At ELAvate, we believe salespeople are leaders. Ethical salespeople lead customers to mutually beneficial decisions, based on trust, to how to move the sale forward. In Asia, no “guanxi,” no sale. Guanxi is the Mandarin word for “trusting relationship” as is “hubungan” for Indonesian/Malay.
We have adapted select Dr. John Maxwell’s Irrefutable Laws of Leadership to the Asian selling environment and supplemented these with laws from Todd Duncan’s book “High Trust Selling.”

Some of our customers expect that when they send their salespeople to our ELAvate Sales Training they immediately become super salespeople after a two day workshop. Not true!

Selling Skill Improvement is not a “Microwave” activity, but rather a consistent “Crock Pot” process of a selling skills workshop followed by Effective Sales manager Coaching with Measurable Reinforcement Activities.

Mike’s Note: Rain Group has produced some very interesting research on the perception gaps found between salespeople and their customers. The research should cause every sales manager to investigate how big are the perception gaps between their customers and salespeople! I have summarized the key findings here and I make suggestions on how you can close these sales competency gaps with your sales people.

My years as a Global Sales Manager/Coach Trainer at Xerox Learning Systems and AchieveGlobal have also enriched me with the process to conduct a discussion and development plan for each of your salespersons. This “Development Checklist” gives a robust structure to have a discussion with your salespeople to support their success in 2024 by improving their knowledge, skills, and process when selling.

ELAvate note: This is a blog from sales guru Nick Kane and we have edited it for clarity. B2B salespeople present a lot – to end users, buying committees, and at solution seminars. Today with so much uncertainty, tight budgets, diverse decision-makers, and stiff competition, salespeople must be confident and consultative in their presentations.

I dedicate this sales blog to my ex-wife Joyce Leong, a super saleswoman all her life, whether she was in B2B, B2C or charity sales. She always exceeded her target because of her attitude to achieve win-win decisions and her excellent EQ that gave her the ability to persuade and influence her customers to buy. She has terminal brain cancer and is now in hospice care.

When a salesperson adapts their communication style to the customer, they are better able to understand the customer's needs and preferences and can tailor their approach accordingly. For example, some customers may prefer a more direct and assertive communication style, while others may prefer a more collaborative and consultative approach.

I have been negotiating deals across cultures for over 30 years. This blog is not about negotiating skills but insights to make your negotiating more successful. Remember successful means a win for you, your company and your client.

I read this article by Monica Guzman and thought of how many times I have had hard, difficult conversations with customers who are indifferent or objecting to me or my solution. What interesting about these conversations is both the customer and the salesperson believe they are right in their perceptions.

Technology and Covid have accelerated changes in the B2B marketplace. How you and your sales teams adapt to these changes will determine your success in 2022. Let’s review the 10 changes that are important