Talking Technical

If you sell to engineers and technical departments, shouldn’t you know a little more about how engineers think, talk and make decisions? The answer is a definite ‘yes’ according to an article on the salestrainingadvice website by Babette Ten Haken. So what aspects of your sales communication should you concentrate on? Firstly words need to be used precisely – ideas and proposals will be carefully scrutinised to understand the exact nature of what is being said. The article acknowledges that sales professionals and engineers can come from very different starting points which can lead to frustrations. The article describes engineers as ‘risk-averse’ and ‘extremely rational’ – worth considering but may not apply to every engineer. Get specific and take the advice to talk often to your own technical department to understand how they talk and think about your company’s product range. For more advice on selling to engineers, read the whole article here http://www.salestrainingadvice.com/2012/01/selling-to-technical-people-how-well-do-you-work-with-engineers-by-babette-ten-haken.html

Are you a good listener?

Sales is communication. Whether face to face or over the phone, you need to listen effectively yet it may not be as easy as it seems. ‘Top 10 tips to improve your sales listening skills’ from Jeremy Ulmer’s ‘Sales Coaching Habits’ website offers a number of things to try in order to listen effectively – things that you may not do instinctively.  Firstly give the speaker time and space. “Take 2 full breaths before responding. It will ensure the speaker is finished and give them space to share more.” On a similar theme he urges you to ignore distractions and ‘never talk over anyone’. Concentrate on what they’re saying but also how they’re saying it. He advises ‘noticing the speaker’s tone, pace, and energy. There is a lot of information to be gathered and the more you pay attention to your intuition, the more effective your listening will be.” See the whole article on Jeremy’s website http://www.salescoachinghabits.com/tips-to-improve-sales-listening-skills

Tips from the top – Sainsbury’s CEO

Justin King, Sainsbury’s CEO, has one of the most senior roles in one of the U.K.’s most competitive retail sectors. An interview in last weekend’s Telegraph magazine by Andrew Cave gives some insight into how he sees the industry and why Sainsbury’s are continuing to do well. Their continuing success with 7 years continued growth is despite the grocery market shrinking last year for the first time since 1973. Justin King suggests that the market is shrinking because “people are buying less because they are wasting less.” King became CEO in 2004 and started a “Making Sainsbury’s Great Again’ recovery campaign. The article looks at ways that the company has been successful at ‘identifying customers’ moods and helping them achieve their aims.” Examples are the ‘Feed your family for a fiver’ adverts and being the world's biggest Fairtrade retailer, both ‘striking a chord with customers.’ More on Justin King’s view on retail and the customer at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/9191993/The-Sunday-Interview-Justin-King-chief-executive-of-Sainsburys.html

Launch of Gloucestershire Business Awards

Last Wednesday saw the launch of The Citizen and Gloucestershire Echo’s 15th annual Business Awards, now rebranded The Diamond Jubilee Business Awards. As well as the recipients of the awards for categories such as Young Business Person of the Year, companies who have previously been awarded the Queen’s Award will be celebrated at the award ceremony at Cheltenham Racecourse on October 4th. In a report on the launch on the ‘This is Gloucestershire’ website, Sarah Pullen, managing director of Gloucestershire Media, said: “Our business community in Gloucestershire is thriving. I believe we have the best business community here in this county in the whole of the UK.
Other categories include ‘Family Business of the Year’ and ‘Communicator of the Year’. The awards cover all business sectors with previous winners including Neon Play and George Bence and Son. Read full details on the awards at the Business Awards 2012 website http://digital-thisis.co.uk/gloucestershire/BA2012/news.html