The Pitch – UK Final for entrepreneurs

How is your sales pitch? Could it win you a place as a national champion? The Pitch is a national competition for budding entrepreneurs to present their ideas in a number of regional events, culminating in the national final in London later this month. The idea started on a smaller scale as an event at the Bristol Design Festival in 2008. It was organised in conjunction with the University of the West of England and the Bristol Entrepreneur network. Now it has grown with finalists such as Jim Shaikh from England and his range of ‘innovative self-warming baby bottles’ and others from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The person putting forward an award winning pitch will win a prize package worth more than £50,000 including everything from accountancy services to a new suit. For more on this year’s event visit the organisation’s website at www.thepitchuk.com/

Sales motivation – US style

A year of gourmet meals, a paid day off to go fishing or an engraved baseball bat – some of the incentives suggested by the sales directors interviewed in Success magazine and website based in the US. The article looks at key ways to motivate staff along with interviews with several sales and marketing directors. Sales coach Mark Palmer says that a successful sales manager needs to be clear on what motivates their particular team – ‘it is critical to identify what excites your people—maybe it’s cash, certain gifts, prestige, peer recognition or job satisfaction.’ Another strategy is to involve the whole company in the latest sales drive, as the success of the sales force is often key to the company’s success. ‘Encourage supporting departments—such as customer service, engineering and marketing—to be supportive of the sales staff’s efforts,’ says Palmer. For more ideas and motivational strategies, read the full article at http://www.success.com/articles/1445-how-to-motivate-your-sales-staff

Consumer confidence – rising or just a ‘blip’?

Is life as a sales manager, particularly a retail sales manager, about to get any easier? Latest data shows that consumers’ attitudes to spending may be beginning to change. The regular UK Consumer Confidence Index produced by GfK/NOP has risen one point to its highest level since June 2011, showing significant shift in consumer attitudes. Nick Moon, managing director of social research at GfK, is quoted in Retail Gazette online magazine. “Following the much-anticipated but ultimately unseen lift from the Jubilee and Olympics, even a one point increase…will offer some grounds for optimism after such a stagnant summer.” The article considers other economic indicators to see if such optimism is justified. Moon does cautions against reading too much, too quickly into the data. “We will have to wait for next month’s figures to see if there has been a real change…or…whether this is just an end-of-summer blip,” he says. Read the whole article on retail confidence at http://www.retailgazette.co.uk/articles/12142-consumer-confidence-highest-since-june-2011

Call and Contact Centres – how to measure success

As a call centre manager or supervisor, how do you know if you’re having a good day? A range of metrics can be used to measure the activity in a call centre or customer service department but which will work for you? In an article on the Call Centre Management Association website, a survey of contact centre professionals looked at the most popular areas measured and monitored. It found that ‘a growing number are based on quality or outcomes, rather than just on pure efficiency.’ The article lists the top ten metrics mentioned in the survey. Unsurprisingly ‘quality scores’ came out top. How the customer judged their conversation and experience with the call centre contact is seen as vital. Other metrics included first call resolution, average handling time and forecast accuracy – some easier to track than others. For the full list of metrics read the article at http://www.ccma.org.uk/news/call-centre-metrics-article

Finding the brightest sales prospects

How do you identify a good prospect or a successful business? Whether you are a sales manager mapping your area or planning your next career move, it helps to know who is out there and doing well. The Telegraph’s new interactive map offers 1000 names dubbed as ‘Britain's brightest businesses’ which are said to have ‘weathered the economic storm’ and are excellent prospects to grow and generate jobs. But this isn’t just the opinion of the Telegraph. The list was complied from a number of sources including NESTA, the innovation agency and nominations from organisations such as the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Chartered Insurance Institute. Nominations from readers were also taken into account. Local companies on the map include Dynmark International (mobile marketing) in Cheltenham and the Severn Glocon group (process valves) in Gloucester. Take a different look at the business profile of your area and see the map at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/yourbusiness/8757818/Telegraph-1000-Britains-brightest-businesses-mapped.html#dsq-comments

Successful Selling Expo – sign up now for free entry

Successful Selling 2012 takes place on 12^th Oct at the RICOH arena in Coventry this year, but sign up early for free entry to the ‘U.K.’s premier sales exhibition'. The exhibition is produced in partnership with the ISMM’s (Institute of Sales and Marketing Management) conference (tickets sold separately).  Both events are aimed at helping sales departments and account teams develop and succeed. The 650 exhibitors will include companies involved in incentives, lead generation, sales technology, hospitality and sales talent assessment. As well as a chance to network, the exhibition also features seminar sessions including incentive management and sales prospecting software. One seminar session covers ‘Selling Excellence’ with many tips from the sales and training development manager of the major exhibition sponsor, 3M. For more details on how the exhibition could benefit you as a sales account manager visit the website at http://www.sales-expo.co.uk/

Top tips for telesales

A successful telesales campaign needs careful planning to succeed. Whether you are a telesales manager in charge of a large call centre or a smaller sales team trying to make an impact in your sector and generate sales leads, you need to have a strategy. In an article on the The Marketing Group’s website, 42 top tips are offered in planning your next telesales campaign from scriptwriting to setting expectations and goals. The tips also have advice for every step of the call such as ‘have confidence and energy in your voice ‘ and ‘Offer choices. If you offer one option, you leave the customer to choose between "yes" and "no.". This is all useful advice for both operators on the front line at a call-centre as well as those planning goals and measuring results. Before your next telesales campaign or before you make the next sales call, read the full article at http://www.marketinggroup.co.uk/articles/42%20Tips%20for%20a%20More%20Effective%20Powerful%20Telesales%20Campaign.pdf