Blog
How to sell the unfamiliar (or “there is a reason people are afraid to buy”)
How to sell the unfamiliar. Research shows that customers are unlikely to choose an unfamiliar brand over one they know and recognise - even if there are clear or obvious shortcomings with the known brand. That can even extend to using a dangerous brand. In a...
Proactive CRM Training
Proactive CRM Training Who you are: You have piles of business cards, scraps of paper, notes, and customer records all over the place. You know you need to be more organised but it is hard to get round to it. You often waste time looking for customer information and...
Be Price Confident – sell without ever discounting again!
This course is not currently running. We recommend you try this instead: How To Sell
Plan for Sales Success in 2018
Plan for Sales Success in 2018 Who you are You have your own business. At the beginning of last year you made some goals. Some you achieved and some you didn't. Next year you want to do better. What your issues tend to be You know you need to take time to plan,...
Negotiate to Win!
This course is not currently running. We recommend you try this: How to Sell
Selling with LinkedIn
Building your business with LinkedIn Who You are Maybe you are on LinkedIn but you're not sure if you're making the most of it? In fact, you are pretty certain that you are missing opportunities. Do you keep hearing stories of people who are making money and getting...
Are women better at selling than men?
Are women better at selling than men? This is a tricky one. In my role as a sales trainer, I probably train roughly 60% women to 40% men. Now this is interesting. Does this mean women are worse at selling than men, that they 'think' they are worse at selling than men,...
Startup of the Year 2015-16 competition entry: Tadpole Training
Delighted to be featured in The Guardian Startup of the Year 2015-2016
Are you giving good follow up?
Are you giving good follow up? I ask because you don't have to be a sales expert to use this very simple strategy to increase your sales. If you take a look at this chart* then you will see that the majority of sales are not closed on the first, second, third or even...
Are you giving a great buying experience?
Are you giving a great buying experience? When I run one of my sales training courses, I usually do a bit with the class at the beginning about 'what makes a good sale'. I ask delegates to think about a time when they had an outstanding buying experience and to share...
Do you use a sales funnel?
Do you use a sales funnel? Do you even know what a sales funnel is? Perhaps you have heard the term 'sales pipeline' - well they are pretty much the same thing. In my view, they are one of the most effective tools you can use to help you win more sales and the good...
Why you need to understand procurement professionals better
Why you need to understand procurement professionals better. Have you ever really sat down and thought about some of the pressures your customers are facing, particularly if a key part of their job involves the procurement function? Come to that, do you treat them...
What’s on my selling wish list for 2016
What's on my selling wish list for 2016? Why not dream for a bit? I may be a sales trainer, but I still need to sell, so if I was in 'sales heaven' and I could have whatever I wanted, I think this little list would cover it: 1. No one will ever ask for a discount. In...
How to massively improve your sales conversions (and it’s easy)
How to massively improve your sales conversionsThis is such an easy thing to do, but so few people do it. What am I talking about? Following up. '80% of sales require 5 follow up calls after the meeting. 44% of salespeople give up after 1 call.' Source: The Marketing...
How to keep selling during the holidays
How to keep selling during the holidaysI'm going to keep this brief (because I bet you're sandwiched inbetween buying presents, going to parties and watching school nativities right now!). However, the fact remains that for a lot of businesses (retail excluded)...
Make it super easy for your customers to say ‘Yes’
Make it super easy for your customers to say 'Yes' Is it possible that you've been making things too complicated for your customers? If so, you might be stopping them from buying. That's because all of us humans like easy decisions rather than hard ones. So what can...
Are you giving your customers confidence?
Are you giving your customers confidence?That's not strange question - if your customers don't have confidence in you, what you are selling and your organisation, then your chances of getting a sale are tiny. Customers tend to buy when they like you, believe in you,...
Is your Ego killing your business?
Is Ego Killing your Business?If you run a business, you do need to have a certain amount of self-belief - after all, you will come across plenty of people who don't like what you do, or even think you're crazy to try. However, if you take it too far and let your ego...
Are you talking yourself out of a sale?
Are you talking yourself out of a sale?Michael ran a design business and believed passionately in what he did. He was versatile and so had a good base of potential clients. However, because he was foremost an artist, he struggled with the business transaction side of...
The best sales people know when to shut up
The best sales people know when to shut upHave you ever been in conversation with someone, there is a lull, no one speaks and you have the strongest urge to fill that silence with something, anything? We human beings don't like uncomfortable silences and it is a...
Upselling? Cross-selling? Help! I’m Confused!
Upselling? Cross-Selling? Help! I'm Confused! Upselling and cross-selling. Do you these two phrases confuse you? If they do, you're not alone. As if it isn't enough to worry about selling the main thing that you do, you now need to sell other stuff too? Don't panic!...
Effective follow up strategies to stop your leads going cold
Effective Follow up Strategies to stop your leads going cold We've all been there - you get a great enquiry from an interested customer, you've talked, asked and answered questions, they are absolutely hooked and then..... you never hear from them again. If you sit...
In sales, sometimes you need to get out of your own way
In Sales, Sometimes you need to get out of your own wayThis is about lacking self-belief, something which I proved to myself spectacularly yesterday. To give you the background, the Christmas before last, I went over a speed bump too fast and knocked off the right...
How not to write a sales letter
How not to write a sales letterWhen I am training people how to sell, the importance of effective communication comes up again and again. It helps set you apart from the masses, the ones who can't be bothered and the ones who are just treating you like a number. ...
How good are you at managing your customer records?
How good are you at Managing your customer records?I admit I love a good sales database. At Tadpole, it was one of the first things I made sure I had, because in order to grow my customer base and so sell my services, I needed some prospective customers and I needed...
Are your customers thirsty enough?
The Parable of The Young Salesman I recently saw this terrific Oasis advertisement and it reminded me of the following Parable: A young Salesperson was disappointed. He had lost an important sale. In discussing the matter with the Sales Manager, the young man...
5 Reasons Your Customers Will Not Buy From You
5 Reasons your customers will not buy from you. As a sales trainer, I spend a lot of time trying to help people sell more. But it's also useful to know what things you shouldn't do - the sort of things that will have your customers running for the hills (or at least...
Make someone happy today – recommend them!
Make someone happy today - recommend them! In my job I train people how to sell. When it works it is amazing - they get something they can use for life and, sometimes it transforms them. That's a wonderful feeling. What do you do that helps people? Perhaps you provide...
How to choose a sales trainer
How to choose a trainer When the time comes that you decide you or your people need some training, you will probably want to do some research on the various providers out there. Training can be a big investment for an organisation and you want to make sure that what...
Do you want to talk business? OK, let’s go to a coffee shop.
Do you want to talk business? OK, let's go to a coffee shop. Many entrepreneurs don't have their own offices and either work from home or meet clients at venues such as coffee shops. This week, whilst having a really productive meeting with a fellow business woman in...
Small Businesses, Claim your Competitive Advantage (Part Two)
Small Business, Claim your Competitive Advantage Yesterday, we looked at some reasons why it can be good to be small. As a small business, you: Respond Faster Have More Flexibility Have Better Relationships with Customers Get a Personal connection to the Customer Have...
Small Businesses – Claim your competitive advantage! (Part One)
Small businesses, claim your competitive advantage!As a small business, you are probably very aware of your larger competitors and it can be very easy to be intimidated by them. The trick is not to fall into the trap of trying to match them. If you go head to head...
Closing Sales should not be like a wrestling match!
Closing sales is not a wrestling match! When I started my sales career it was with a well-known Financial Services organisation who shall be nameless. My manager, who I can now see was the cliché of the crooked salesman, was much worse and delighted in teaching...
Are you using the power of Case Studies in your business?
Are you using the power of Case Studies in your business? Small businesses are always looking for ways to increase their reach and compete with the big boys. With that in mind, have you really explored the benefits of using case studies to promote your business? The...
I’m a salesperson – give me a cuddle please!
I'm a Salesperson - give me a cuddle please! I don't know what you think about people who sell for a living. Perhaps you think we are all pushy, gobby, dishonest, manipulative charlatans. I hope you don't, but from comments I sometimes hear a fair few of you must...
Why you should stop discounting and charge more
Why you should stop discounting and charge more When you looked at that heading, did you think 'no chance!' Or perhaps you shouted at me; 'what does she know?' Certainly, if you are anything like most people in business, you might have some genuine reasons to be...
Why you are my enemy!
Why you are my enemy! I would love to send a letter to all the bad salespeople in the world, explaining what they are doing wrong. Then hopefully, they would take my well-meant advice and stop bothering me! If I did, I suppose it would look something like this: ...
What to do when things get tough
I was at an entrepreneurial event yesterday and, among the razzmatazz, the star speakers and the over enthusiastic support staff, it is true to say that I really did pick up a few gems. One of the best sessions was run by Clate Mask, CEO and joint founder of...
What Rudyard Kipling can teach you about Selling
We are now going to get surprisingly cultural, but it's all in the name of selling more! "I keep six honest serving men(they taught me all I knew);Their names are What and Why and WhenAnd How and Where and Who." What the very clever Rudyard Kipling was talking about...
Do you know what your customers don’t want?
Have you any idea what your customers want? OK - have you any idea what they don't want? Well, you probably have more of an idea than you think you do. After all, you are a customer too aren't you? Maybe you could give yourself some sales tips. And I'm sure you have...
If you’re selling, I’m not buying!
No one successfully sells to every single person they meet. Despite the many books and experts out there who claim they can teach you how to sell, it’s just not possible. However, you can improve your chances if you ‘Sell to the MAN’ ‘MAN’ is an acronym for...
A Simple Introduction to Marketing
Marketing is a huge subject, so it is useful to have a simple overview of what marketing really is. Most of us probably know some marketing activities like: using social media, printing leaflets and getting yourself out there in the world to tell people about what you...
Why you will sell more if you can negotiate like a child
Children are brilliant negotiators. Ask any parent who has just been persuaded to part with yet more money for another ‘essential’ toy, gadget, gimmick, or snack. We can learn a lot from them in our adult world if we are prepared to listen. As tiny babies, we learn to...
Why you must get rid of your toxic customers now!
In this difficult economic climate, we all want more customers, because more customers means more turnover and more profit, right? Well the answer to that is that it actually depends and some customers might actually be sapping your hard won profits. In actual fact,...