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Humans at the Centre of Buying & Selling

By / / Blog, Buying, Customer experience, Customer Service, Human-centred, Sales Process Maps, Sales Trends, sales-process-map

Sales Trend 10 of the Barrett 12 Sales Trends Report for 2023 is about the importance of designing human-centred buying-selling-servicing processes.

In 30 seconds

Buying-selling-servicing processes are the collection of interactions that take place between buyers and sellers. In B2B, these processes often lack structure, relying on personalities rather than procedures, risking client retention. B2C giants prioritise digital channels, often neglecting the customer experience.

To address these issues, businesses are embracing human-centred engagement and design. They seek to create less stressful, more meaningful interactions that consider ease and meaning for customers. The Net Easy Score (NES) measures interaction simplicity, while human-centred design focuses on understanding people’s needs and motivations.

These approaches shift away from rigid processes, emphasising human interactions, and balancing digital and in-person engagement.

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Everybody Lives by Selling Something

By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Blog, Life Skills, Sales Culture, Sales Skills, Selling Better

In 30 seconds

The quote “Everybody lives by selling something,” attributed to Robert Louis Stevenson, emphasizes that everyone constantly engages in selling, whether products, ideas, or themselves. In a business context, all employees contribute to promoting their company, from salespeople to those in marketing, customer service, and representing the brand. This extends to internal departments as well, like Audit & Risk and Diversity & Inclusion. In our personal life, we continuously sell ourselves in job interviews, first dates, and social interactions. Successful selling relies on psychology and empathy, understanding customers’ needs and motivations. Mastering ethical selling empowers individuals and fuels opportunity, …

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The Ever-Evolving Path to Sales Mastery

By / / Blog, Education in Sales, Sales Results, Sales Skills, Sales Tips, Sales Training, Success, Uncategorized

In 30 seconds

The road to sales mastery is a dynamic process that involves continuous learning, practice, and adaptation. In the ever-evolving selling profession, this means embracing change and honing skills. Salespeople need to master action-oriented strategies to uncover valuable business opportunities, they require self-discipline, prospecting, account planning, etc. and the ability to build human-centred client relationships to deliver value-based solutions. Accountability is key, and teamwork is vital for success. Sales is a profession driven by curiosity, helpfulness, and fairness. Sales mastery is not a destination; it’s an ongoing journey, a relentless pursuit of excellence in an ever-changing landscape.

In 2 minutes

The …

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What Sales Mapping Projects Can Reveal

By / / Blog, Business Growth, Leadership, Sales Leadership, Sales Process Maps, sales-process-map, Uncategorized

In 30 seconds

Sales process mapping is essential for delivering sales strategies and setting quality standards for sales and service teams. Beyond its known benefits, it uncovers valuable insights. For instance, one company’s overly strict credit department rejected many good deals, only revealed through mapping. Another organisation’s convoluted client engagement process led to internal conflicts and client dissatisfaction, causing 50% of new clients to leave within a few months of being onboarded. Such information is invaluable to leadership for transformation. Openness to challenging findings is key. Sales and service processes, being deeply human experiences, require assessment, mapping, alignment with business goals, …

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Why We Desperately Need Human-Centred Leaders

By / / Blog, Human-centred, Leadership, Sales Leadership, Sales Trends

Sales Trend 9 of the Barrett 12 Sales Trends Report for 2023 is about the rise of human-centred leadership principles and practices.

By guest author DUANE ATTREE // former Managing Director of POTENTIAL(X), Chief Commercial & Development Officer, BEAMTREE and now EXPLORER AT LARGE, in collaboration with Sue Barrett.

In 30 seconds

Leadership in the past 50-70 years emphasised charisma, strength, and wealth, but this model faces challenges. Current global issues, stagnating productivity, and employee disengagement demand a shift towards human-centred leadership. This approach prioritises people, empathy, and inclusivity, extending beyond technical skills. Empathy, particularly, is crucial for understanding others’ …

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The Tricky Business of Discounts

By / / Blog, Negotiation, Sales Relationships, Sales Results, Sales Skills, Sales Tips

In 30 seconds

Asking for a discount can be customary or a signal of needing expense justification. For businesses, avoiding unnecessary discounts is crucial. Discounting devalues offerings, sets poor examples, and erodes trust. The key here is to understand the reason behind the haggling. Then you can either consider meaningfully adjusting your solution to your customer’s budget if that is the issue or offering an add-on. However, any extra offering must align with the solution and add value to it. Transparently communicate value, tailor solutions, and provide meaningful add-ons. This not only builds trust but also enhances your reputation as a …

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The Stuff No One Teaches You About Human Engagement

By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Blog, Brand & Reputation, Communication, Education in Sales, Human-centred, Life Skills, Presentation & Grooming, Sales Presentation & Grooming, Self Promotion, Uncategorized, Wellbeing

In 30 seconds

We all need to know how to engage, relate, and persuade people. It’s part of life. So, how do we learn to make memorable introductions, deliver compelling presentations, effectively position ourselves for career promotions, and navigate our way through a myriad of human relationships without falling to pieces? When it comes to presenting and engaging with others, a lack of skills can fill people with fear, especially when you’ve never been taught how to manage yourself in these situations. I see this all the time. As one MBA student told me recently on a Narrative, Presence and Presentation …

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Beyond the Transaction

By / / Complex Selling & Transactional Selling, Customer Service, Sales Consulting, Sales Relationships, Sales Skills, Sales Tips, Solution Selling, Uncategorized, Value Based Selling

In 30 seconds

Selling is much more than completing transactions, particularly in B2B and complex B2C environments. Delivering value is crucial for building long-term relationships with customers. To shift to value-based selling, you can start with this 4-step approach:

  • Focus on customer needs
  • Shift to consultative selling
  • Demonstrate ROI
  • Collaborate with customers

    • By moving beyond transactions and adopting a value-based selling approach, businesses can better meet these expectations and build stronger, better customer relationships.

    In 2 minutes

    In the past, sales were often focused solely on completing transactions. However, in today’s market and particularly in B2B and complex B2C environments, customers expect more from the sales and service …

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    Stacking Up Sales: Developing Sales Technology

    By / / Blog, Business Growth, CRM, Forecasting, Performance Management, Uncategorized

    In 30 seconds

    Developing sales technology stacks is crucial for businesses that want to improve their sales processes. By implementing key components such as CRM, marketing automation tools, and sales enablement platforms, businesses can increase efficiency, better analyse data, and provide an improved customer experience. While there may be challenges in integrating these technologies and considering costs, the benefits far outweigh the obstacles. Investing in sales technology stacks can lead to significant improvements in overall sales performance and ultimately drive business growth.

    In 2.5 minutes

    In today’s fast-paced AI emergent business environment, it’s more important than ever to have the right tools and …

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    Engaging, Human-centred Sales Strategies

    By / / Blog, Business Growth, Human-centred, Sales Strategy, Sales Trends

    In 30 seconds

    Sales Strategy is essential to business success. It is how the business organises its sales efforts across the value chain to go to market and determine who you are going to sell to and how to create real value within the given market. A human-centred sales strategy builds trust and transparency within the sales team and with clients. To succeed, businesses must understand evolving customer needs, collaborate, make it easy to buy from them, and maintain competitiveness. Adopting an engaging, human-centred sales approach with an adaptive strategy and change management system benefits business ethics and the bottom line.

    In 2.5 …

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