Salespodder (Page 370)

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Arm Yourself

Had one too many with a few pals the other night, two of whom were once reps in the paper trade. From various sources, they had alarming evidence that 2009 may prove more economically traumatic than most might have feared. Possibly Europe’s largest supplier was in the process of

Avoid Delusion

I’m not quite the fan of Dragons’ Den that once I was, but I did enjoy reading the twelve tips to running a new business from one of Dragons that comes from a retail background on the beeb’s website [http://news.bbc.co.uk/panorama/hi/front_page/

A 2-Minute Talk

I was in a prospect’s reception yesterday suitably early and whilst waiting for my allotted hour, glanced through a paper on hand. I discovered a tale of how an author was put off performance for life after an unsavoury childhood experience. At school, he flunked a public speaking style

Double Decker Sandwich

There’s a local coffee shop I occasionally use. I do wonder how it makes money. It reminds me of the ending scene in Midnight Run, where accountant Grodin advises bounty-hunter De Niro he should move on from his dream of opening a restaurant as they never make any money.

Who’s The Enemy?

Listening to all these doom-merchants about the perilous state of the global economy can really get a positive fella down. I’m getting beyond sick of it, actually. These guys need to pick a new enemy. It is not the recession. Absolutely not. I blogged a few years back about

Incumbent Pitch Focus

Psephology may be a word only used in secret by fans of Newsnight, yet its pursuit may have thrown out an essential tip for those of us whom, as incumbent suppliers, are forced to enter into a beauty pageant to secure the next contract. Clients will hold these for a

What Info Is Thin On The Ground?

From the blog of a London Business School strategy prof, I happened across an explanation of how people become seen as beacons of killer info [http://freekvermeulen.blogspot.com/2009/01/information-overload-and-how-to-deal.html] . When I deliver solutions aimed at spreading best-practice throughout each nook and cranny of a salesteam, the

Reduce To Produce

This is the title of a live initiative I’ve come across within engineering giant BAe. They’ve apparently realised that they can save money bycannibalising the unused output, stores and resource of slow-moving or semi-hidden projects to make huge savings elsewhere. One such example of which I learned included

Ability v Will

Spent an enjoyable evening in the company of Jameson’s and a friend that has been a little disturbingly obsessing about America lately. Mind you, after half-an-hour hearing about WW2 General Paton’s tactics and outlook on life, I was raring to storm enemy lines myself. His current mantra is

Write It Down

Chalk another one up for the planning brigade. Michelle Mone, who founded what is apparently now, just over a dozen years later, Britain’s largest luxury lingerie brand in Ultimo, was quizzed on the Beeb as to how she got started. The story is a familiar entrepreneurial one. Left school