I say every week when talking at conferences as a sales motivational speaker that you have to Share Sales Success Stories (my powerful 4S Principle) with yourself, with your sales team and within your organization and yet, I don't share very many with you. So I thought it was about time that I rectified that so here's one that I got a couple of days ago. It says all there is to say about cold calling when it's done right (which is of course what I teach) and from the right sales mindset so I suggest you read it several times, imagine what … [Read more...]
The Sales Apprentice 2011: Sales Training & Business Development Tips From The Hit TV Show, Week 11
July 13, 2011 By 6 Comments
So it was week 11 and Jim was first up to answer the ringing phone which was put down on him when he asked if there was any dress code for the forthcoming task. I mean, seriously, if that’s how Lord Sugar’s PA treats you before you even start working for with him, I'd be checking out the small print. Tonight’s task was to set up, brand, briefly run and then get assessed on a new fast food shop with the potential to become a chain. Another convoluted task with not enough time to get things done. Was this task about creativity? Was it … [Read more...]
The Sales Apprentice 2011: Sales Training & Business Development Tips From The Hit TV Show, Week 10
July 6, 2011 By 7 Comments
So, it’s week 10 of The Sales Apprentice and we’re down to six; Natasha, Suzy and Jim facing off against Helen, Tom and Melody. Just looking at the last six I was left feeling pretty uninspired. They are none of them without their shortcomings and I don’t think I would be investing £250k into any of them from what I’ve seen and that’s before we see them torn limb from limb in the interviews and hear what crackpot business ideas they might have... And I wasn’t that inspired by tonight’s task either! I have to admit that I … [Read more...]
The Sales Apprentice 2011: Sales Training & Business Development Tips From The Hit TV Show, Week 8
June 22, 2011 By 7 Comments
Week 8 of The Sales Apprentice and it’s time for our two teams to head over La Manche to sell some wacky British products to the unsuspecting French. With only 8 Apprentices left, tonight’s task saw Suzy leading Jim, Helen and Zoe facing off against Tom “leading” Leon, Melody and Natasha. It also did a lot to clarify my thoughts about the candidates and I’m sure by now you must have your favourites too. First task of the night was to pick two products to sell. After some deliberation and some bizarre questions from Suzy (“Do the … [Read more...]
The Myth Of The Perfect Client?
June 9, 2011 By 2 Comments
Last night I was watching The Apprentice and I got thinking about when you should and you shouldn’t take on business and when you should and you shouldn't turn down business. On my travels as a sales motivational speaker I see a lot of salespeople, business owners and entrepreneurs who take on business that they should have never taken on. Business that is unprofitable. Business that is unpalatable. Business that is unmanageable. And most importantly, business that is unprofitable. When I ask about this people say things like, “Well, … [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...]
Take Life By The Throat, RIP Clive Gott
February 21, 2011 By 9 Comments
Last week one of my friends was taken into hospital with a tumour in his head. Another was rushed into hospital with ongoing issues. And then last night, I heard that Clive Gott (www.clivegott.com), professional speaker and adventurer, had died suddenly at home. I didn’t know Clive particularly well but I had seen him speak and had shared a beer with him on a couple of occasions. He was a straight speaking Yorkshire man who told it like it was, lived live to the max and believed in making every day count. His talks were from the heart and … [Read more...]
Bert Found Targeting New Prospects Essential For Succesful Lead Generation
January 4, 2011 By 1 Comment
As a sales motivational speaker and sales author I get to see many different strategies for targeting, approaching and acquiring new business. Having the right strategy for selecting and choosing new prospects is essential if you want to achieve sales superstar results. Do you have a powerful and proven strategy for acquiring new business? Do you know who your perfect prospects are and how you are going to find and approach them? Are you setting yourself up for sales success in 2011 or should you be calling Bert up for a pint and game of … [Read more...]
Time To Wipe The Slate Clean
December 31, 2010 By 3 Comments
Someone once said that many people do not have 30 years worth of work experience but 1 year repeated 30 times over. This may be a little harsh but it is, sadly, true for some. What is also true is that many people carry their failures, their losses, their old goals, their bad habits and their habitual behaviours with them from year to year. This is one of the most effective and efficient ways of ensuring that you maintain the status quo and stay stuck where you are for a long, long time... If you want to achieve more in 2011, if you want … [Read more...]
The Sales Apprentice 2010: Sales Training Tips From The Hit TV Show, Week 12, The Final
December 19, 2010 By 3 Comments
Welcome to the final of The Sales Apprentice and welcome to... Chris VS Stella. Actually, let me rephrase that, I have asked about 500 sales and business people over the last few days who should win the Apprentice this year and the vast majority think Stella so I am not sure that there is so much “VS” going on here. This really should be a one-way, walk in the park, a rout of Biblical proportions, a hammering that only Tiger Woods in his prime could have handed out... But, as a friend said to me, after Lord Sir Mr Alan Sugar fired Liz a few … [Read more...]
