Less IS More when it comes to Sales Planning & Market Segmentation

By / / Sales Driven Organisations, Sales Market Segmentation, Sales Planning, Sales Results, Sales Strategy, Selling Better, Strategy, Success

Less Is More when it comes to doing good strategy, sales planning and market segmentation.

As Michael Porter, Professor and ‘Father’ of Competitive Strategy (Harvard Business School), says:

  • The essence of good strategy is choosing what not to do;
  • The essence of strategy is that you must set limits on what you are trying to accomplish; and
  • Strategy 101 is about choices. You cannot be all things to all people. It’s about making choices, trade-offs. It’s about being deliberately different

This is the essence of good strategy, yet time and time again we see many sales teams experiencing …

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Unethical Selling, not Selling, should be on trial at the Banking Royal Commission

By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Brand & Reputation, Competition, Education in Sales, Ethics & Values, Selling Better

With the handing down of the Interim Report from the Banking Royal Commission, Commissioner Hayne was scathing in his assessment of the banking finance sector, especially the big 4 banks and large insurance and investment firms, such as AMP, for enabling their cultures of greed to flourish at the expense of customers’ wellbeing, principled and ethical business practice.

Commissioner Hayne said the key questions the commission had to answer were why such poor conduct had occurred and how to stop it happening again.

He added that, in many cases, the answer to the first question was obvious.

“Too often, the answer seems to …

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4 Questions to Test if your Sales & Prospecting Tactics are Ethical

By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Ethics & Values, Performance Management, Prospecting, Sales Driven Organisations, Sales Management, Sales Motivation & Rewards, Selling Better
  • Do other people stand to gain from your sales tactics and actions?
  • Do your sales tactics and actions have a positive influence on your own and others’ well-being and self-esteem?
  • Do your sales tactics and actions move you and your customer closer to your respective short- and long-term goals?
  • Would most people approve of how you prospect for new business and sell?

    • If each of us can honestly answer “yes” to these questions, then it would appear that our sales and prospecting efforts are underpinned by sound ethics and behaviours and set up to deliver a fair exchange of value for both buyer and …

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    This didn’t happen in my time …

    By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Ethics & Values, Life Skills, Opportunity, Optimism, Selling Better, Success

    Today it happens it is the same
    to be decent or a traitor
    To be an ignorant, wise, a pickpocket,
    a generous person or a swindler
    All is the same, nothing is better
    They are the same, a fool
    and a professor
    There are no failing grades or hierarchy,
    the immoral people have caught up with us.
    If one lives in deceit
    and another, in their ambition, steals.
    It’s the same if it’s a priest,
    a mattress maker, a king of clubs,
    a rascal or a stowaway.

    Currently this seems to be the world we live in, and everywhere we turn, …

    This didn’t happen in my time … Read Post »

    Why a Fair Exchange of Value goes beyond exchanging money for goods

    By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Collaboration, Ethics & Values, Sales Relationships, Selling Better

    At its simplest, selling and buying is about a transactional exchange of a service or product for money.

    For simple, low cost, transactional sales, where we may have little vested interest in the other person or company providing that product, we may not reflect as deeply on our buying interactions with them. However, if we discover that we have been ‘ripped off’ by paying too much for something, or unfairly treated, or discriminated against, and so on, we are more likely to become highly invested in the concept of fair exchange of value.

    Why? Because as human beings, we do not like …

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    Sales Trend 6: Moving CX & HX – really it’s all about people now

    By / / 12 Sales Trends Pages Category, Customer Service, Sales Culture, Sales Driven Organisations, Sales Results, Sales Strategy, Selling Better, Strategy

    Sales Trend 6 of Barrett’s 12 Sales Trends for 2018 is about the ‘human experience’ in businesses and sales.

    The terms Customer Experience and Customer Centric have been around for some time. These terms are now referred to in shorthand as CX. Now a new term is emerging – HX, the Human Experience.

    What does all this mean? Aren’t they the same thing?

    This sales trend explores the terms CX and HX and helps put into perspective the old and the new when it comes to creating a competitive winning edge in sales and business.

    Let’s look at some definitions first:

    In commerce, customer …

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    Selling isn’t only for salespeople

    By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Education in Sales, Ethics & Values, Life Skills, Self Promotion, Selling Better, Success

    Have you ever tried to persuade someone about the merits of a new idea, service or initiative?

    Most surely you have. Countless times.

    People do this all the time, since we were born; in our personal, professional and community lives. It is part of being human.

    So how did your efforts go?

    Did you get their attention?

    Did you manage to convince them to adopt your idea?

    Did you both get what you wanted out of the exchange?

    Did you feel satisfied that you made a positive impact?

    Maybe. Maybe not.

    It all depends on how well you were able to enlist all the skills and qualities of good …

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    What does Selling Better mean to sales team’s retention rates?

    By / / Attitudes & Behaviours, Customer Service, Education in Sales, Sales Driven Organisations, Sales Essentials, Sales Process Maps, Sales Strategy, Selling Better, Uncategorized

    What do you make of this statistic?

    The average tenure of a sales representative across Europe and USA is currently 15 months.

    Ouch!

    There are other stats that also show the average staff turnover can be anything around 25-50% per annum, or more in some cases.  Some call centres experience turnover rates of over 70% per annum.

    These statistics are alarming because the costs associated with poor engagement and high staff turnover are monumental and can manifest in many ways including decline in sales, poor customer service, loss of reputation leading to more loss of customers and employees, and impaired recruitment. If not addressed, …

    What does Selling Better mean to sales team’s retention rates? Read Post »

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