It is obviously critical to understand both these things. The HMV story has been told many times before, but they clearly failed to recognise the opportunity (and threat) that online sales and downloads represented, or perhaps they recognised that new market entrants like Amazon and Apple were the barriers and knew that the fight was…
Organisations who succeed in growing are the ones with a solid strategy and budget for growth. Most importantly, this must be a strategy that everyone agrees with and actively supports, not one dreamt up by half-a-dozen ‘clever’ people in a board room one rainy afternoon just before year end. So, where do you start when…
The value an organisation places on bidding is the primary indicator as to their current capability. Sadly, I see bidding, and the people who work on bids as their primary function being criminally undervalued and unappreciated. A thankless task you might say! Best-in-class bidding organisations value bidding as business-critical within the overall business strategy, giving…
I’m an avid reader of sales related blogs, and there are some very good ones out there. They talk about many things; influencing, demand generation, selling value, process (buyer and seller), differentiation, and so on. All good stuff, and also very important, however… Isn’t it all about evidence? All these blogs got me thinking, and…
Les and I were reviewing our live customer projects and pipeline on Friday, and noticed a common thread running through both; the desire (by our customers) to do something differently next year, something that will drive growth and competitive advantage. Despite, or hopefully because, being in either Q3 or Q4, they are all looking at…
In a recent post I extolled the virtues of ‘harnessing the collective wisdom’ of your extended account team… This got me thinking about the different types of organisations I’ve worked with over the last 40 plus years, and more specifically, their leaders. I concluded that the most successful leaders I’ve known, the ones that made a…
According to Toby Perkins MP, the Business Studies A level makes 25 references to HR, 27 to Accounting and Finance, 24 to Marketing and 1 to sales! I learnt this astonishing fact last week at an APS event at the IoD in London. I am an active member (Fellow actually) of APS (The Association of Professional…
Some suppliers have extended account teams of hundreds of people working at all levels across key multi-national or global customers. If you could harness their collective wisdom, what amazing insights could you glean, and how could you use that to maximise your competitive advantage? Some twenty years ago I was leading such a team in…