The Business Case for educating Sales Professionals and Sales Leaders in Business Acumen
More and more is being asked of sales people and sales managers when it comes to business knowledge and commercial acumen. Gone are the days of just being a product expert. Sales people need to be competent business people too.
Being able to understand strategy (sales strategy); how businesses, markets, and communities function; and where we, our products, services and business works in concert with our clients is on the agenda in business. Today, clients expect to communicate and deal with a real professional who knows how business functions. They want to have business discussions not product discussions.
Studies Show
Our studies reveal that there is little if any discussion about the big picture or business strategy, or innovation or supplier integration. A surprising finding was the low level of business knowledge and commercial acumen with sales managers in the technical product sectors – very focused on product quality, distribution and service they are not working at the required level to make business decisions and work strategically with clients.
Barrett has developed a 2 day Introduction to Business Acumen Program for sales managers and high level sales people.
The program is designed to:
- give sales professionals an overview of the key fundamentals of business management and what it takes to lead and manage a business
- help them plan and manage their business or client portfolios more effectively
- enhance their interactions with clients and allow them to present as a business person, not just a product sales person.
- build their awareness and deepen their empathy with their clients
- Help them be better corporate citizens within their own companies making sure they attract and orchestrate the right kind of business for their own organisation
Program includes cases studies, simulations and theory. Participants work on developing and running their own ‘fictional’ business.
The Business Acumen for Sales Professionals covers 9 key topics:
- Leadership
- Strategy
- Planning
- Culture
- People
- Customers
- Processes
- Measurement
- Execution
Speak to us about your sales training needs.
Talk to us, your selling better advisory team, and we’ll be able to advise you on the best training solution for your business.
Case Study
Total Sales Team Turnaround
Industry: Pharmaceutical Type: Public
Outstanding transformation from rapidly declining sales and share price due to a range of reasons to an 8% sales growth and trending upwards in a challenging market, with new business flowing in.
Trust Wins the Long Game: Why Game Theory Trumps Short-Term Tricks
In 30 seconds A national building supplies firm won a big account by slashing prices, only to lose it six months later to a pricier, more reliable competitor. In contrast, a tech-security BDM secured ...
Stop ‘Speaking Your Mind’. Start Winning
In 30 seconds Blurting out whatever’s on your mind might feel good for five seconds, but it can kill a deal, a relationship, or your reputation just as quickly. In business, brutal honesty without ...
Rebel Rebel Authenticity: Bowie’s Blueprint for Being Real in Business
In 30 seconds Authenticity isn’t soft: it’s a bold act of leadership. David Bowie’s evolution, especially during his Berlin years, shows how stepping out from behind the mask unlocks trust, ...
Humans-in-the-Loop: Selling Smarter with AI
In 30 seconds As AI reshapes sales, success hinges not on replacing people, but on partnering with machines. The “human-in-the-loop” model lets AI do the heavy lifting -analysing data, predicting ...
