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This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Cranfield Key Account Management Forum. Here’s what participants discussed in Q1. Key Account Management in a digital world Nico Smit, a Visiting Fellow from Cranfield University, discussed “Key Account Management in a Digital World”, focusing on how the increasing capability of digital systems can boost the value available to both suppliers and… 

Perhaps surprisingly, the nature of anxiety means that it offers an inherent opportunity for personal and professional growth. In high-value and complex B2B sales, ambitious sales targets and growth plans are common. Typically, sales professionals are measured on outcomes they can control only to a certain extent. As they mature in their career, many develop ways of managing sales pressure… 

The ability to coach is a key attribute that distinguishes truly effective first-level sales managers from the pack. What’s the one thing that separates truly effective first-level sales managers from the rest? You can make a case for their ability to motivate or to create an environment of responsibility and accountability, but there’s good reason to believe that their ability… 

The Institute of Sales Professionals (ISP) is the new name for the Association of Professional Sales (APS) following a merger with the Institute of Sales Management (ISM). The new organisation was launched on 24 June and presents a “single, united voice for the entire sales profession, led by one team, under one name, dedicated to setting professional standards in sales”…. 

Like any change-management programme, effective sales enablement is not rocket science but remains challenging to deliver. I am constantly amazed by the poor understanding of enablement in the go-to-market space. Many overcomplicate it; others oversimplify and dismiss its value. I recently delivered a webinar with the Sales Enablement Society, titled “The Only Enablement Operating Model You’ll Ever Need.” In that… 

How businesses must adapt to the new world of virtual selling. When the Coronavirus pandemic swept across the world in 2020, it is safe to say that all industries were dramatically disrupted and forced to reassess their operations and ways of working. However, the sales industry was one of the business sectors that was significantly turned on its head by… 

How top sales innovators are embedding data and technology throughout their organisations to reimagine sales for the “next normal”. Sales has always been a “sensing” organisation, attuned to changes in customer sentiment, shifts in demand, and the requirements of different buying stages. But those senses are being flooded as customers shift to digital engagement, leaving sellers with more channels to cover… 

Selling power comes not from how much conversation we manage to get through, but the quality of the conversation. Supercharging sales is the overall theme of this edition of the International Journal of Sales Transformation, so I thought it might be appropriate to focus on a topic that has long been a focus of mine: how can salespeople supercharge their… 

What does the merger mean for the sales profession as a whole? AH: In the UK, this clears up what people have been potentially confused about: one body being more focused on the custodianship of sales and the standards of sales, and the other being perhaps more commercial – open to sponsorship and doing magazines and award ceremonies. I think… 

UK lawmakers warn that Britain is suffering from a shortage of salespeople and sales skills. MPs say much more needs to be done to recruit and train people with strong B2B selling skills. Last month’s report by Westminster’s All-Party Parliamentary Group for Professional Sales underlined a persistent problem for the sales profession in the United Kingdom: quite simply, not enough… 

What you need to know about how sales enablement technology is advancing. As is usual at this time of year, I have spent a lot of time thinking about enablement’s current state. Before I take a journey through sales-enablement technology trends, let’s briefly explore enablement and B2B sales, as both of these topics are influencing the outlook for technology for… 

Waldemar Adams explains how SAP’s sales organisation moved quickly to adapt in a year of dramatic change. iJosT: What do you think are the most important issues around sales currently? W A: What we see is that we are anyhow in a transition in the world of selling that has now accelerated because of the pandemic situation. Most of it… 

Why understanding team tenure can be a key to healthy sales-team dynamics and a rapid alignment of teams. The longer a team has spent together with the same composition of team members, the more harmonious interpersonal relationships become. The shared experience builds trust and psychological safety, leading to smoother team processes, more effective use of resources and increased team performance… 

Four forever changes transforming b2b revenue activities. Sales and marketing leaders, it’s time to level up. Buyers are searching for more information on their own, without talking to a sales rep. That means they are engaging with your content further down the funnel. As a result, your content can’t be just a companion to a sales-led customer conversation; it needs… 

The key issues for B2B sales leaders in 2021. 2020 proved to be a challenging year for many B2B sales organisations. Certain sectors powered ahead (for example, anything associated with e-commerce or digital transformation) but many other industries suffered significant declines in demand. 2021 will inevitably bring further challenges. Whilst the emergence of effective vaccines offers some hope for recovery,… 

How sales-enablement platforms can help us make a success of virtual onboarding. One positive to come out of 2020 was the accelerated push for digitalisation. For some, this meant learning to video call friends and family. For others, it meant moving every single work-related process from in-person to online. Now, we’re comfortable with hosting entirely virtual events, conducting virtual sales… 

Reports from Cranfield Key Account Management Forum’s online series. Staying positive and focused in uncertain times Andy Bounds, a leading sales communications expert, advocates putting emphasis on creating “positivity and productivity”. Using the “Yes, if…” technique allows individuals and teams to focus on the key few outcomes that are needed to make an objective achievable and then ensure that those… 

How will leadership change in the digital future? Imagine… You are strolling on a boardwalk by the beach. The warm rays of the sun are tickling your nose as you savour the beautiful scenery. Suddenly, darkness takes over, the sun vanishes, and there is a mist in the air. A tornado! A huge swirling spout of water, this massive monster… 

The team’s work began in late 2016, when it was observed that sales metrics for SAP sales executives – while in line with or slightly above industry standards – were not meeting sales management expectations. With a worldwide digital transformation in full swing, it was imperative that SAP’s sales executives were well-trained to help customers understand and implement emerging innovations… 

Beyond the gimmick Digital sales rooms: are they fact or fancy? For some time, the sales industry has been considering how innovations like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) can support the sales process. However, for many, they simply represents a gimmick rather than a genuine means of engaging with buyers and adding value to the experience. However, with…