Nearly 80 people interested in learning the latest ideas, trends and innovation in professional selling and sales management joined me recently at Luna Park in Sydney for the third Sales Effectiveness breakfast event for 2010. As with previous events inthis series, the feedback was fantastic.
I hope to see you for the second series in 2010 – commencing in September. Till then, here are some highlights from June for you.
Malcolm Dawes. “The future of effective sales leadership”
High performing leaders are distinguished by two qualities – their ability to interact effectively with other people and the ability to think strategically and tactically.
Malcolm Dawes shared the results of an extensive 10 year study of over 6000 managers. The implications of the study have a critical impact on all sales teams.
Malcolm discussed two key capabilities and 10 competencies that are the base of this study and showed what sales leaders of the future must do to ensure that they and their teams achieve – and exceed – their sales targets. Here are the capabilities, with the 5 competencies that support each:
1. Interaction Effectiveness. This comprises the behaviours between two or more people that result in the achievement of maximum productivity. The competencies which support this are:
- Interpersonal flexibility
- Clear and effective communication
- The ability to counsel others
- A win-win approach to negotiation
- A commitment to team work and team building
2. Thinking Effectiveness. This is defined as the appropriate use of those thought processes that provide strategic and/or tactical leverage. The competencies which support this are:
- A positive orientation
- Creative innovation
- The ability to analyse situations perceptively
- A commitment to continuous learning
- The ability to problem solve
For modern organisations to achieve their full sales potential, sales managers need to lead their teams by utilising and developing these competencies.
Find out more by ordering your copy of the DVD of the full presentation:
http://www.saleseffectiveness.com.au/sales-effectiveness-breakfast-event-series-18-june-2010/
You can also find out more about Malcolm Dawes and dta Worldwide here:
http://www.dtaworldwide.com/dta09/
Suzanne Mercier. “Overcoming fear to create great sales results”
Fear affects nearly all salespeople at some point in their career. This presentation was extremely well received by the audience as Suzanne lifted the veil from an area of performance which is often known – but rarely discussed.
Suzanne discussed the origins of fear – and explained that, in itself, fear is both normal, and often, healthy. However, we can let fear control our actions, and consequently reduce our ability to achieve the goals we’re working towards.
Suzanne detailed how we can move from a world of fear to a world of possibility by changing our focus from reluctance to commitment; from frustration to stimulation; from doubt to confidence; from insecurity to security and from protection to expansion. She also shared details of her 7 steps which help us to move from fear to possibility:
- Developing self-awareness
- Being able to separate feelings from truth
- Finding purpose in what you do
- Finding and accepting your unique talents
- Building your emotional resilience
- Understanding how to address practical issues
- Putting things into action
It is possible for all to address – and overcome – our fears to create great sales results.
Find out more by ordering your copy of the DVD of the full presentation:
http://www.saleseffectiveness.com.au/sales-effectiveness-breakfast-event-series-18-june-2010/
There’s more information about Suzanne Mercier and her organisation – Imposterhood – here:
Ian Segail – “Bulletproof Your Sales Team”
Ian Segail gave us a short – but powerful – insight into effective sales management. His message was that all sales managers should have a one-on-one meeting with each of their salespeople every week.
If managers do this – religiously and without fail – for 90 days, sales will improve by 20%.
Ian’s extensive experience in coaching sales managers in the corporate environment had proved this to be true. The challenge – of course – is for sales managers to take this simple action. Those that do, says Ian, will be sold on the merits of the approach forever.
Talking Point – “Is Australia ready for a Master’s degree in professional selling and sales management?”
We were joined in this discussion by Martin Hale, adjunct senior lecturer at Charles Sturt University (CSU). CSU have recently launched a graduate certificate in account management – and are looking for input into the possibility of upgrading this qualification to a full Masters program.
The audience views on this topic were mixed. Whilst most agreed that the idea of a formal qualification in selling and sales management was of value, there was some reservation about how “theoretical” such a program should be. Another key thought was that – more than most business topics – strong connections with practitioners would be necessary for formal courses in sales to have the necessary content to be relevant to the “real” world.
Overall, there was healthy debate from the room on a topic that is emerging – and one that will certainly grow in support over ensuing years.
Find out more about the CSU graduate certificate program here:
http://www.csu.edu.au/courses/postgraduate/account_management/index.html
If you missed the event – you can still see and hear the complete presentation set on DVD – and receive a complimentary copy of Ian Segail’s book. Order you copy here by registering as a virtual attendee of the breakfast series:
http://www.saleseffectiveness.com.au/sales-effectiveness-breakfast-event-series-18-june-2010/
Thanks for reading this post – Paul Sparks, Sales Effectiveness Australasia.
“Taking you beyond sales training and keeping you informed about the latest ideas, trends, innovation, research & best practice in professional selling and sales management”
If you would like to connect with Paul Sparks please email paulsparks [at] saleseffectiveness.com.au
