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

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/