Topic

academy

A collection of 126 issues

Pants On Fire

We had an objection handling workshop over brekkie this morning. And would you credit it, a new objection has landed! Well, of course that’s impossible, as there are never new objections. In fact, every single product can only ever come across a handful. And price is not an objection

You Get 3 Pops

The top rep at a client of mine has been on his patch for several years. I’m not sure exactly how long, but he talks of knowing customers for 17 years. As a reward for successful service, he’s just been given a new role. It’s what the

Don't Miss Out On Prospect Theory

A truly fascinating concept I’ve just been introduced to is critical to a rep’s success. Prospect Theory was uncovered in 1979 by two psychologists keen to explain economic decision making (Daniel Kahneman & Amos Tversky). Their findings were simply that people are less likely to do something that

Forecast Qualification Routine

Spent an enjoyable afternoon in the company of an old pal of mine watching the Rugby. He’s scaled dizzying heights bean counting for one of the world’s largest retail luxury brands. He got to telling me about a future cash flow pinch he’s luckily uncovered. The forecast

Cold Call Tip Reminders

It’s funny sometimes how patently unconnected experiences can smash together to give you a selling idea. Just before lunch I received a cold call. Someone was trying to peddle some server cabinets. Normally I wouldn’t have to field such overtures, but my main man in Cape Town is

Triple Sales Leader Focus

Waiting in a reception I turned towards the back of the FT lying there for a quick business related morsel. The book review [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f0a8933a-92cd-11dc-b9e6-0000779fd2ac.html] greeted me of a fella with decades of industry-shaping experience on ‘strategy and resource allocation’; Joseph Bower. Strangely

Self-Design Prompt

Speaking with one of my client’s reps yesterday, he gave me insight into what worked for him when selling insurance in a previous life in his native America. One of his favourite questions at the very start was “if you were designing your own solution, what would you have

Business Intimacy Admission

I came across a cracking piece of best-practice yesterday talking to a customer of mine that helped the fella selling IT gain a jump over his rivals to win a 40k deal. The prospect had used their kit in the past, but had little if any loyalty. Suspecting he was

Meddic Sales Process

Searching for a pair of old Ray-Ban shades, I came across some slides from a training course I once attended on a terrific sales process. The mnemonic ‘meddic’ comes from: Metric Economic buyer Decision making process Decision making criteria Identify pain Champion You will only sell a solution if you

Breaking Their Habit

Here’s insight gained from a lovely fella called “Lachie”, selling engineering supplies into a brand new patch for his company. The last time he embarked on such a task, within two years he went from zero to full quota, all from a standing start. His secret is focusing on