Prioritising Your Prospective Buyers

By / / Education in Sales, Prospecting, Sales Planning, Sales Tips, Uncategorized

Every salesperson has a territory.  Whether that “territory” is defined by geography or demography, horizontally or vertically in terms of market segmentation, or by product, sales people need to be able to prioritise their prospects and their prospecting activities and efforts. We only have a finite time everyday to find and make sales.  If we are clear about what we offer, how it is of value to our clients and know where and how we find these prospective buyers, selling and buying is much easier. An important …

Prioritising Your Prospective Buyers Read Post »

2014 Sales Trend 2 – Telesales will have to make dramatic changes

By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Customer Service, Sales Trends

The second Sales Trend for 2014  is ‘Telesales will have to make dramatic changes’. In-bound and out-bound telesales and call centre operations have traditionally focused on the uncomplicated sale of easy-to-understand commodities and the service support of relatively simple customer issues. Now, with the increasing demands of more sophisticated buyers they are going to have to make some dramatic changes. And with more people buying over the Internet, as opposed to telephone shopping, the number of people involved in those ineffective call centres is likely to drop. At the same …

2014 Sales Trend 2 – Telesales will have to make dramatic changes Read Post »

The problem with noisy call centres

By / / Brand & Reputation, Communication, Customer Service

If you look up ‘Noisy Call Centres’ on the web you will find a lot of information about the welfare of call centre staff. Often working in open plan office environments side by side, with many people speaking at once, ringing phones, office equipment hum and in some cases loud music in the background, you can understand why the welfare of staff is top of mind.

The ability to concentrate and do your job well in these environments can be severely hampered by all these distractions. Try selling and servicing in these conditions – it can be very challenging. Especially for …

The problem with noisy call centres Read Post »

Sales Trend 1: Sales Management will look to drive costs out of sales

By / / Education in Sales, Sales Management, Sales Trends

Since 2009 we have been publishing our Annual 12 Sales Trends reports. It has been very interesting to see the speed at which these trends are taking hold and becoming the new normal in business.  For instance, when reviewing the 12 Sales Trends for 2013 you can see hard evidence of these trends in mainstream practice. So let’s see what is in store for us in 2014. Here is the first Sales Trend for 2014 – Sales Management will look to drive costs out of …

Sales Trend 1: Sales Management will look to drive costs out of sales Read Post »

Why do some people feel ashamed of being called a salesperson?

By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Success, Wellbeing

Do you feel ashamed of being called a salesperson? Are you aware that your view of selling (the way you think and feel about it) can affect your success or failure as a salesperson? Over the years we have met many sales people who are really good at selling, have all the ingredients, write great sales results and are highly valued by their companies, yet they never feel satisfied in their sales career. The afflicted sales person just feels a sense of unease and guilt about being in sales – they feel that their career is somehow inferior to others. …

Why do some people feel ashamed of being called a salesperson? Read Post »

What is the correct title for a salesperson?

By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Sales Presentation & Grooming

What is the correct title for a salesperson’s role? What should I call myself? This is a contentious issue… And a question we get asked frequently. The answer will depend on why you are asking the question. Are you asking the question because:

  • You think the title ‘sales representative’ doesn’t adequately describe what you do?
  • You are ashamed of being called a ‘salesperson’ or ‘sales representative’ for whatever reason? (see next week’s article for more details)
  • You think ‘salesperson’ or ‘sales representative’ doesn’t represent or position you in the best light as a professional business person to your clients, etc.?

    • All of these questions …

    What is the correct title for a salesperson? Read Post »

    Does anyone really know what I’m supposed to be doing?

    By / / Assessments, Role Clarity

    Do you often find yourself torn between meeting the needs of your manager, the desires of your customers and the requirements of your role? If you answered ‘yes’, you’re not alone. All too often we see salespeople who feel they are ‘the meat in the sandwich’. They consistently go above and beyond to meet all their stakeholders’ needs, often leading to increased stress, frustration, fatigue and burnout. In these instances, it is not uncommon to find that different stakeholder groups have a different perspective or understanding of the required capabilities, competencies and performance criteria for the salesperson’s role. This can …

    Does anyone really know what I’m supposed to be doing? Read Post »

    Put the polish on your new sales year

    By / / Brain Science, Brand & Reputation, Neuroscience in Sales, Presentation & Grooming, Sales Presentation & Grooming, Self Development, Self Promotion

    I have previously written about ‘putting yourself in another’s shoes’, however, I have never written about actual shoes before. In this post I wanted to raise awareness about our attire, our physical presentation – as sales and business professionals. There are 2 key areas we need to consider:

  • The overall congruence of what we are wearing and how we present
  • The relevance and suitability of what we are wearing and how we present

    • You may think this topic doesn’t matter much with the broader and more relaxed approach to business attire these days, but it does. Consciously …

    Put the polish on your new sales year Read Post »

    12 Sales Trends for 2014 – The Thinking Sales Organisation

    By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Education in Sales, Sales Culture, Sales Driven Organisations, Sales Research

    As 2013 comes to a close we firstly wanted to thank all our loyal readers for their continued support of our work. We also thought you would like to get a sneak peek of our Annual 12 Sales Trends Report for 2014. With the unprecedented changes we are experiencing as a result of the digital revolution and the commoditisation of quality we can no longer manage sales by processes and numbers alone – it’s become a thinking person’s game.   As a result, the Barrett Consulting Group’s annual Sales Trends Report for 2014 has selected the theme: “The Thinking Sales Organisation”. Sales operations …

    12 Sales Trends for 2014 – The Thinking Sales Organisation Read Post »

    Scroll to Top