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These pages aim to keep readers informed of recently published research on sales-related topics, by including abstracts of peer-reviewed academic research published in a range of journals. We have grouped them in the following broad themes: sales performance; customer management; capability development; behavioural studies; and systems and processes In this edition, we start with four articles on sales performance. The…
The data analysis provided here offers insight into what motivates “account managers”. Motivators are the extrinsic factors that determine whether your salespeople really get up in the morning “ready to rock and roll”’ – or not! The global data in the following charts provide insight into what motivates people from different regions. It will help sales leaders decide whether in…
Roger Brooksbank and Zahed Subhan explore how salespeople can help to grow a customer-led organisational culture. Abstract Since salespeople are at the cutting edge of a company’s overall marketing effort it means their knowledge of marketplace dynamics is second to none. High-performing companies understand the value of this knowledge and harness it by involving them in growing a truly customer-led…
Continuing from the review of sales manager behaviours by region in the previous edition of the Journal, this time we are looking at regional variations in skills, critical reasoning and motivators (what motivates the individual sales manager) across the same group of sales managers. Data published in edition 1.3 (October 2015) indicated that sales managers in China were behaviourally less…
While coaching is universally considered to be a vital predictor of salesperson success, benchmarking data from Blackdot suggests that sales manager coaching of reps is happening far less than expected and is highly variable in consistency. According to the report Unlocking Sales Manager Coaching Impact – A holistic approach for enhancing coaching outcomes, the typical solution has been to try…
Why does the typical revenue-generation process yield only 2% and how can marginal improvements transform your sales performance? The revenue generation process is typically seen as a series of loosely connected but separate activities by most organisations. When the yields from each step are combined, the resultant efficiency is just 2.1% – see survey results below and page 5 of…
These pages aim to keep readers informed of recently published research on sales-related topics, by including abstracts of peer-reviewed academic research published in a range of journals. We have grouped them in the following broad themes: sales performance; customer management; capability development; behavioural studies; and systems and processes. In this edition, we start with two articles on sales performance. The…
Is conflict within a business-to-business (B2B) relationship a bad thing? Gargiulo & Ertug (2006) argue that hostility and bitterness resulting from disagreements not being resolved amicably can lead to almost pathological consequences such as relationship dissolution. However, when disputes are resolved amicably, such disagreements can be referred to as functional conflict, because they prevent stagnation, stimulate interest and create curiosity,…
These pages aim to keep readers informed of recent published research on sales-related topics, by including abstracts of a selection of peer-reviewed academic material published in a range of journals. We have grouped them in the following broad themes: sales performance; customer management; capability development; behavioural studies; leadership; and systems and processes. In this edition, we start with three articles…
How do we re-engineer the sales and marketing interface for the benefit of our customers? Just as I sat down to write this article my email pinged. I tried to ignore it as I’d just come back from an excellent “Sales-Mind“ workshop that reminded me of the foolishness of multitasking. Then I saw the title – “Brands failing to align…
As part of his MSc Professional Practice in Sales Transformation, Sony Mobile’s Russell Keating explores how to unlock more sales through a strategic understanding of his client’s key concerns as well as those of his own organisation. This project relates to work with one of the largest mobile phone operators in Ireland, referred to as the “client” throughout this paper….
Researchers from Loughborough University suggest that commercial sales “scripts”, and a great deal of communication training, fail to identify what really works to convert callers to clients and optimize the customer experience. Here, they explore evidence-based training for sales conversations – the Conversation Analytic Role-play Method. How do you know that your telephone sales calls, “recorded for training purposes”, are…
Tony Douglas investigates the role and relevance of university sales competitions to sales education from the perspective of business school students. Professional or personal selling has not been regarded by academics in general – nor indeed practitioners – as a profession that can be (or should be) taught at university (Douglas, 2011; Rutterford, 2011; McCourt, 2011). Though this may well…
Much has been talked about the nature of value propositions but how do KAMs go about the act of proposing value? Paul Johnston explores KAM distinctiveness, social context and identity. What makes a key account manager distinctive from other salespeople? Much has been researched and written about KAM best practice (see for example Rackham, 1995; Payne et al, 1998; Ulaga,…
RESEARCH SOURCES Independent win-loss reviews commissioned by PRP clients between 2012-2015. More than 100 individual companies interviewed, all in B2B arena. 80 %+ independent win-loss reviews commissioned by chief sales officer, occasionally the CEO. Business sectors: technology, process outsource, finance, engineering support services and electronics. Geographies: UK, Europe, APAC and North America. Almost all clients chose to review specific deals…
Key takeaways There are clear common themes across all regions, especially notable is Planning and organising. “You would have thought that this would be a key factor for sales managers to be strong but clearly not!” comments Andrew Dugdale of SalesAssessment.com, the company that provided the data. Also notable by its absence is Interpersonal sensitivity – “yet another key sales…
What did companies prioritise? The first section of the report reveals that, at the overall level, Relationship & value building (farming) takes top priority. However, it is not an emphatic victory – it comes out on top because half the respondents rated it in their top three. People & competencies is a strong second overall and Brand & proposition completes…
