How to create meaningful sales measures

We wrote last month about the importance of sales funnel measures. This month we’re focusing more on sales measures and results. How many sales measures should I have? A question you might want to consider is how many sales measures you should have. We’ve seen everything from one to twenty! We’ve yet to see a…

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…

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…

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…

What’s a sales culture and how do I get one?

Building a strong sales culture is critical to building a successful business. But it’s much easier said than done. Sales culture isn’t really about sales; it comes from a combination of leadership and teamwork. In this blog post, we’re exploring ‘what’s a sales culture and how can you build one in your business?’. Perhaps the…

What’s Customer Lifetime Value and why is it important?

Sometimes, companies will be all over you when you’re making your initial purchase but will disappear as soon as you’ve made your decision to buy. This may be because they don’t understand the importance of customer lifetime value.

How to attract the right customers for your business

Identifying and attracting the right customers for your business isn’t always an easy task and you’ll often need to make tough choices at both a strategic and operational level to optimise your sales. Remember those grammar tests you were set at school? The ones where you completely changed the meaning of a sentence by emphasising…

When’s the best time to start selling?

when is the best time to start selling? Sales start now

Short answer: The best time was yesterday, so if you’re too late then start today. This is a discussion we’ve heard a few times recently. It’s often asked in the context of a new product or service. Maybe it’s not fully formed or there’s more work required to perfect the offering. Quite naturally this might…

When’s the right time to create a business strategy?

This question came up with clients a couple of times in February. This challenge is especially acute as 2022 kicks off with so many uncertainties. Many organisations have seen their “known knowns” torn apart in the last two years. Brexit was followed by the pandemic, which in turn has been eclipsed by a brutal war…

The danger of absorbing inflation into price

Last week that dreaded message popped up on my dashboard: Warning! Tyre pressure alert! Just a few days earlier I’d topped up the air so this one looked like being a slow puncture. Yes, there was enough air to get home, but the diary was packed for the next 48 hours with little chance of…

How to use questions to improve the skills of your sales team

You’re busy, it’s been a long day and another sales-person is asking for guidance or help. Is answering your sales team’s questions a good thing to do or not? And what’s the alternative? Does it save you time to jump straight to the answer? Undoubtedly in that moment it does – and if you’ve been around…