grapevine

What does the natural relationship graph look like for your sector? I remember fondly the business IT cycle I first sold into. We knew how often people were likely to review their current set-up. And how likely they were to then replace their existing supplier. Such maths certainly helped with

I blogged recently touching on an alarm bell. When someone does not want something to be bought, and they attempt to drown proponents in data. Endless reams of the stuff. Then I came across this piece for my anti-inertians dreams; The Status Quo Is Risky, Too [https://hbr.org/2014/

An old-hand relayed to me their experience of meetings snagged by unending tech talk. When a buyer and vendor with a technical bent go ever deeper into and longer around the intricacies of the bid it usually spells disaster. If not a sibling then certainly a cousin of Happy Ears

Here’s a real-life message I heard dropped on a sales call the other day: > “Hi Vicky, it’s [name] from [org] here. I dealt with your predecessor Dan and would love to speak to you about some events we’ve got coming up. My number is … and I

Always pleased to hear use in solution selling of metrics, I glean current boasts from the exploding deployment of AI in recruiting. A while back I came across RPA vendors; Robotic Process Automation. Now far removed from the “Press 1” of automated call handling. We all know SkyNet is coming,

There’s plenty of coverage right now for the 25th anniversary of the terrific Channel Tunnel. From idea to project go-ahead seems to have taken around six years gestation. A couple of years later digging began. Another two on and miners starting from each side met in the middle. Four

I did chuckle at this phrase I heard recently. A wizened operator described an age-old malaise, afflicting too many an inexperienced sales meeting with a prospect. Where the prospective vendor thinks everything went great. The potential client “loves” them and their product. Yet once left, the simple “A-B-C” of questions

I always enjoy a tale from beyond Sales about selling an idea. Here’s one from the ephemeral world of radio show features. A new host took over a breakfast time popchart style radio programme with around five million tuning in daily. One trait he was determined to stamp on

Chuggers. British plague, British cure? Discuss… Opinion may be divided. But these third sector salespeople – the label derived from charity mugger – adorn/blight every high street in the land. For over a decade turning a trip to the shop into an obstacle course crossing tig with hide and seek. When