In today’s business world of ‘quality circles’ and ‘managing for excellence’, the most successful individuals are often accomplished presenters. That’s because a successful presenter is more than just a fact dispenser – he or she really knows how to communicate with their audience. They are someone to whom people listen. The effective speaker in business,… Read More
Problem Solving Is The Bedrock Of Successful Selling
“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds” – Ralph Waldo Emerson For “foolish consistency” read “dull routine.” Routine – doing things by habit, subconsciously, without thinking – is the enemy of success. The human mind is a computer. You program your computer by the input you feed into it – learning, knowledge, experience… Read More
Quality Activity = Quality Results
“The less I see of what’s his name? The more I forget him.” Anon Failing to focus salespeople’s activity reduces efficiency and consequently reduces results, because there isn’t a salesperson alive that believes they have enough time in their working week to complete all the activities they want to achieve! Time is a huge constraint… Read More
Sales Process – Top 10 Reasons Why Sales are Lost
Dave Kurlan shares with Jonathan Farrington the ten reasons why salespeople fail to land orders that they were expecting to . . . http://topsalesworld.com/downloads/audio/Dave_Kurlan_TSW_Jan_13.mp3
Selling Is The Key Function In The Marketing Process
There used to be a popular misconception that successful sales people are born, not created, which presumably referred to the belief that to be successful in selling one needed to possess the “gift of the gab.” That may have been true in the old days, when the travelling rep believed he could sell “Ice-cream to… Read More
Some Men (and Women) Are Born Great, Others….
Shakespeare was good about leadership, as about most other things. The spoof letter which caused poor Malvolio to make such a fool of himself contains words that say a lot about the subject. “Some men are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” Greatness and leadership are so closely akin… Read More
Some Thoughts About Relationship Marketing
Relationship marketing is no longer a new buzz word, and obviously it’s here to stay. It’s all about looking at your customers and your relationship with them in a new light. Rather than develop a product or service and market it to the customers, relationship marketers think about what the customers want and adapt their… Read More
Some Thoughts On Dealing With Interruptions And Feeding “Monkeys”
Where do interruptions come from? Boss – Who often has the power when it comes to setting priorities Subordinates – The more accessible you are, the more they’ll use/abuse you Fellow workers – Interrupt for many reason, from social to work-related Clients and customers – These you can’t ignore Phone Sound familiar? Dealing With Interruptions… Read More
Speed of Information is Now Essential
Anil Jwalanna – Founder and Ceo of Witty Parrot, in conversation with Jonathan Farrington, and sharing the latest exciting developments he and his team at WP are working on. https://s3.amazonaws.com/TopSales/SalesHardTalk/2014/april/Anil-Jwalanna-2014-04-15.mp3
The 40 Most Common Mistakes Made By Negotiators
Here we look at the 40 most common mistakes made by negotiators ….. Failing to prepare effectively for negotiation Underestimating your own power Assuming the other party knows your weaknesses and strengths Being intimidated by the status of the person with whom you are negotiating Concentrating on your problems, rather than those of the other… Read More
The Changing Face Of Professional Management
Old ways of doing business no longer work. The increasingly intense competitive challenges of the world economy force everyone, everywhere, to adapt in order to prosper under new rules. In the old economy, hierarchies pitted labor against management, with workers paid wages depending on their skills, but that is eroding as the rate of change… Read More
The Essence of Effective Leadership
Last week, I led a leadership workshop for a group of senior executives, employed by one of the world’s largest airlines: During an open session on the second day, I was asked by one of the delegates – who is responsible for coaching the next wave of leaders – if I could encapsulate all of my advice in… Read More
The Ever-Increasing Costs of the “Fear of Calling” Syndrome
Recent studies have confirmed the obvious, that is to say that “fear of calling” in sales can contribute to a significant proportion of lost sales revenues. One study that I read recently found that as many as 40 % of established salespeople experienced periods of fear of calling severe enough to threaten their future in… Read More
The Globalization of Business – The Future is Here Now
One of the most profound effects of the Internet age is the “shrinking” of our planet. Advances in computing, Internet connectivity and mobile technology bring people together in ways we never could have imagined. A colleague, friend, business prospect or complete stranger is never more than a click away. This globalization of business and, at… Read More
The Greatest Leader That Ever Came On God’s Earth Bar None
I have read extensively on the lives, characteristics and leadership styles of all the great leaders, including Alexander the Great, Montgomery, Elizabeth 1st, Churchill, Ghandi, Mandella, Luther-King et al (the list is pretty extensive). However, the one that earns my greatest respect and the one with whom I feel the greatest affinity is Shackleton, because… Read More
The Importance Of Developing A Formal Approach To Customer Complaints
Most medium to large businesses have a policy for handling complaints, but perhaps need to review it from time to time. Businesses that take a mainly ad hoc line would benefit from developing a consistent approach. Whatever policy is in place, it should be: Easy to understand Simple to implement Effectively communicated to all staff… Read More
The Incredible Value Of Networking
To some, networking means simply meeting or calling someone new for what might be a one-off discussion or event. In this limited sense, networking is only a trading relationship in which two parties seek to discover whether they have anything of mutual interest to talk about. They either make some sort of exchange or quickly… Read More
The Key to Why Your Customers Buy From You?
I want to look at buyer motivation, because all meaningful actions are performed for some reason or purpose – this is commonly called motivation. Success in selling requires an understanding of these basics of motivation: a) Your motivation, both as a person and as a salesperson b) The other person’s motivation, both as a person and as… Read More
The Meek Will Not Inherit the C-Lounge!
I used to be indecisive – now I am less certain! Disclosure: I really struggle with “ditherers” Life is far too short. Prudence? Yes. Due diligence? Of course. But in business if you want to distinguish yourself from the average, you have to trust your judgment – absolutely have to. While some decisions are easy… Read More
The Most Important Phase of the Entire Sales/Buying Cycle?
It is essential that all frontline sales professionals fully understand both the value and importance of rigorous objective qualification, not just at the front end but right the way through the sales cycle. Qualification is a process not a single event and everyone should be fully skilled in asking a small number of basic questions… Read More
The New Era Of The Cold Call – How Natural Selection is Moving Sales from Outbound to Inbound
The trend for inside sales is not coming—it has fully arrived at our doorstep. Rising fuel and labor costs have soared, and because of intense competition, the prices of our products and solutions have largely flat-lined—as have sales achievement levels. Companies have been forced to examine the complete cost of outbound sales and what they discovered… Read More
The New Strategic Sales Professional
As we are all aware, getting to know the customer and understanding their needs is not a quick and easy process. Customers possess a hierarchy of needs which have to be uncovered gradually. This is why we need a new type of salesperson for a new type of customer. So what does this new breed… Read More
The Power of Responsibility
Together, involvement and empowerment create an environment in which sales people can have responsibility for their own actions. Responsibility cannot be given – it can only be taken; therefore a Sales Leader can only give sales people the opportunity to take responsibility for their work demands. High performing sales teams require clear objectives so they… Read More
THE POWER OF THE TESTIMONIAL AS A SALES TOOL
“If you become a testimonial-based seller (which I believe to be the most powerful form of sales in the world), then you can get testimonials for every element, or every step of your sales cycle,” says Jeffrey Gitomer, author of the Little Red Book of Sales Answers. Customers like to feel reassured that the purchase… Read More