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Business Strategy
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The Times They Are A-Changin’
Well the the times are changing and you have to decide if you, or how much, you're going change with them. You know better than anybody how the times are changing for your business and exactly how the lockdown has forced you to look at what you sell, how you sell it...
Using Customer Feedback To Sell More
Do you use customer feedback to help you sell more? Do you think as we come out of lockdown that gaining sales is going to get a lot more challenging? Then let me walk you through how you can use customer feedback to help you sell more. Tough times ahead For those for...
Listen to Feedback or Someone Else Will
The 21st century is the digital revolution as more people rely on mobile technology to control their every daily life. With 79% of UK adults owning a smartphone there’s a high chance that you’re reading this on your mobile. But what phone is it, Apple, Samsung, LG,...
Feedback makes me feel like I’m failing.
How many of these stats do you think are true? 90% of buyers claimed positive reviews influenced their buying decision 86% of buyers said negative reviews influence their decisions Only 17% of businesses track NPS (consumer satisfaction score) 22% of people want...
The Sales and Marketing Divide
The Sales and Marketing Divide is conquered when both sides understand their value to each other. Becoming a team instead of two competing sides helps with greater collaboration and a clearer message for buyers. What if it’s just you in your business? You take on all...
Marketing and Sales Need to Work Together
I’ve spoken a lot about how the companies we now know as industry leaders defied all odds to become the businesses they are today, and how having a sales strategy helped. I realise that times are different and although some of the key points are relevant, we now live...
Am I Sales Company or am I Marketing Company?
Am I Sales or am I Marketing? I blame the marketing team, they should have marketed it differently. Head of Sales I blame sales, we did 90% of the work, all they needed to do was close. Head of Marketing I’ve heard all the excuses before, the blame game when...
Is what you’re selling no longer valued by your customers and prospects?
Your marketing to this point has been very deliberate and purposeful. You've been building value into every avenue of your marketing and customers have been responding positively buying your products and services. So what is it about this current environment that's...
Building and Sustaining Your Sales Strategy
Building and sustaining your sales strategy at time of adversity. Over the past few weeks I’ve taken you on a journey, explaining about the benefit of having sales within your business strategy, what this can do for you and what it’s done for others who’ve started in...
A product and a business plan.
I have an idea, I just need $50, a product and a business plan. A son sends a letter to his dad “Dear Dad: Urgent. Please wire fifty dollars right away…” 60 years later the company he created is worth $39.1 billion. Dear Dad: Urgent. Please wire fifty dollars right...
I Don’t Have a Sales Strategy.
I Don’t Have a Sales Strategy Big brand company formed over 200 years ago loses 97% of its value in the space of 3 years, going from a value of £900 million to £20 million. What went wrong? Find out in this article and read about the pitfalls they faced and how you...
Finding Your Silver Sales Bullet
As a Sales Trainer, an author of a Sales Book and having worked in sales my whole working life, it’s not uncommon for people to ask me for my “one piece of advice”. It fascinates me that people in business who have most likely trained to do what they do, have...
Where did that one go and how did that happen!
I reminded myself this morning that two years ago The Sales Mindset Coach did not exist. Yes, January marks two years of The Sales Mindset Coach as a brand and a brand with a mission to break down the stigma associated with sales and make selling easy! It’s a strange...
We’re back….and I have I got something special for you!
2019 highlights and looking forward to 2020 with Sales Growth Club LIVE! A 2019 highlight for me was working with over 70 business owners in my The Sales Growth Club Live Sales Training workshops. Three Sales Training workshops for just £99! or individually at only...
Sales Villains! – Changing the Face of Sales
Sales Villains! - Changing the Face of Sales If your entire knowledge of the sales industry is gained from watching TV programmes, it is hardly surprising that you may have a rather negative opinion of both sales and sales people! Sales and selling, as we mentioned in...
Facing Down the Stigma of Sales and Selling
Why is it that so many business owners, and in particular owners of small businesses, shy away from using the words sales and selling? All businesses need to sell to survive but why do so many people positively recoil at the very idea of being a ‘salesperson’? Could...
Sales Training: What is it Good For?
Sales training…what is it good for? Well, unless you have all the other basics in place as covered in our earlier blogs, the answer is… Absolutely nothing! You can put your teams through any number of sales training courses, and there are thousands of them (just run a...
Why Your Sales Processes Should Evolve and Grow
Why Your Sales Processes Should Evolve and Grow Last month we covered sales strategies and why it is absolutely vital for you to have them well mapped out in your business. This time we’re going to cover Sales Processes – what they are and why you have to have them...
Funnel Vision: The BOOK LAUNCH announcement!
I'm delighted to welcome you to Funnel Vision; Selling Made Easy: The book launch! Anyone that has read my blog or caught me on social media will know I’m a big advocate of becoming a ‘leading voice’ of your sector. It is one of the most important steps you can ever...
Funnel Vision – The Sales Pipeline Management Board Game
If a traditional approach to learning does not work then why are looking for sales training that follows a traditional approach? I mean, you know what I'm talking about don't you...the slides, the classroom, the workbook and the role plays! The dread from your sales...
Why Every Business Needs a Sales Strategy
This month we are taking a look at SALES STRATEGIES – what they are, and why you need them in order to ensure your sales income is maximised. Basic Definition of Sales Strategy Here’s a clue – it isn’t simply throwing stuff out there (including your sales team!) and...
Why Successful Leadership Matters
In the previous article we highlighted the fact that for a business to thrive, sales need to be at the very heart of all business processes. We showed how creating a positive sales culture within an organisation affects not only the sales team but the entire workforce...
There’s no such thing as Bad PR…when you create it.
Have you have heard of the amazing story behind how Baroness Michelle Mone, the previous owner of Ultimo, took her business off the ground and past £50million through free press and PR? Michelle, with a prototype in hand and a few buyers onboard was left with one...
The business benefits of becoming a leading voice for your industry.
With a great voice comes great responsibility With a great voice comes great responsibility and it’s something to be very considerate of when pushing to become a leading voice. When becoming outspoken you can expect a higher level of marketing, more engagement and an...
Be a leading voice for your industry.
What is a leading voice in business and how can it help your sales? How important is it to be a leading voice in the modern world? With the rise of social media influencers, it can seem a daunting task to compete with some of the most commonly heard names, Grant...
Sales training from the Sales Mindset Coach. Something for everyone!
The Sales Mindset Coach - Expert Sales Training in Sheffield! 18 months ago I would never have imagined that The Sales Mindset Coach would be such a lively and busy brand. I expected it to shadow my sales consultancy Steve Knapp Sales, but in actuality it is an...
Are you a leading voice – The VLOG
What is being a leading voice all about? Being a leading voice can be the difference between blending in and standing out within your business sector or industry. Watch this video and learn some key topics and tips to take your business to the next level by standing...
Put Sales at the Heart of Your Business Processes
Whether you are new to sales (or indeed business in general) or a seasoned veteran, you will surely have heard the term ‘sales culture’ being bandied about. Do you know what ‘sales culture’ is though, what it means and how getting it right can have a massive impact on...
Do you gamble with networking, here’s some great top tips.
Before writing this blog, I tried to find a reference to the very first business network. There’s a lot of claims to be the first, but always the first in a certain type of networking. No blog, article or news report was able to actually tell me where and when...
Networking expectations?
I remember reading a great quote in the Entrepreneur regarding how networking can increase your business net worth. “Every intelligent person involved in business knows to invest in money, but only the wise also invest in relationships.“ It’s also true when it comes...
Networking can be really frustrating
How many business professionals do not actively network to gain sales and grow their business? Is it: 12% 25% 35% 60% The answer will be revealed further on. Did you know out of those that do a staggering 70% of sales professionals value face to face networking over...
Networking doesn’t work
Networking doesn't work unless it is built into your sales plan. Just rocking up hoping to speak to a few people and gain a sale is very uncommon, and if achieved it's a little bit of luck. You need to understand the product you’re there to promote and what outcome...
Customers and the pursuit of feedback.
No news is bad news. The same applies for customer feedback. In 2014 64% of consumers formed an opinion by reading up to 6 reviews for the business they were actively searching for, in 2019 this rose to 73%. But how many consumers suspect censorship or faked reviews...
How large companies value and apply customer feedback and how you can too!
Continuing on from last weeks blog I want to discuss in finer detail the power of customer feedback and how it’s able to drive your business and make you stand out. I often get told by business owners that there’s just not the time to ask each customer for their...
‘No news is good news in the world of customer feedback’. It’s just not true!
According to Testimonial Engine roughly how many consumers read reviews before visiting a business or making purchasing decisions? 45% 58% 74% 90% I’ll reveal the answer in just a few moments but first, let’s break down the reasons behind asking for customer feedback....
The Sales Mindset Vlog – Customer Feedback
Welcome to The Sales Mindset Coach Vlog – Customer feedback. In business, we all go through the difficulty of finding customers, it's want we need to do to survive and grow, both as a company owner or sole trader. So why not develop yourself with those new customers...
Sales and Marketing Alignment – The Results
“I do believe the modern sales leader has to be a marketer.” – Matt Gorniak The last few articles in my blog have looked more closely into sales and marketing alignment, what it is, why it matters and how to get it. Today’s blog post is delving more deeper into your...
Don’t play Russian Roulette with your business!
“Great swathes of the traditional manufacturing sector of Sheffield City Region are playing ‘Russian roulette’ with their businesses and relying on sales strategies from 30 years ago.” This article was posted on Sheffield Star in April as I discussed the threat but an...
Be like Apple through successful sales & marketing alignment
This week I’m talking about the wants and desires of small businesses to have a right sales and marketing alignment. When I look back over recent history, arguably no company has managed to achieve this as well as Apple Inc mostly under the leadership of Steve Jobs....
Sales and Marketing Alignment
Sales and marketing or marketing and sales? Working out your sales and marketing alignment is key for successful selling. According to HubSpot what percentage of companies found that aligning your sales and marketing leads to higher sales win rates: 12% 38% 45% 64% A...
Having Fun and Making Money
This blogs topic is fun. As in, actually about fun. It’s one of my core values, to make sure there’s an element of fun in everything I do. I’m not talking about the David Brent style of constantly making jokes, which was taken from the real world experiences of that...
The Sales Mindset Vlog – Sales & Marketing Alignment
Welcome to The Sales Mindset Coach Vlog - Sales and Marketing making them work for you in your Business. This month we are continuing to talk about Sales in your Business Strategy but moving onto sales and marketing alignment. So whether you're a marketer then a...
Aspire for a bit of Disney magic in your sales strategy
Building a sales strategy - what are your aspirations? So, you aspire to be the best in your field, to be a household name to the group or community you network with. In this blog we’ll take the example of, being the best filmmaker in the industry. Lets’ say you...
I Want To Sell
Back in 1963, a young guy named Joe Girard started his first day at a car dealership where he had begged for a sales job, having previously dropped out of high school and taken on various jobs including newspaper boy, dishwasher, and shoeshine boy. On his very first...
Build and Sustain a Sales Strategy
According to research by HubSpot what percentage of salespeople said that finding new prospects is the most challenging part of the job: 67% 35% 42% 28% As a small business owner, you are a salesperson, especially if you are a solopreneur in which case you are the...
The Sales Mindset Vlog – Building a sales strategy
Welcome to The Sales Mindset Coach This month we are talking about sales in your business strategy and in particular, we're talking about how to build your sales strategy. Grab yourself a coffee, press play and listen to The Sales Mindset TV Show Vlog If you do...
What you give you get back – sales training for Sheffield Chamber Of Commerce
January is over already….where did that go? Are you looking back and thinking “wow what have I achieved as it seems that I’m only getting started” or are you fully into it, measuring your performance against your business goals and laying down solid foundations for...
A bright year ahead for sales training for smaller business owners!
Well, this week I turned 50...you know what, other than the knees creaking I’m doing great. I’m just back from a walk around the hills and reservoirs of the Peak District and have a family meal and quiz night at the pub to look forward to. There was no 4G on my...
Setting Meaningful Sales Targets
Are you asking Why before you ask What and How? Target Setting: Are you getting it right? Are you fretting that you’re nowhere near getting those targets you’re regretting setting? I’m betting you’re forgetting the jet-setting lifestyle you wanted to be netting. Don’t...
Leading voice and leadership in business.
What makes a good leader? A leader has to have a destination and others who want to go there. Those are the two critical things you need to focus on. But this isn’t a chicken and the egg scenario. First, you’ve gotta decide where you’re heading. You’re not the Pied...
How to Be a Leading Voice
You can’t change other people. You can transform by leading with your example. Jason Treu Are leadership and leading voice the same thing? What does it mean to be a leading voice? Traditionally, we think of leadership as someone who guides a group of people or...
Networking strategy. Getting in the right places.
Networking Strategy: Why You Need a Plan to Connect to the Right People Networking is like a supermarket; you might only actually need milk…but you can end up with a week’s worth of food and walk out without getting what you went in for. FIrst things first, the...
Networking: Plan That Connects to the Right People
Did you know that 85% of jobs are filled through networking. Yet, one out of every four people don’t network at all. Why Should You Network? Networking is marketing. Marketing yourself, your uniqueness, what you stand for. Christine Lynch As a new business or...
How to Incorporate Customer Feedback into your Business Strategy
Understanding your customers’ reasons for buying is as important to be able to adapt to disrupted markets. Kodak missed the point of WHY people printed pictures. If you’re old enough to remember printed pictures being the only way you could see pictures, you’ll...
How to Incorporate Customer Feedback
What is the shortest word in the English language that contains the letters: abcdef? Answer: feedback. Don’t forget that feedback is one of the essential elements of good communication. Source: Anonymous Research published by Harvard Business Review found that just...
Are your Sales behaviours consistent with your marketing strategy?
Learning how to plan your marketing and sales strategy is a lot like learning how to drive. Think about your sales and marketing as your hands on a steering wheel of your car. If both are aligned, you head in the right direction. If one starts to pull in a different...
The Relationship Between Sales and Marketing Activity
When sales and marketing teams were asked how satisfied they were with each other’s performance what percentage do you think answered ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’? Over 50% Less than 10% Around 25% More than 75% We will get to the answer in a moment, but the first...
How to Build and Maintain a Sales Strategy
Does your business have a sales strategy? A sales strategy should be at the heart of your business model. Here's how you can build and maintain a sales strategy in your business. Plan, Execute, Review, Adapt. Before we know how to build and maintain a Sales Strategy,...
How to Build and Maintain Your Sales Strategy
Pop quiz: What does your sales strategy look like? Wing it. Stored in your mind. Sales strategy? Help me out here. Carefully written out document with headings and subheadings. If you agree with the last statement you are well on your way to understanding the...
Sales Training For Small Business. We Do Things Properly!
The Sales Mindset Coach. How we do what we do! For more information on our services and how we can help you enjoy selling, please do visit our Facebook Group, our blogs, or the Sales Growth Club and begin your journey to sales enjoyment today!
How OBVIOUS is it to your customers if your Sales Culture is right or wrong?
Sales in the culture of business is visible. And you’ve either got it or you haven’t. It’s so important for the owner of a company to understand the customer experience of their company. I experienced both sides of the coin in one day. I run an online group to help...
How to Create a Winning Sales Culture
Creating a winning sales culture should not be that big a deal Transforming an underperforming sales team into a well-oiled sales machine doesn't happen by luck. Yet many companies try to grow sales by simply putting more pressure on the sales team, reminding them of...
Use Recognition To Drives Sales Results
Recognition has a very significant place in the growth ambitions of any sales organisation. Lets take at a look at some data points pertinent to recognition: When companies spend 1% or more of payroll on recognition, 85% see a positive impact on engagement 60% of...
Need A Hand With That?
Give me a shout and I’ll be more than happy to help you on your sales journey!