Thursday, January 28th, 2016

Five key issues around ethics and performance

Professor Mark Johnston explores the conundrum of the high-performing, low ethics salesperson. Organizations strive to hire, train, develop and enable salespeople to reach a high level of performance. Of course, as every sales manager knows, only a few can truly be considered “high performers”. Research on high-performing salespeople suggests they are different and often require sales managers to “adjust” their… 

Thursday, January 28th, 2016

Mapping Motivation

Mapping Motivation – Unlocking the Key to Employee Energy and Engagement by James Sale, Gower, January 2016, 978-1-4724-5927-5, £45 Selling successfully is hugely dependent on motivation and author James Sales seeks to provide the definitive book on the subject – its language and metrics are full of knowledge, insight and practical tips. The contents explore the concept and roots of… 

Monday, July 6th, 2015

Personal growth leads to business growth

As part of his MSc Professional Practice in Sales Leadership, Sony Mobile’s Gustavo Mancera describes how research and reflection led to a new mind-set and approach that created differentiation in the marketplace. Background I started in my current role as a key account manager at possibly one of the most challenging times this company has faced. Senior management had left… 

Wednesday, July 1st, 2015

Can’t pay, won’t pay!

Why it has become commonplace for organisations to seek to avoid paying commission earned by salespeople? Commission payments seem so simple in concept: the salesperson wins a deal and the employer pays a certain percentage of its value to reward him or her for this success and the benefit it brings to the company. In reality, incentives are a minefield:… 

Saturday, April 11th, 2015

Can two stars ever shine together?

Last year’s spat between Mercedes Formula 1 team drivers has implications for the performance of business teams, a recent study suggests. HOW does a sales manager harness the abilities of two competing star performers in the sales team to best advantage? The manager’s skill at getting the best out of his team could have a significant impact on the fortunes… 

Tuesday, April 7th, 2015

Leaders link ethics to performance

What is the relationship between sales ethics and business performance? Professor Mark Johnston takes us through the latest research. From Apple to Volkswagen, the axiom – ethical business is good business – is firmly embedded in today’s corporate culture. While this ethical business model is driven at all levels and throughout the organisation, nowhere is it more important than the… 

Tuesday, April 7th, 2015

Character wins through

Is there link between a leader’s character and business performance? Research conducted by Dr Fred Kiel and his team indicates there is. Here, he talks to editor Nick de Cent. NdeC: Can you summarise the link between high-character leaders* and business performance? FK: We studied the lives and leadership skills of over 100 CEOs. We interviewed and surveyed these CEOs,… 

Tuesday, April 7th, 2015

What qualities define performance?

Verbal acuity, an achievement-oriented personality, the ability to display situational dominance and inward pessimism are the key attributes of high-performing salespeople compared with their less-successful counterparts, according to a specialist in “sales linguistics”. Writing in Harvard Business Review on 18 March, Steve W Martin asked the question: “What separates high-performing salespeople who exceed their quota from underperformers who miss their… 

Tuesday, April 7th, 2015

Marines inspire Toshiba TEC’s development focus

In the crowded UK office equipment market, what are the chances a manufacturer could double sales through its dealer channel within five years? Not only is it a tough goal but it’s one that Toshiba Tec UK expects to achieve a year ahead of schedule, according to the Indirect Division’s sales director Carl Day. Day attributes much of the success…