Research

Why leadership inspiration, collaborative learning, and joy impact us all. Wisdom 1: Learning starts with a curious mind “I have seven wisdoms for you. What you do with them is up to you. The only thing I ask of you is to remember them.” “The first wisdom is about curiosity. Any learning starts with a curious mind. Be curious and… 

How can leading indicators, when integrated into the Sales Management System and aligned with leadership practices and organizational culture, enhance predictability, foster customercentricity, and drive sustainable sales transformation within a complex, matrixed organization like SAP? Conducting the symphony in sales In the vibrant world of sales, the role of a leader may be associated to that of a conductor of… 

How an MBA can enhance performance for sales professionals and leaders. In today’s competitive business landscape, exceptional sales performance requires more than persuasive communication and relationship-building skills. As markets become increasingly complex and data-driven, an MBA education can provide a significant competitive advantage for both salespeople and sales leaders. Here, we’ll explores how the strategic framework, analytical capabilities, and leadership… 

How do you hang onto the good salespeople your employ? Enhancing mental health and well-being in sales organisations is key. Retaining top sales talent is a growing challenge for sales leaders. Sales professionals today operate in a competitive marketplace where opportunities are abundant, and organisations must ensure they provide compelling reasons for their best people to stay. The ability to… 

How critical is the role of executive sponsorship for Key Account Management success? Executive sponsorship is fundamental to the success of Key Account Management (KAM) programmes. As organizations increasingly focus on their most valuable customers, securing and harnessing top management involvement has become essential for strategic success and long-term profitability. Understanding how to effectively engage executive sponsors and maximize their… 

A major research study uncovers insights into what differentiates top-performing KAMs from the rest. It finds many organisations are focusing on the wrong things in their efforts to improve KAM performance. Key account managers (KAMs) may represent a small fraction of the sales force, but their impact on sales outcomes is disproportionately significant. Despite extensive research on general sales effectiveness,… 

Learning is not just important; it’s essential for success in sales. When we saw the headline on the cover of this Journal (edition 9.5) “Do Salespeople Have Time to Learn” we were left with a massive feeling of déjà vu and drifted towards a discussion of what was top of the pop charts when we first heard that said. Thankfully,… 

B2B trust research: what’s next? Abstract New academic research on trust will build on insights generated through Mark Hollyoake’s 2020 doctoral thesis (see previous article). They aim to dig deeper into the role of the “Boundary Spanner in relational trust development”, based on eight years of academic research through the University of Southampton. The original research Boundary spanners: What are… 

Developing a contract between coachee and coach works to improve virtual sales coaching. +

In this summary of his doctoral thesis, Grant Van Ulbrich explores how his public works have highlighted how sales can be transformed to sell within and beyond an organization. Introduction In this synopsis of my doctoral thesis, I draw on my professional work in the public domain (ie, public works) to highlight how sales can be transformed to sell within… 

Understanding best practices for a buyer-centric sales approach. A buyer-centric approach to selling is table stakes in today’s competitive business landscape – and yet, buyer-centric approaches across companies and industries seem to be vastly different. It begs the question: How do sales leaders and sales representatives interpret buyer-centricity and are they aligned on its crucial components? To further explore this… 

This paper has been adapted from the author’s Masters project and discusses how leaders can best cultivate “superpowers” that are applicable to multi-generational organisations and teams. Background During my time at the SAP Global Platinum Customer Unit in Walldorf (Germany), I was invited for a meeting with the Dutch SAP Managing Director. During that meeting he offered me the job… 

How can effective coaching support the retention of employees within an organisation? Introduction This work-based project covers the topic of employee retention. The subject is very relevant for my organisation as we are 20 months into what’s being labelled the Great Resignation (Klotz, 2021). Employee talent is the lifeline of any business. My research project investigated how a successful coaching… 

You’ve achieved you Masters, but what next? Can the alumni group help to continue the transformation journey? By November 2019, our SAP Masters cohort was really hitting our stride. Collectively we (and I especially) were seeing success with our papers, we were learning new skills and many of us were seeing growth within our teams as our leadership practices improved…. 

Tackling obstacles to transformational leadership in corporations. What does it mean to transform and how will you know when it is time? It is likely that we have seen, heard, or felt transformation at some point in our lives. If we were to go around the room and provide descriptions, there is a good chance our definitions will be different…. 

As AI-guided selling takes hold, ethics remains an important foundational principle. Abstract Recent advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) research, development, and application have sparked a broad debate about the ethics of AI systems. As a result, several ethical frameworks have been published in recent years. These guidelines include normative concepts and recommendations aimed at assisting organisations in capitalising on the… 

How can sales leaders inspire cultural change so sales talent can thrive? Participants and speakers from leading organisations such as BT, SAP, Sharp, UCAS and Vodafone came together at the London Stock Exchange on 1 December 2022 for Consalia’s 17th annual Global Sales Transformation event to discuss professional development for sales teams and individuals, as well as the wider sales profession.  … 

Developing and implementing a coaching culture within a sales environment to effect real transformation in coaching across your organisation. Abstract Within sales organisations the value and importance of coaching is acknowledged as a key element to the continuing success of the business, including the development and retention of employees in the organisation. In recent years, the importance of this aspect,… 

We interviewed Kelly Garramone and Phil Styrlund to understand how character is a key driver of organisational success in sales. They explained how sales organisations can take part in some ground-breaking research that will drive performance. What is character science? Pioneered by Dr Fred Kiel (amongst others), character science is a new field of study that was born out of… 

The strategic implications of trust building in B2B client relationships and the way towards enhancing them to create mutual economic value. Abstract There is a noticeable lack of clarity around the construct of trust in the business to business (B2B) context. The thesis on which this article is based considers how trust building antecedents operate dynamically within a B2B relationship,…