Standing room only

5th July 2015 |   Nick de Cent

APS Conference

© Sam Pearce, Square Image

Pitches, pricing, people, psychology and professionalism – the inaugural APS conference had it all. Nick de Cent reports.

It could so easily have been a disappointing-but-still-respectable audience of some 150 delegates who chose to attend the Association of Professional Sales’ inaugural annual conference at the London Kensington Hilton on 10 June. In the event, almost twice that number filled the conference room to overflowing – a heady mixture of sales leaders, academics and consultants.

Naturally, many were there to sample what this fledgling professional association could offer and, over drinks and canapés at the end of the day, the mood was overwhelmingly optimistic. The necessary networking and exchange of war stories had been momentarily abandoned in favour of discussion around transforming companies, professionalising selling and comparing approaches across different industry sectors.

Nick de Cent

Founder of the International Journal of Sales Transformation | + posts

Nick de Cent is the founder and editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Sales Transformation. A business journalist for over 35 years, he has been covering sales since the mid-1980s and has been a strong advocate of enhancing its professional status. He has freelanced for the Financial Times and edited the Sales Performance supplement in The Times. He also writes and edits extensively on behalf of corporate clients, including a Big 3 management consultancy and a top four global executive search firm.
Contact: editor@journalofsalestransformation.com.