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There is no doubt that sales can be an excellent and satisfying career. As a reader of this Journal, I hope that you already believe this as strongly as I do. I am encouraged by the work being done by a growing number of schools, educational establishments and bodies like the UK’s Institute of Sales Professionals (ISP) to establish and… 

Why winning globally starts with one consistent sales methodology. Global sales success demands precision, alignment and a relentless focus on delivering value. Yet many sales organizations expand internationally without a unified plan. This haphazard approach leads to fragmented strategies, inconsistent messaging and unpredictable results. To succeed globally, companies need a single, consistent playbook built on a proven sales methodology. This… 

Tight budgets, AI’s influence in buying and selling, negative buying experiences, and long purchase cycles are further complicating the B2B buying process and frustrating buyers and sellers alike. According to Forrester’s The State Of Business Buying, 2024 report, 86% of B2B purchases stall during the buying process and 81% of buyers express dissatisfaction with their chosen providers. While buyers rely… 

The International Journal of Sales Transformation is poised to start the next chapter in its story with the news that it is being acquired by the Institute of Sales Professionals. Editor Nick de Cent said: “We have been publishing the Journal for over ten years and now is the right time to move it onto the next stage. I’m delighted… 

What core values should underpin sales from a customer perspective in 2025 and beyond? Back in 2009 a seminal doctoral thesis helped to usher in a new approach to sales: How can a client-centric values approach to selling lead to the co-creation of a new global selling mindset? Dr Philip Squire, who conducted the original research, is looking to run… 

Marketing leaders who prioritize customer-first marketing capabilities to boost their understanding of customer needs can grow 28% faster than their peers, according to strategic management consultancy McKinsey. The consultancy has stepped up its presence in the digital marketing operations and technology (DMOT) sphere with the acquisition of ET Medialabs (ETML), a leading performance marketing and analytics agency in India. The… 

Chief sales officers must evolve with rapid market changes and emerging technological influences to succeed. That’s the message from research and advisory firm, Gartner. As the global marketplace evolves at an unprecedented pace, Gartner says it has identified the top seven commercial threats facing sales leaders in 2025. “There is increasing pressure on leaders to enhance performance amidst macroeconomic fluctuations,”… 

As key account management becomes ever more important in an evolving sales world, how can organisations hone their approach to strategic and key accounts? Cracking the code of key account management” was the focus at sales business school Consalia’s 19th Global Sales Transformation conference, held at the London Stock Exchange on 28 November. Introduced by sales thought-leader and Consalia CEO… 

How are B2B buyer expectations changing and where is B2B sales headed? In the previous edition of the Journal, we ran a story on McKinsey’s ninth global B2B Pulse report (released 12 September), which questioned 4,000 B2B decision-makers across eight major industries. This identified how B2B suppliers are responding to “consumer-like” purchasing demands from buyers. Here we talk to the… 

Gen AI could take on the role of a sales agent within a team, according to a 16 September article from strategic consultancy McKinsey: “An unconstrained future: How generative AI could reshape B2B sales.” The consultants suggest that Gen AI agents could eventually act as “skilled virtual coworkers, planning and booking complex logistics and handling routine customer inquiries”. The article… 

Artificial intelligence and generative AI are driving rapid increases in electricity consumption, with data centre forecasts over the next two years reaching as high as 160% growth, according to technology analysts Gartner. Some 40% of existing AI data centres will be operationally constrained by power availability by 2027, Gartner predicts. Gartner estimates the power required for data centres to run… 

Investment in enablement tools such as sales content management and automation, training and coaching, buyer engagement, strategy and planning, and recent research is poised to increase, according to a 2024 survey by Seismic, an enablement firm headquartered in San Diego. Generation Enablement Report: The Rise of Enablement’s Influence found that most organisations (89%) plan to retain or increase investment next… 

Whilst AI is unlikely to completely replace salespeople in complex B2B environments, it certainly has the potential to make good salespeople even more effective. Here are a few of the most important ways in which salespeople are using AI: +

There is no doubt that AI is going to play an increasingly important role in facilitating complex B2B sales. Here are a few ways in which sales managers can harness AI to coach their salespeople more effectively: +

Good governance and a thought-through approach are essential if we are to use AI responsibly I was seven years old when I made my first sale. The family business provided musical education concerts for children, so in the school holidays I was press-ganged in to help. I quickly found that being front-of-house selling merchandise was much more fun than being… 

Rethink your selling strategy and shift it to a value-based KAM business model. We all know that we are operating in an increasingly complex and competitive marketplace. As such, it is imperative for suppliers to adapt their sales strategies to maintain relevance in order to drive growth. The traditional sales models that once fuelled success are rapidly becoming obsolete. Today,… 

Research by a training company suggests that prospecting advice from US sales and marketing executives has remained notably consistent over the past five years. Key findings highlight the importance of personalization and research, value proposition clarity and creative engagement techniques in successful prospecting. “The sales profession has seen seismic shifts, from the rise of remote sales to the proliferation of… 

Business-to-business suppliers are under pressure to respond to “consumer-like” purchasing demands as buyers continue to shift the way they make purchases, a new global survey released on 12 September reveals. At the same time, buyers feel more comfortable with remote and selfserve spending on big-ticket items this year than they did in 2022, according to consultants McKinsey & Co. “E-commerce,…