After closing a sales conference this week, one of the audience approached me to ask about a sales presentation that they had recently failed to win. They wanted to know what they could have done about it and how they could improve their chance of winning a similar pitch next time. After asking a few questions it became patently clear that the reason why the sale had failed was that the salesperson had never been treated as an equal by the client and was never really in the running. Many things had not gone perfectly… Prior to the … [Read more...]
The Sales Apprentice 2011: Sales Training & Business Development Tips From The Hit TV Show, The Final
July 18, 2011 By 8 Comments
So last night, bumbling but friendly inventor Tom Pellereau, who from now on I shall call Caractacus Potts (after the rather nice but boffin father in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), won The Apprentice and in doing so made something of a mockery of actually bothering with the weeks and weeks of tasks... Despite ten weeks of competition in which he had only been on the winning side three times and had spent more time being called nice but useless by Uncle Alan, he walked away with the top prize of £250k investment in his business. He might rue the … [Read more...]
The Sales Apprentice 2011: Sales Training & Business Development Tips From The Hit TV Show, Week 2
May 12, 2011 By 1 Comment
Here is my video log of sales tips, business development strategies and personal development thoughts from The Apprentice, week 2. It's worth watching whether you watch The Apprentice or not. The transcript is below for thos who don't want video... Transcript of the video below... Hi, my name is Gavin Ingham. Welcome to week 2 of my sales tips from The Apprentice! Now, you know, one of the questions that people ask me is, "Why? Why The Apprentice?” and I think people who read my blogs and watch my videos, they tend to fit into one … [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...]
The Sales Apprentice 2010: Sales Training Tips From The Hit TV Show, Week 3
October 20, 2010 By 3 Comments
Well, I don’t know about you but I thought that tonight’s Sales Apprentice was probably one of the most clueless performances from all concerned that we have ever had the pleasure of seeing. Sure, there were some okay “sales” performances but I don’t really call smiling and offering muffins in the street, sales. If it is, then we really need to be concerned for the economic future of the UK. Anyway, cheery bagel -banter aside, this week’s performances were hopeless. But before we get going here are the sales training tips for … [Read more...]
How Not To Sell High Value Products & Services
July 26, 2010 By 2 Comments
At the back end of the year last year I moved house and over the last few months we have been gradually putting our own touches to the house. I don’t have a lot of time (what with speaking at sales conferences and writing sales books and audios) and I don’t do things myself and I am very much of the belief that if I can pay someone to do something and I can get on with my life then that’s great. This makes me something of a salesperson’s dream because if the deal’s right I don’t shop around and I will make a decision fast... and not … [Read more...]
The Sales Apprentice 2009: Sales Training Tips From The Hit TV Show, Week 12, The Final
June 7, 2009 By 1 Comment
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 sales motivation and mindset... Top sales performers perform, they don’t talk about performing. Sales is not about what you say … [Read more...]
The Sales Apprentice 2009: Sales Training Tips From The Hit TV Show, Part X
May 27, 2009 By 2 Comments
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 later... Tonight’s task was to select products to sell live on a TV shopping channel. The team that sold the most would win. A task like this … [Read more...]
The Sales Apprentice 2009: Sales Training Tips From The Hit TV Show, Part III
April 8, 2009 By 10 Comments
Week 3, the car, circa 6am and the boys were talking. Ben, he of “to me making money is better than sex”, was pumped up and ready for the third task, “I’m not nervous, whoever is up against me, their arseholes are going to be twitching like rabbits’ noses”. Sir Alan had called the candidates to the new athletic complex at Lee Valley, the elite Olympic training ground East of London, “Here we are at Lee Valley athletics centre... fitness is big business... people can hardly afford to pay for a membership at those fancy gyms, … [Read more...]
The Sales Apprentice: Sales Training & Business Development Tips From The Hit TV Show, Part IX
May 21, 2008 By 6 Comments
Well! Well! Well! What was that all about? What did you miss if you chose to watch Man U and Chelsea rather than tuning in to Sir Alan and his wannabee business moguls! After tonight’s Apprentice I was left feeling that something must have been left out in the editing, that something must be lost in translation somehow... Tonight’s show was an odd one with few or no sales training lessons to learn but plenty of mini-lessons in personal development, management and presenting. Week 9 – Atishu! Atishu! We all fall down. At the … [Read more...]
