Welcome back to The Sales Apprentice! It’s week 3 and we’re two boys down. The girls think that the weakest boys have gone and they will have the weakest link this week but I’m not so sure… Tonight’s task was to find 10 items for the Savoy Hotel which was just finishing a 3 year, £200 million refurbishment. The team which could find the 10 items in one day and spend the least money would be the winner. Simples. Or so you might think… Lord Alan positioned this task as one of organization, of negotiation and of buying skills … [Read more...]
The Sales Apprentice 2011: Sales Training & Business Development Tips From The Hit TV Show, Week 3
May 18, 2011 By 3 Comments
Feedback! The Food Of Champions!
May 18, 2011 By 1 Comment
To be a good salesperson you need to have a fair amount of resilience and, some might say, a modicum of ego. Certainly, when you are being rejected or told, “No” you need to be able to shake it off, refloat your boat and steer your way back on course. But you also need to hear what’s being said by the people rejecting you so that you can learn from it and improve your approach, techniques and strategies next time. As a sales motivational speaker (and in my past lives as a sales trainer, sales director and sales manager), I have had the … [Read more...]
What Constitutes A Menial Job? Piffle!
May 12, 2011 By 2 Comments
Excuse me whilst I spit feathers... Ok, done! There was an article in one of the national papers today which read, "Meanwhile, research published today shows that many graduates are ending up in menial jobs such as waitressing." I'm sure that for many people this could have just as easily read, "... such as selling." I was incensed. The sheer arrogance of the sentence is an outrage. Just so as we are singing off the same hymn sheet here... me·ni·al [mee-nee-uhl, meen-yuhl] –adjective 1. lowly and sometimes degrading: … [Read more...]
The Sales Apprentice 2011: Sales Training & Business Development Tips From The Hit TV Show, Week I
May 10, 2011 By 2 Comments
This year I have decided to cover The Apprentice a little differently. Partly I thought that it was time for a change but also with a large percentage of my newsletter list based around the world I decided that it was also necessary. In my weekly newsletter I may or may not pick up a theme from The Apprentice, like I did this week, but I am moving the Apprentice review and tips into a video format and you can either watch this here on the blog or on Youtube Sales Training Channel.I think this will end up being more fun for those who care and … [Read more...]
Stand Up & Yell, “I Am Proud To Be A Sales Professional.”
May 10, 2011 By 3 Comments
I was watching The Apprentice last night and as Sir Alan Sugar fired Edward the boy’s team leader he told him never to be ashamed of what he is best at doing. This was great advice and it reminded me of the many sales and business people I have met over the years who are ashamed or embarrassed of selling. If you are ashamed or embarrassed of being a sales professional is it hardly surprising when you’re not very successful at it? Who’d want to do something whole-heartedly and well that they were ashamed of? Selling is a noble … [Read more...]
No Chance, You’re Over The Hill!
April 28, 2011 By 1 Comment
Recently I have been toying with the idea of playing the trumpet. This isn’t a plan and it’s not a goal, it’s just something I fancy having a go at. I’ve thought about the saxophone for years but when I started doing a little research I discovered I really quite liked the trumpet. Here are a few examples of some stuff I liked.... You Raise Me Up, Lily Was Here, Song For You, Haydn Trumpet Concerto. But the truth is… it might not be for me, I might not like it and I might not enjoy it. Until you try, how do you know these … [Read more...]
Cold Calling Sucks & It’s Only Going To Get Worse…
April 20, 2011 By 5 Comments
I was the motivational speaker at a sales conference the other day and one of the Sales Directors came up to me to ask about the future of cold calling. He explained that he had a sales team of some 100+ salespeople and that they all had to set up their own appointments and that one of the primary ways of doing this was on the phone. He went on to describe what a nightmare this was and how it was seemingly getting harder every day. I won’t bore you with the whole conversation but I am sure just a few snatches of it will feel … [Read more...]
Remembering The Power Of Now
March 23, 2011 By 2 Comments
As a sales motivational speaker, I sometimes find myself moved by the story behind the story in films. Last night, I watched the film Click with Adam Sandler and Kate Beckinsale. I’d seen parts of it before but not the whole film. In it Michael Newman (Adam Sandler) is an architect who lives a fairly normal life with a wife, children and a job. One night he finds a ”universal remote control” which can skip parts of his life that he finds boring, upsetting or otherwise does not want to take part in. At first, Michael uses it to skip a … [Read more...]
Talking Sales Success Summit
March 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Have you checked out the Talking Sales Success Summit yet? Over two days I will be interviewing 10 experts on what separates sales superstars from sales dreamers and sales rockstars from sales losers. During 10 hours of pure sales training gold I will be seeking to discover secret sales strategies, little known selling tactics and proven techniques that you can use right away to make more sales. And you’ll be pleased to know that I have hand-picked these experts not because of the books they’ve written (although many of them have) nor … [Read more...]
