by David Cottrell | 2 Nov 2015 | Negotiation, News, Sales Skills
A few years ago I visited a major customer along with one of my sales team. The Buyer we were due to see set the tone for the meeting by keeping us waiting for 30 minutes. Once pleasantries had been exchanged we knuckled down and soon arrived at the heart of the...
by David Cottrell | 27 Oct 2015 | Customer Satisfaction, News, Sales Skills
Becoming a Buyer was what one did when all other career opportunities had been explored. The role was beefed up somewhat when they rebranded as ‘Purchasing’ but they were still only delivering other people’s plans. Recessionary pressures require...
by David Cottrell | 19 Oct 2015 | News
Studies have shown that men typically use 7000 words a day. I assume the researchers didn’t have to count all of the grunts we also make instead of speaking! 7000 words sounds a lot but (as all the women out there will know) half of what we say is nonsense! A...
by David Cottrell | 15 Sep 2015 | News
We are the cusp of a revolution in which we risk being made redundant. The film Bladerunner was set in the year 2019! It’s unlikely that so much will change in the next 4 years but change is coming. In 1800 80% of US workers were involved in agriculture. Farming...
by David Cottrell | 24 Aug 2015 | News
Asian stock markets have continued to fall on opening today. In the UK the FTSE 100 has seen £136 billion wiped off the index in the last 2 weeks as investors took flight as they look at the likely ‘hard-landing’ in the Chinese markets. The FTSE 100 is no...
by David Cottrell | 17 Aug 2015 | News
The new season of the English Premier League football is only two weeks old and already Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho has caused controversy (surprise!). His pitch-side antics when his medical team rushed to attend to an injured player were extreme. He then went on...
by David Cottrell | 14 Aug 2015 | News, Sales Skills
Cold calling! Don’t you just hate it? Even ‘warm’ leads can be hard work on the phone. However the telephone still is one of the best ways to generate new business. You’ll have an even higher success rate if you follow this checklist: Do you...
by David Cottrell | 10 Aug 2015 | News, Sales Skills
This cartoon used to be shown at virtually every sales training I attended ‘back in the day’. You’d expect people to be more open nowadays but I was staggered recently while trying to speak to a particular person/company. I had attended a Food...
by David Cottrell | 5 Aug 2015 | News
Are You Experienced was the first studio album from Jimi Hendrix back in 1967. In my line of work I meet a lot of ‘experienced’ people. I hear that “I’ve got 20 years of experience” or “I’ve worked here for 15 years”....
by David Cottrell | 4 Aug 2015 | News
Development is an essential part of being a human being. Learning new life and work skills is an essential part of what gets us out of bed each day (or needing the bathroom). With these three simple keys in your pocket you will be able to unlock the talent in your...
by David Cottrell | 3 Aug 2015 | News
Succession Planning Everything running fine at the moment? No vacancies for senior managers? Sit back for a few minutes and enjoy the feeling. However don’t gloat for too long. Answer the following 10 questions to understand if there are issues that could derail...
by David Cottrell | 27 Jul 2015 | Customer Satisfaction, News, Sales Skills
What is Market Segmentation? A market segment is simply a group of customers with common needs and values. That’s the easy part! How do you decide which ones to attack? Just answer these two critical questions: Why is this group of customers attractive to me and...
