Sales Skills - A modern approach to winning business

‘What a time to be in sales!’

I’ve heard people say this various times in many different ways – excited, exasperated, worried, pessimistic, optimistic, happy, sad, confused – the whole range of human emotions.

This is an exciting time to be in sales, if you are selling B2B complex solutions.[KB1] It’s a time when you can bring huge value to your customers; it’s a time to thrive. But you need to know how, as it is a time unlike any before. The rules have changed and as a sales professional you can have a hand in redefining how the game is played.

I have been in and around sales since the age of 8, when I started ‘helping out’ in the family business at the Boxing Day sale. Twenty-two years ago I founded a sales training consultancy and have travelled round the world fourteen times visiting thirty-six countries and worked with over 10,000 salespeople. I have delivered projects that range from implementing a European academy for a leading beer brand, via developing sales skills in the Middle East for global healthcare companies to introducing account development and sales leadership models in Latin America and Europe for IT and engineering multinationals.

This experience has been invaluable in understand the things that really make a difference in modern selling, and I addressed these in my first book Selling Through Partnering Skills.

These ideas form the basis of my work with sales professionals involved in complex B2B sales, to develop their approach and ensure it is up to date and has maximum impact.

Challenges salespeople face can be broadly summarised as:

· ‘Busy Busy Busy’ – this is being ineffective; it results in wasted opportunities, is tiring and stressful and means the focus is on the wrong activities to deliver results

· ‘Olde Worlde’ – this is being old-fashioned; when salespeople are self-centred rather than customer-focused, too technical in their approach or use bad techniques better suited to a bygone era of selling

· ‘Muddled Mindset’ – this is being misaligned; it can happen at organisation, management and individual level and the confusion leads to frustration and wasted effort.

By using a more collaborative approach salespeople can make a difference and sales can become a force for good and fight against the negative image it can often be associated with.

This course provides a brief introduction into the skills that can be used.