Conference Reports

“Putting the customer at the heart” by Mark Bailey Rolls-Royce plc is a company that deals with power and propulsion and should not be confused with the motor-car company, which is entirely separate. Rolls-Royce plc provides power and propulsion systems for land, sea, and air, including nuclear submarines, military and civil aircraft, and major data centres. All of its systems… 

Reports from Q1 2022 Sales tips from an advertising guy: Stephen Mangham Former Ogilvy Saatchi and Saatchi and Saatchi ad man Stephen Mangham shared his insightful views of the KAM market from the fresh perspective of someone who had a very successful career in advertising observing the companies that get things right and those that do not. Marketing is “the… 

Reports from the Q2 and Q3 sessions Getting inside the head of a buyer (or what techniques and tips can you adopt to improve your commercial strategic negotiations?) John Viner-Smith has a Master’s in International Purchasing, and has been a senior category manager at JP Morgan, Dixons Stores Group and BP. He is a Founding Partner at Amplius Partners and… 

Digital is enhancing the way we manage business and sales organisations, but analytics are underpinned by relationships and human behaviours. The value tied up in customer relationships is vast but hard to measure; purpose is now a profit centre and predictable human behaviours can help us to forecast sales more accurately. These were just three of the key takeaways from… 

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… 

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… 

Account-based marketing is increasingly recognised as a highly effective approach to working with key accounts, so is of major interest to key account managers looking for new approaches. November’s KAMBP explored how to use ABM and KAM together. Bev Burgess, Senior Vice President & Practice Lead, and Dave Munn, President and CEO, introduced ITSMA (the Information Technology Services Marketing Association)… 

Report from the Cranfield KAM Best Practice Forum 26 September 2019. Key account managers are always striving to find better ways to cooperate and co-create value with their opposite numbers in purchasing. Similarly, professional purchasing managers are always striving to obtain the best possible deal for their organisations and get away from entirely price-focused negotiations. So the most recent KAM… 

Reporting from the Cranfield KAM Best Practice Forum 20 June 2019. Key account managers and purchasing professionals are increasingly recognising the importance of co-creating value and the key part that the latest technology can have in facilitating that. So, the most recent KAM Best Practice Forum at Cranfield University decided to focus on how Key Account Managers can embrace technology… 

How developing a coaching culture can make you a “destination employer”. How to embed a coaching culture was a dominant theme at the most recent Sales Learning & Development conference. Sales learning and development is not just about teaching skills; it’s about engaging and motivating the whole organization to be passionate about learning and development, and adopting a coaching culture… 

Two half-day programmes explored the interrelated issues of performance and talent. Driving improved sales performance via strategic insights and best practices was top of the agenda for delegates at a morning conference for APS members and guests at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers on 16 May. An afternoon conference focused on developing sales talent. Speakers included a mix of company…