44 minute read
Selling with the stars
SELLING WITH THE SOCIAL MEDIA STARS
GORDON GLENISTER considers the rise of social media influencers and what it means for sellers
Advertisement
The year 2020 saw record levels of consumers online, with more brands realising that they must have an online presence. A decade ago, the main influencers that would inspire us were celebrities with huge social media followings. Since then so much has changed and now social media influencers – or content creators, as many like to be called – have come of age, and marketers are spending more on influencer marketing. CHANGING CONSUMER INFLUENCERS Brands such as ASOS, Boohoo, Estée Lauder, Made.com, Sony and many others, embrace influencer marketing – the term used to run campaigns through the use of social media influencers – as a major part of their marketing strategy. There are millions of content creators now, with huge audiences all around the world giving great access to a large audience of potential clients. Research from Tap Influence has proven that influencer marketing has shown 11 times greater return on investment than many other forms of advertising.
Over the past few years, though, brands have connected more through “micro-influencers”, typically with 10,000-100,000 followers. These smaller players often create greater engagement with their audience. They communicate in an authentic voice and are seen as more relatable, so consumers trust the relationship they have with them more than with many brands. It’s also one of the reasons why the World Health Organisation (WHO) has used a number of content creators during the Covid-19 pandemic to spread the word about the importance of protective measures such as hand-washing and social distancing. This was a smart move to engage with a younger audience, in particular, that is less engaged with TV news channels.
A recent survey conducted by influencer marketing platform, Takumi, found 24% of consumers in the UK, 23% in Germany, and 28% in the US are more likely to source news updates and opinions from influencers than from established journalists and news outlets. Predictably enough, the figures are higher among younger age groups, including 38% of 16-34 year-olds and 34% of 35-44 year-olds. And 41% of consumers agree that social media influencers should use their platforms to discuss current affairs and everyday activism.
Marketers are also exploring additional social media channels. Takumi’s research found that, over this year, 58% of marketers are considering working with influencers on YouTube, a further 55% on Instagram, 35% on TikTok, 20% on Twitch, and 10% on Triller. DRIVING SALES Influencers are now often seen as creating real value for brands through inspiring content and telling great stories to new markets. One of the benefits of working with influencers is the focus on a typical niche, so whether its travel, beauty, fashion, lifestyle or gaming, it allows brands to engage with a very targeted audience.
Companies use influencers to create awareness by generating a social media buzz, and they have been hugely successful recently in driving sales through affiliate links. Influencer monetisation
platforms like rewardStyle have generated millions in sales revenues through the use of influencers. They work with 5,000 retail brands and 30,000 influencers in over 100 countries, generating a sale every second.
With many high street stores closed for lengthy periods during the pandemic, retail businesses realised the needed to consider using influencers to drive traffic to their online stores. Some of the UK’s top beauty and fashion influencers are now generating over £50,000 a month in revenue for themselves, so you can only imagine what sales they are driving for the brand. Top influencer Jourdan Riane, for example, who has over 630,000 followers on Instagram and 53,000 YouTube subscribers, works with many major fashion brands, including Pretty Little Thing, Oh Polly and Missguided, and creates amazing videos from her loft room.
Takumi’s research suggests that YouTube is still the clear favourite for consumer choice, but Instagram and TikTok are very important too. The content from thousands of creators has been steadily rising, helped by better editing tools and cameras. Creators can use great video tricks to bring brands a whole new look and feel. Engaging content keeps consumers coming back. COLLABORATIVE VENTURES Influencers can do more than amplify your brand; they can take over your social media account, create innovative content that you can use in other media, get feedback on your new brand, and, more excitingly, help create a brand jointly. This last trend has been around in China for years. For example, apparel manufacturers may approach influencers to co-create a brand using the influencers’ audiences. The profits are then shared between brand and influencer.
Tiana Wilson is a 13 year-old with over 16 million subscribers on YouTube. In November 2019, the Hearts by Tiana brand hosted a 2 day
% of consumers over the past 6 months influenced to purchase a product or service by influencers
YouTube 27%
TikTok 15% 24%
Source: Takumi pop-up store in Bradford run by the Social Store. Some people queued for 5 hours to meet Wilson, and over 20,000 people visited the store over the 2 days. The shop averaged a sale every 20 seconds and generated an average spend of over £20, with a highest of £344. VIDEO IS THE WAY FORWARD Parents of teenagers, among others, will have noticed TikTok’s emergence as a major pop culture force. The video-sharing app seems destined to become a major channel for an increasing number of brands and to be even more significant in 2021. The app has already been downloaded a staggering 2 billion times. Other platforms have been forced to compete, which is one reason why we have seen Instagram launch Reels.
Currently, according to businessofapps.com, the 10 most-used social media apps, are:
1. TIKTOK 2. FACEBOOK 3. WHATSAPP MESSENGER 4. INSTAGRAM 5. ZOOM CLOUD MEETINGS 6. MESSENGER 7. TELEGRAM MESSENGER 8. SNAPCHAT 9. GOOGLE MEET 10. LIKEE – LET YOU SHINE
YouTube, TikTok, Facebook video and Instagram Reels have all seen tremendous engagement, as has live streaming. This is not only a great way to entertain an audience but to educate too. Many content creators have embraced the new technology with collaborative tutorials, unboxing videos, interviews, debates, competitions and a great deal more.
LONG-TERM PARTNERSHIPS There has been a marked increase in brands working with influencers, and indeed consumers, in the form of ambassador programmes, and they are often seen as offering the most authentic content. Fans see regular postings from these brands and will often spark greater engagement in comments and sales through affiliate links. Some of the “nano-influencers” (those with under 10,000 followers) tend to run gift-related campaigns as opposed to paid partnerships.
B2B INFLUENCERS Influencers are not restricted to those in the B2C space. Many are thought leaders in sectors such as technology, finance and pharmaceuticals, and are likely to be authoritative figures such as academics, authors, speakers and professionals.
Expert influencers of this sort can be used by businesses to generate sign-ups to conferences with discount codes, appear as guests on podcasts, collaborate on ebooks, write blogs or articles, co-create research reports, and more.
FINDING INFLUENCERS There are many tools on the market that enable you to search for influencers by location, age, gender, interests, average engagement and followers. These databases allow you to find the influencers that will resonate best with your brand campaign. Of course, it is advisable to do due diligence – you don’t want to enter a campaign with an influencer who has worked with one of your competitors, has unusual spikes in their follower count, or who has a follower base outside your target market. THE FUTURE Looking ahead, dad blogger John Adams, aka @dadbloguk, believes we are going to see greater demand for lifestyle content focused on fashion, entertainment, sport and fitness. “We’ve had a very hard year with Covid-19 and I think people will increasingly come to social media for a bit of light relief,” he says. “I also think we’re going to
GORDON GLENISTER (FISM) is an influencer marketing expert, author and host of the global podcast, The rise and rise of social media influencers. He is global head of influencer marketing for the Branded Content Marketing Association (BCMA). Visit: gordonglenister.com see short-form video content platforms go from strength to strength. Instagram’s Reels has been a big success and I think TikTok will also become more popular.”
Adams is among industry watchers who predict growth in omnichannel social marketing, with companies able to achieve different objectives by taking an “influencer plus platform” strategy, “So, for example, it could be YouTube for tutorials, Instagram for layered content, and TikTok for viral video.”
He adds, “Social commerce will continue to grow across all platforms, as businesses seek relationships and partnerships with influencers that share their brand values and deliver sales directly to their online stores. Micro influencers will continue to grow as they are seen to be more authentic than famous celebrity influencers.”
There is little doubt also that influencer sourcing platforms, such as Influencity, Tagger Media, CreatorIQ and Tribe, will be seen to be highly effective at finding the right type of influencers for particular campaigns.
Influencer marketing will become more analytical than ever, as more sophisticated measurement tools come onto the market and form a key part in campaign management.
INFLUENCERS TO WATCH
LAURA WATSON, AKA LAURA BUBBLE Watson is a comedian, presenter and content creator who has worked with organisations including BBC comedy, Comedy Central, BBC3, EA, Disney, Radio 1 and Hat Trick Productions. She scripted, presented and blogged for two shows on CBBC for over 4 years, as well as having been selected by YouTube as one of their six Women in Comedy in the UK with WhoHaha and producer and actress Elizabeth Banks. She has hosted many red carpet interviews at awards including at Brit, NTA and EMA and regularly does stand-up. She began her career in 2007 by uploading comedy sketches and parodies to her YouTube channel, which now has over 4.5 million views, and she has also accumulated over a million followers on TikTok by posting comedy sketches.
Watson believes that what’s essential to a brand collaboration is producing content that she’s proud of and having clear communication with the brand about the result and deliverables they desire. One of her most successful brand collaborations was with Aussie hair care and celebrity hair stylist Ben Cooke, where the videos received over a million views on the Aussie channel. She believes that brand collaborations will still be a big part of the digital world in 2021 but the rise of authentic, genuine content will become more popular given the pandemic.
“I think 2020 was quite a tough year for a lot of people, and superficial content or people who seem to be bragging online are going to fall out of favour in the years to come,” she says. “I believe we’re going to see a new rise in influencers and content creators who are showing a slightly more real side of life and are able to incorporate their brand collaborations within that.”
DESI PERKINS Having begun her career as a freelance make-up artist, Desi Perkins now inspires thousands of individuals daily with her lifestyle and beauty content. With a staggering 4.3 million followers on Instagram alone, Perkins creates simpleto-follow make-up tutorials, engaging interior and lifestyle content, and popular “haul” videos, where she displays recent purchases.
JETTE With over 104,000 followers at just 22 years-old, Instagram influencer Jette has an impressive engagement rate of around 18% per social post. Largely focusing on fashion and beauty, Jette incorporates illustration in each post and has begun working with major German brands.
SHUDU For the past couple of years, we’ve seen a huge increase in computer generated influencers, and in 2021 their influence is only set to rise. Rising up the ranks is Shudu – the world’s first digital supermodel with over 210,000 followers – who’s been accumulating partnership deals from major brands including Fenty Beauty, Ellesse and Tiffany & Co, and was also featured by Harper’s Bazaar Arabia in 2019.
BOUNCING BACK IN 2021
Are you waiting for a postpandemic recovery, or are you building a team that can drive it, asks MATTHEW SCARFE
This year holds a sense of nervous anticipation for everyone, particularly sales leaders. It’s the year of cautious optimism. Vaccines against Covid-19 should continue to be rolled out, the dust should finally settle on the recent post-Brexit trade deal – and we may even see the return of worry-free holidays...
TURNING TALENT INTO A COMPETITIVE FORCE With many companies having anywhere from 3 to 12 month sales cycles for new business, it is important to have the right talent in place in order to chase new business this year. But despite the gradual increase in rebuilding and growing sales teams since the end of summer 2020, many companies are still cautious in pushing forward. Even in cases where there is an open vacancy, “decision paralysis” is all too common, where hiring managers struggle to move forward with conviction, just in case they make the wrong choice on who to hire.
For sales leaders at a strategic level, it makes perfect sense to account for uncertainty and form realistic forecasts. But, by definition, uncertainty means you can’t be sure how things will turn out. So, operationally, surely the only option is to try and shape your own recovery, rather than waiting to be revived at the same pace as national or industry averages. After all, we’re salespeople – we must aim to be ahead of the curve, bucking the trend and exploring all avenues to reach as many customers as possible and offer the best service we can.
REFERENCE Gartner (2020). CSOs and sales leaders top priorities for 2021.
A RECENT REPORT BY GARTNER SHOWS THE TOP PRIORITIES FOR SALES LEADERS IN 2021 ARE:
A renewed focus on customer acquisition I can say from a recruitment perspective that the highest demand has been for proven new business hunters. So the questions I would ask in the first 6 months of this year are, what’s your blueprint for new business? And do you have the right people – and are they in the right roles?
Enhanced virtual selling capabilities We’ve all made adjustments to remote working, but in the first half of this year sales capability needs to be optimised and teams need to be trained and supported to avoid a sluggish start.
Revenue growth will still be heavily reliant on upselling existing accounts We’ve seen many companies with subscriptionbased models, like software as a service (SaaS), move responsibility for renewals to customer success teams, to place more emphasis on account managers being rewarded purely for the upsell. Is there room in your business to create financial incentives and new role descriptions that really push the need to drive additional
revenue? The right balance can create a powerful shift in a performance-driven culture and weed out underperformers.
THE RAPID REBOUND Phase 1 of an economic recovery is the rapid rebound, and we are now in a prime 18 month rebound period. At the end of those 18 months, what will your account base look like for continued revenue generation and growth through the multi-year expansion phase to follow? Make some strong decisions now about what your team should look like and the support it will need. Each quarter that goes by potentially reduces your chances of a swifter rebound.
DON’T SACRIFICE QUALITY If you don’t have quantity, don’t sacrifice quality. Let’s not operate under the thinly veiled disguise of a recruiter writing about how companies need to hire more salespeople – although that may be the case where caution causes lost market share. The reality is that for some industries, budgets will be heavily constricted. Even for hypergrowth software start-ups, adjusting your headcount because you’re suddenly not growing at 500% year-on-year, but only 200%, is still an important commercial consideration and highly impactful – especially if you’re still loss-making.
As management guru Jim Collins evangelised in his widely revered book, Good To Great, it’s “first who, then what” in order of priority. Getting the right people to both support and drive your sales team is essential. Depending on the sector you are in, this covers everything from marketing, sales operations and enablement through to customer success, account management and business development. Even in smaller teams, the right people will adapt as you evolve your sales model through 2021 and beyond – providing you treat them right.
So who should you retain, remove and recruit?
ARE YOU BUILT FOR GROWTH? If you’ve been severely impacted by the events of 2020, then 2021 must be the year where you fight back with a growth mentality. And if you’re lucky enough to be in an industry that has been relatively unscathed by the pandemic – or has even profited from it – are you truly maximising your ability to shine?
As a senior leader, your management needs to be well placed to implement your strategy and goals from an operational perspective. If they are myopic and asking your frontline salespeople to achieve growth numbers without any thought as to what support is needed, you may have a culture problem – and culture is the lynchpin in any sales environment. Be audacious with your
goals, but don’t implode through poor culture.
Of course, when the internal pressure is at full force it can drive poor behavioural standards. To combat this, a culture of being radically transparent will be key. This goes up the chain as much as down. As a leader or manager are you ready to hear feedback from your team on what they need, and on what is happening on the ground? Frankly, saying, “Yes, I’m willing to hear that” is not enough. Instead, you should be having confidential one-to-one meetings on a regular basis, as well as doing anonymous surveys, both company wide and at a department/team level.
What are your processes for leaving no stone unturned? Do you give your team the structure that results in high impact processes, along with the agility to exploit the most profitable areas? MILESTONES General data is all well and good, but whether your business has a lag time in experiencing the fruits of hard sales labour, needs to be rebuilt, or is growing but needs to be growing a lot more, I’m a big fan of milestones.
Milestones help implement a feeling of progress, a culture of recognition for good performance, and set clear benchmarks. It’s about the factors that will eventually lead to the right financial performance and let people know they are on the right track ahead of the lofty up-tick sales graph much satirised in cartoons.
When it comes to wins, don’t be afraid to set the bar low if you need to. By controlling the inputs, but also celebrating the outputs, you’ll create a positive sales culture with engaged salespeople who strive for gains even if it’s been a tough start to 2021.
BUILD TRUSTED RELATIONSHIPS It’s not always easy when you only have the view of your company rather than your whole market. When trying to make sure you have the right team and set-up, do you have someone you can go to for honest, well-informed and transparent advice? For example, we have lots of job market data at our fingertips that we can segment and mine for new insights (salaries, diversity, hiring volumes per sector etc.), as well as hands-on industry expertise. Because of our industry knowledge, many of our clients speak to us outside of active hiring because they know we’re happy to add value in other ways.
MATTHEW SCARFE is a manager at Michael Page Sales, one of the UK’s leading recruitment agencies for experienced sales professionals. You can contact him via linkedin.com or visit: michaelpage.co.uk
WOMEN: ARE YOU BEING HEARD?
Women are under-represented in sales. To boost competitiveness, their views must be given more weight, argues PATRICIA SEABRIGHT
With more and more women entering the workforce every year, why is it that the number of women taking on sales roles is barely increasing? According to LinkedIn, women represent 39% of the sales workforce and this figure has only grown 3% in the past decade compared with an average 10% rise in the number of women in other roles. Worse still, research by Gartner suggests that the percentage of women in sales management positions is only 19%.
In all professions, there is a “broken rung” in women’s career progression. An equal number of women join the workforce at entry level, but there is a progressively falling percentage of women at each management level, until at board level the percentage becomes a lowly 21%. WHY THE GLASS-CEILING? The reasons for that drop off between entry level and senior management are factors that I explore in my new book, She Said!, which looks at the pervasive societal paradigms that make speaking and being heard considerably more challenging for women than for men.
When a woman speaks in meetings or Q&A sessions, she is much more likely to get interrupted, talked over or have her ideas restated and appropriated by more forceful male colleagues. According to annual research conducted by McKinsey for Lean In, women get interrupted 50% of the time, ie. every other time they speak... Whether this is done consciously or subconsciously, the net effect is the same: it is a very effective method of silencing women.
Interestingly, women are interrupted by both men and other women, suggesting that the
anachronistic but powerful societal norm that says it’s not really very feminine to speak up, is still subconsciously accepted by both sexes. As a result of this subliminal messaging, women are often slow to seek or even accept opportunities to speak at sales kick-offs or conferences.
Even the women who do chose to counter these prevailing cultural norms, and do speak up routinely in meetings and volunteer to make presentations, often find that they are not fully heard. Their contributions are too often belittled or ignored, and they are personally criticised. Many describe their experience in trying to get themselves heard as “wading through treacle”. And let’s be clear – what we’re talking about here is rarely overt or intentional sexism, but subtle yet powerful prevailing behaviours, comments, micro-aggressions and interruptions, which collectively add up, like a spider’s web, to an almost invisible but very strong prejudice.
WHY IS THE SALES WORLD WORSE THAN OTHER PROFESSIONS? Sales is traditionally thought of an aggressive, boisterous, hyper-competitive, and therefore male-leaning profession. It’s all about delivering results and being seen to do so. So, when women are less visible because they speak less and are heard less in public forums – presentations, meetings and speeches – this negatively affects their reputation, credibility and career prospects.
It is often a “catch 22” situation for women because if they emulate the more forceful or vociferous behaviours of their male colleagues, they are often then criticised for being aggressive, shrill or bossy, because society is still extremely uncomfortable with women not conforming to the paradigm of femininity that owes more to Disney princesses than the Sheryl Sandbergs of the world (the Facebook executive).
These factors go a long way to explaining the low numbers of women who are in sales and who progress to sales management.
WHY MUST THINGS CHANGE This situation needs to change, however, because sales, certainly B2B sales, has changed. It is no longer enough to be a slick, bullish, “gift of the gab” salesperson. Sales, business development and relationship management are sophisticated roles that require intelligence gathering, analysis, strategising and nuanced communication skills. Sales as a profession needs all the talent it can get, so having a culture that alienates many potential recruits and half of the potential audience is not helpful. Research has proved repeatedly that more diversity in an organisation avoids groupthink, drives more creativity and innovation and ultimately produces better results.
REDRESSING GENDER IMBALANCE
She Said! is a new book designed to help women address unconscious biases that affect them. It does two key things. First, it seeks to explain some of the societal paradigms that negatively, and specifically, affect women. Recognising what is really happening around them is the critical starting point for women. Second, it offers specific advice, approaches and tactics to enable women to be heard and win due credit for their achievements, hence enhancing their impact and developing their careers. She Said! A guide for millennial women to speaking and being heard is published by Panoma Press, priced at £14.99, and is available on Amazon and from all good bookstores.
HOW TO HARNESS FEMALE TALENT Sales leaders need to review the culture of their organisations to ensure that they create a gender-balanced environment, free from outdated biases rooted in the past. Assessing their culture to understand it better and providing some element of their training that addresses women’s specific challenges would be a good start. A particularly interesting insight that came from interviewing board level women for the research for She Said! is the idea that often well-meaning male managers, mentors or coaches give women advice that can be counterproductive. This is because actions and behaviours that work for them are perceived very differently in women and can backfire.
For example, a woman who was CEO of a division of a multinational business told me of a time when she was up for an award and, to compete, she had to present her achievements to the global CEO. She was advised to position the presentation to talk about herself and her achievements, whereas she was inclined to talk about the team effort. She followed the (male) coach’s advice, and was subsequently criticised for lack of acknowledgement of her team and did not win the award... Women are judged by different standards, different criteria. GENDER BALANCE BOOSTS BUSINESS Individual women in sales would benefit from pausing to understand some of the dynamics taking place around them and to develop approaches to proactively address some of these challenges. They and their leaders need to be tackling these issues so that the future of sales embraces the full benefits that a gender-balanced workplace can bring – not least, sharper competitiveness and better business performance.
PATRICIA SEABRIGHT (FISM) is founder and director of Archimedes Consulting, which specialises in sales and commercial effectiveness. She is a sought-after speaking coach and the author. Visit: archimedesconsulting.co.uk
ENGINEERING SALES
Winning Edge meets MARK WILLETT (FISM), founder of C3 Sales & Consulting, which offers sales consulting services to the energy, engineering and manufacturing industries
What is your current role? In 2018, I started my own B2B technical sales consultancy, C3 Sales & Consulting, in Wilmslow, Cheshire. Over the years, I’d met with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from a range of industries, including oil and gas, subsea, offshore wind and marine energy, petrochemical and industrial sectors, which have struggled with business development and sales. My consultancy offers professional sales expertise to clients such as these and we’re highly experienced in selling bespoke, engineered-to-order, customised solutions. This has been gained through our sound knowledge of selling products and services to end users, operators, contractors, engineering houses and OEMs in the energy industry. Our services include assistance with sales strategy, sales process and structure reviews, sales representation, sales training, and coaching. What brought you into sales? After stints in the drawing office and project management, I took to proposals and sales, where I was promoted into management positions. This gave me a better understanding of the sales process as well as the opportunity to improve. When the proposal manager retired, I was promoted into his position, before starting my first external sales role following relocation to Cheshire in 2002.
What has helped you most in “I joined the ISM because the course of your career? it champions best practice My qualifications have helped greatly. I’ve and ethical standards, while both sold, and managed teams who have driving professionalism and sold, highly technical bespoke products and self-development, which are services in the energy industry, including oil very important to me and and gas equipment that sits on the seabed, reflect my values” which brings about its own challenges with materials, water depths, pressures and so on. A collaborative approach has also helped me. I truly believe that for a business to be How did you get started in your career? successful it requires a team effort – the whole being I left school with poor exams results and started greater than the sum of the parts. It is a collective work at the age of 16 as an engineering apprentice, effort and businesses can differentiate themselves before I was unfortunately made redundant – much through superior customer service, for which to the disappointment of my parents... customers will often pay a premium.
Redundancy made me more determined and I quickly joined a pump company as a draughtsman What are your strengths? and worked hard to prove myself. Around this time My key strength is developing and driving successful I was about to become a father and, realising the sales and marketing strategies that result in responsibilities that this would bring, instead of significant revenue and profit growth for my clients. negotiating a pay rise I asked if I could go back to I’m fully adept at both simple transaction sales and college. I wanted some qualifications to fall back on. selling complex products and services to multiple I was fortunate to be sponsored to study part-time decision-makers, while handling complex technical and I grasped the opportunity with both hands, and commercial negotiations. I’ve worked for and ultimately gaining a BTEC HND in mechatronics. with all sorts of companies, from SMEs to large
I’d got the bug. I went from one extreme to the corporations. I’ve developed new business from other and, following a change of job, my manager prospects who have become key accounts and was very supportive and encouraged my self- subsequently a key supplier on multiple projects development. I was keen to be the first member of under strategic framework contract agreements, my family to obtain a degree and the next logical resulting in multimillion-pound sales per annum step would have been to carry on studying year-on-year. engineering, but as I was in a commercial position, I’ve been told many times that I’m not a typical my manager suggested a management qualification. salesperson – that I’m too nice and too honest... It’s I decided to follow his advice and duly enrolled with the value I create and the professional relationships the Open University Business School. I build through speed of response, trust and support
In 2004, I graduated with an MBA – which was that result in long-term sales success. Sales is about undoubtedly one of the proudest days of my life. people wanting to do business with you because you
listen to their problems and help support them to solve their challenges. I have the ability to meet with clients and ask pertinent questions to understand their problems, establish where we can provide solutions, and develop business by cross-selling and up-selling, product development and framework contract agreements.
What do you enjoy most about your role? I’ve been fortunate enough to have travelled extensively, visiting many countries and meeting some wonderful people.
People really do buy from people. I enjoy sitting down with a prospect or a customer and finding out why business is not being won, putting account strategies in place to turn things around to win new business and developing them into key accounts. I like solving problems and creating opportunities, meeting technical challenges straight on and finding solutions, thereby creating value for my clients and customers. For example, on one occasion I was invited to pitch for a key contract by someone who had worked for me in the past. This led to an introduction with a key decision-maker who I was able to present to, quote and ultimately close an order with. So it led to a new customer, which is always highly satisfying.
On another occasion, I worked in collaboration with another manufacturer so that we could package the product that I was selling into a turnkey solution for our client. This resulted in winning our first order and ultimately becoming a key supplier for them, with further orders received from other global regions.
What have been your biggest successes? A few years ago I was working on a multimillionpound project enquiry and was contacted by the supply chain manager who asked for a significant discount just prior to placing the purchase order. This is an all-too-common occurrence, but I believe strongly that if you can demonstrate value, and the product or service that you are selling isn’t seen as a commodity, then you’re in a strong position to politely refuse. In this instance, I knew that the products that I was selling had been engineered into their equipment, so it would have been too late and too costly for them to change to another supplier – and I was successful in holding my ground.
One of the biggest decisions I’ve made in my career was when I was heading a sales team and we were looking to expand into a promising new region. To be successful, it meant making a significant investment to qualify the product that we were producing. Following my market research, I made the decision to proceed with this approach. It proved successful, leading to a number of high value projects being awarded, which ultimately made the return on investment very lucrative. What advice would you give an aspiring sales professional? Anything can be achieved through hard work and perseverance. The one thing I’ve learned about business is those who don’t adapt and change usually die. It’s vitally important, therefore, that we should keep adapting and developing as individuals and constantly hone our skills. Wherever possible, I would advise that you use the opportunity to be mentored by the best – always watch, listen, learn and put this into practice. Always have a sales plan – the old saying holds true: “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” Build relationships and trust through positive communication – visit clients regularly, always have an agreed agenda, keep your promises, continually prospect to build your pipeline – and above all else, pick up the phone...
What do you like about the ISM? I’m passionate about sales and believe that it is the lifeblood of any business, but all too often it is misrepresented and has historically had a bad name. This is because people from all backgrounds can enter the profession without any experience or formal qualifications. They’re often just given a laptop and mobile and told to sell, with little guidance and support. You wouldn’t expect a pilot to fly a jumbo jet without any training, so why would you put your salespeople in front of your best clients without the necessary skills, risking the reputation you’ve built up over years?
I joined the ISM as a Fellow because it champions best practice and ethical standards, while driving professionalism and self-development, which are very important to me and reflect my values. The ISM also gives me the chance to give something back by mentoring those new to sales or who see the benefit of learning from experience.
BUILDING BRIDGES
ADAM BROOK gets out and about to meet ISM Fellow, Stewart Moss
Allow me to reflect on 2 days last summer that I spent in Harrogate – a town I had never been to before, but one to which I will definitely be returning.
I’ve not seen much of the UK and, despite lockdown, 2020 provided me with the opportunity to see a little bit more of it. And so, following a gracious invitation from one of our members – ISM Fellow, Stewart Moss, group director of sales and marketing at Harrogate’s Cedar Court Hotel – I boarded a train and shot up to North Yorkshire to meet him. NEW CONTACTS... FRESH OPPORTUNITIES Stewart had kick-started my adventure in May by getting in touch with me on LinkedIn. It’s a special moment for me when a member takes the trouble to get in touch personally. I realise that it takes time out of their day to compose their thoughts and convey their wishes, with no way of knowing if they’ll get a satisfactory response. So, when Stewart made that effort to reach out to me, I replied a minute later – literally.
Socially distant, yet professionally close: Stewart Moss (left) of Cedar Court Hotel with Adam Brook of the ISM
I had leapt at Stewart’s invitation, accepting it immediately without checking how far away Harrogate actually was. To be honest, I have always tended to take spontaneous decisions, for better or worse, so I shouldn’t really have been surprised to find it was a lot further than Birmingham, which is what my faulty internal geographic sensor had been telling me – it’s a good thing I didn’t become a pilot...
SUPPORTING MEMBERS What followed from that call in May was a camaraderie I have had the pleasure of experiencing with every one of our members who has approached me since I joined the ISM 3 years ago. In all of those conversations, I have always had an overwhelming desire to help. I don’t really see my role as a sales and marketing director, but view it as looking after one massive family of sales professionals. I aim to be available day or night, even at weekends, to ensure they get the support they need from the ISM and are given the best opportunities we can provide to allow them to thrive in their various roles. There is a phrase I’ve coined which sums up this intent, which is visible on our website. Quite simply, it states: “It’s not about us, it’s about giving our members around the globe a platform to shine within their industry.” EXPANDING HORIZONS After our initial connection, Stewart and I found common ground through a series of emails, phone calls and WhatsApp messages over a number of days – culminating in his kind invitation to me to stay at the Cedar Court and deliver an ISM webinar from the hotel.
Dispensing with convention on a hot midsummer day, I ditched the smart-casual look and arrived for my train at King’s Cross in seagullpatterned blue shorts, a pink shirt and flip-flops. It was good to get away and as the train sped north, I took everything in, from rolling countryside, innumerable sheep and impressive mansions, to industrial estates and old coal-fired power plants.
On the final leg of my journey, having rumbled through a seemingly never-ending tunnel, my mind was blown away as we suddenly emerged on what I now know is the Crimple Valley Viaduct (pictured). A sharp bend in the track on the south side of the viaduct caused my train to reduce speed significantly as it traversed this extraordinary structure. Completed in 1848, the Grade II-listed viaduct is 571m long and has 31 arches, each with a 16m span, which reach a maximum height of 34m above the valley (OK, I admit Google helped me out on the details).
I duly arrived at Harrogate station, to find Stewart waiting patiently. He kindly drove me to the Cedar Court Hotel, located in the heart of this historic town, pointing out landmarks and imparting considerable knowledge as we went. We soon arrived at the handsome Cedar Court, a member of the Ascend Hotel Collection, which offers amazing accommodation overlooking 200 acres of the pristine Stray parkland. BUILDING RAPPORT After checking into my luxurious room, I was ready to relax, but then Stewart invited me for some liquid refreshment. My most deep-seated fears about Northerners began to surface – specifically, their legendary ability to drink “soft southerners” under the table – but I needn’t have worried. What followed was a lovely evening, filled with laughter, with me asking too many questions about Harrogate, as we continued to explore it, expecting Stewart to know all the answers. At one point we passed a burnt-out shed, which I suggested must be of historical importance – alas, no, it was a burnt-out shed.
More laughter ensued from discussions about our top 10 peeves in life, as we discovered that we shared similar disdain for people who eat takeaways on trains, speak or play something loudly on their phones, or cause delay at the station barrier trying to find their tickets.
In a more serious vein, we also talked about the upcoming ISM webinar – the format of the occasion, the preamble and the questions I would ask – all of which put me at ease, and all in the company of an ISM member I had known nothing about just a few weeks earlier. ADDING VALUE As for the webinar itself, I was hugely impressed by the set-up Stewart had organised – including four technical support guys and a green screen – which demonstrated his tremendous passion for the ISM. Despite delivering over 100 webinars for the ISM, I always feel a little nervous before each one, but those fears were rapidly dissipated by the professionalism of the crew, the calmness with which they helped me, and their desire to deliver excellence for both the Cedar Court and the ISM.
You can see how it went by clicking here.
Back in London, and now in the depths of a new lockdown in this pandemic-plagued British winter, it’s hardly surprising that I miss those sunny days of summer, rolling hills of Yorkshire and historic sights of Harrogate. But more important than all of these happy memories, one key legacy remains intact – a warm and constructive business relationship with Stewart.
Now, imagine if we could duplicate and multiply this type of relationship exponentially across the ISM’s entire membership base. Wouldn’t that be something? I will be working hard to do just that in 2021 – and I sincerely hope all ISM members will strive to do the same.
In the meantime, to Stewart, the staff of the Cedar Court and the tech team at Orcula – thank you for your great hospitality and support, which made for a fabulous visit. I will return.
ADAM BROOK (LISM) is sales and membership marketing director at the ISM. For more information on partnership opportunities with the ISM, call him on +44 (0)7493 644611, email abrook@ismprofessional.com or visit ismprofessional.com
A WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE
Winning Edge meets MIKE COADY (FISM), a highly successful wealth manager, coach and mentor – and a huge fan of the ISM
What is your current role? I am an experienced wealth manager, looking after clients in the Middle East and globally. These days, I also share a lot of my time nurturing and developing others via my coaching consultancy, Coady Performance Group. I find it incredibly rewarding to work with people to help them succeed, and I’ve done it for so long now, it just comes naturally.
What has been your biggest challenge? My toughest challenges have also turned out to be my biggest successes, oddly... There comes a time when you build such successful teams and businesses that, to a degree, you become too powerful for the business. The challenge comes after you’ve built all the systems, standards and processes that your team’s success just builds on itself, achieving a trajectory. When you enjoy what How would you describe you do and who you do it with, you don’t your sales journey? ever want it to come to an end, as having to I left university early. I felt bored and needed “I work with several find your feet again and rebuild is tough. a new challenge. I wanted a “prove myself” professional entities and I get role with some frontline interaction. My first most value from the ISM. It What advice would you give to real role was at 22 with Prudential as a really is a phenomenal someone just starting out in sales? financial consultant, and then on to firms professional body” A career in sales for many can be because such as Barclays, deVere Group and they can’t do anything else, but sales is Guardian Wealth Management, working my absolutely a career of the future and should way up to number one adviser globally, number one not be chosen for the wrong reasons. regional director then on to leading international If you are going to have a career in sales, now salesforces and global wealth management more than ever information is at the consumer’s companies. During my career I’ve achieved many fingertips, so it’s about having a service level higher awards, and always felt a need to prove that leaving than anybody else’s. That means being presentable, university early was the right thing to do. It’s that knowing your product better than anyone else and single decision that answers the “why?” in my day. the problem it solves, being communicative and consultative. It’s not about persuading people, but How would people describe you? about building relationships and trust. Trust is a It has probably changed over the years. Certainly, in huge thing in business – it will define your success. the early years I was more bullish and a lot bolder. Don’t think short term. Sales is all about your I was more driven in a way that others might long-term brand and reputation, and making sure perceive as self-assured. Over the years I’ve learnt that you clearly add value. that running a million miles an hour is not always My success came from years of hard work and the best way. I absolutely love my work and my sacrifices. Early on I learnt the trade, I studied hard, team, but enjoying the moment and those around and I listened to everyone around me. During my me is a huge part of what I want from my future. time at Prudential I had two amazing mentors – I did what they did, I went where they went, and I What has been the most rewarding wanted what they had. You must strive to learn from moment of your career? the best around you. As a financial adviser by trade, a great driver for me But my biggest tip is, “You have to put in!” I can was being recognised at a young age and winning teach and nurture anybody, but above all else they major awards year after year at some of the biggest must have that drive and hunger to succeed. banks and wealth management firms in the world. Being recognised as a number one gave me the trust How has the ISM added value to you? I needed from others to get onto the next step of The ISM really is a phenomenal professional body. my career, building and leading many of the It provides a significant resource, content, and a highest-performing teams in our industry and proven opportunity to network with others and opening new offices all over the world. share best practices. Being able to help each other in
As a leader, it has also been incredibly motivating business and introduce contacts is great. I work with for me to see those I have led in the past grow and several professional entities and I get by far the most go on to achieve their own spectacular successes. value from the ISM. Thanks ISM.
Become an ISM Fellow!
Join the ISM and boost your career prospects
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! If any of the opportunities interest you then visit ismprofessional.com for more information, or get in touch by emailing ABrook@ismprofessional.com
ISM FELLOW (FISM)
10-15 YEARS’ EXPERIENCE ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION: £250
Fellowship is for sales directors or CEOs, or those with sales experience and a Level 6 or 7 sales degree. It requires you to give back to the community. REASONS TO JOIN: LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT l Access to our professional resources, conference archives and extensive library of video, audio and printed materials l Continuing professional development (CPD) programme l Offer mentoring to members l Study for OFQUAL-accredited professional qualifications l Download and offer best sales practices and whitepapers l Offer a less than 1 minute video on tips to support members MARKETING l Register to be a BESMA judge l Prestigious post-nominal, FISM, raising your professional standing l One solus mailer to the ISM audience pre and post participation in a webinar l Amplify a survey of your own NETWORKING l Attend live and virtual events, including conferences, workshops and regional industry meetings l Member-only networking l Free or discounted admission to BESMA and other events l Connect through our memberfind-member platform l Become an interview prepper l Host an event at your offices l Collaborate with members within special interest groups l Participate in our Committees l Register for a private dinner PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT l Free ISM legal advice line l Ask-an-ISM member for advice on pitching a business or service l Complimentary coaching call with an ISM Adviser l CV writing, interview guidance and a trial pitch RECRUITMENT l Receive alerts on new jobs through our online job section l Feature a sales role in your organisation in Winning Edge magazine and on social media l Become an ISM Career Adviser THOUGHT LEADERSHIP l Access our quarterly digital magazine, Winning Edge l Submit articles for publication in Winning Edge and on our blog l Register to deliver a webinar l Book review by the ISM‘s COO, hosted on ISM website l Submit best sales practices and white papers for download l Download and offer best practice sales templates l Submit pre-recorded video content to our website l Speak on a sales topic at an ISM event to raise your profile and professional credibility l Author a Winning Edge preface.
WEBINARS
THE ISM OFFERS A RICH VARIETY OF WEBINARS TO INFORM SALES PROFESSIONALS
l The ISM’s seminar programme offers unique learning opportunities to sales professionals at all levels, from students to senior leaders
l We also work closely with other professional bodies and selected commercial partners to provide the most topical and informative programme to both our members and the wider sales profession
l Listed below are some webinar dates for your diary, along with some recent talks that you can catch up with “on demand”
l For the most up-to-date information on all ISM webinars and ISM-supported events, visit ismprofessional.com
ISM SPOTLIGHT WEBINARS – COMING SOON
9 March 11am Mastering the art of sales development: Owen Richards, Air Marketing Group 9 March 2pm How good design can improve sales: Simon Hutchings, Visualise 11 March 11am Top ten tips for writing winning sales proposals: Graham Ablett, ISM Fellow 18 March 3pm Apply science and technology to drive growth: Matthew Blanchard and Neil Whitney, Varicent 20 April 11am Maximising client retention: Graham Ablett, ISM Fellow
MISSED A WEBINAR? NO PROBLEM...
Catch up with them on demand by visiting brighttalk.com/channel/15979
RECENT ISM SPOTLIGHT TALKS – AVAILABLE NOW ON DEMAND
Darran Berry, marketing & business development manager UAE, BASF Sam Carrington, former sales controller, ITV Steve Logan, ISM Fellow Peter Colman, partner, Simon-Kucher & Partners Ollie Sharpe, VP of revenue EMEA, SalesLoft Roger Bradburn, chief operating officer, ISM Stewart Moss, sales director, Cedar Court Hotels Yorkshire Darryl Praill, chief marketing officer, VanillaSoft
HOW TO REACH SALES PROFESSIONALS
Winning Edge is the official journal of the ISM and an integral part of the ISM’s membership package. This high-quality digital magazine is packed with informative and entertaining articles, providing a wealth of practical advice and new ideas to help sales leaders and professionals. That makes it your route to a targeted and highly influential business audience.
Ins TIT u T e of sa L es managemen T
Raising the value of sales
number 3 2020 | ismprofessional.com | £4.95
To advertise in Winning Edge, email Adam Brook at abrook@ismprofessional.com or call 020 3167 4790
zero in on tech members matter Where next?
Inst I tute of sales management
Raising the value of sales
number 2 2020 | ismprofessional.com | £4.95
bRaving a new woRld
how to sell safely and successfully in spite of the Covid-19 catastrophe
remote control worlds apart stay strong
In S t I tute of S ale S M anage M ent
Raising the value of sales
number 1 2021 | ismprofessional.com | £4.95
strong stuff
Why Simon Weston is backing the ISM on mental health
