Topic

quirky

ideas and experiences with a selling angle that come from left-field

Perseverantia

After blogging the other day someone’s observation that determination trumps all [http://salespodder.com/determination-trumps-all/], I came across a study of teacher effectiveness [http://heathbrothers.com/2010/01/what-makes-a-great-teacher/] on the thoroughly engaging Heath Brothers blog (the guys that wrote Made To Stick). Whilst teachers are of course hardly

Talk With Sensitivity

Demonstrations of definitive thinking can enrage me when it comes to presenting figures. My recent work helping to craft business plans reminds me that the kinds of projected costs and revenues they deduce ought not be presented as absolutes. This also holds true for their sibling data, any sales proposal’

Sales Kitchen-Sinking

How long should a salesperson stay in a role? It’s an issue which can vex the best of us. I remember blogging [http://salespodder.com/optimum-length-of-tenure/] about this very thing over three years ago. Whether sales rep, manager or overall boss, one commonplace argument is that three years is

Determination Trumps All

I came across this fascinating statement from the website of a chap [www.paulgraham.com] that in part funds businesses: > “Two startups want to hire me. Which should I choose? The one with the most determined and smartest founders (in that order) is the more likely to succeed.” Yes!

Gathering and Processing

In downtime I recently watched the ever-entertaining super-survivor Ray Mears [http://www.raymears.com/]. In Wild Foods, he fed himself the way our Mesolithic ancestors ate. He was particularly keen to try an usual fruit [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea-buckthorn] juice, where it’s prickly bush and delicate berry

Briefing Notes

The British press are all over new PM David Cameron and the honeymoon period has already thrown up features on ‘Cam the Man’. I caught his biographer Francis Elliott explain how he works, with my ears pricking up with specific interest around briefing notes. Apparently, he is adamant about how

First Impressions Last

A well-known truism, of course and one I was reminded of after a meeting I attended the other day. I began the forum with a simple sentence. One that put myself in the shoes of those on whom’s behalf we were outlining change and the impacts thereof. It was

Coalition Horse Trading

Being English, I’ve really only ever known majority government. Throughout my life it’s swung left and right, red or blue. Yet now as practically every tv station on the planet has covered, times they are a changing. Knock-knock hung parliament, hello coalition. It has been fascinating to watch

Minutes v Hours

Another channel surf, another talking head. This time former cabinet minister John Reid made a fascinating observation: > “in politics you can win the minutes but lose the hours” We’ve all heard a phrase around ‘won the battle, lost the war’ and the specificity of this slant is intriguing.

Political Elevator Pitch

Michael Brown was a Tory MP during the previous Conservative rule for 18-years. He is now a columnist for the Independent and a vibrant talking head on UK rolling news. He shared a delicious piece of personal experience with Margaret Thatcher. Apparently, she had instructed him to > “Get it