2 min read
With the UK’s premier sales event all wrapped up, it’s about time for a quick recap. However, before we get started, we have to thank the staff at both the Ricoh Arena and the National Sales Conference for the polite, professional manner in which the event was held; it sailed through smoothly without a hitch, not easy by any stretch of the imagination for something of this scale.
We’d also like to highlight the involvement of the ISMM, whose support allowed for a perfectly balanced environment for all participating organizations across the UK, to build, grow and expand on their existing sales knowledge.
And it’s this balance that we’d really like to touch upon. The NSC served up a wide variety of talent, two in particular that drew our attention; former hostage and journalist John McCarthy and Scottish singer-songwriter Midge Ure, whose “outside looking in” approach really helped provide a fresh perspective on sales.
McCarthy indicated the difficulties he faced in captivity during the Lebanon hostage crisis and how we can learn from them. He pointed out that no matter how tough a situation may appear at first, it’s important to remain upbeat – doing so can completely change the nature of the problem and how you approach it. When applied to a sales context, for example, customers feed off your positivity. Whether that be during a tough sales pitch or working together to iron out an issue with the latest sales order, a confident, friendly yet affirmative attitude is often the simplest of remedies.
Ure also used his experience in the music industry to highlight self-drive as a key factor in sales. With a genuine belief not only in your product, but the role that you play in the sales process, the feeling will by mirrored by the client who will hopefully make a buying decision on your favour.
With so many different sales categories in attendance at the NSC it was also a great opportunity for networking amongst peers. Stand 41 (that’s where we were) received visitors from areas of the industry that without attending the conference, we’d probably never have got in touch with. Our Apple Watch competition also helped prompt some interesting questions to our work in the wearable sales space.
Again, similarly to the keynote speakers, the differing perspectives and questions being asked of our product allowed us to review our situation under new light. Why was the software designed in this way? How would I use your product under these circumstances? Have you perhaps thought of including this feature? These are points we feel we can take away from the conference, head back to the drawing board and discuss with the team about possible change, implementation or future development.
ForceManager’s next outing will be in December at The Business Show held at the Kensington Olympia where our CEO Oscar Macia will also be hosting a seminar, discussing the key to building a high-performance sales team. There will also be another opportunity to win an Apple Watch, so if you’re interested in the latest ideas and techniques from the industry, be sure to take a look.
We hope to see you there!
