From the category archives:

Sales Fundamentals

Professional selling and the paradox of choice

by Paul Sparks 1 June 2010

You don’t need to have been in sales for long before you start running into situations where customers and clients keep deferring purchasing decisions.  Your argument may be compelling, and the evidence clear – but still no sale.  And you don’t lose the sale to a competitor – the customer simply doesn’t make a decision. [...]

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Presenting like Steve Jobs

by Paul Sparks 8 February 2010

What makes someone a great speaker and presenter? What do good presenters do to make their presentations work? If you’re in sales – or sales management – you’re a presenter. And if you want to be an effective presenter, you should learn from the best. Here’s a short video from one of the US’s leading [...]

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Rethinking the 7 habits of highly effective people & Stephen Covey for a new sales audience

by Paul Sparks 7 February 2010

Are there basics – principles – upon which a successful sales career can be built? Is there a framework for decision making in a sales environment which can help us retain our integrity – and around which we can build a competitive edge? Steven Covey’s landmark book – “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” [...]

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Coach yourself to get better sales outcomes

by Paul Sparks 20 December 2009

Most people still think of coaching as being anchored in the realm of sport. In football, we think of Jack Gibson, Ron Barassi and Vince Lombardi.  In swimming, Forbes Carlile is still held in high esteem.  Some of the greatest tennis players of our age credit Tony Roche with helping them achieve their goals.  And [...]

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Passion and obsession in life, business and sales

by Paul Sparks 25 November 2009

As salespeople, we often hear that we need to be passionate about our products to sell them effectively. And this is probably true. But what does passion look like, and how do we display it?  This video is an example of what passion in business and life looks like.  John Nese is the owner of [...]

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Handling the truth in professional selling

by Paul Sparks 16 November 2009

Business is a challenging environment. And selling is a challenging vocation. As salespeople and sales managers – particularly in larger organisations – we can often feel that others in our organisations don’t understand the challenges we face, or the pressures we are put under to achieve our revenue targets. But do the means always justify [...]

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Achieving elite performance in professional selling

by Paul Sparks 8 November 2009

Many of us in business and sales have often looked toward high achieving sportspeople for inspiration in achieving better outcomes for our efforts. What makes the difference between good performers – and those who are stand-outs?  Talent, technique, ability and knowledge (and a little bit of luck) are important in achieving success in many aspects [...]

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