Appleton Associates Ltd blog

The Apprentice

2009-06-08T09:33:00.002+01:00

So Yasmina did it! I think Sir Alan had a peep at our site as the results of our poll suggested Yasmina would pip Kate and get the job. Anyway thanks to all of them for making the series a good one and best of luck to them all in their future careers.

Coming Soon......Appleton Social Networking Module!

2009-06-05T16:57:00.002+01:00

After a meeting with my webmaster today we have decided to create a ‘Community’ on the appleton website. With the popularity of these social networking sites like ‘Facebook’ and ‘LinkedIn’ it seems a great way to encourage ex delegates, co-workers, friends and other salespeople from across the world to help create a valuable sales resource, where we can all share ideas, hints and best practice. So next week we will begin to set it up and hopefully start to attract people who want to be a part of our sales community. Watch this space!

New Appleton Web Site

2009-06-02T16:13:00.002+01:00

So our new web site goes live today, along with all of the promises for content management and SEO! I have tried to incorporate some valuable sales information to help any visitors improve their sales techniques. If you visit the site I hope you find it useful.

Experience Counts!

2009-05-06T18:05:00.001+01:00

I am in Miami running a sales courses the average length of service with the delegates is SEVENTEEN YEARS! They are still hungry for new ideas and success. No wonder my client is a market leader

Sales Training in Latin America

2008-06-27T16:23:00.007+01:00

I recently had the privilege to run some sales training programmes in Latin America. Not only was I excited to travel to a part of the world I had not previously visited, but to run one of my sales programmes there was an honour.
I was totally amazed by the delegates appetite to learn. The courses were run in English so they had to listen, think, write, and speak in a language they do not use every day for business.
Each and every one of them had their phrase books and would not let one word pass them if they didnt understand it. This meant we would fall behind so they willingly reduced the duration of breaks and worked later than the allocated time!
It was an absolute pleasure to work with my delegates, I dont think I have ever felt so much pride and satisfaction whilst running a sales workshop. Most of them have contacted me since the training to tell me what has been working for them.

WOW I love my job!

'A I D A' in New York

2008-02-28T00:25:00.005Z

I was working in New York last week, as my wife was with me we decided to do some shopping over the weekend, We visited a number of shops (Surprise surprise) but two in particular got me thinking about one of the oldest sales acronyms in existence AIDA. (E.K. Strong 1925)

You may be wondering how I got thinking about this whilst shopping well heres why:

As we walked into a shop called SAVON in Soho, we were intrigued by the sight of a very large basin in the middle of the shop. The girl working there could see we had not visited before and began to explain that we could try any product out on display and then wash our hands to feel the effect. She made it sound such fun it was impossible to refuse. We were left alone to try out as many of the products as we wished and before too long we were more worried about exceeding our baggage allowance than any price tags, in fact price had not even been mentioned. She simply noticed us paying attention to the basin as I entered her shop, she got our attention by the way she invited us to have some fun and try out some products to see how good they were, and she certainly created a desire for us to purchase some goods. We left thoroughly delighted by the experience.

A short while later we walked into a hand bag shop as we walked through the door we were told everything was reduced by 70% today, this cast some huge doubts over the quality of the goods on sale. The girl who worked there began to select a number of items that she thought my wife would like, and told us once again they were reduced by 70%, she then walked to stand in front of the door implying we were not leaving unless we bought something. I cannot begin to explain the look on my wifes face. She would not have left with a bag if she had been paid to take one! We left rather quickly rejecting the offer to take one of the girls business cards as we were both certain we would not need it.

As we left I smiled to myself and realised the power of the two experiences, I think it proves that no matter how sophisticated we try to make our sales processes, there are two key lessons here:
1. Never forget tried and tested basics that are applicable to your sales process
2. If you create sufficient desire price is rarely an objection!

Oh - in case you were wondering my hands are very soft as I am typing this blog!

Role Profiles

2007-11-17T11:10:00.001Z

I have just spent the morning with a client running skills and competencies profiling session. I am amazed at how many times I talk to people who have a number of different sales roles reporting to them and yet don't fully appreciate the differences in the skills and competencies required to succeed in each one.

For example, when asked what are the key skills required by a field salesperson, the 'usual suspects' appeared:

self motivated
knowledge of the industry and markets
ability to communicate effectively at all levels
honest and reliable
etc.etc.etc.

We then looked at a key account manager's role and hey presto what do you think came up at the top of the list? Yes the same as above. The job is totally different yet there was no clear appreciation of the required skills and competencies for each one.

At this point we didn't bother looking at the other roles that report into him, instead we started to discuss a better methodology.

I showed my client a list of competencies that we use when completing a TNA, and asked him to look through it, and select the relevant ones. He started to smile and said "Let me get you a cup of coffee and see if our HR Director is free. Five minutes later I am enjoying a tasty cappuccino and an even more refreshing conversation with the HR Director.

Within half an hour they realized that with a complete and thorough role profile they could:

Recruit more suitable candidates
Identify specific training requirements
Achieve greater consistency throughout the business
Obtain much better value for money from companies such as mine

My point for this blog?

Simply this, the more you invest the time to identify EXACTLY what you want, the more you increase the likelihood of you getting it.

The next generation of MSN Hotmail has arrived - Windows Live Hotmail

Sales Agents - Where are the experienced ones?

2007-11-13T18:35:00.000Z

I have recently agreed a sales outsourcing contract, and I have started recruiting sales agents, I had no idea they are such a rare breed.
If there are any experienced sales agents reading this please contact me.

Why do Americans view sales people in such a positive light?

2007-11-13T18:27:00.001Z

I have just returned from Los Angeles, having run a course for a new client there. I am always amazed by the reception you receive in America when you inform people you are in sales, and this visit was no different from the look on the face of the guy at immigration letting a British guy in to teach Americans how to sell, to that positive initial response you get from everyone who asks what you do for a living.I wish we could create the same perception of our profession in the UK.There are bound to be some rogue traders in America, as there are over here; however the profession is seen in a totally different light.What can we do to improve the overall impression of salespeople in the UK?

What a great quote!

2007-09-13T17:39:00.000+01:00

I forgot how much I love this quote, "In Europe, most companies struggle not in their attempts to be innovative or creative. Most of them struggle because they undervalue the importance of professional selling" - Sir John Harvey-Jones

What separates winners from losers?

2007-09-13T09:43:00.000+01:00

I am often asked this question by my clients and it was asked of me yesterday, so last night I decided to have a look on the web for some new thoughts on this topic. I came across this article on more than 1 site, so I decided to share it with you all courtesy of my blog.

What separates winners from losers?

This question was the impetus behind the creation of Hoovers Inc. the business and enterprise information directory founded by Gary Hoover. Hoover's quest began at the age of 12 when he first subscribed to 'Fortune' magazine which then led him to visit hundreds of corporate offices before he was 18. Citing 'Federal Express' as an example, Hoover said, "Very few companies who are first are best," and his research led him to identify eight characteristics that are integral to business success

1. Curiosity "Look to the future for upcoming trends," Hoover says, but "you can only look as far forward as you look backward."
2. People who build successful enterprises have a sense of history. "Learn from the experiences of those who preceded us"
3. It is important to have a sense of geography too. "The world is smaller, but it is more important to understand what is going on right around the corner."
4. "Study, learn how things change through time and space, and get a real sense of your context," Hoover advises and then articulate a clear vision. "Adopt a third grade vision so everyone can understand"
5. Consistency "More enterprises have failed because they changed than those who failed to change" Hoover attributed Sears' decline in the retail market to "taking its eye off the customer" The company diversified by buying Coldwell Banker and commissioning the Sears Tower. Comparatively, Sam Walton was driven to make life better for customers, resulting in Wall-Mart's tremendous success.
6. Serving "Learn why your company exists. Enterprises should only provide goods and services to people."
7. Unique "Great enterprises are memorable and have unique vision" Hoover says that Volvo sold safety and reliability not cars "Once an enterprise finds its soul the vision becomes clear.
8. Passion "You're hurting customers if you don't love what you are doing."

Hoover presented the information as if each characteristic was a building block to the next, with successful entrepreneurs integrating these philosophies into the company fabric. But to faithfully maintain these principles so that others in the company absorb and model that behaviour is no easy feat. Size of the company notwithstanding solo entrepreneurs can fail just as easily as multinational corporations with 50,000 employees. To be able to unwaveringly live and drive the strategic goals of an enterprise requires true leadership.

New Product Launch

2007-09-03T19:15:00.000+01:00

Well I am getting excited, as today is the official launch of a new product for us called 'Springboard'.

Springboard is a new service proposition that is the result of strategic alliance between Ergon and Appleton Associates Ltd.

We have devised some sophisticated systems that use the British Selling Standards as a platform to deliver a more precise description of the key skills and competencies required in any given sales role.

By using these definitions you can create a matrix that will enable you to evaluate all team members against the benchmark and identify any skill or competency deficiencies. This can be done at individual or team level.

Once the gaps have been identified you have a more accurate and bespoke TNA. This will give everyone a better appreciation of your organisation’s unique training requirement, and help you prioritise the implementation of the total solution.

Springboard can also be used to help you develop an ongoing training strategy, by constantly assessing skills helping you to evaluate the ROI from your training.

By using the Springboard system you can consistently develop your sales team using the same standards throughout the process.

For further information contact us via the usual channels.

Key Challenges for Salespeople

2007-07-25T15:27:00.001+01:00

Welcome to our new sales blog. You can comment on any sales related topic here.

Our first topic is about the key challenges that salespeople face.

I am keen to hear from salespeople and managers who want to post comments telling us what the major obstacles to success are for them in their market.

Please add your comments.