Supported by Ulster Bank, Small Business Can is the fastest growing small business network in the UK & Ireland today. (more…)

Buyers in Fortune 1000 organizations say the challenge facing professional sales teams is to adapt how they sell to how buyer’s are going to buy.  They have told us that high value buying is developing into a science around the allocation of scare recourse to major projects and purchases. (more…)

Please read the following post from my good friend Jonathan Farrington, It’s simply unbelieveable but unfortunately it’s true.

When Plagiarism Is NOT Flattering

I would like to introduce you to Michael J. Roman - Michael who? Exactly. But after today, I suspect so many more people will be familiar with that name, as it flies around the “Blogosphere” and becomes the topic of much “Twittering” (more…)

Small is Beating Big

I’ve been noticing a not so subtle trend lately. One that should really get small businesses excited about the future.

Small is beating big for major accounts–Fortune 500 kind of accounts.

How is this possible? How are Chris Brogan and Jason Falls beating Oglivy Interactive, BBDO, Campbell-Ewald and the like for big-time interactive marketing and social media clients. How is Jeremiah Owyang and Altimeter Group beating Forrester and Gartner? (more…)

In the words of the great Dolly Parton.  However, in your job are you able to switch off when you leave the office or when you shut the computer down?

I appreciate that in the hotel industry and similar, which I grew up in, then the hours are erratic and you’re on call to the residents during unsociable hours perhaps.

I believe for most SME’s these days that they need to be thinking like an hotel – whenever the customer wants to contact you, make sure you’re available.  Maybe it’s because of my upbringing that I feel this way – I’m sure you’ll let me know if I’m wrong. (more…)

Borrowed this idea from @barneyausten over at My Project Tracker blog.

“I read a great post from Chris Brogan the other week about using a blog post to be able to share more about why you recommend following someone on Twitter. I thought it was a great concept”

Here are some top #sales folks to follow on Twitter (more…)

If you are looking for a really intelligent & Interesting conversation about modern selling, you could do a lot worse than this post The World’s Greatest Salesperson! from David Brock (Make sure to read the comments, there great!). The post stems from OgilvyOne’s contest to find the world’s greatest salesperson As Dave points out “It’s an intriguing notion” but unfortunately Ogilvy misrepresent selling as the “craft of persuasion” to pitch, to pry, to persuade. (more…)

“If I told you what it takes to reach the highest highs, you’d laugh and say, ‘Nothing’s that simple.’ But you’ve been told many times before, Messiah’s pointing to the door, and no one had the guts to leave the temple.” – from “I’m Free” by The Who (more…)

As a Project Manager, you need to manage people, money, suppliers, equipment-the list is never ending. The trick is to be focused. Set yourself 5 personal goals to achieve. If you can meet these simple goals for each project, then you will achieve total success. So read on, to learn… (more…)

You have no doubt heard the saying ‘discovery is not about seeking out new lands, but looking at existing lands with new eyes’.  Well, that pretty much sums up the rationale behind lateral, or creative thinking. (more…)

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The environment in which salespeople now sell has changed considerably. The process of buying has changed – therefore the process of selling has changed accordingly…. Markets are smaller and more complex – there are less genuine opportunities for salespeople to sell…. Decision makers and the people involved in decision making have changed meaning purchasing decisions are now longer and much more complex. Reality check! The bottom line is that the market will not adapt or return for the salesperson, it is now up to the salesperson to change – so as to meet the needs of this new sales environment. If you are still a salesperson in 2010, firstly congratulations – here are 5 recommended strategies you can employ towards getting on top of your target this year.

1. Start by Moving the Target Up

What? I hear you ask, my target is challenging enough without putting additional target and pressure on top. Wrong! Sales are ultimately about smart averages, so putting your target up a notch means you give yourself more breathing space from the get go. In planning for a higher target, you automatically increase your chances of hitting and exceeding your original target. It’s a simple fact!

2. Analyse Performance and then Plan for Success

It amazes me to this day how many companies continue to use KPIs badly and how many salespeople insist on trying to fudge the figures. Your KPIs are one of the mostly deadly sales tools you have. A proper and realistic analysis of your KPIs will provide you with everything you need to know and do to improve your performance. In short, they provide you with the building blocks for both your long-term and short-term sales planning.

So KPIs provide you with the relevant information and your sales plan decides how and where you intend to spend your time. You will need to plan for long-term (yearly) and short-term (monthly, weekly). It’s critical that you get this right, because your time is your ultimate resource in sales – so ensure that you are spending it wisely. In the words of a famous ex-Manchester united captain “Fail to prepare, prepare to fail”

3. The Trick is to Prospect rather than Close

A key skill for all sales people in this environment is their ability to find genuine prospects. Its takes time and research but it pays to do so. A problem for a great many salespeople right now is that rather invest in prospecting, they are choosing instead to invest in closing. In other words, they are continuing to spend the majority of their time chasing prospects that don’t want to buy rather than finding prospects that do. You could almost call it, a type of sales madness. Remember, research is the key piece when prospecting. The more thorough your research, the better prepared you will be to meet the decision maker and ultimately the greater your chances of success.

4. Selling is Easier when you Embrace Technology

While technology may on one hand threaten the very role of the salesperson, it also assists us to be increasingly more effective and professional. Information is freely and widely available on the organisations and the people that we want to sell to. It is now easier than ever to connect with these people and networking can happen at speeds unimaginable only a few years ago. A salesperson that is not willing or afraid of these new tools will quickly be left behind. Embrace rather fight technology, it just made selling a whole lot easier.

5. Become a Business Person, not a Sales Person

In 2010, being a salesperson alone no longer cuts the mustard. Prospect’s time is increasingly valuable; they are only interested in speaking to people who will bring lots of value to any conversations. The flipside is that you now are expected to know a lot more than merely what you sell. The salespeople that will succeed will be those who bring with them developed and strong business acumen. They will be those who can step behind the desk of the senior managers within organisations and see the world through their eyes.

This means that the role of salesperson is also that of someone who has an aptitude and appetite to constantly better oneself. If your company are lacking in their support in this regard, you must pick up the slack, and consciously devote both your person and time to learning. The wealth of available information means that this is now very easy to do. So whether it is reading a business book a month or subscribing to some top class business blogs, it will not happen unless you make it so.

My Sales Prediction for 2010…..

While 2009 could be considered perhaps survival of the fittest in terms of its effect on professional sales and sales people, it is my prediction, that in 2010 – we may start to see the survival of the most knowledgeable. I am not one who subscribes to the theory that technology is making sales a redundant profession. It is my belief that what we are actually seeing is the start of the true professionalism of sales. It would make me exceedingly happy if this turns out to be the case…. Please be sure to share your strategies towards making target in the comments section below and the very best of luck in 2010.