6 tips to make a promotion succeed

The last couple of weeks I’ve written about hiring inside organisations, and having hired the internal candidate how can we make the internal hire a success?

We’ve all had a great employee, who does good work, and has told you that they are ready for more responsibility. Three months after promoting them to manager you regret the decision.

Thinking back, the hardest period in my working life was the first three months after moving to a new company to manage a team.  … Read more

Explaining the Buyer Journey plan

http://mp.natlib.govt.nz/detail/?id=52472&l=en

I have written several articles about the buyer journey, buyer personas, aligning the buying and selling process; here is an aid to this process a journey plan for the buying process.

At its core, I’ve turned around the typical account planning tool, to focus more clearly on the Buyer and their needs. This is to build empathy and to assist the seller more clearly understand the questions a Buyer has to tailor the sellers presentations and plans to meet the Buyers needs.  … Read more

What’s your customers buying journey?

While most companies have a Sales process, a Sales Department, a Sales manager, sales teams-  rarely do we look at the process from the customers perspective.

In a previous post, We initiated a review the buyers process, by starting with an in-depth understanding the motivations, behaviours and needs of buyers. From this i described how we were able to create an effective buyer strategy to boost sales with both an individual buyer and amongst a segment of buyers.… Read more

How aligned are you with your customers?

When I spoke with Raymond, he was confused.  “I thought he was ready to commit to the order” he said, “but when I presented the final promotional contract, he said he was still considering another offer”.

Raymond and his buyer obviously weren’t aligned in their separate perceptions of where they were in the buyer-seller journey.

Most of the reasons sales fall through is that the sellers perceptions and a buyers willingness to commit are misaligned.… Read more

Buyer Personas prompt selling success

The case study

The young male Sales Rep (who could look like any of One Direction) pushed past the hefty amount of stock on display in the ‘Mom and Pop’ convenience store, nodded his head as he said hello to the “Boss” and went to met with the wife (or Lady Boss) sitting by the cash register. She smiled on seeing the young rep visit her again, she even blushed a little as he smiled sweetly.… Read more