Watch These Sales & Marketing Thinkers in 2012 –...

As we wind down the year and look to turning a new leaf, it is time to recognize those who are working to improve the world of B2B selling and marketing – thanking them for what they do and encouraging you to reach out to learn and grow in the coming year. Developing professionally by expanding your knowledge is one of the best ways to grow market share. Please create a plan for your professional development in 2012. Keep these folks on your radar to do that:
Guy Kawasaki – you are enchanting.  Alltop is THE place to find great blogs on any topic and get a preview before you click.  Plus, like us, you love hockey.
Jill Konrath – you keep us thinking, and you write in a way… continue reading

Tis the Season… to Work!

So, here we are, enjoying the holidays: the fine meals, drinks and laughs we are sharing with our friends and family, but it seems that there will be a little (or a lot) of work in the mix.
Xobni has released their 2nd annual survey results on email behavior around the holidays… and it ain’t pretty if you’re a believer in disconnecting over the holidays.  Overall, the percentage of people checking and receiving email was shockingly similar to last year’s results, leading us to believe this is a very valid representation of email behavior over the holidays.
The highlights of the survey are as follows:
79% of U.S. working adults say they receive work email on traditional holidays like Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, etc.; and 68% with email admitted to checking it.
19% of… continue reading

The 2011 JF Review

 
I find it quite extraordinary that the original Top Sales Experts team was formed almost six years ago, and I think that is ample evidence – if we needed any – that time really does fly when you are having fun!
In 2011 over at Top Sales World, we discontinued the monthly roundtables and also the weekly Masterclasses, but that doesn’t mean that we cannot resurrect them if and when the time is right.
We added a number of new resources, including the daily tips, monthly white-papers, twice-weekly interviews and of course the monthly magazine, which has proved to be so popular.
We also welcomed Colleen Stanley, Andrea Waltz, Anthony Iannarino, John Doerr and Mike Schultz, who are all already making valuable contributions.
Our policy of admitting just four… continue reading

Are You Going to “Run Towards” 2012?

 
I am very much a “Running Towards” personality – I always have been - and I am certainly running towards 2012, in fact I cannot wait for it to begin– let me explain …
The “Running Away” Personality:
The “running away” salesperson is awoken by his alarm clock and he immediately hits the “snooze” button. Ten minutes later, the buzzer goes off again. “Just ten more minutes” he says to himself, “I won’t go for a run today” and he again activates his friend, Mr Snooze. This happens three more times and each time he determines that he will skip a vital activity in order to enjoy a few more minutes slumber – he has already decided to skip breakfast and he will shave in the car on the way to… continue reading

My Personal Favourite Post of 2011 – A Lesson in...

I have never contemplated the fact that I might be even slightly voyeuristic, but now I am not so sure.
You see, for the past month, from the comfort of my study, I have sporadically been witnessing the exploits of a very resilient pigeon, who I have affectionately named “Percy” – and yes, my choice of name may have a deeper Freudian meaning, after all wasn’t it Freud who said “Anatomy is destiny?“ but let’s not go there for now.
Percy the pigeon, and his flighty female companion Prudence – yet again, a name chosen after careful observation – first came to my attention after what I perceived to be a minor high-wire altercation - at least that was my first somewhat naive perception.
Pru was clearly making her feelings known,… continue reading

Leadership: The 2012 Model – Do You Still Report to...

 
Leadership was once about hard skills such as planning, finance and business analysis. When command and control ruled the corporate world, the leaders were heroic rationalists who moved people around like pawns and fought like stags. When they spoke, the company employees jumped.
Now, if the gurus and experts are right, leadership is increasingly concerned with soft skills – teamwork, communication and motivation. The trouble is that for many executives, the soft skills remain the hardest to understand, let alone master. After all, hard skills have traditionally been the ones which enabled you to climb to the top of the corporate ladder, aren’t they?
The entire career system in some organizations is based on using hard functional skills to progress. But when executives reach the top of the organization,… continue reading

Do You Speak the Customer’s Language?

 
In days gone by, whenever anyone mentioned “knowledge,” there would be an immediate assumption that they were going to discuss “product knowledge” That is understandable; even today, 80 percent of all training budgets are spent (invested?) on teaching sales teams all there is to know about the “product range.”
The reality is that product knowledge is no longer a differentiator. It is a very basic requirement of all successful frontline sales professionals. In other words, it’s part of the entrance exam — not a higher qualification.
Today, knowledge really is power, and that means …..
• Industry knowledge
• Sector knowledge
• Competitive knowledge
• Company knowledge
• Business knowledge (acumen)
As the discussions and debates continue regarding the future of professional selling, one fact is very clear. The relevance of a salesperson in… continue reading

2011 Top Sales & Marketing Awards – Review

So, that’s it; the bunting is being taken down as I speak; the streamers are being swept up, and the champagne glasses are being packed away for another year.
It’s time to reflect on another successful event, which brought much deserved recognition to so many individuals and companies, who have made such a valuable contribution to the way we sell and market ourselves – and this has always been the primary objective of the initiative.
Not content to rest on our laurels, we will spend a few days conducting our customary post-mortem, and examine everything in the smallest detail, to determine what can be improved next time round – always better to do this whilst everything is fresh in the mind.
I suppose my most nagging doubt, is the validity… continue reading

2012 – The Economy, Your Business and You ….

 
Over the next couple of weeks, like many other people, I am going to be forecasting out and predicting ahead to 2012.
Most people will no doubt discuss what changes they think will take place in the sales space in the coming year, and in fact I have some very definite views myself – which may surprise, if not shock many of you, after all I do apparently have a reputation as being controversial, which I need to live up to! But I am saving all of that for next week.
What I want to do today is to take a more “global” view, and share with you why I think sales in most sectors next year are going to flatline.
Most observers from across the Pond in North… continue reading

Customers Not Complaining? Be Very Worried!...

 
This evening, I “endured” a visit to the Barbour website – that most British of institutions. What an absolute nightmare. Every time I clicked on a product I wanted to order, I was confronted with either an “Out of Stock” message or a “Discontinued” one.
What on earth is going on?
Try it yourself – http://www.barbourbymail.co.uk/
I challenge you to find five items that are available in less than one hour!
Yee gods, in these times of so called hardship for the retail sector, how come these people can have so much arrogance? Don’t they realize some very basic facts of commercial life?
It is said that 91% of people don’t complain. They prefer to obtain their revenge by not buying from a business that has given them an… continue reading