Sales Psychology – The Theory of Mind

By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Communication, Emotional Intelligence, Life Skills, Mindful selling, Sales Psychology, Sales Relationships

When we interact and work with people (customers, colleagues, managers, friends, family, etc.) it is important to be able to interpret and understand where the other person is coming from – their perspective, especially if we want to continue interacting and working with them in a manner that is beneficial to both parties. Interpreting and understanding where another person is coming from does not automatically imply that we agree with their perspective.

We may not agree. However, we at least know where they stand, what their perspective is, how they see the world. Ideally, the other person would respond in kind …

Sales Psychology – The Theory of Mind Read Post »

Is anyone listening to me?

By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Communication, Sales Meetings, Sales Skills

We’ve talked long and hard about how sales people need to listen, listen, listen to the client.  Not just hear but really listen to what is being said, how it is being said and so forth.  Seeking to understand your clients and prospects is critical to any effective sales relationship. However, we talk very little about how sales people get others listening – meaningfully – to them.  Let’s face it, you need to have something to say once you have worked out how you are going to help your prospect or client. How you present …

Is anyone listening to me? Read Post »

Never forget Selling is a Doing job – a quality Doing job

By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Coaching, Sales Coaching, Self Development

Every week we can learn something new about ourselves, our business, our clients and markets even if we have been in sales for many years.  However, we can only learn something new if we take the risk and put ourselves out into the market place on a regular and consistent basis and we pay attention to the details.  And the amount of details salespeople need to pay attention to is extraordinary.  Paying attention to what we do and how we do it is how we continue to evolve in an ever changing world – it is how we create success. …

Never forget Selling is a Doing job – a quality Doing job Read Post »

The University of Selling

By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Education in Sales, Sales Driven Organisations, Sales Skills, Sales Training, Self Development

[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_link_target=”_self” column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” overlay_strength=”0.3″ column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column_text]Until now, there has been no officially recognised benchmark for Selling at tertiary level nor salespeople who can claim a university qualification as their own. On the other hand Accounting, Finance, Marketing, Production, Engineering, Business Administration, IT, Research & Design, Human Resources, Logistics, Procurement and even Entrepreneurship all have recognised tertiary qualifications in the business stream with many proud graduates. The nature of the sales role is one that demands practical implementation, so many salespeople have …

The University of Selling Read Post »

Why managing sales inputs leads to sales disaster

By / / CRM, Education in Sales, Performance Management, Sales Forecasting, Sales Management, Sales Measures - Inputs & Outputs, Sales Motivation & Rewards, Sales Pipeline, Sales Results

‘Selling is a numbers game’ has been said more times than any of us care to remember.  And yes, numbers are critical to sales, however some organisations place far too much emphasis on the managing the numbers, especially their obsession with their salespeople’s input activities – i.e. number for prospecting (cold) calls, client meetings, numbers in the pipeline etc. This “management by numbers” approach is flawed and leads to confusion, distress and worst, poor sales results over both the short and longer term.  The approach fails to grasp that up to 80% of the activities of a sale are outside …

Why managing sales inputs leads to sales disaster Read Post »

Corporate social responsibility at the sales coal face – no more only ‘what’s in it for me’

By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Brand & Reputation, Ethics & Values, Sustainability & Environment

Imagine our organisations making people feel good because they bought from us; imagine people changing their behaviours for the better because  our organisations showed them how; imagine the kinds of conversations and messages that will happen in our businesses when our people see what their contribution is making to the lives of their customers and their teams.

This is not the stuff of fantasy this is now happening in real time with real people. In late 2012 we published the detailed 49 page 12 Sales Trends Report for 2013 and released …

Corporate social responsibility at the sales coal face – no more only ‘what’s in it for me’ Read Post »

Selling Professional Services

By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Business Acumen, Education in Sales, Sales Skills, Sales Training

This article first appeared on June 12, 2013 on BRW (now closed magazine as of 2016)

Professional services providers face a challenge that many within the sector are struggling to come to terms with. For centuries the sector – comprising doctors, lawyers, accountants engineers and the like – enjoyed a somewhat exalted position in society.

Ignorance among the general populace, fuelled primarily by the high cost of education, made studying to be a doctor, lawyer or other profession out of the reach of most, and created an impression that being a professional made the individual somewhat special.

However today, wide, relatively easy access …

Selling Professional Services Read Post »

Buyer Beware of Trademark Scams & Scammers

By / / Brand & Reputation, Ethics & Values

As much as we promote and encourage honourable and effective selling and buying practices it is just as important to keep an eye open for the latest scams and scammers looking for unsuspecting victims. One of the latest scams dogging businesses and business owners is the area of the registered Trademark where business are receiving unsolicited invitations or requests from companies purporting to be from official government agencies.  As you may be aware Trademarks are the new real estate in the world of brands, slogans and 140 character messages that flood the market every day. Capturing people’s attention in a …

Buyer Beware of Trademark Scams & Scammers Read Post »

Is your business Customer Focused & Customer Centric?

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

As with many things these days, words or expressions get bandied about with little regard for what they really mean.  For instance, when we ask people how they define ‘Prospecting’, the overwhelming response is ‘Cold Calling’. Prospecting is far more than cold calling: it can happen anywhere with new, existing or lapsed accounts – anywhere you are trying to uncover and develop new business opportunities.  And with social networks abounding, very few people ever have to make a true cold call.  See what I mean?

And so we enter the confusing world of …

Is your business Customer Focused & Customer Centric? Read Post »

Customers are in control of the buying process

By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Complex Selling & Transactional Selling, Sales Results

In December 2012, we published the 12 Sales Trends Report for 2013 and released a brief summary of each trend. This month we are focusing on the Sales Trend “Customers in control of the buying process”.

It is good practice for salespeople to control the sales process. At least that is the conventional wisdom driving the way salespeople behave. Salespeople see themselves as experts, educators and advisors. They see their customers as ignorant and anxious recipients, waiting for their wisdom. The reality however is vastly different!

Customers aren’t waiting for salespeople …

Customers are in control of the buying process Read Post »

Scroll to Top