Blog
Modern Sales is shrinking our Attention Spans
What is modern life doing to our attention spans and what does that mean for people in sales?
A Quick Guide to Sales Improvement
Something is happening in the world of sales improvement.For context, this is to do with straightforward training (yes I know everything is connected, but bear with me).Imagine you need some sales training for your team....❓ Do you set a budget and work to it? ❓ Do...
Are you Recognising and Acting on Buying Signals?
(this is an excerpt from Sales Genuis 2) Are you recognising and acting on buying signals? When I was a brand-new sales person, I discovered there was so much to learn – I had to imbibe and absorb information about new systems, processes, product information, company...
Sales is just like Gardening
Why is sales like gardening? Well think about it .....We have passed the spring equinox, yesterday the clocks went forward and everywhere, nature is bursting into leaf. Wow! Isn't this time of year exhilarating?If you're a keen gardener like me, after a winter when...
Are you using TED in your Sales Meetings?
Are you using TED?You probably should be, but might not know what it is!TED is a lovely sales tool. It's an acronym which stands for:TELLEXPLAINDESCRIBEIt's useful when you are trying to uncover information from a buyer. You have probably asked loads of questions...
Is The Peter Principle Affecting your Sales Team?
Are you about to promote someone within sales? Possibly to Sales Manager?Watch out then, that you are not falling foul of the Peter Principle.... it's well known, but not necessarily by name.So what is it?It was created by Lawrence J PeterThe Peter principle states...
A tale of how to NOT engage with your ideal client
This is the story of how not to engage with your ideal client.(it's real, so I have changed the names to protect the innocent)Tony had a very specific customer profile for his services. His ideal customer was high level, high profile and notoriously hard to gain...
How Faking your Laughter can Really cheer you up!
It might sound a bit weird, but studies have shown that faking laughter - for at least 60 seconds, can really cheer you up. Now, what's all that got to do with sales and selling? Fair question. If you are in sales, you know how hard it can be - we've all had those...
What is bad Outreach and what can you do about it?
Unfortunately bad outreach on platforms like LinkedIn is getting more common, so what can you do about it? Well one of the first things is to make sure your team aren't doing it! It would be easy, to just criticise people who pitch slap you on LinkedIn, so in an...
How to motivate yourself when you have the sales blues!
What can you do when you are not feeling motivated and you have the sales blues? Sales is a funny old job - we are, in many ways, doing something that is unnatural - trying to start conversations which seem counter-intuitive and (let's face it) can lead and will lead...
Ghosting in Sales – it’s costing you sales!
Did you know that ghosting in sales is probably costing your sales people about a fifth of their time? Read on to discover how we know that and what you can do about it. So ghosting might be a thing now, but guess what? before the 2000s it wasn't! Instead you may have...
How can elephants help you sell more?
How can elephants help you sell more? Well if you can get more elephants in your life, it can actually make a difference to your sales figures! (anyone who has been on my training probably knows what's coming next....) You know the cliché of the salesperson? You know,...
When prospecting – should I stay or should I go?
I made a prospecting call. He picks up and actually answers with his own name (that's already a win!) I tell him my name and remind him how we know each other, BUT it is tremendously noisy. It sounds like it is a heated meeting! I say 'it is super noisy - is now a bad...
How to deal with disappointment in sales
How do you deal with disappointment, either in yourself or in your sales team? Because, sure as eggs is eggs, disappointment will come - especially in a sales role. And the trouble with disappointment is that it's deflating - think about it, when you are angry, you...
Is sales training a cost or an investment?
What do you think, is sales training a cost to your business or an investment? Well, if you think sales training is expensive, wait until you see what it costs you to not invest in it.I was delivering training last week to some newly recruited salespeople. The company...
Increase your sales by using Magic words
Have you ever noticed that some people get an almost 'magic' response, just by using certain words? Words which NLP practitioners variously refer to as ‘power words’ or ‘magic words’ can be used to elicit certain emotions and responses that may help overcome customer...
Are you too boring when you’re prospecting?
Well are you boring?And does it even matter?Well if you are prospecting it does!What's in YOUR inbox? What about the message section on this platform?It's likely to be thousands of generic messages because people have been taught a 'magic' formula (yawn) andThousands...
How the Principle of Marginal Gains can raise your sales figures
So how can you improve your sales figures by using the principles of marginal gains? More to the point, what has the GB Cycling coach got to do with it all? (by the way, if you love a statistic, I think you'll enjoy this) This is Sir Dave Brailsford and obviously he...
The power of Consistency in Sales
There is lots of advice out there about how to be better at selling, but one of the most powerful ways comes through simple consistency. Simon Sinek talks about it a lotRobert Cialdini talks about it a lotIt is so powerful and yet, sometimes we get caught up in the...
What exactly is the modern sales experience?
When I started in sales, it was modern (for the time) - I had a pager, took orders on paper, had to use a pay phone to call the office, received faxed orders and drove my fully expensed company car into London just to park it and walk almost everywhere. Being a...
Simple sales motivation
Here is some simple sales motivation for you:Have you ever heard the phrase:"the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time to plant a tree is now."You probably know that one.Have you heard this one:"Living in the past can make us sad, living in...
Some Powerful Sales Statistics for your team
Have you seen these powerful sales statistics before or shared them with your team?Now, did you believe it, because someone might have been fooling you?Well, it does look credible, but in fact, these statistics from The National Sales Executive Association aren't what...
What is the difference between cost and price?
Do you know the difference between cost and price?They might sound like the same, but if you are in front of a customer (or prospect) and they give you the price objection, you need to be able to tell the difference.PriceThis is the actual figure in pounds (or your...
Are you SWOT-ing enough?
What's this about SWOT-ing enough? That’s not bad grammar by the way – the eagle-eyed amongst you will realise I am referring to that wonderful tool, The SWOT Analysis. When I am working one to one with a client to improve their sales performance, I like to take it...
How to use a simple agenda for a sales meeting
When you are in a sales meeting, how do you start it - for example, do you have an agenda? (I don't mean 'agenda' as in a deep dark objective - that would be wrong!) Instead, I mean a simple structure for what will follow. As the salesperson, even if the meeting is...
What is the modern sales landscape?
So what exactly is the modern sales landscape? There is so much hyperbole spoken out there about sales, so clear your mind and take a really good look at this list. Even within the last 5 years or so, the sales landscape has changed hugely. There are lots of factors...
Which questions to ask when using The GROW Coaching Model
If you have come across The GROW Model for coaching your team, here are some questions you can use to ensure it works properly. The model was originally developed in the 1980s by business coaches Graham Alexander, Alan Fine, and Sir John Whitmore. A good way of...
20 Powerful quotes from Zig Ziglar
Zig Ziglar was one of the best motivational speakers on the subject of sales. Even though the last time he spoke professionally was in 2010, anyone who has heard of him invariably responds with a smile, particularly those of us who work in sales. Here are 20 of his...
Famous people who used to work in sales
I bet you didn't know that a huge proportion of the most successful people on this planet started out in sales.Whatever job you do, I promise you that knowing how to sell will help you.So get yourself some training - formal, informal, online, face to face, books,...
Are you in a post-Christmas sales slump?
If you are in a bit of a post-Christmas sales slump, here are some tips to get your oomph back! Let's face it, after at least a week of celebrating, eating too much, having no idea what day of the week it is and being stuck only with your nearest and dearest, then...
How to manage Millennials in a sales team
Are we failing to give our young salespeople the right start in sales?In his excellent interview with Tom Bilyeu, Simon Sinek talks about Millennials (those born after 1984, so I guess that includes Gen Z too) and how they face specific challenges other groups...
Moving from Vendor to trusted adviser
How can you transition yourself in your customer's mind from being just a vendor to being a trusted adviser? It matters because a vendor won't get repeat business but a trusted adviser might be the first person the buyer approaches to ask their advice - which...
UK selling Vs US selling
Who do you think is better at selling, the Yanks or the Brits? Now, I don't want to start a fight (truly!), but there are some differences between how we approach things aren't there? [Disclaimer, I cut my sales teeth at Xerox, so I was influenced by some of the best...
Why does sales training fail?
Do you know why sales training fails?Well actually, it's the same reasons that any training fails.The delegates turn up, they do the course, they love it (well, they love my courses 😉!) and leave full of enthusiasm and positivity.Then what?Often a big fat nothing!Time...
How good is your Value Proposition?
How good is your Value Proposition?Now at this point, you will probably respond in one of three ways:1. My Value Proposition is great!2. I keep meaning to work on it3. What is a Value Proposition?So, for those of you who fall into categories of 2 and 3, here are some...
The lazy person’s guide to getting better at sales
Lazy person's guide to getting better at sales ....There are loads of posts out there in the world telling you what you should do to get better at selling, but how about what you shouldn't do if you want to get better at it?Here are some quick and easy wins because...
30 Funny sales memes to cheer you up and keep you motivated
Everyone loves a bit of humour and sales memes are designed to cheer you up because they are so TRUE TO LIFE and they can give you that little bit of motivation when you need it. If you've trained with me, you will have seen some of these on my slides - after all,...
Use some magical words and sell more!!!
Words are incredibly powerful – the words you say to your customers (and the words you hear from others) have more influence than you probably imagine. Hypnotists know this, as do NLP practitioners.NLP stands for Neuro Linguistic Programming. “Neuro” means relating to...
Is sales easier or harder than it used to be?
What do you reckon - is sales easier or harder now than it used to be? When I started in Xerox in 1989 we used faxes, pagers, didn’t use the internet, didn't send emails and didn’t have mobile phones or social media. Orders were taken on paper.Our CRM was filled out...
Do some NICE sales stuff
So you're stuck in the office (or on the laptop) on those few last days before Christmas. How about not worrying and instead doing some nice stuff?You're getting pressure from the boss to keep pushing the figures but the world is in Christmas mode. What should you...
Is Chat GPT useful in sales?
Chat GPT is probably the best known of the AI that is out there and I do believe their is a place for it in sales. However, it doesn't always get it right:Whilst playing around with ChatGPT this past weekend, I gave it the following instructions:"Create a post about...
How can you get those last sales before Christmas?
Sometimes you need to make one last little push before Christmas don't you?There are sales out there to be closed, so capitalise in the Christmas spirit and see what might work for you.1. Ring up your customers to thank them for working with you and to wish them a...
The Eisenhower Matrix a great sales tool
Do you often feel under too much pressure? In sales it is easy to feel like that - pressure to hit target, to make X amount of calls, to get that customer to speak with you, to ensure orders are fulfilled.It can be overwhelming.One of the simplest tools I was ever...
Learn to sell
Learn to sell. Sounds easy doesn't it? "Learn to sell". Roll it around your tongue. "Learn to sell". If it is so easy, why do so many people struggle with it? Well, I would liken it to driving a car. Before someone teaches you to drive, guess what? You can't drive!...
Do you have a value-centric mindset?
Do you have a value-centric mindset?Maybe you have never considered that question before. So let's define it - how about:'an approach to work and life that prioritises the creation and delivery of value above all else'At its core, a value-centric mindset revolves...
Why is ‘sales’ called that?
So, have you ever wondered why we call it 'sales'? Well it turns out that the word comes from the Germanic and Old Norse word 'sala' which then filtered through to Old English as well. According to etymonline.com it means this: late Old English sala "a sale,...
How to use LinkedIn to sell more
You have probably noticed the explosion in the use of LinkedIn over the last few years. There are plenty of people on the platform telling you how to use LinkedIn to drive business, but most of them don't seem to have a Scooby Doo about what successful social selling...
What is a great source of leads?
Do you only have one source of leads?Well here is something to think about -One of the things I get the biggest kick out of is networking - running your own business can be an isolating experience for a lot of small business owners.Here I am this morning delivering an...
Sometimes in sales, you should chase the ‘no’
Have you ever been taught to chase the 'no's' in sales?That every 'no' takes you one step closer to a 'yes'?It's an old one but a good one.Now, depending on who you are getting the facts from, you might hear actual statistics like:"the average customer says 'no' four...
Sales for Beginners – what is a great structure to use?
Effective Sales Structure: A Step-by-Step Approach It can be daunting when you start in sales - all you really need is a process, but what is the RIGHT process. Well broadly, whatever sales methodology you learn, it is likely to follow this structure: 1. Understand...