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Press Release: April 1st 2012
Jonathan Farrington, Chairman and CEO of London and Paris based Top Sales Associates, today announced the sale of the firm to Qatari company 010412.
Farrington said that the protracted negotiations had finally been completed last week, but 010412’s CEO, Sheikh Al Hoothe Fuq-r-U, was keen to meet up with some of the Top Sales Experts team, before allowing the official announcement to be made.
Hoothe Fuq-r-U kicked-off  his itinery in New York, where he had dinner with diminutive ex-ballet dancer Wendy Weiss. Wendy has not been seen since and there is the possibility that the Sheikh accidentally put her in his back pocket whilst putting his wallet away. Naturally, with the release of her new book “No More Referral Selling” due out next month, everyone… continue reading

When You Wake Up On Monday It Will Be Q2 Already

 
 
On Monday morning, 25% of our available selling time for 2012 will have passed, and we will be into Q2. However well we did in Q1, we should be prepared to objectively re-assses our current opportunities, because there are two escalating pressures in today’s marketplace that are creating a need for a more disciplined approach towards sales opportunities:
o The need to be more specialised and individualised in dealing with clients because we can no longer afford to treat all situations in the same way.
o The reality of competition – Often to increase market share, you must do so at the direct expense of the competition. The competitive intensity of the sales environment is escalating with the globalisation of the economy.
These are the main “drivers” behind… continue reading

In Search of the “Sales Holy Grail”

 
Frequently, there are two main pitfalls that even experienced salespeople can fall into in terms of activities. First, they simply aren’t doing enough. What’s enough? Enough telephone calls to make appointments, enough face-to-face calls, enough calls that involve or influence the decision-makers. In general, the more focused sales activity salespeople generate, the greater the number of sales opportunities they can create.
Poor Quality Activity
Second, but equally important, salespeople often aren’t clear about how to identify the prospects most likely to have a genuine need for their product or service. Without an objective way to priorities which prospects to contact first and/or an efficient strategy for contacting them, salespeople are doomed to waste a large percentage of their time.
Another huge dilemma for many salespeople is how to divide… continue reading

Salesforce Announce European & North American...

 
Message just in from Salesforce ….
Hi Jonathan,
Congratulations!
You’re a Striker on the European Social Success Dream Team – part of the pretty big Social Success initiative from Salesforce.com
Our team selection panel looked at hundreds of social media-related blogs and yours is one of the top eleven.
Take a look and you’ll see you’re in great company.
The Social Success Dream Team is our way of introducing the world to what we consider the best social media influencers across the globe.
There’s a North American and a European Dream Team, with great thought leaders in each position (sales ‘strikers’, marketing ‘wingers’ etc).
I just wanted to let you know you made the team and to say thanks for adding so much to the public discussion around social… continue reading

The Consequences of Dropping Our Pants Too Early

I suppose I should consider myself quite fortunate that my first sales manager was such a strong disciplinarian. By “strong” I mean he was a tough, uncompromising, unsympathetic, no-nonsense type of guy. Unfortunately he was also  bigoted, racist, homo-phobic and chauvinistic. I hated him more than anyone I have ever hated before or since – and I am pretty certain he hated me too. Most of all he resented my priviledged upbringing and my public school education – he called me “Silver Spoon” and he attempted to embarass and belittle me at every possible opportunity, which only served to drive me on to succeed.
It was an intolerable situation, and inevitably one of us would become a casualty – suffice to say, it was never going to be me. The… continue reading

Do You Know Where Your Best Practices Are?

Linda Richardson
A few weeks ago I read an article that opposed the practice of best practices as a way to improve sales performance.  Despite searching for the article I cannot locate it and because I thought that the concept of  best practices  was the apple pie of selling and no one could  or would have reason to take issue with it,  I have had a hard time getting  the article out of my mind.
The grievance against best practices as I recall from what I admit was a quick read was that best practices created a copycat effect, and therefore, would not allow for differentiation if everyone were doing the same thing.
I think another way to look at it is to recognize that best practices vary from business… continue reading

Saturday’s Guest Post

 
Many of you reading this blog today are business owners, but how many of you undertake risk assessments on a regular basis?
Just like that annual health-check, if we miss them, we are exposing ourselves to potential problems at a later date.
Today’s sponsored guest article provides some thoughts on a business owner’s guide to risk assessment
Every business owner knows that there are regulations relating to health and safety at work, not just for those who are employed in what could be termed high-risk environments, such as on the factory floor or a construction site; but also for those who work in shops and office buildings. In order to comply with these important and potentially life-saving rules, business owners need to undertake risk assessments on a regular basis.… continue reading

What You Should Be Reading This Weekend-Be a Little...

 
We have just published this month’s Top Sales Magazine – and what a bumper edition!
“So here we are, almost at the end of “Mad” March, and that means many of you will be scrambling to close down business before month/quarter end. Hopefully, we can provide you with a brief distraction, which will however be stimulating and educational – fun even!
This month, in her regular column, Linda Richardson interviews Forrester’s Brian Lambert – “If you want to know what your customers are thinking, Brian Lambert is a great person to ask.” The full interview is on Pages 6 & 7.
We have excellent articles from two members of the Top Sales Experts team: “The Five Behavioral Stages of the Sales Cycle & One Rep Error” from Dan McDade… continue reading

I Used to be Indecisive – Now I am Less Certain

 
Full disclosure: I really struggle with “ditherers.” Life is far too short.
Prudence? Sure.
Due diligence? Of course.
But in business, if you want to distinguish yourself from the average, you have to trust your judgment – absolutely have to!
While some decisions are easy (what to eat for supper for example) many more are extremely hard.
Usually, a hard decision involves greater consequences/implications or, in some cases, a higher level of resource commitment.
In reality, not all so-called hard decisions are hard. Some feel harder than others owing to scale:
* If a friend asks to borrow $5, you’re likely to oblige without thinking about it.
* If that friend asks to borrow $1,000, you’re likely to be circumspect and ask questions.
Think about that, the decision is… continue reading

The Key to Becoming “Relevant”

 
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… continue reading