Practical Tips

I love this description of sales from Col Fink. “Sales is the process of coaching someone through a buying decision.”  I would add that “all sales is leadership”. Our job in sales [...]

“Could you send me some information?”  How many times have you heard this from a prospect you’ve just contacted?  And how do you answer this?  Do you say, “Sure – where would [...]

What’s a client really worth to your business?  It depends on whether you take a transactional or long term view. Every new client costs you time, money and effort to bring in.  [...]

Meet Carl. He’s a wonderful relationship builder who enjoys talking to prospects and clients. People are always willing to chew the fat with him and enjoy his calls. Carl’s great when it comes [...]

We live in the information age where you can get educated on just about any topic – free!  Just Google it. Back pre-internet, the meme was “Knowledge is power”.   But given that [...]

Selling to senior executives?  Ask thought provoking questions which help them evaluate their challenges and opportunities in a new light. The “old” sales model of “What keeps you awake at night” suggests [...]

There are only 2 categories of people in your world.  Those you know and those you don’t.  And guess which is the bigger one! This translates directly to sales people.  There are [...]

Do a job, get a job!  It’s a great mantra shared by a colleague, Lauren Jones.  Put simply, every time you deliver a piece of work for a client think about what [...]

Many years ago I was being interviewed for a senior management position.  I’d been through a number of interviews when my prospective boss said he’d LONDON, UK - 19TH DECEMBER 2014: [...]

There’s a great saying, “If you assume, you make an ass of you and me”. Making assumptions can be dangerous, especially in sales. Thinking you know what your clients really value about [...]

Some of the very best salespeople I’ve known are raging introverts.  Quiet, introspective types who are never the life of the party. They all share one thing in common.  A deep curiosity. [...]

There’s a wonderful saying, “Opportunity dances with those already on the dance floor”.  Translate that into a business setting and there’s often opportunity to sell more when you’re delivering services. Open your [...]

Speaking with a client recently reminded me of John Gray’s book Men are from Mars, Women are from Venue and how it applies to sales. Put simply men like to solve problems.  [...]

Why your product is irrelevant!   Okay, let me contextualise this. Your product is relevant and your clients will want to know what it is but and this is a big but, [...]

How often do you contact a prospect to move a sale forward?  How persistent are you?  Do you give up after the first “no”? Most people give up way too early. So [...]

It’s international Women’s Day.  Which reminds me of a great quote from the mother of a friend who said, “Our husbands may think they’re the head of the family, but we’re the neck who [...]

I have a mantra in sales.  Seek first to understand, and only then to be understood. Your job as a salesperson is to get to the heart of what’s happening in your [...]