The changes we see in the global landscape is changing the way our clients do business, causing the reimagination of whole industries, increasing customer expectations and behaviours, and creating a whole lot of uncertainty. I think what we do in sales is help people and companies change, we change the products and services they use, we change the way they use these products and services. And when we perform at our very best, we help our clients and the people we serve to transform their businesses and their results. This change process is non-linear because any process that includes human beings, especially in groups is non-linear. This means that the process is very rarely a straight line, and very often a process that doubles back over ground it has already covered - stops, starts again and then picks up in an unexpected place or direction again. Are your sales processes designed and written in a linear form? Contact me via e-mail for an overview of your organisations sales processes.
Awareness always makes a positive change
There is a difference between busy and being productive. Being productive is really about narrowing your focus, it’s about prioritisation and it means you carefully select what’s most important, and eliminating things that are not so important. I think you should invest your time and energy in things where it’s going to make a difference to your goals and outcomes. A successful day is a day where you make massive progress on the things that matter for you. There are only two major things that make you productive in sales, one is opportunity creation and, and the other is opportunity capture.
Contact me via e-mail when you are ready to look at your teams sales engagement, as it’s only when they have the awareness to recognise opportunities and challenges will they begin to nurture healthier relationships with others.
A multifaceted journey
Starting a business begins with a marketable skill, idea, or product. This is the foundation upon which your entire venture will be built. It could be a service you excel at, a unique product you've developed, or an innovative idea that addresses a specific need or problem in the market. I think the essence of any successful business is the ability to create value for your target audience. This value can come in various forms, for example, solving a problem, making their lives easier, providing entertainment, offering convenience, etc. When your offering resonates with your target audience, they are more likely to be willing to pay for it. Do you have a business idea? Contact me via e-mail to book a confidential 1:1 sparring session.
Become a trusted advisor
Imagine walking into a room and confidently sharing your keen observations about the current market trends. You outline the potential implications for companies and individuals who resist change. These insights are backed by your values and beliefs about the market's direction, and you find yourself at the intersection between your expertise and your clients' businesses.
You boldly present your recommendations, explaining that you stand firmly behind them. Your thoughtfulness and reflection have given you the ability to anticipate your clients' needs even before they are aware of them. This foresight establishes you as a trusted advisor in their eyes. By combining your unique perspective on the market with a deep understanding of your clients' challenges and aspirations, you can guide them towards success. As a result, you build strong and lasting relationships, cementing your reputation as a reliable and valued partner in their business endeavours. Contact me via e-mail for a 1:1 meeting.
The top 1%
There are a few essential skills and qualities that are important to acquire if you want to become a top sales earner, for example:
1. The tonality of how you deliver your message is important.
2. Persuasion techniques can significantly impact your sales performance.
3. Negotiation skills are paramount when it comes to reaching mutually beneficial agreements with clients.
4. Skilful questioning helps build rapport, gather valuable information, and demonstrate your expertise in solving their problems.
5. I think identifying and addressing the underlying problems or challenges your client’s face will make you stand out as a valuable partner.
6. Understanding human behaviour, including psychological triggers and decision-making processes, will give you an edge in sales.
7. Emotional intelligence plays a crucial role in sales by helping you build rapport, connect on a deeper level, and address the emotional needs of your clients effectively.
Remember, becoming a top sales earner takes time, dedication, and continuous improvement. It's an ongoing journey of learning and refining your skills to consistently deliver exceptional results. I think building a strong network, adapting to market trends, honing your product knowledge, and cultivating a strong work ethic are also essential elements for long-term success in sales. Contact me via e-mail for sales training and workshops.
Catalyst for further transformations
We live in an ever-evolving world, change is constant. I think the preferences and behaviours of our customers have already changed, and will continue to change and change itself will drive even more change. Sales leaders need clarity on what and how customers are buying so that sales can adapt just as quickly – at every level.
Words don't work
Persuasion is all about being able to win someone over to your way of thinking. To change someone’s thought process or behaviour. All stories are about change, yet it’s very difficult to get someone to change their mind as they have a very logical reason that they’ve built up over time. I mean they have valid reasons why they believe, both historical and cultural reasons why they believe what they believe. If I want to persuade you to accept my point of view, my story will have to move your brain away from the logical and towards an imagery and emotional experience. I think that when you temporarily suspend their logic it will create an opening for you to insert your new idea or new concept.
Sales managers vs. Sales leaders
What’s the difference between a sales manager and sales leader?
I think a sales manager is typically responsible for overseeing a team of sales representatives or salespeople. And their primary focus is on managing the day-to-day operations of the sales team, including setting sales targets, monitoring performance, providing coaching, and training, and ensuring that sales goals are met. Sales managers often have a more hands-on role in the execution and supervision of sales activities.
The role of sales leaders is not only managing the sales team, and they also play a key role in developing and implementing the overall sales strategy for the organisation. Sales leaders are responsible for setting long-term sales goals, identifying growth opportunities, establishing sales processes and best practices, fostering a sales-driven culture, and guiding the team towards achieving high-performance results. I think sales leaders should get to know salespersons and find out what drives and motivates them in their professional career and personal life. And this will make the sales leaders easier to focus on inspiring, motivating, and empowering the sales team to excel and exceed expectations.
Maintaining inner peace
Sales can be a high-pressure job, and dealing with rejection and failure can take a toll on one's mental resilience. I think that failure is a natural part of the sales process. Rather than seeing failure as a setback, try to view it as an opportunity to learn and improve. Take your time to analyse what went wrong and use that knowledge to refine your approach and become more effective in the future. Success in sales requires a combination of mental and physical resilience, as well as a willingness to learn and adapt.
It's important to find ways to maintain your mental and physical well-being to avoid burnout. Staying physically fit can definitely help you maintain mental resilience. Exercise can be a great way to release stress and boost your energy levels. In addition, finding activities that you enjoy, such as listening to podcasts or reading books, can help you relax and recharge. Ultimately, by taking care of yourself and continuously improving your skills, you can overcome the challenges of the profession and achieve your goals. Everybody’s energy comes from different sources, I attend the morning Church service in central Copenhagen and I can highly recommend it.
Routines are necessary
What do top salespersons and elite athletes have in common?
Both salespersons and elite athletes require discipline, focus, and the ability to perform consistently at a high level. No matter where you go on earth, when you meet top salespersons regardless of the industry, they all have a routine. Most sales days are unstructured so if you don’t have a routine, it’s easy to drift off into things that are trivial or “important” but they make no impact and add no value. Perhaps, I’m biased because I come from the sports world, but I have observed regardless of where you are in the world, the one thing all elite athletes have in common is routine. They all have a routine that they stick to, whether it’s a practice routine, whether it’s a game routine, they all have a “go to” routine that they always stick to. I think routine helps to eliminate distractions, builds good habits and will increases your chances of achieving success.
SPIN selling
What does SPIN selling mean?
I think that when it comes to selling high-value products a lot of classic rules don’t work and SPIN selling is the ideal sales methodology for making major sales. The term originated from the book, “SPIN Selling” by Neil Rackham in 1988. Rackham studied over 35,000 sales calls made by over 10,000 salespeople in 23 countries over a 12-year period. SPIN selling teaches you to ask situational ‘SPIN’ questions at an appropriate time to move clients through the sales funnel. SPIN questions are based around a framework of four key stages:
· SITUATION – Questions about a client’s process, tools, objectives, and responsibilities. Enabling you to learn about the client’s goals.
· PROBLEM – Questions about what challenges the client is currently dealing with to help them address their specific needs.
· IMPLICATION – Leading questions about problems uncovered in the previous step to help you understand how they negatively affect the client’s organisation. These questions will reframe the size of the problem and increase the sense of urgency in solving them.
· NEED PAYOFF - Questions about potential solutions to reveal and drive home that our product or service will benefit the client’s organisation.
Don't take it personally
I think sales is a challenging profession, and not everyone who attempts it will succeed. It's important to remember that rejection is a natural part of the sales process, and it's not always a reflection on the salesperson's abilities or performance. That being said, there are certainly things that salespeople can do to improve their chances of success, such as improving their appearance, communication skills, and presentation style.
It's also true that some clients may pick up on a salesperson's nervousness or lack of confidence, and this can be a turnoff. However, there are ways to overcome this, such as practicing sales techniques and developing a deep understanding of the product or service being sold. In addition, salespeople can seek feedback from clients or colleagues to identify areas for improvement. Ultimately, it's up to the salesperson to take responsibility for their performance and strive to improve. By doing so, they can increase their chances of success and minimise missed opportunities. Contact me via e-mail for sales coaching and training sessions.
Nobody likes rejection
Acceptance is one of the fundamental human needs, and it can influence individuals to pursue various career paths. Although sales may be a popular profession, claiming to "love rejection" during an interview is questionable, as it implies a desire for pain or a mere attempt to sound impressive. In reality, rejection is an inevitable aspect of sales, but successful salespeople are those who are willing to endure it in order to succeed. Not everyone can handle the emotional strain of prospecting and facing rejection regularly, which is why many individuals, including some salespeople, shy away from it.
Rejection is not final
The majority of people are not born to sell, selling is something that we have to learn to do, and rejection is a critical component of sales. I see rejection as nothing more than redirection, as you can’t sell an expensive product to people who don’t have the money! If you know who your target market is then you know that they need the product and you know what their price point is, therefore, it’s all in the presentation - your pitch fixes product and price. Rejection is an indicator that something is wrong, either the product, target market or price because you are not focussing on the right target market or again your product or service presentation is not where it should be.
Are you struggling to deal with sales rejection? Contact me via e-mail to arrange a confidential 1:1 meeting to discuss your challenges.
Contrast and compare
I am a very big collaborator and I think the most successful salespeople are. Just like a professional athlete, successful salespeople are always in training, in practice and open to learning new skills. Just like a professional athlete, sales definitely involve a “performance state”, gearing up to act, rallying energy, visualising on what you are about to do, preparing to take hits and be resilient. If you compare this to most knowledge work jobs, then the performance nature of sales becomes even more clear. People buy from people they like and if you cannot have a conversation with them, it is unlikely to go very far.
Sales training for building consensus
I have found that there is a great deal of pleasure in coaching and nursing teams, guiding them through a structured process to identify a focus area that enables them to maximise their inherent power by tapping into the hearts and minds of consumers. For example,
• Creating needs (listening, objections, negotiation and presentations)
• Motivation (rapport, communication and mindset)
• Pipeline management (plan, prepare and execute)
• Sales Savvy (decision maker access, network mapping & development, best practise and analysing success)
Contact me via e-mail to book coaching, mentoring or 1:1 sparring sessions.
““Your potential customer doesn’t care about your company. They care about the problem they have and the possibility of resolving it. Are you creating enough value in the sales conversation or are you just talking about yourself?” ”
Reach out
Sales is the first thing you should focus on doing when you are starting out with your business. The key to successfully selling a product, service, or idea, is to ask questions and then listen quietly and carefully to the answers. Many of us try too hard to convince people to buy instead of discovering what our customer really wants, needs, and desires from us. The very best salespeople have a combination of the following:
1. Lead Generation
The finder introduces you to new markets. Finders are door openers and are really good at connecting with decision makers, bringing people together and networking.
2. Lead Conversion
The closer follows scripts and is good at asking questions. The closer interacts with the people that the finder brought to them, makes the offer, and closes the deals.
3. Lead Retention
The developer is the relationship builder who follows up with the clients after the sale has been made.
The next level
Via Corporate Visions
There are no shortcuts, how do you skip years of learning in sales?
When you are struggling to deal with a problem or a pain point it can be tempting to try and find a quick fix. The bottom line is that there is no such thing as a quick fix, all you are doing is deferring, putting off the inevitable decision or action that needs to be taken. If you want to get better at sales it makes sense to have a curated step-by-step process, that is a written and proven best practice. You must learn from experienced professionals who really want you to win.
Personally, I hate to waste time! Time is all we have, money is nice, and we can always earn more money, but we can’t earn more time. I’m really competitive and love to win. I’m extremely passionate about my profession. I think if you really want to become great at sales, you have to have a system in place which consistently provides you with feedback. Contact me via e-mail for a meeting if you want guidance to find an edge in order to get to the next level.
What do you know about your buyers?
Psychometrics is a scientific discipline concerned with the construction of assessment tools. Being able to identify the psychometrics of B2B buyers - for example, their needs, challenges, and motivations - will help you effectively tailor marketing messages and sales strategy for what your buyers are looking for, and ultimately winning them over in the sales process. Creating buyer personas gives you an inside look into your target audience’s buying decision process, and what they hope to achieve. This will save time and overhead by allowing you to create the most efficient and concentrated marketing strategy based on your most profitable targets and how they act and behave. Contact me via e-mail for sales and marketing workshops.
Learning by doing
Why is experience in life considered to be the best teacher?
I think experience is one of the best teachers because when you do something you are actually involved in the whole process. And this helps you understand your behaviour and reaction towards a given situation. Learning by doing and teaching by experience can produce higher learning results and have a more lasting effect. Too many people in sales get a little bit of success and get carried away thinking they know it all, and don’t need to practice, study, plan, or review because they think they are already great. Sometimes that’s just the ego, but I think it’s imperative to remain humble. Do you think that happens in any other profession, sport, or activity?
“For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.”