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
Selling Better project for Lotus Filters delivers clear value proposition, competitive advantage and united, focused team
Industry: Hospitality Type: Private/SME
Building into the company's solid success to accelerate growth.
The Competitive Advantage Hiding in Plain Sight
In 30 seconds What if your competitors are overlooking talent that delivers 8% higher quota attainment? Xactly's research shows women hit 86% of targets versus men's 78% yet represent only 19% of ...
The Last Holdouts: Where Transactional B2B Selling Still Exists (And Why It Won't For Long)
In 30 seconds Digital platforms now dominate B2B transactions, with over 75% of buyers preferring self-service for simple purchases. Modern buyers conduct 90% of their research independently and ...
One Bad Apple: Why Your Team's Weakest Link Matters More Than You Think
In 30 seconds Watch who you let near your mind. Professor Will Felps proved what leaders have long suspected: a single toxic team member can reduce overall performance by 30 to 40 per cent, even ...
How to Sell Better using AI (no tech skills required)
In 30 seconds Many sales teams struggle with AI adoption despite promising stats showing 90% faster proposals and 30% higher email response rates. The gap isn't sales capability, it's practical AI ...