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Moving from a successful corporate sales career to being the co-founder of a tech startup was a steep learning curve. I passionately believed that great success lay in repeating what I had done previously and, although the majority of my efforts were as effective as before, I found myself relaxing some principles integral to my previous success. However, the following mistakes in the early stages of selling the product allowed me to revalidate the importance of all I had learnt.

How do you Feel When Someone Tries to Sell you Something you Don’t Want?

The natural reaction is to resist and, the harder a salesperson tries to convince you, the more resistant you become. The salesperson is conforming to the classic, pushy stereotype and this elicits a strong contrary response, leaving you unreceptive to anything that they say.

A company retained a sales consultant to increase sales, who then spent time visiting clients, observing the sales team, and quickly identifying ways to improve. Working closely with the Head of Sales, a plan was put into place that yielded a 20% increase in sales revenue for the company over a six-month period, yet net revenues plummeted.

Every sales organisation operates differently, and what makes one person thrive in one company doesn't necessarily transmit to another. However, there are character traits that all top salespeople possess, such as a winning mindset, the ability to work harder than their peers, and an intense customer focus. Anthony Iannarino and I recently discussed the winning mindset and beliefs of top sales professionals on his podcast, In The Arena, (click here to listen) which led me to reflect on how I learnt the skill sets to thrive in a variety of different sales environments.

The salesperson has a good communication cadence with their prospect, sends the proposal, and hears nothing in return. They scratch their heads, double guess their position, and are pressured by their manager for an update. As the days pass, desperation sets in and the sales rep explores every avenue to provoke a response.

How are UK vs. US-based B2B buyers responding differently to information overload, a proliferation of suppliers and legacy pricing models?

Why are multinational sales leaders adopting different sales strategies, hiring policies and sales training in the UK vs. the US?

Why is speed to market so crucial for international companies looking to expand into Europe?

These are crucial questions for C-Suite executives in 2017...

"I love you, social seller." ?❤️

"I love you too, outbound sales professional." ??

We rarely hear this, or perhaps, not as often as we should.

There are many reasons for this, but here are two UK-based case studies from multinational companies to demonstrate these sales strategies are a match made in heaven.

Top salespeople are often put on a pedestal by their company and peers because they generate more revenue than anybody else. This can lead to exceptional privileges as they carry the team’s motivation and spirits - even more so than the Sales Manager - since they are highly relatable and positioned in the trenches, making things happen.