Three sales books with a difference
April 20th, 2023 by Journal Of Sales TransformationA trio of important research-based sales books are in the pipeline this year and all are well worth checking out for different reasons. Book 1 The first of these is Transforming Sales Management: Lead Sales Teams Through Change by Grant Van Ulbrich, set for launch on 3 May 2023 along with the “Scared-So What” personal change app, which will be…
UK housebuilder recognised for sales ethics
February 13th, 2023 by Journal Of Sales TransformationPersimmon is the first homebuilder to achieve the Institute of Sales Professional’s Investor in Sales award. The award recognises commitment to develop strong customer relationships based on integrity, trust, and ethical selling. To date, 114 sales advisers have been fully accredited with the ISP with more to follow. Meanwhile, staff turnover within its sales excellence programme has fallen by 70%…
SEASAC draws over 100 competitors
February 13th, 2023 by Journal Of Sales TransformationOver 100 students from universities across South-East Asia recently competed in three rounds of the latest South-East Asia Sales Competition (SEASAC) 2022, sponsored by paint manufacturer PT Propan Raya. The competition offered participants a “great sales educational experience” one of the leading judges for the final round, Dr Colin Mackenzie told the Journal. The qualifying round was completed on 13-15…
20% cuts in pharma commercial roles?
February 13th, 2023 by Journal Of Sales TransformationThe way that pharmaceutical and medical device companies market and sell their products is on the cusp of major change, according to a paper from industry consultancy Impatient Health. Significant cuts are expected across commercial departments in 2023. “By the end of the year we will see 20% trimmed in commercial roles, at both HQ and country level,” the authors…
Apprenticeships offer better ROI than traditional degrees
February 13th, 2023 by Journal Of Sales TransformationMarking the start of National Apprenticeship Week on 6 February 2023, senior UK Treasury minister John Glen has called for students to undertake apprenticeships as an alternative to a traditional university degree. As part of the government’s campaign to boost apprenticeships, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury says that apprenticeships can offer better ROI for young people and will also…
3 key business technologies for 2023
February 13th, 2023 by Journal Of Sales TransformationToo many cooks…
November 28th, 2022 by PJ NisbetHow a single sales methodology can help to reap global benefits I am constantly amazed at how quickly companies that invest in a sales training methodology are led astray and lose out on the benefits it can deliver. Often, as the roll-out draws to a close, someone proposes a new “shiny toy”. Incredibly, they go for it, short-circuiting all the…
Developing the potential of talented salespeople
November 28th, 2022 by Bob ApolloWhy development is so much more than just training. In “Hiring salespeople with talent” (see pages 6-7), I explored the challenges involved in making good sales hires. Now I want to shift attention to some of the key things we need to do if we are to fully develop the potential of the talented salespeople that we have just hired….
Hiring salespeople with talent
November 28th, 2022 by Bob ApolloWhy an evidence-based approach is the route to a successful sales hire. Finding and recruiting the right salespeople is perhaps the most important role for any sales manager or leader. Hiring the wrong person – or at the other end of the scale, failing to fill the position at all – is costly in so many ways. The wasted recruitment…
Cranfield KAM Forum (Reports from Q2 2022)
September 30th, 2022 by Richard Vincent“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…
Get in the flow
September 30th, 2022 by Daniela PreciadoSAP’s Experiential Sales Learning programs allow salespeople to learn in the flow of their work. To ensure that business continued to flow, in 2020 most companies worldwide responded to the pandemic by making the transition to remote working. More recently, as some businesses began to require employees to work onsite again, others have been cementing a hybrid working model as…
Focus on storytelling
September 30th, 2022 by Journal Of Sales TransformationWhen a group of non-native English speakers wanted to hone their English writing and speaking skills, they joined a programme exploring a range of literary genres via the work of a cross-section of authors. We set these business leaders the task of recounting their most memorable sales experiences in the Journal. In this special feature, we explore the rationale behind…
Making conflict work
September 29th, 2022 by Claudia Filsinger and Helma BettsWhile conflict needs to be managed well, it can also be productive. Conflict is a frequent challenge among business relationships with customers, partners and suppliers. Inside organisations, conflicts within teams and cross-functionally are also common, yet sales professionals often feel ill-equipped to manage conflict well. Unresolved conflict can spread and grow, and result in stress and well-being issues for those…
Top sellers are storytellers
September 29th, 2022 by Bob ApolloEvery salesperson has the potential to improve their storytelling skills. As human beings, we have evolved over the generations to use stories to communicate. Moreover, one of the key factors that sets today’s most effective salespeople apart from the rest is their ability to share compelling, relevant anecdotes – typically the experiences of other existing customers – that resonate with…
Why is storytelling so powerful?
September 29th, 2022 by Nick de CentStories are not only enduring; they help drive business. Telling stories is what humans do; it is fundamental to the human experience. We’ve been telling stories for tens of millennia: 30,000 years at least. Cave paintings in the Grotte Chauvet-Pont d’Arc, located in the Auvergne district of France, date back 30,000 years and represent the oldest known storyboard to be…
Without character, ethics is just a rule book
July 4th, 2022 by Kelly Garramone, Fred Kiel and Phil StyrlundAlmost every leader claims to be ethical in business, but do they have the character to foster trust? Ethics, necessary but not sufficient Corporate scandals from Enron to Freddie Mac occurred despite the fact that the organizations and individuals leading them were operating in environments governed by a code of ethics. Yet, people still behaved poorly. Why? Why do people…
ISP heartened by Chancellor’s attitude to vocational training
May 5th, 2022 by Journal Of Sales TransformationThe Institute of Sales Professionals says it is encouraged by the UK’s finance minister Rishi Sunak’s Spring Statement in which the Chancellor of the Exchequer promised to look at tax incentives to boost vocational training. The ISP is urging the government to focus on professional sales skills and qualifications to close the skills gap and promote a more business-like attitude…
Cranfield KAM Forum online
May 3rd, 2022 by Journal Of Sales TransformationReports 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…
News in brief
May 3rd, 2022 by Journal Of Sales TransformationSalesWorks appoints trainers Consultancy SalesWorks has appointed Cara Pepper and Alzaysha Johnson as sales training leads. The role sees them working with clients to design and deliver sales training programmes, tailor programmes for advanced reps to refine and improve their skills, and spotlight areas of focus to up-skill teams, improve processes and increase revenue. +
Philip Morris sales apprenticeship scheme
May 3rd, 2022 by Journal Of Sales TransformationPhilip Morris Limited (PML) opened its first sales apprenticeship scheme to applicants in February. The first group was scheduled to start work in April across four English cities: Nottingham; Northampton; Sheffield and London. +