kitchen”.  Once again MasterChef has served up some great life lessons.  Last year I wrote about the great leadership, coaching and mentoring we can learn from MasterChef.  Again Garry, George, Matt and the other guest chefs showed us how to excel in this area of leadership.

On this occasion, I want to comment on ‘Resilience’ and dealing with setbacks and challenges, and how MasterChef gave us a window into how people handle stress and demanding situations.  The time pressures and increasingly difficult tasks set for the contestants showed us how well they were able to manage themselves under pressure and produce the goods.  You could often see the demands of a given situation getting to a number of the contestants.  It was unrelenting at times.  Those who were able to hold it together and ‘manage’ themselves on every level when under added strain performed better.  The constant practice enhanced their skills for sure, but it also taught them how to deal with pressure which is just as important.  Prior to the final episode, we saw Adam, Claire and Callum put under pressure and it was Adam and Callum who held it together better than Claire.  Claire is an extremely talented cook but got rattled more than the others thus affecting her performance.  Unlike Jonathon who survived eight out of nine elimination challenges, Claire had only been in one before and you could tell.  She wasn’t ready for it.

Luckily for the MasterChef contestants they were only subjected to this for about three and a half months.  Working chefs are required to take the ‘heat’ everyday albeit in environments they can control.  This got me thinking about those professions where every action and the outcomes of those actions are scrutinised every day, placing pressure on those to perform at their best.  Professional Chefs and Sports People, Air Traffic Controllers and Surgeons come to mind and I am sure there are several others.  With the exception of weather for both the Air Traffic Controllers and some Professional Sports People, for the best part, all of these professions allow their people to work in environments they can directly control and influence.

Sales people also have the scrutiny of performance in common with these professions however, they are often working in environments that are not of their own making or design.  They need to be able to deal with, and adapt to things outside of their control, i.e variable conditions and new environments, meeting new people, going to new places, uncovering new issues; variables of many kinds.  And unlike recipes, which if executed correctly should turn out like they were intended, sales people are often presented with the ‘Mystery Box’ (same ingredients different outcomes) on a daily basis several times a day.  They have to be able to think on their feet, and create outcomes their clients need and want.  They need to know how this goes with this to that.

How do they handle the stress?  How do they develop their resilience to perform at higher and higher standards every day without cracking?  How do they pay attention and make sure every client feels like they are special and important when you have listened to 5-25 people already that day?

As sales people, our actions are assessed by ourselves, our managers and our clients.  We deal with acceptance and rejection of our offering every day.  Our activities are tracked and mapped.  There are league tables, etc.

Any self respecting, self managed, self aware sales person would be able to tell you where they are at each day.  They will also tell you that they have learned not to take ‘No’ as personal rejection – that’s a fatal mistake made by many a new sales person.  Selling is the ultimate ‘thinking on your feet’ and ‘doing’ job.  Like athletes, we need to be continually exercising and getting fitter, developing our skills, knowledge and mindset all at the same time.

Why don’t we teach ‘How to Build Resilience and a Healthy Mindset’?

A healthy mindset is just as, if not more, important as product knowledge and selling skills.  However, most businesses usually only train their people in business skills, product knowledge and processes.  What we need to do is help people become more emotionally aware, intelligent and resilient in a number of ways.  We need to work with the whole person and provide people with access to a range of tools, processes and techniques which give them insight and teach them how to manage their emotions. We need to teach people how to develop healthy and resilient attitudes so they can take the heat and really excel.

We can’t all go on MasterChef to have our resilience and cooking skills tested, nor do all of us have the opportunity to be elite athletes and learn what it is like to work under obvious performance pressure however, we can learn how to develop resilience every day in small ways.

Higher performers, unlike many other people, have searched for and found tools, processes and techniques that help them develop strategies to enhance their self awareness and emotional resilience, and allow them to make the most of their capabilities and the situations they find themselves in on a daily basis.

Developing a Healthy and Resilient Attitude

The first step to becoming more emotionally aware, healthy and resilient is the acknowledgment that there is room for improvement and taking the time to learn more about yourself.  It’s about honest, constructive feedback and learning not to take things personally.  That is what MasterChef is all about – continuous self improvement and self awareness.  That’s what MasterSelling is about!

Next week we will look at some of the tools, behaviours and attitudes that help build self awareness, health and emotional resilience.  If you want further information about this, please contact us directly.

Thanks to MasterChef for another excellent season – truly inspiring stuff!

Finally, Mary Anne Radmacher’s words sum up for me and probably many sales people and entrepreneurs our lot: “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says ‘I’ll try again tomorrow’.”

Remember everybody lives by selling something.

Author: Sue Barrett, www.barrett.com.au

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Collaboration – The New Competition

July 8, 2010 in Communication, Customer Service, Performance Management, Sales Leadership, Sales Management, Sales Relationships, Sales Skills, Success, Teamwork

The New Competition was voted by you as the number 7  Sales Trend for 2010.  Over the coming years, we will see collaboration become the new competition.  Markets around the world are crying out for collaboration as innovation and differentiation become scarce in a sea of commoditised products and services.

Sales people who see themselves as collaborators, both internally (colleagues, departments) and externally (customers, competitors), will prosper more than ever during 2010 and beyond.

A large 5 year long research study conducted by B. Rosenbaum, Business Horizons, entitled Seven Emerging Sales Competencies and published in Jan/Feb 2001 revealed what makes highly successful sales people.  His research, among other key findings, showed that the most highly successful sales people are indeed collaborators.  In his research of over 1,000 B2B sales people across 5 years he found that top performers:

  • collaborated with colleagues and did not allow competitiveness to get in the way of good business, and often assisted their colleagues in achieving their best by sharing ideas, information and resources;
  • orchestrated internal resources so as to benefit the company, its people, and the customers and their people;
  • invested time building collaborative, customer focused relationships inside their organisation;
  • created an alignment between the customers’ and suppliers’ strategic objectives;
  • looked to further the interests of their customers’ firms as well as their own;
  • expanded the customer’s understanding of what a business relationship can be;
  • built a flexible relationship that is responsive to marketplace changes;
  • creatively drew on the full resources of the firm or business;
  • introduced customers to other suppliers and potentially valuable support resources; and,
  • invested time building collaborative, customer focused relationships inside their organisation.

These findings are not new as you can see.  However these qualities are still seen, if they are seen at all, as a novelty by most senior managers which is a major risk moving forward in such changing times.  Rosenbaum’s research revealed that, sadly, the vast majority of sales managers were completely unaware that these and other distinguishing qualities were what made their high performing sales people highly effective and successful.  What he observed is that these sales superstars where acting and performing this way despite management.  They knew what they needed to do to get the results.  It’s such a pity that their managers did not.

As I wrote recently, many sales teams are still held hostage by old school sales management practices and outdated mindsets that encourage internal competition, league tables and the like.   Too many sales leaders are still stuck in the 1980’s with ‘greed is good’ and ‘carrot and stick’ philosophies which do not work in the long term and only serve to hold us back in a 21st century world.  Most sales rewards are still self serving, endorsing selfishness which is completely at odds with the new world of collaboration and our natural state of being.

Daniel Pink’s new book Drive focuses a big spotlight on this very issue – what motivates us.  He reports that what business thinks works by way of motivation is not what the science shows or the vast majority of people want.

Besides the commoditisation of products and services, Rosenbaum’s research, Daniel Pink’s findings, and other corroborating research, the advent of social media and the multiple levels of engagement we can now have with our clients, suppliers and key stakeholders means that we need to work collaboratively with each other.  And this collaboration needs to take place across marketing, sales, service, supply, production and finance if we are going to create the ideas and solutions needed for our success in the 21st century.

Those 21st century enlightened salespeople will be the conductors or connectors of viable and valuable relationships across many levels.  They will be open-minded, humble and astute, and they will see patterns of connection and synergy in many places.  They will recognise that we are all interconnected and without kindness and cooperation we cannot exist.  They will identify competency and harness talent to achieve effective solutions. They will know that they are working towards something larger than themselves.  And they will know that their success is a shared success they will celebrate collectively.

So we need to get with the program and rethink our approach to sales motivation, sales mindset, sales skills, sales rewards and teamwork if we are to remain viable in this world.  Collaboration calls for a team effort.  Sales teams where everyone is pitted against each other to achieve ‘top dog’ status will be replaced by a ‘lead team’ approach.  Companies that want to bring in new business and grow and develop existing customers will rely on the united hands of many – rather than just one.  Successful sales people of 2010 and beyond will leverage the power of collaboration over competition because they understand that relationships never work if they are forced and manipulated, and that the sum is greater than its individual parts.  Synergy and collaboration will prevail.

Remember everybody lives by selling something.

Author: Sue Barrett, www.barrett.com.au

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