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Unethical self-promoters walk amongst us – be very aware

This is Part 1 of a 2-part series on Unethical Self-Promoters.

Back in 1988, I was introduced to a body of research* that focused specifically on the concept of self-promotion, prospecting, and new business development, and the learned behaviours and attitudes that give rise to the fear of self-promotion and sales call reluctance. This body of research was an illuminating, eye-opening, life changing experience for me in many ways – it was a key catalyst that helped kick-start the work I do today. Since then I’ve had the privilege of introducing tens of thousands of people to this research that includes …

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Listening beyond self interest to achieve a fair exchange of value

Back in 2012, I wrote the article – Are you really listening or just waiting to speak – which resonates with salespeople and leaders and gets them thinking about how well, or not, they really listen to others and how comfortable they are with silence and creating the space for others – in this case, their clients – to be heard and understood.

As we say in the Selling Better Manifesto, Selling is about creating a fair exchange of value between buyer and seller; it’s about mutual prosperity. For that to happen, we need to …

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Rebuilding Leadership for a Better Normal

Sales Trend 5 from the Barrett 12 Sales Trends Report for 2021 looks into what business leaders need to stop, start, and keep doing to rebuild leadership for a better normal.

At a local level, throughout 2020, we’ve seen many businesses, their leaders, employees and customers go through tremendous personal and economic pain while others have prospered and gone from strength to strength.

Taking the lead in such an unprecedented time of chaos and uncertainty means that business owners, boards and C-suite leaders including sales leaders simply have no option but to continue to work through all their choices, …

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I’m in sales, you’re in sales, we’re all in sales

When my eldest son was eleven, he said to me ‘Mum I don’t believe everybody lives by selling something’. I said, ‘That’s interesting, why do you say that?’ and he started to try to persuade and convince me as to why this statement wasn’t true. So I said to him ‘by you trying to persuade and convince me why this isn’t true, aren’t you trying to sell me something?’ To which he said ‘Ahh, I get it Mum.’

Yes, we are all in sales, one way or another.

If you have ever tried to initiate contact with a person …

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The 8 Sales Management Essentials

Most sales managers have sales experience. It makes sense from a career path perspective – you’re good at selling so your next logical career step is into sales management.

However, this is where the logic usually comes unstuck because selling and sales management are not the same thing.

Like a lot of salespeople learn selling by default – they fall into a sales career rather study and learn it by design – the same goes for sales management. Sales management is the least trained area of the management disciplines. Like selling, too many sales managers are left to fend for themselves, often …

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Welcome to the age where less is more

Sales trend 4 from the Barrett 12 Sales Trends Report for 2021 is about the unexpected changes that COVID brought about in relation to brands.

By guest author Ben Peacock, Founder of Australia’s sustainability and brand purpose specialists, Republic of Everyone.

Meh.

Everything was going so well. Survey after survey was showing people’s concern for the environment was finally translating to sales of products that promised to help do something about it.

Recycled rubber sneakers, carbon neutral phone plans, cafes run by street kids…sustainability was seeing a boom the likes it had never seen before. …

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The Phenomenon that is #March4JusticeAU

We are all presented with opportunities every day in myriads of ways. Whether we choose to pursue an opportunity is dependent upon many things. When an opportunity of a lifetime presented itself to me on Monday 1 March I decided to jump in boots and all. Definitely a sliding door moment for me.

This once in a lifetime opportunity was joining the March 4 Justice organising team at its inception.

How did #March4JusticeAU burst onto the scene so quickly and how did it capture the attention of the nation as well as the international media?

It started on Sunday 28 February 2021, when …

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Australian Consumers are for Australia

Sales trend 3 from the 12 Sales Trends for 2021 Report looks into how our buying behaviours changed in 2020, and what businesses can do to keep up with those changes.

By guest author Rebecca Varley – Roy Morgan

2020 brought some of the biggest changes we’ve ever seen, not just with respect to our behaviours, but also our attitudes. These changes have permeated through all aspects of our lives, including our shopping behaviours and attitudes.

Australian consumers have long shown a preference for purchasing Australian made products across a range of categories, not just food, with …

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No, we are not there yet – Achieving Equality in 2021

I am a bit tired and frustrated to be honest. I wasn’t expecting to start this article in honour of International Women’s Day 2021 this way, but here we are. I might be so bold as to claim that the majority of us (women) are tired of repeating ourselves over and over again and feeling like we keep fighting the same battles that were supposed to be won decades ago. I mean I was a teenager at the height of the Women’s Liberation Movement in the 1970s – I am Woman hear me roar still rings in …

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The Big Reset Opportunity: Leadership, Sales Strategy & a United Purpose

Vladimir Lenin said over a century ago “There are decades where nothing happens and weeks where decades happen.”

I think we can all relate to that at some time or another over the past 12 months.

The Big Reset Opportunity – Weeks where decades happen

We are at a particular time where we are resetting how we work. Some are going to keep on going remotely, others are going back to the office, whilst the majority is inclined towards a hybrid model. This, together with the changes in the market, place us at a moment ripe with opportunity because we can also reset …

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