Reminding CEOs of Sales' Importance

London’s Management Today mag for me frustratingly falls between two stools.  In that desolate middle ground, neither broadsheet nor tabloid, it simply doesn’t have the calibre of journalism associated with the wittiest of redtopping or well-contended quality.

What it should do, is use my old firm fave, Newsnight as a model, although a top-drawer general current affairs show, the vibe would work wonders for biz-issues only.  If only Evan Davis could be editor one month…..

You’ll see for yourself it does have the odd gem, but you’ll doubtless get bored wading through the bubble-gum before finding it.

One such sparkler came to me from two separate articles in an old forgotten issue, for when (like I do) you sell to salespeople.  Know when a CEO is falling asleep through your presentation?  Or when you’re trying to get some sales-denier colleague to sign-off on something for you?  Allow me to paraphrase from two heavyweights, to ram home the importance of investing in sales:

ex-ICI chief & ‘Troubleshooter’ (sir) John Harvey-Jones

‘the failing of European firms is their reluctance to treat sales as a profession’

Guru #1 Peter Drucker

‘the sole aim of a business is to create a customer’