What’s the difference between leaders and managers?

“Leaders focus on doing the right thing and Managers focus on doing things right” So goes the well known quote. But is it as simply defined as this? And would it even be desirable for everyone to be a leader if that left an organisation with too few people to ensure things were done right?…

What sort of sales training does my business need?

It’s surprising how often companies decide they need sales training before answering this key question. In many ways the decision is a no-brainer: Good sales training helps you engage better with customers and it helps motivate and keep great sales people. So budget time comes around again and everyone agrees “sales training” is something that…

5 mistakes that lead to unsustainable sales deals

Sustainable selling is something we frequently speak about. Why is that? It’s because sales is a specialism that’s full of people offering quick fixes, which can result in unsustainable sales. Search Google for sales questions and you’ll find plenty of “clever” questions designed to manipulate customers. Not to mention the countless lead gen businesses promising…

We go beyond… the bottom line | B Corp

One of the hardest questions we’re asked is why we became a B Corp. You sense people expect an epiphany moment. A life-changing story about the do or die moment when we walked out of a high-flying job because we couldn’t live the company values. OR holding our first grandchild and realising the importance of…

Moving sales from an artform to a science

Successful selling. Is it about working alongside someone and collaborating on solutions, or is it about getting them to do what you want? Is it about helping them or manipulating them? We hear both of these views and there are believers in both approaches. Nor is it easy to draw the line between these styles.…

Influencing customers without pitching

Why? You might ask ? When it comes to influencing customers without pitching, just think – how many times have you met someone at a networking or business event and been forced to listen to them drone on about how important they are? At what point did you mentally switch off and start looking for…

Importance of feedback in leadership

Everyone who’s had a job will have heard an office conversation in which people profile the boss. Good or bad, most people figure out the strengths and weaknesses of the boss and are happy to compare notes by the coffee machine. Yet if this individual’s shortcomings are obvious to the entire team, why isn’t feedback…

How do you increase value for customers in 2023?

Times are challenging – there’s no surprise in that news. And the messaging everywhere is about ‘value’. Adverts for products and services claiming to be ‘better value’ compared either to a former version of themselves, or their competition. When trying to increase value for customers, what exactly constitutes value in the first place…is it the…

Lead gen – 7 reasons you should avoid spending money on it

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there was a small wooden cottage in a forest. This was home to the sales fairy. Thanks to the internet the sales fairy was able to sell lead gen services to hopeful business owners. Signing them up to unapproved mailing lists she was able to…

Do I need a coach or a mentor?

Coaching or mentoring These are different, but often discussed in the same context. Both focus on helping you develop and grow but they do it in different ways. Understanding this will help you to decide whether you need a coach or a mentor. Coaching is more likely to be question-based, content-free and agnostic. It provides…

5 ways to increase sales for 2023

We’re now at that time of year when leaves are tumbling from the trees. Clocks have gone back and you can count the days down to Christmas. It’s not the time to talk about your “beach-ready” body. But it is the time to think about your sales priorities for the new year and how you…

Sales Suspect vs. Prospect: How do you define your Suspects?

If you enjoy a good TV cop drama you could be well on the way to answering this one. So what are we talking about when it comes to a Sales Suspect vs. Prospect? A Suspect is someone who’s better defined than just a lead. You’ve done enough research into their attributes, challenges and needs…