Perception is reality. So what do your clients really think of you? Would you be happy with how they perceive you? Are they thinking any of the following when they think about you and your company?:
Good relationships take time and effort to build and create something really valuable …
How do your clients really perceive you? Read Post »
In early 2008, as the GFC (Global Financial Crisis) loomed, I wrote ‘Watch who you let near your mind’. This was a timely reminder about the importance of maintaining a healthy mindset, looking for the facts for an accurate read on what is happening in the market place so you can make wise decisions. It served to warn about falling into the trap of relying on innuendo, hearsay and group think to define your future success. Guess what? I find myself again talking about the same issue in 2012, even …
Watch who you let near your mind…again! Read Post »
We have been exploring the increasing spate of businesses and sales people complaining about ‘price’ being their biggest issue when it comes to not closing enough sales.
“Our prices are higher than our rivals. That’s the main reason for us losing business opportunities…” We have heard that statement at just about every sales training course we have ever run. Not just in Australia, but across much of the world.
In our opinion using the price argument is a lazy excuse: blaming high prices for the failing to get a deal is an easy way out for
Stop talking Price and talk Value instead Read Post »
Sun Tzu, the an ancient Chinese military general, strategist and philosopher, said ‘Move swiftly to overcome resistance…’. In selling that is interpreted as closing when you get a buying signal.
Yet how many times have we heard the story about the sales person who is so excited about their products they get caught up in convincing the client of their buying decision by continuing to list the associated benefits thus missing the client’s buying signal only to lose the sale?
The buyer gives the sales person a clear buying signal like: ‘Where do I sign? When do we start? How many can …
Just shut up and close the sale Read Post »
The scale of change in the last 100 years is vast. We have gone from the horse to the space shuttle; from Morse code to smartphones. It has been pointed out that in the last decade, as a result of the digital revolution we have experienced 100 years of change in 10 years and are likely to experience 1,000 years of change over this century. You don’t have to look far to see that almost every aspect of our lives has changed and the business world has changed as well.
“Shrinking Product Lifecycles was voted the eighth most important sales trend …
Shrinking Product Lifecycles Read Post »
If you were looking for things to settle down and a return to the good old days of selling in 2012 and beyond think again. We’re never going back. It’s now time to adapt and forge a new path for sellingin your business.
Selling is now everybody’s business and everybody lives by selling something with ‘A Seismic shift in the way we sell’ voted the seventh most important sales trend for 2012 fromThe 12 Sales Trends of 2012by our readers.
The way we sell and the way we do business …
A seismic shift in the way we sell Read Post »
Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, salespeople had a clearly defined role. They called on prospective customers, asked a lot of questions in an attempt to understand their customer’s needs, and in many instances they inadvertently helped their customers crystalise their thinking and clarify their needs. At that time salespeople controlled the sales process and comfortably directed their buyers. And buyers were happy to be led because they didn’t know any better.
Back in the 1970’s salespeople had an important role to play in providing …
Solution Selling Isn’t as Dead as Some People Thought! Read Post »
The term ‘Sales Enablement’ has emerged in recent times as a hot topic in the world of sales, however it can have as many interpretations as there are sales teams which leave people feeling somewhat confused about what it really means and entails. Here are some people interpretations from online sales forums:
What is Sales Enablement? Read Post »
The 8th August 2012 was a milestone for Professional Salespeople around Australia: until that day there had been no officially recognised benchmark for professional selling at tertiary level. Whereas Finance, Marketing, Production, Engineering, IT, Business Administration, Research & Design, Human Resources, Logistics, Procurement and even Entrepreneurship all have recognized tertiary qualifications, Professional Business Selling is the last role in the Value Chain to be officially recognised in this space. So here we are – It has taken over 100 years for Selling to make it on the Australian Tertiary Curriculum.
Here’s a speech given …
Why Sales doesn’t have its rightful place at the boardroom table? Read Post »
Sales has been excluded from the academic landscape, until now. Barrett is one of the first consultancies to ask the question: Should selling be studied at degree level at University?
Why?
Based on Barrett’s long standing involvement in sales and the development of sales professionalism, we wanted to fully understand how people think and feel about the profession of selling not being studied at Australian universities and business schools and how strongly they felt about its inclusion.
Specifically, Barrett wanted to delve into the perceptual reputation of the profession of selling within our communities and the “usefulness” of having sales qualifications at …
Sales on the University agenda? – The final results Read Post »