Selling for non-sales people

Don’t interrupt!

May 8, 2013

Guest blog from Robert Terson – author of ‘Selling Fearlessly’ I know a person who is a serial interrupter – and I’m not exaggerating in the slightest; every time I’ve been in his presence it’s been a constant annoying phenomenon. Annoying and blatant to the point that I don’t want to be around him. He’s close to [...]

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Rasheed Ogunlaru interviews David Tovey

May 7, 2013

Principled Selling video interview. Rasheed Ogunlaru, author of ‘Soul Trader – Putting the Heart Back Into Your Business’  interviews David Tovey about Principled Selling in a sunny and breezy Green Park, London.  

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Putting sales back into business development

April 20, 2013

Proud to be in sales I had a very interesting telephone conversation with a lawyer this week. When I mentioned sales coaching he said “our partners don’t tend to use the selling word David – they prefer to talk about business development”. My response was to say that in that case I probably wasn’t the best [...]

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6 reasons to be great at asking questions

February 19, 2013

Asking insightful questions is a key communication skill for business winners and leaders. Why? 1)    Insightful questions can cause another person to reflect, and think deeply about issues that your questions made them aware of. 2)    Great questioning allows you to lead a conversation with a light touch – keeping it on track with leadership [...]

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Building trust through understanding

February 13, 2013

Getting under the iceberg “Seek first to understand then to be understood” –  Dr Stephen Covey When groups I work with explain the most common reason for them or their colleagues losing a sale, the answer is almost always ‘price’. When they describe how they won their best customers, they never give one-word answers. When [...]

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The qualification gap – getting to ‘yes’ without closing

February 12, 2013

How to avoid a misunderstanding In a previous blog I explored the need to ask for commitment without resorting to tired and outdated ‘closing’ techniques.  To avoid falling back on to what can appear to be pressure tactics, the seller and buyer need to move through the sales process at the same pace – and the [...]

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Asking for commitment – without ‘closing’

January 28, 2013

Get better at asking You won’t win business unless you know how to ask for commitment from your customers or clients. There is sometimes a perception that gaining commitment is about doing things to prospects – persuading, convincing, being gung ho, handing objections, moving things forward and ‘closing’ the deal. It’s a perception based on [...]

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A marketing-supported sales journey – reality or nirvana?

November 12, 2012

Guest post by Bryony Thomas – Author of ‘Watertight Marketing’  Much is made of the divide between sales and marketing. It’s certainly makes for interesting debate, but it does absolutely nothing for your bottom line or your business reputation. So, let’s spell it out. How exactly should these two disciplines work together? You will generate more [...]

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You are a salesperson – not an actor

November 2, 2012

Being human gets results We are actors – we’re the opposite of people! – Tom Stoppard, Playwright   OK, the worst kept secret is out – you are in sales. Whether you sell full time or as part of your wider role, from the moment you start the phone call, the moment you connect at [...]

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Inspirational Sales Leadership – Part One

June 13, 2012

Whether you have a team of full-time sales professionals or lead a team of fee earners in a professional practice, the skills needed to build a culture of Principled Selling are those of a sales leader. Sales leadership is one of the hardest and most critical leadership roles in any organisation. Leading fee earners and [...]

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