Why we need to sell results not solutions

By / / Sales Skills, Strategy

‘Results not Solutions’ was voted as the Number 5 Sales Trends for 2011. If you’re business is about selling packaged or aggregated solutions you may be in for a rude shock – the world of selling has changed yet again. The world has moved on from selling solutions to delivering results. Selling solutions is a very “1990’s” approach, however even today much of the sales training you will see still hovers around selling solutions. The truth is people find solutions pretty quickly but delivering real results, well, that takes skill. …

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Like exercise, prospect a little each day and stay sales fit

By / / Call Reluctance, Prospecting, Sales Skills, Sales Tips, Sales Training, Self Development, Success, Time Management

Prospecting is considered one of the most daunting jobs in selling. Many people in sales or other roles charged with developing new business, especially with new prospects, find the task of prospecting anxiety provoking and tend to put off the prospecting task in favour of more desirable or less frightening tasks. Yet in their desire to escape prospecting they inadvertently set themselves up for greater issues in the future.

Prospecting is the oxygen that fuels the fire of sales. Prospecting involves a series of sequential activities designed to:

  • Identify your prospect
  • Qualify your prospect
  • Prioritise your prospect

Prospecting is therefore a step-by-step process for identifying …

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What can women and men learn from each other about selling?

By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Communication, Sales Culture, Success

The world of selling is transforming before our eyes and there are many lessons for the taking. The latest focus is on the emergence of social media and the internet and its impact on customers’ purchase decisions. However, to date little light has been shone on lessons learnt by men and women about gender differences and selling.

I recently had the opportunity to present my latest project focusing on women in sales at an AMCHAM event which, to my delight, was sold out. Attended by men and women, although the weighting was in favour of the women, the 2.5 hour interactive …

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Should you be a distributor or sell your own products?

By / / Uncategorized

‘Should I sell and distribute my own products or another company’s products?’ This is the question I really needed to answer back in 1995 and should have answered by 1999 however, it took me a further two years to understand what I really needed to do if I was to achieve my goals and fulfill my ambitions.

When I launched my consulting business in 1995 I had no actual product to speak of, other than myself. I didn’t know much about the world of distributorships nor did I know how long it would take to build my …

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Do you miss out on growing sales because your clients’ pigeon hole you?

By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Coaching, Communication, Sales Assessments, Sales Tips, Sales Training

Do you have trouble introducing your clients to new products and services? Does their memory seem to spring back to what you used to do or your initial offering to them? Do they seem to pigeon hole you in a certain category, unable to see or acknowledge that you offer other products or services?

This is a common problem for many businesses especially when they start out as one thing and evolve into something more than a ‘one trick pony’. For instance, one of our client companies has recently merged their new product business with their service and spare parts business …

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How satisfied are you with your sales incentive plan?

By / / Coaching, Sales Tips, Strategy, Success

A good sales incentive plan rests on a fundamental set of design principles that reward the right behaviours, optimise sales effectiveness, and maximise the return on incentive dollars.

Specifically, a good sales incentive plan design:
• uses performance metrics that are aligned with the company’s overall strategy;
• supports and is consistent with the overall sales force strategy — its job roles, available skills, selling processes, internal culture, etc.;
• is mechanically sound in its design elements; and
• can be administered efficiently

If not well designed however, there may be issues or challenges within each principle which could limit effectiveness, waste …

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Time for reflection and recharging

By / / Brain Science, Emotional Intelligence, Neuroscience, Sales Tips, Wellbeing

With this holiday period upon us, many of us take time to rest from the busyness of our daily work lives and spend time with the people we love the most. Often time this space can allow us to reflect on our lives, review what is important to us and appreciate those close to us. For some they can simply feel exhausted and just which to lie still in time to recover for the next busy schedule.

With a 24/7 life style we can often get caught up in being ‘ON’ all the time however if we do not take time …

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Can a sales manager be an effective sales coach?

By / / Coaching, Performance Management, Sales Leadership, Sales Management, Sales Talent, Sales Training, Success

Coaching usually focuses on two areas of development to achieve excellence: skills and performance. Excellence in performance is knowing the right processes to apply in the right situation, coupled with the personal insight to know how to apply them wisely. An effective sales coach is there to help people achieve excellence and realize many more benefits.

However to be an effective sales coach your people must experience you as a support in helping them achieve higher performance and not a hindrance. Often people experience performance improvement initiatives as ‘threats’ or ‘aimless chats’ leaving people feeling …

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Exceptional Prospecting and Social Media

By / / Call Reluctance, Communication, Prospecting, Sales Tips, Self Promotion, Social Media, Social Sales

With social networking sites and the plethora of online data available, 2011 presents us with better quality prospecting and more qualified prospects. ‘Prospecting and Social Media’ was voted as the Number 4 Sales Trends for 2011. Business networking sites such as LinkedIn and Plaxo, and the emergence of Facebook and Twitter as business destinations, give the discerning business or sales person access to quality data where they can research key contacts with an organisation, as well as business activity. Then, when appropriate, they can use this data to make professional connections.

Smart business leaders and sales people are using social networking …

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Should ‘Selling’ be studied at University?

By / / Coaching, Education in Sales, 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 …

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