A message from the Director General, September 2012
There are analogies between sporting and commercial achievement. The success of the Olympics provides lessons for both government and business. First, merit rules, not subjective concepts of fairness...
View ArticleIf you won’t use a sales script, consider this…
“I hate sales scripts” and “I won’t use a script when selling” are two comments that are frequently made when I introduce the concept of using a script during my training sessions. In many cases the...
View ArticleDefining sales and why you should NOT start a sales presentation talking...
Of course it is absolutely essential to know the features and benefits of our products and services BUT we should not usually open a sales presentation with them. Why? Because it’s very unlikely that...
View ArticleThe Dabbawalas of Mumbai
From the 13th to 17th December I was invited to Mumbai, India by Young Indians to address the inaugural Commonwealth Asia Alliance for Young Entrepreneurs (CAAYE) Summit on behalf of Young Brits and...
View ArticleYou don’t always have to know the answers – just ask much, much better...
A few weeks ago I was hired to do some sales coaching for a company operating in a sector that I had no previous experience of whatsoever. I made sure the client was aware of this fact but they hired...
View ArticleMicro enterprise in the Dharavi slum
This is my second blog (and slightly delayed in writing!) following on from my attendance at the Commonwealth Asia Alliance for Young Entrepreneurs (CAAYE) Summit, where I was invited on behalf of...
View ArticleA global network
So on to my final post from my time in Mumbai where I was invited to attend the Commonwealth Asia Alliance for Young Entrepreneurs (CAAYE) Summit on behalf of Young Brits and the G20 Young...
View ArticleMany salespeople’s big dilemma – ‘Do I reconfirm the appointment or just turn...
One of the questions I am asked very often during my Sales Master Classes is ‘should I reconfirm the appointment the day before or on the morning of the appointment and before I leave for the meeting?’...
View ArticleThree cheers for volunteers!
I have just seen a new set of statistics published by the Cabinet Office showing a sharp rise in volunteering. Volunteering can take many forms, be it fundraising for Battersea Dogs Home, being a...
View ArticleOvercoming fear in sales (and every other area of your life)
Many years ago, when I was working full time in sales, I was driving past a large office block which had the name ‘Rogers & Associates – Accountants’ on the face of the building in large letters....
View ArticleIs your business card losing you sales?
A few weeks ago week I presented three keynote speeches in Scandinavia and collected most of the delegate’s business cards. Between events and during my return journey, I decided to look through them....
View ArticleHave you ever been told –“Send me a proposal” and then…
Having invested hours or even days putting it together and sending it, you then found it was impossible to get through to your prospect on the telephone to follow up, but were graciously given...
View ArticleThe myth of co-creation
Co-creation is one of the many myths propagated by the social media evangelists. They would have us believe that millions of consumers are actively involved in the creation of ideas and concepts for...
View ArticleReady for ageing? Be very afraid
A couple of weeks ago, to a fanfare of almost no publicity, the House of Lords Select Committee on Public Service and Demographic Change, Chaired by Lord Filkin, launched the Ready for Ageing? report...
View ArticleCustomer Service Goes Social
The application of social media that appears to be gathering the most momentum is its use as a customer service channel. The cost efficiencies of dealing with problems using social media – monitoring...
View ArticleThe need for speed
The agility and responsiveness of an organization – in these days of social media- powered customer service – can be measured by its ability to respond to a customer enquiry, comment or complaint...
View ArticlePensions – Pot Follows Member
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has issued the snappily-titled paper “Automatic Transfers: Consolidating Pension Savings”. The idea behind this is to avoid the build-up of small, poor value...
View ArticleNew runways the only realistic solution
A new report published this week by the London Assembly’s Transport Committee, Airport Capacity in London, has suggested that Britain’s aviation needs could be met without the building of any new...
View ArticleIoD response to Evening Standard article
Yesterday’s Evening Standard ran an article based on our annual report which has just been published. It discussed the difficult time we have faced since the financial crisis. I knew when I took over...
View ArticleIoD Netherlands Annual Dinner
On 5 June, the Netherlands branch of the Institute of Directors hosted its annual dinner at the British Ambassador’s Residence in The Hague for the second year in a row. The theme of the evening was...
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