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...]
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 IX
May 20, 2009 By 3 Comments
Week 9 and this week the apprentices had to select and sell two baby products per team at the Baby Show in Earls Court. The team who sold the most would win and on the losing team, someone would get the sack. Leading Ben, Debra and Yasmina (Empire) this week was James. Leading Howard and Kate (Ignite) was Lorraine. I’m really not sure who I wanted to lose this week or who I’d like to sack first. Lorraine is singularly annoying, Debra is contrary and aggressive, Ben is puffed up and ego-tastic, James is Tim-Nice-But-Dim... Howard, Kate … [Read more...]
The Sales Apprentice 2009: Sales Training Tips From The Hit TV Show, Part VIII
May 13, 2009 By 3 Comments
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 humble. The two teams quickly started coming up with ideas for the rebranding. Debra, Mona, Howard and James decided that they would try and … [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 2008: Sales Training Tips From The Hit TV Show, The Final
June 11, 2008 By 7 Comments
The final of The Apprentice 2008… Who would Sir Alan choose to be his apprentice? Would he go for the corporate girl? The “reformed” loud mouth? The “young” boy? Or the geezer? What sales training and business lessons would we learn if any? It doesn’t seem any time since we had 16 candidates and here we were with just four left and a final decision to make. The teams for tonight had already been decided last week and were Alex & Helene versus Claire & Lee. Tonight’s task was to design a men’s fragrance and then to … [Read more...]
The Sales Apprentice 2008: Sales Training & Business Development Tips From The Hit TV Show, Part VI
April 30, 2008 By 10 Comments
Tonight’s Apprentice was an interesting one although perhaps not from a sales training perspective but more from a business development angle. The task tonight was to create a range of new greetings cards and then make a sales pitch to three of the biggest suppliers in the industry – Clintons, Tesco and Celebrations. The team with the most number of cards ordered after the presentations would be the winner. Over the last few years, sales pitches, tenders and presentations have more and more become the norm in business. Many small … [Read more...]
Perfect Presentations Article At Training Zone
November 6, 2007 By 2 Comments
By Dawn Smith. Whether giving presentations is the thing you dread most, or just another day at the office, it’s a skill that can always be improved. Dawn Smith gathers some tips and advice from public speaking gurus on how to overcome stage-fright, engage the audience and make your presentations shine. The New York Times famously reported in 1984 that speaking in public was most people’s biggest fear, ranking higher than death. For a trainer, presenting to delegates is likely to be daily bread. However, even those experienced at … [Read more...]
