Listening skills are probably the most important weapons in a salesperson’s armoury, yet they are often overlooked in basic sales training. All too often I hear sales people so wrapped up in their own messages, they barely pause for breath. Meanwhile the prospective buyer is wondering where else to go and get what they really […]
People often ask me how I would go about a sales improvement programme at a company. The short answer is, ‘it depends…’ Firstly, I must say that there’s no magic formula for sales improvement. It depends on the specifics of each client’s business. Some clients need a complete sales turnaround and revitalisation. Others may be seeking to open new channels […]
This is the second of two articles about the customer experience audit (CX audit). It provides a step-by-step guide, in six steps, to conducting a CX audit. If you haven’t yet read the preceding article, ‘Customer Experience Audit: what is it and why is it important’, I recommend reading it now. It covered the basics […]
This is the first of two articles about the customer experience audit (CX audit). At first, I’ll focus on what a CX audit is, why it’s important and when you should consider conducting one. The second blog will give a step-by-step guide to conducting a customer experience audit. What is a Customer Experience Audit (CX […]
An effective and winning customer strategy will cut across the traditional, functional silos of most companies. It will form a central part of the marketing, sales, customer service and CRM functions, plus any others that come into direct contact with the most important people in any business, the customers. In developing a customer strategy, you’ll […]
As customer engagement through social media becomes the norm in customer service, logistical issues of handling volumes of conversations can become a challenge. This is especially true if it builds quickly. The immediacy of social media and the customer service expectations of many markets create a demand for ‘instant response’ as the required standard of customer engagement. […]
Time was when call centre staff were either outbound or inbound, inside sales or service. In the digital marketing era, that’s been turned on its head. Blended multi-media contact centres are no longer the preserve of the large organisation. SMEs, too can profit from turning their telesales and service teams into blended, marketing-led customer contact […]
The 7Cs of Customer Communication addresses the fact that communication in the workplace changes rapidly. It has done, it is doing, it’ll continue to do so. What’s more, we all need to adapt to these changes to remain effective. It’s all too easy get ‘lazy’ and treat your customers and colleagues like you do your […]
As Divisional Business Manager at Ideal Health Consultants I had responsibility for business development and sales delivery of IT-enabled change consultancy services and contract staffing assignments. Our client base extended to all aspects of the NHS, from major acute sector Trusts, through community and mental health to primary care and CCGs. Clients included United Lincolnshire, […]