How to find your competitive edge and compete successfully

By / / Business Acumen, Competition, Education in Sales, Sales Tips

Product differentiation is getting harder, Me2 products are flooding the markets, quality is being commoditised, and as a result margins are being squeezed and value is at risk of being shed if we don’t know how to articulate the real value we deliver beyond product and price and demonstrate our competitive edge.

With so much choice and competitors fighting for our clients’ attention, it is critical that we find and define our competitive edge.

How do we define our competitive edge?

That depends on what we want to deliver to our customers and how we want to run our businesses.

Today, …

How to find your competitive edge and compete successfully Read Post »

Australia – It’s time to snap out of this sales mindset ‘slump’

By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Competition, Sales Driven Organisations

If you were an alien that landed in Australia you could be forgiven for thinking that we were in the midst of a terrible recession or major disaster by the ‘doom and gloom’ sentiment that seems to be hanging over our economy like a wet blanket.

Of course, it is natural for all economies to go through ups and downs, but after 22 years of continuous economic growth we seem to have forgotten how to deal with the down swing. But how much of a down swing are we actually experiencing right now? Our current economic growth rate is still 3.5%. …

Australia – It’s time to snap out of this sales mindset ‘slump’ Read Post »

What we cannot control in sales

By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Business Acumen, Competition, Resilience, Sales Research, Sales Strategy

Last week we talked about what we can control and influence in sales, especially in uncertain times.  This week is looking at what we cannot control in sales and how to learn to live with it.

What (and who) we cannot control

Let’s face it, we operate in a complex world where many things are outside our direct control and influence, yet these very things can influence and affect ourselves, our clients, markets, and communities. There are some very interesting frameworks that can help us separate out a range of factors that affect our market places, communities, and countries.

  • [1]PEST analysis (‘Political, Economic, …

What we cannot control in sales Read Post »

Delivering Real Value beyond Product & Price

By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Brand & Reputation, Business Acumen, Competition, Sales Forecasting, Sales Measures - Inputs & Outputs, Value Proposition & Value Add

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 “Delivering Real Value beyond product and price”.

For many years most of a product’s value came from the production processes that converted raw material into useful forms. Now real value is coming from supply chain logistics, partnership agreements, overall business improvements, shared innovations, technological improvements, styling features and other attributes that only people can create.

In the 21st Century the intangible is now more …

Delivering Real Value beyond Product & Price Read Post »

Ego is a dirty word in sales & sales management

By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Coaching, Communication, Competition, Complex Selling & Transactional Selling, Emotional Intelligence, Resilience, Sales Management, Sales Talent, Wellbeing

Having a big ego is often associated with the sales profession.   For many years the supercharged Alpha male, 600 lb sales gorilla has been the poster person for successful salespeople.   And then there is the larger than life sales manager who charges in to save the day by taking over the sales call, making the sale and demonstrating to everyone present just how much better he is than the salesperson.  With stories like these swirling in the ether, it is often assumed that a …

Ego is a dirty word in sales & sales management Read Post »

What customers really want from their suppliers

By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Competition, Customer Service, Education in Sales

Most salespeople will be quick to tell you that their customers say what they care most about is product and price. It goes further. When salespeople lose out on a deal the first thing they tell management is that the product quality wasn’t up to scratch or the price was too high.

Yet the studies we have conducted and most of the feedback we get from our clients’ customers is that the most important thing is having a What customers really want from their suppliers Read Post »

Delivering “good service” isn’t enough

By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Brand & Reputation, Competition, Customer Service, Marketing, Sales Driven Organisations, Sales Relationships, Sales Skills, Teamwork

I was impressed by a brief but excellent ABC News Video on the impact of social media on a business’ reputation and brand, especially when things go wrong and that to reduce or eliminate any negative publicity issues to begin with starts with something rather old fashioned – delivering Service. This got me musing about and the importance of good ‘ol fashioned customer service’ and what it really means today in a digital world.  The team has proposed we adopt C.A.R.E. as our mantra.

What is C.A.R.E. about?

Everyone knows that delivering good customer service is a fundamental building …

Delivering “good service” isn’t enough Read Post »

Why developing your Sales Managers is the key to your sales success

By / / Business Acumen, Coaching, Competition, Education in Sales, Performance Management, Sales Coaching, Sales Culture, Sales Driven Organisations, Sales Excellence Acadamy, Sales Leadership, Sales Management, Sales Strategy

It may surprise you to discover that many Sales Managers learn how to be a Manager on their own.

According to the latest international study on Sales Training and Sales Force Effectiveness, many Sales Managers are given very little or no support when it comes to being a competent, effective Sales Manager. In fact, many Sales Managers reported that they were given no formal training in Sales Management practices, either before or during their tenure as a Sales Manager.

The study reported that Sales Management training is the category of sales training …

Why developing your Sales Managers is the key to your sales success Read Post »

Create your ‘Ideal’ sales force blueprint

By / / Assessments, Competition, Complex Selling & Transactional Selling, Performance Management, Recruitment & Sales Recruitment, Role Clarity, Sales Consulting, Sales Culture, Sales Driven Organisations, Sales Excellence Acadamy, Sales Leadership, Sales Planning, Sales Psychology, Sales Results, Sales Talent, Strategy

Now is the time to rethink your sales strategy and your sales force. Design the sales force your business needs and get great results.

Tip: It’s all in the thinking and planning that happens before the execution.

To help you start your thinking and planning here are two case studies from our work files where the businesses got it right.

Story one: Transform your current sales team into a new sales team

“The Sales Culture transformation and competency project we worked on with you in 2008 has been such a great success for our team. The culture is now fantastic and the morale of …

Create your ‘Ideal’ sales force blueprint Read Post »

Success is a moving platform

By / / Brand & Reputation, Business Acumen, Competition, Complex Selling & Transactional Selling, Sales Consulting, Sales Culture, Sales Driven Organisations, Sales Excellence Acadamy, Sales Leadership, Sales Pioneer, Sales Relationships, Sales Strategy, Sales Training, Strategy, Sustainability & Environment, Vision, Mission & Purpose

Do you have the wrong sales team delivering your sales strategy?

Ask yourself the follow the questions:

  • How has your strategy and /or market place changed recently?
  • How have you seen the role of ‘sales’ change over the last few years in your industry?
  • How do your sales people compare to your competitors?
  • How do your sales people need to sell now?
  • How is your product offering behaving in the market place now? Was it once exclusive and now a commodity?

The definition of a ‘good’ salesperson is driven by many possible needs. Those needs are a function of industry standards, changing market conditions, competition, corporate strategy …

Success is a moving platform Read Post »

Scroll to Top