Moving into sales management

Although a career aim for many sales representatives, the move to a sales manager may not always be an easy one. In an article on his sales website and blog, Skip Anderson lays out the ‘10 Qualities of a successful sales manager.’ Knowing the characteristics needed also highlights the difficulties faced when moving up the sales ladder. An interesting one that not many candidates may have considered is what Anderson describes as being ‘Willing to give up the top spot.” He argues that a good sales manager must encourage others in the team to reach for the top salesman spot – ‘ keeping their own egos in check for the sake of the advancement of their team.’ Another related skills required are ‘focusing on others’ and ‘delegating’ to make the team work effectively. See if you have what it take to be a successful sales manager. Read the article at the Selling to Consumers website http://www.sellingtoconsumers.com/art_10_qualities.htm

Online shopping – growth area for U.K. retail

While some retail areas are struggling at the moment, a new study suggests that the U.K. leads the way in one key area – internet sales. According to a BBC report looking at research from the Boston consulting group, ‘the internet contributes to 8.3% of the UK economy, a bigger share than for any of the other G20 major countries.’ The internet economy is estimated at £121bn in 2010. With the trend forecasted to rise significantly, this could be good news for small or medium sized businesses who have invested in online rather than high street space. To look for reasons why the British prefer online shopping, it’s worth taking a look at some of the many comments generated by the article. Suggestions include the poor state of high street retail, parking charges and on a more positive note the well-designed and easy to use websites of U.K. based companies. Read the full article here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17405016

Selling the Cotswolds

For the second year, the Cotswolds can celebrate the best it has to offer in the tourism market for locals and visitors alike. The 2012 Cotswolds Tourism Awards are given to a wide range of local businesses in areas such as hospitality, entertainment and communication. The winners reflect the diversity of the area with the gold award for event of the year going to the Fairford Royal International Air Tattoo and the gold award for website of the year going to Giffords Circus. The hotel category also reflects recent investments being made in the tourism sector with awards for the Ellenborough Park Hotel and the Montpellier Chapter hotel. According to a statement and full list of winners on the Cotswold Tourism website, ‘Judging was carried out by a confidential, impartial panel selected for expertise in relevant areas.’ For all the winners and links to their successful businesses read the article at http://www.cotswolds.com/membership/cotswold-tourism-awards

Local option to boost selling skills

For short courses to boost your sales and marketing skills, Gloucestershire Enterprise runs a range of short courses, often just a morning or afternoon to boost your skills. Most are suitable both for people coming from a larger company or someone running their own business. In March, for example, a key sales seminar is ‘Sales Skills, Cross-Selling & Up-Selling’ which aims to assist those who ‘want to increase your sales but lack confidence or know-how.’ The afternoon course covers areas such as ‘Increasing your sales through effective questioning techniques’ and ‘How to build rapport, handle objections and close the sale.’ Gloucestershire Enterprise are the local Enterprise Agency for the county and operate on a not-for-profit, social enterprise basis. Most of their courses are based at their offices in Twigworth, Gloucestershire. For more information on the range of courses offered visit their site at http://www.glosenterprise.co.uk/training/