From the category archives:

Personal Development

Selling in a world of information overload

by Paul Sparks 1 September 2009

I talk with a lot of salespeople and sales managers – and a topic they constantly raise is “there’s just not enough time to do things”. What with internal meetings, demands on our time from marketing, finance and service – where do I find time to get to see customers? Clay Shirky is one of [...]

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Some leadership lessons for sales professionals

by Paul Sparks 29 June 2009

What makes a successful leader is a perennial question which continues to cause debate amongst leaders and followers alike.  Whilst I won’t be able to give a definitive answer to this question today – I will be able to outline some actions which should help most sales leaders increase their effectiveness. It is interesting to [...]

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How to apologise as a sales professional

by Paul Sparks 28 June 2009

Patsy Cline was sorry – so were Britney Spears, Madonna and Tracy Chapman.  Chicago found it hard to say sorry – and Sir Elton John found it the hardest word to say.  Singers have been saying – or trying to say – “sorry” since popular music was invented.  Some have found the words – some [...]

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Success in professional selling is a journey – not a destination

by Paul Sparks 23 June 2009

We all want to be successful, don’t we? And professional selling is a vocation where success can be measured quite easily – or can it? I recently came across this short video by a man named Richard St John, where he makes a point that we often forget – that success is a journey, not [...]

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A happiness primer for sales professionals

by Paul Sparks 20 June 2009

According to Wiki, happiness is a “state of mind or feeling such as contentment, satisfaction, pleasure or joy”.  Don’t you love it when things that are hard to define are defined by other things which are equally hard to explain? But, however it’s defined, happiness is something that most people want to feel as much [...]

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What personal characteristics are important for effective sales management

by Paul Sparks 10 June 2009

What makes an effective sales manager? What characteristics do salespeople want from their manager? What do sales managers think are their most important characteristics? These questions have resonated around sales teams for decades.  There are a number of factors which make sales management different.  These are underpinned by the inherently dynamic and human nature of [...]

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Career lessons every salesperson and sales manager must learn from the current financial crisis

by Paul Sparks 8 June 2009

I’ve recently had the pleasure of having a number of discussions about professional selling with Peter Black – one of Sydney’s most highly regarded business and executive coaches.  Peter is ex-PWC (but we won’t hold that against him!), and has been working for the last few years as a coach for senior executives from a [...]

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