Friday, November 6th, 2020
SIX KEYS TO UNLOCK PROBLEM-SOLVING POTENTIAL
DO RIGID PROCESSES WORK IN TODAY’S WORLD…
Thursday, May 28th, 2020
2020 Q1 Research Review – edited by Jeremy Noad
The research review aims to help readers keep up to date with recently published research on sales-related topics. The review highlights short abstracts of academically peer-reviewed research. This selection of published research is from a range of academic journals. In this edition, the abstracts include three themes that focus on sales performance, customer management, and sales behavioural studies. Sales Performance…
Thursday, May 28th, 2020
Sales leaders’ top 10 wish list
What are the top sales leadership priorities for the coming months? What are sales leaders looking to accomplish? What would they do if money were no object? To find out, the RAIN Group Center for Sales Research surveyed 423 sales, enablement, and company leaders. Respondents were asked about the importance of 16 different potential priorities and asked the $64,000 question:…
Tuesday, May 26th, 2020
Helping cross-functional team leaders achieve better results
Research led to the creation of a “Success Guide to Leading A Cross-Functional Team”. My aim with this research is to help cross-functional team leaders garner better team performance by providing an easily consumable, repeatable set of recommended behaviours and actions to help guide them to success. Team leaders can utilize the knowledge provided from these research findings for guidance,…
Tuesday, May 26th, 2020
Igniting a SPARK
How to introduce a collaborative change methodology to further support embedding of a sales academy into an organization. “How will I introduce a collaborative change methodology to further support the embedding of the SPARK Sales Academy into our organisation?” Simon Sinek (2011) tells us to start with “why”. My concern begins to formulate by asking myself, “Why did my sales…
Friday, May 22nd, 2020
Resourceful humans, not just human resources
How to manage and lead through the current crisis with the wisdom of Aristotle. In a recent London Business School poll, we asked an audience of over 1,000 senior executives how as leaders they would like to look back on the current crisis. They could choose from five possible outcomes – for them personally as well as for their organisations:…
Tuesday, June 25th, 2019
Debunking the myths about the future of sales
A Harvard Business School professor’s insights into the science of sales. In this interview with Deirdre Coleman, Frank Cespedes, Senior Lecturer at Harvard Business School, dispels the myths surrounding technology’s impact on the future of sales and why the need to rethink sales also means rethinking sales leadership. He considers the social and financial impact of sales productivity, and stresses…
Tuesday, June 25th, 2019
Study uncovers sales leadership challenges
The overwhelming priority for sales leaders is improving sellers’ ability to communicate value while their top challenge is hiring, a new survey from global performance improvement company RAIN Group finds. Top Sales Leadership Challenges and Priorities brings together the views of 423 sales, enablement, and company leaders to better understand their greatest obstacles and primary focus over the next 12…
Friday, March 22nd, 2019
Creating a sales control system
This project from 2016 explores how to create a sales control system designed to deliver a company’s key objectives. Introduction Sales is no longer an independent isolated function within an organisation, but is an integral and cross-functional part of a company’s strategy (Storbacka et al 2011). Sales now not only executes the strategy, but helps create and drive the strategy…
Thursday, March 21st, 2019
Pranking a tech giant
The surprising thing I learnt from giving a 20-minute nonsense presentation to a well-known tech company. The greatest thing I ever wrote, something I’ve jokingly referred to as my magnum opus, was a 20-minute lecture on innovation for the executive team of a major US corporation. As they do not come out all that well in this story, I won’t…
Tuesday, December 18th, 2018
Achieving mastery
Participating in a Masters programme is a significant commitment. We asked two leaders about their journey. “Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers” Stephen Gaskell is Director E-Commerce, Retail & Distribution at SONY Mobile. A member of SONY’s leadership programme, he has been on a journey of transformation in establishing his business unit within SONY Mobile. He…
Monday, September 24th, 2018
Exploring distributed leadership practice
Can distributed leadership practice bring positive impact in a sales focused environment? Background The COE is a team of highly skilled and senior solution experts, each responsible for a specific solutions area, product line or area of focus. Their responsibilities include primarily sales pipeline (demand) management and revenue attainment for their responsible lines of business. Within these two main pillars,…
Friday, September 21st, 2018
The ambiguity advantage
For Camilla Harder Hartvig, the single trait that has defined her successful leadership has been a willingness to address uncertainty and get comfortable with it. She shares how she’s learned to transform complexity and ambiguity into something that creates enduring value. Some of the most important leadership lessons learned by Camilla Harder Hartvig were forged in the crucible of calamity….
Friday, September 21st, 2018
Tribute to Robert Racine
It is with great sadness that we report the passing of Robert Racine on the morning of 3 September. Despite a demanding role as Wipro’s VP, Global Sales Enablement, Robert always found time to contribute to organisations dedicated to furthering our understanding of sales enablement. He was a member of the Journal’s editorial board, a Fellow of the APS, and…
Thursday, May 17th, 2018
Be prepared for a rollercoaster
Dual WISA award winner, Emma-Leigh Waters only started her career in sales two years ago after a move from finance. Here, she talks about the value of accelerated and experiential learning, how resilient salespeople think, and how trusting the process and finding balance have worked for her. Fresh from scoring her double whammy win at the Women in Sales Awards…
Monday, March 5th, 2018
Hear my voice: lessons in inclusive leadership
For Samantha Wessels diversity and inclusion is a business imperative. Here she explains why she is passionate about getting more women into sales and specifically into technology. If you haven’t mastered operations you’re going to suffer. Effective sales operations is an essential component for effective sales management. Sales is at the forefront of the organisation, and can drive organisational transformation…
Wednesday, December 13th, 2017
Creating value with hybrid IT
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) is building its strategy around the proposition that the right mix of private cloud, public cloud, managed cloud and traditional IT infrastructure will play a pivotal role in speeding innovation and growth. HPE is currently in the midst of transforming itself, reflecting the IT industry’s evolution from selling standardized hardware and software to providing more flexible,…
Sunday, January 29th, 2017
The Smart Sales Method 2016: The CEO’s Guide To Improving Sales Results For B2B Technology Sales Teams
Joe Morone, Karen Benjamin and Marty Smith This book is aimed at CEOs and sales leaders who feel their organisations have not yet won their fair share of their potential market. Co-author Joe Morone tells readers: “You have great products and services. You’ve amassed a dedicated team. You have loyal clients realising tangible success with your offerings. But improving sales…
Saturday, January 28th, 2017
Collaborating to change
Some 18 months ago, BT Global Services set out on a major programme of sales and marketing transformation. We talk to Chris Blundell about the story so far. There was a time when Chris Blundell spent his time driving from customer to customer in a yellow van – back in the day Blundell was a telecom engineer. Now, however, his…
Saturday, January 28th, 2017
Born to transform
Incoming Executive VP & President of International Business at Allergan, Marc Princen is invigorated by what he does best – building and transforming businesses – and he’s about to apply his extensive leadership experience in his new role in the medical aesthetics, eye care, GI and neurology space. Marc Princen is a newbie having just taken up his position with…