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/

Gold Medal standards in customer service

Will visitors to the Olympic Games in the U.K. delight or despair with the levels of customer service that they receive from the Games, hotels and transport services? In an article in The Daily Telegraph by Octavius Black, he argues that general levels of customer service have a long way to go before the country reaches ‘gold medal standard’. According to the World Economic Forum’s ranking of customer service, Britain comes in just behind Lithuania – in 34th place.
After its initial worrying analysis, the article does give many positive pointers for businesses and managers to improve customer service – from their own attitude to helping frontline staff with theirs. He offers this perspective on a customer service friendly company “When every conversation, from executive meeting to water cooler chat, is peppered with fresh stories about real customers, you know you’re heading in the right direction.” For more advice on going for gold read the full articlehere http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/businessclub/management-advice/9104637/Think-Tank-UK-will-struggle-to-win-gold-in-customer-service-during-the-London-2012-Olympics.html

A leader in tough times

What are your sales team expecting from you as a sales manager and team leader in difficult economic times? An American blogger on www.entrepreneur.com suggests 12 ideas to try to inspire confidence to achieve the team’s goals. Many of the traits deal with being honest and accountable with staff and in turn listening and responding to their ideas. This also includes letting your team know the big picture. If they don’t know what’s going on, “that leaves you having to micromanage every problem instead of being able to delegate and offer guidance.” The article also urges leaders in whichever industry sector to not lose sight of others’ needs whether that be your peers, employees or customers: “ Be service-oriented. Leaders can be sort of self-involved, forgetting that they are in a position of leadership.” For help on how to be an effective manager and leader see the full article at http://www.entrepreneur.com/blog/222841

Have you got what it takes to be an account manager?

A good account manager needs to have a foot in both sales and in customer service. That’s according to a detailed careers review on the Wet Feet careers advice website. They define an ‘AM’ in two ways. Firstly an account manager is “the liaison between a company and its clients… to see that those clients are maximizing the value of the products and services provided.” Secondly the account manager ‘has a duty to maintain, retain, and usually upsell to their portfolio of clients or accounts”. Looking at the opportunities for a career in account management, the website list a number of areas where a good account manager may use their skills. These include consulting firms, public relations agencies or manufacturing companies for major brands. First steps on the account management ladder may be a role as an account executive or account coordinator. Read more sales career advice at http://www.wetfeet.com/careers-industries/careers/account-management

What skills you really need in 2012

A clear and emphatic ‘to do’ list for sales professionals is laid out in the latest issue of Winning Edge magazine by Sean McPheat. Sean’s list includes areas such as the value of ‘entrepreneurial salesmanship’ and the importance of the relationship between marketing and sales. The article explains that ‘ 25-40% of the buying process is completed online before customers engage with your sales team.’ Sales teams needs to know about the prospects found by marketing teams who are ‘conducting their research online, on blogs and in forums’, to have a ‘a distinct advantage over the competition.’ Negotiation skills are described as often left at the end of a training course but are essential ‘ if margins are going to be protected in 2012’. To find out about the other winning points to know about selling in 2012, read the full article on the ISMN(Institute of Sales Management) website http://www.ismm.co.uk/news/2012/01/27/sean-mcpheats-selling-imperatives-for-2012/