The UK Sales Survey 2009

In the complex and tough markets of 2009 it is essential that every employer knows what motivates their sales teams and salespeople in general. For salespeople, it is critical that you know what motivates you. To help with this I have partnered with recruitment company Aaron Wallis to sponsor the 2009 Sales Survey. We are aiming to get responses from over 1000 sales professionals thus giving us a true... [Read more]

The Sales Apprentice 2009: Sales training tips from the hit TV show, week 12, the final

The final of the Apprentice. Cool, professional Kate versus passionate, entrepreneurial Yasmina. Their brief, design and pitch a new brand of chocolate. Sir Alan said they were his best candidates ever and that it was his hardest decision yet. Either could have won. Yasmina did. So that done (!), I thought I would sum up some of the core sales training lessons from this year’s Sales Apprentice… On... [Read more]

The Sales Apprentice 2009: Sales training tips from the hit TV show, week 11, the interviews

So I guess the biggest question tonight was which, if any, of the interviewers would you want to be interviewed by? Indeed, if their behaviour tonight was representative of their general leadership styles in the workplace which of them would you actually want to work for? But, real or not, representative of their day-to-day style or not, this was prime time TV and they had to make a spectacle of it.... [Read more]

The Sales Apprentice 2009: Sales training tips from the hit TV show, part X

If you spent tonight watching Manchester United play Barcelona in the Champions League then the good news is that you didn’t miss a lot in the way of sales training and business tips on tonight’s Apprentice. What you did miss however was Sir Alan sacking someone that, based upon your emails to me, many of you had thought would make the final. I agreed with Sir Alan’s decision but more of that... [Read more]

The Sales Apprentice 2009: Sales training hits from the hit TV show, part VIII

Week 8 and an interesting task rebranding Margate from being “a little tired” to being “a cool place to go”. Not many sales training tips this week but an interesting night and a few good tips. Leading the two teams this week were Debra and Yasmina. Yasmina declared that she was suggesting herself for this task as it required a “multitude of skills” and that she had them. Nothing if not... [Read more]

Better Business Focus magazine, May 09

One of my articles was feaured in Better Business Focus magazine, the essential key for business owners and managers, again this month. Better Business Focus magazine focuses on the way in which successful businesses in the UK compete and manage their organisations. It focuses on how people are recruited, coached and developed; on how marketing and selling is undertaken in professional markets as well... [Read more]

The Sales Apprentice 2009: Sales training tips from the hit TV show, part VI

So, here we are at week 6 and this week was all about selling… or was it? The task, to sell two identical lots of 10 new and used items for the best possible prices. The team who made the most profit would win. Sales training and business tip: Profit is not the same as sales revenues. When consulting, I often come across salespeople, sales managers and companies fixated on sales. “Sell! Sell!... [Read more]

The Sales Apprentice 2009: Sales training tips from the hit TV show, part V

This week on the Sales Apprentice the task was for our two intrepid teams to come up with a brand identity for a new product – Sir Alan’s new breakfast cereal concoction. He wanted them to name it, create a brand, think up an identity and produce an advertisement to pitch it to an agency. The team with the best campaign would be the winner. Leading Ignite this week was marketing consultant Kimberly... [Read more]

Help me, I need motivation! 10 tips for getting motivated…

When I’m at parties and people find out that I am a motivational speaker and sales training expert they often say something like, “That’s fab, can you motivate me?” Flippant questions aside, motivation is a huge part of what I do when I am consulting with companies to increase sales results and is essential if you want to build a high performance sales team or if you want to be a successful... [Read more]