Tuesday 4 December 2012

Lessons Learned from Successful Selling 2012

It was another great day at the ISMM Successful Selling show – a ‘must’ for everyone in sales for new ideas, motivation and a day out of the office to refocus, recharge and realign your goals. 
 
My key lessons learned from the speakers today include:

Toby Perkins MP - @tobyperkinsmp
MP for Chesterfield, and Shadow Minister for SME's
  • There are 2.2M in sales in the UK. That’s 9% of all workers
  • “Sales is the key to economic prosperity”
  • In a current A-level syllabus ‘production’ is mentioned 36 times, ‘Accounts’ 32 times and Sales Once! Bearing in mind that ‘until a sale is made, nothing happens’ that is an absolute travesty
  • “The pace of technological change will never be as slow as it is today”
  • “Sales: The ultimate meritocracy”
Andy Bounds.
Britain’s Sales Trainer of the Year 2010. Free weekly Tuesday Tips: http://www.andybounds.com/tips
  • “What you think is relevant is not necessarily what your customers think”
  • “When your customer says ‘yes’ – shut up!”
  • Research why people say ‘yes’ to you – “facts tell, stories sell”
  • Give clients options at the end of the meeting – “how would you like us to help you next x, y, or z?”
  • Call clients and ask “what are you priorities between now and the end of the year and how can we help you?”
Allan Pease - @AllanPease
Known internationally as 'Mr. Body Language' and multi-million seller of the ‘bible’ of ‘body language’.
  • “92% of all sales professionals in Japan are female”
  • Gesture of chin stroking means “weighing up pros and cons” i.e will I or won’t I
  • “Woman are better than men at Body Language as they ‘hard-wired’ to realise when a crying new-born baby is is lonely, ill, hurt, hungry, etc”
  • “wiping your nose in front of a Japanese client is like bringing a loo roll into a meeting and wiping your butt!”
Grant Leboff - @grantleboff
Sales and Marketing Strategist, Speaker, Writer. http://www.stickymarketing.com
  • “HBS study: 60% of customers know their problem and the solution. If you don’t add value you’ll be beaten on £”
  • “In meeting with target clients always think of an ‘insight’ “what haven’t they thought about?”
  • When tendering have a unique angle and “create the buying criteria”
  • “The Biggest enemy in sales is your client being happy with the status quo”
  • “We live in a world of Social Proof”
  • “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it”
  • “When selling, what’s your narrative; what’s your story”
Larry Winget - @larrywinget
The self proclaimed ‘Irritational Speaker’ rather than ‘Motivational Speaker’. Five Time Bestselling Author, Speaker & TV personality. The ‘Pitbull of Personal Development’
  • The Secret of Customer Service – “BE NICE!”
  • The Secret of Selling – “ASK!”
  • The Secret of Leadership “GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO FOLLOW!”
  • “Success comes from sacrifice” – “what am I going to give up to be where I want to be?”
  • “Are you ready, willing and able to be successful? Everyone is ready, everyone is able but are you willing?”
Phil Jones - @philmjonesuk
Award Winning Business Educator and author of ‘Magic Words’
  • “Who are your target customers. Define them. Develop Laser like focus to seek them out”
  • “Referrals: If you don’t ask, you don’t get!”
  • “Magic Words: “You couldn’t do me a little favour could you? You wouldn’t happen to know someone just like you that could benefit from....”
PY Gerbeau - @pygerbeau
Turned around the fortunes of Euro Disney and the Millennium Dome. Now Chief Executive of X-Leisure
  • “Reality of Today: A Happy Customer tells 3 people; an unhappy one tells millions”
  • “Great leaders don’t work – they’re on a mission”
  • “The role of Hens and Pigs in Ham and Eggs: Hens are involved but pigs are committed!”

As always a great day! Thanks to all of the guys at ISMM for putting on a terrific show.

Friday 23 November 2012

Save money on dry cleaning AND make your suits last longer!


 
I was moaning to a contact last week that after three dry cleans my suits were so shiny that they were no use. 

He told me that I was getting it all wrong.  He told me to dab any stains on my suits with a sponge dampened with water and then hang them out to dry on the washing line on a dry, blustery day.  Of course I scoffed but fed up with buying a new suit every couple of months I thought I’d give it a try.


Sunday was perfect.  It was a crisp, dry and gusty day so I pegged my jackets and suit trousers onto the line.  I left them outside for a few hours then hung the jackets on good shaped hangers and clamped the trousers by the hems on trouser hangers and weighted them down with a belt.  I left them overnight.

The following morning it was amazing.  It really works,  the suits were clean, fresh as new and had their shape back. 

Give it a try! I was once a suit hanging cynic but am now a convert AND with no
perchloroethylenes used it’s got to be better for the environment!