Is recruitment a people game after all?

03 / 05 / 2013

As technology continues to envelope the recruitment industry with apps, algorithms and automated searches, one blog, from recruitment specialists Connections, makes a valid point about the validity of investing in recruiters to find the right person for the job:

Closing new business in a virtual world – tips and techniques

27 / 04 / 2013

Sales has, according to a Bloomberg Businessweek article earlier this year, moved “beyond face-to-face deals”, as a growing number of sales professionals use the phone, internet and social media to build rapport, strengthen relationships with customers, and ultimately, close new business deals. 

Lessons from Team Red Bull’s destructive behaviour: Is team performance on track?

19 / 04 / 2013

From squabbling team members to sniping comments in the press, if you want to take a look at a malfunctioning group of people, look no further than the F1 circuit, and look no further than team Red Bull. As a unit it’s been displaying some devastating team working skills, and heads of sales teams and members of them, could learn plenty of ‘how not to’ lessons. 

Pushing the boundaries: The work-life merge for sales professionals

17 / 04 / 2013

In today’s business world, it’s very difficult to draw a line that clearly marks where work ends and personal life begins. Technology, it would seem, is fanning the flames.

Dancing Di Canio’s inspirational lessons to the sales professional

17 / 04 / 2013

Do you value the staying power of graduates?

15 / 04 / 2013

The growing cost of degree courses coupled with a firm reputation for being lazy and apathetic, has led to talk of their diminishing currency in the working world. ‘If you can afford it, anyone can get a degree nowadays’ seems to be held as a popular opinion on British students.

“Counter-intuitive” commission structure led to record fine and broken trust

02 / 04 / 2013

The energy supplier SSE’s “counter-intuitive” commission structure led to its employees misleading customers and receiving a record fine of £10.5m in the process, according to sales training expert Richard Lane. The durhamlane partner added that the UK energy regulator Ofgem’s decision to hand out the record penalty was motivated by SSE encouraging a sales culture that rewarded employees for not reporting misbehaviour. 

Sales momentum: Find it, build it, and hold on to it

26 / 03 / 2013

“Regaining momentum takes three times as much energy as sustaining momentum,” according to US business author, Dan Pink. So, what does ‘momentum’ look like in your sales team? Incoming phone calls from prospects, emails from satisfied clients and recommendations on social channels would be a good place to start. 

What makes your sales team tick?

21 / 03 / 2013

Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo, recently issued a ban on working from home across the organisation.This controversial decision was received with mixed reactions, from the scepticism of Bill Gates to the full support of business tycoon and former mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg. Underlining this bold move from the CEO is the issue of employee trust, and how practices like remote working are important to certain employees.