7 things you can do better

Why Collaboration, not Competition, leads to better sales results

By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Blog, Collaboration, Common Ground, Competition, Ethics & Values, Sales Management, Sales performance, Sales Research, Sales Results, Selling Better, Success, Teamwork

Traditionally, the trope of the solo sales superstar or rainmaker has ruled the hearts and minds of many. Lauded for ‘single-handedly’ winning major accounts, bringing in the most amount of deals, or some other super human sales feat, what might surprise those not as familiar with sales and how selling works, is that none of these sales superstars could have achieved their results without the help of others, because no one lives or works in isolation.

Despite the popular myths, it has been known for nearly 20 years that the most successful salespeople are collaborators and team players, not individual sales …

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AI, Data Analytics & Selling Certainty

By / / 12 Sales Trends Pages Category, Attitudes & Behaviours, Blog, Ethics & Values, Human-centred, Sales Trends

Sales Trend 7 from the Barrett 12 Sales Trends Report for 2020 looks at the benefits, downfalls and ethical issues that arise for businesses from collecting and using data.

This is a condensed version of Sales Trend 7, to read the original version you can download the report for free.

People, particularly in big business and governments around the world, are obsessed with data – big data, surveillance data and especially human data and how they can use it and sell it.

Being obsessed with data is not a new phenomenon, after all most humans …

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Lessons I’m learning about myself & my business during COVID-19

By / / Blog, covid-19, Entrepreneurship, Ethics & Values, Sales Leadership, Sales Strategy

This crisis is, in my humble opinion, a test of character for me and I would say for many other people.

It has put everything I care for, value and taken for granted on notice. Not that I wasn’t aware of or didn’t pay attention to these things before. I am a very attentive and purposeful person; however, this pandemic has put everything on the table for a thorough examination.

I recall, as the COVID-19 shutdown hit, the very first thing I did was gather my team together and I said this:

“Our number one goal is to stay together and …

Lessons I’m learning about myself & my business during COVID-19 Read Post »

25 years of helping people and businesses sell better for a sustainable future

By / / Blog, Entrepreneurship, Ethics & Values, Human-centred, Sales Pioneer, Selling Better, Success, Vision, Mission & Purpose

This year we are celebrating 25 years in business.

Barrett opened on January 9th, 1995 with $3,000 and a purpose of helping people & businesses sell better now and for a sustainable future. Here’s our story in a just-over-4 minutes video about our journey so far.

Or if you prefer to read about it, here’s the transcript:

“Two years ago, I asked the Executive GM of a listed company to go out on a limb.

His business was in flux and sales falling. Like many leaders, he thought sales training was THE solution.

Training would happen, I said, but not yet.

Instead, I asked him to, …

25 years of helping people and businesses sell better for a sustainable future Read Post »

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Human-centred sales operations – Being Businessworthy

By / / 12 Sales Trends Pages Category, Attitudes & Behaviours, Blog, Environment & Sustainability, Ethics & Values, Human-centred, Sales Strategy, Sustainability & Environment, Systems Thinking

Sales trend 4 from the Barrett 12 Sales Trends Report for 2020 is about what being human-centred means for businesses.

All business people know the concept of being creditworthy. That’s about not losing other people’s money.

Enter the Business for Peace Foundation[1], established in 2007 in Oslo, Norway, which has developed the concept of Being Businessworthy.

Being Businessworthy means being human-centred and purpose-led.

This shift to a more holistic approach to doing business is having a profound effect on how businesses operate, including how they set up their sales teams, sales operations and value chains.

The latest research in …

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Necessity is the mother of invention: How to keep on selling better during COVID-19

By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Business Acumen, Collaboration, Common Ground, Communication, Ethics & Values, Opportunity, Sales Essentials, Sales Leadership, Sales Planning, Sales Results, Sales Skills, Sales Strategy, Sales Tips, Sales Training, Selling Better, Strategy, Success, Wellbeing

As the world responds to contain the COVID-19 disease, we want to make sure that your and our teams stay safe so we are adjusting our commitments and activities in accordance to current regulations.

We also understand that for businesses these are troubling times, but there are ways forward. As they say ‘necessity is the mother of invention’. We want to stay by your side and help you assess your situation, whether that be devising a sales strategy in line with the new reality, or helping your staff keep the business going in a feasible and responsible way. At Barrett we …

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Generation Equality in Sales = much better sales results

By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Common Ground, Ethics & Values, Gender & Sales, Sales performance, Sales Results, women-in-sales

This Sunday, 8 March 2020, marks International Women’s Day and the United Nations’ theme for 2020 is:

I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights.

The theme is aligned with UN Women’s new multigenerational campaign, Generation Equality, which marks the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

Given the theme of Generation Equality it seems only apt that we take a look at what women and men can learn from each other when it comes to having successful sales careers. But before I dive into the topic in more depth here is a brief history on how …

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Sales Trend 2 – A better way of doing business

By / / 12 Sales Trends Pages Category, Common Ground, Environment & Sustainability, Ethics & Values, Opportunity, Selling Better, Sustainability & Environment, Wellbeing

Sales trend 2 of the Barrett 12 Sales Trend Report for 2020 is about what businesses and sales teams can do now to start making a difference for people and the planet.

The time for talking is past. The planet and its inhabitants can’t wait any longer. Now is the time for decisive action.

Businesses and organisations can, and should, be part of the solution and support sustainable development, wellbeing and a prosperous future for all.

The blue print is here.

The navigation system is ready for deployment. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) call for every business and organisation …

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Fairness in trading terms for SMEs

By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Common Ground, Entrepreneurship, Ethics & Values

You know the story ‘small business wins huge deal with large client’. Amazing.

Everyone is celebrating. ‘Biggest deal we’ve ever had. OMG’

So after the win, the small business sends their terms and conditions for signing and the big client comes back with “we can’t sign your payment terms of 14 days, our payment terms are 60 days after the end of the month of invoice”, that is, if you are lucky, because the reality can be  90 days or more. Which is really bad for business, especially small businesses.

But, the small business agrees because ‘it’s such a good opportunity’ not necessarily …

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The Noble Profession of Selling

By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Ethics & Values, Opportunity, Sales Essentials, Sales Leadership, Sales Management, Sales Research, Self Development, Selling Better, Success

The statement ‘The noble profession of Selling’ may sit well with some. While many others would find ways to say everything to the contrary, bringing up stories about how they or others were ripped off by shonky salespeople. I mean why is it that when someone’s deceived by someone else they say ‘they’ve done a sales job on them’? There’s nothing noble about that, you’d agree.

In a world where it’s too easy to engage and influence people with catchy slogans and memes that can propagate negative stereotypes, fear of the other, division, misinformation and myths, and keep people ignorant or …

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