The Luxury Of Choice - Sales Skills Podcast

Product demonstrations are a key part of any sales process in technical equipment sales. In this episode Steve, Pru and Jonathan discuss the do's and don't of a great demonstration; including how to prepare, the key questions to ask, the importance of timing and what is a "puppy dog close"! The team also discuss some questions from listeners to the show. 

Steve Vaughan, Jonathan Cooper, Pru Layton, Christian Walter, Pascal le Floche,  Jayne Green  and Jonathan Slasinski are Sales Trainers from george james ltd.  You can email the show at:  [email protected]

 The trainers on LinkedIn:

 Steve Vaughan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-vaughan-salestrainer/
Jonathan Cooper https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-cooper-18716b1/
Pru Layton https://www.linkedin.com/in/pru-layton-b46a3528/
Christian Walter https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-walter-a1857b1/
Jayne Green https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayne-green-salestrainer/
Pascal Le Floch-Riche https://www.linkedin.com/in/pascal-le-floch-220ba46/

Jonathan Slasinski https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-slasinski-449a655/

george james training website https://georgejames-training.com/

For this interview episode Steve talks with Debbie Airey.  Debbie is an experienced and successful Sales Leader within Halma plc, a global group of life saving businesses, and one of the UK's most admired companies. After 4 successful years with the Halma business Crowcon, where she has doubled sales, she is starting a new role at another group business, Minicam.  Steve and Debbie discuss:

• How she achieved the sales growth at Crowcon
• How sales and business has changed since the pandemic
• The challenge of being a female sales leader in a mostly male dominated marketplace
• The importance of building a personal brand on LinkedIn
• Why channeling your inner "imposter syndrome" voice can lead to great results
• The importance of coaching in sales leadership, and not being afraid to fail 

This is a must listen for any sales leader or aspiring sales manager operating in technical B2B sales.

Debbie's LinkedIn details: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debbie-airey-43026110/
Halma plc: https://www.linkedin.com/company/halma-plc/
Crowcon Detection Instruments: https://www.linkedin.com/company/crowcon-detection-instruments-ltd-/
Minicam: https://www.linkedin.com/company/minicam-ltd/

Music for the show from Epidemic Sound 

Steve Vaughan, Jonathan Cooper, Pru Layton, Christian Walter, Pascal le Floche,  Jayne Green  and Jonathan Slasinski are Sales Trainers from george james ltd.  You can email the show at:  [email protected]

 The trainers on LinkedIn:

 Steve Vaughan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-vaughan-salestrainer/
Jonathan Cooper https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-cooper-18716b1/
Pru Layton https://www.linkedin.com/in/pru-layton-b46a3528/
Christian Walter https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-walter-a1857b1/
Jayne Green https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayne-green-salestrainer/
Pascal Le Floch-Riche https://www.linkedin.com/in/pascal-le-floch-220ba46/

Jonathan Slasinski https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-slasinski-449a655/

george james training website https://georgejames-training.com/

Steve, Jonathan and Pru are back for the first show of 2024, and their topic is 10 great New Year's resolutions for salespeople in technical sales.  They discuss:

• Why the start of the year is a great time to work on your personal development
• Why looking back on what you did- or didn't- do last year is a great place to start your plans for 2024
• Why seeing the customers you don't like seeing may be the key to your success in 2024

Plus a special bonus 11th resolution from Pru right at the end!  
Remember we want YOUR questions for the team - email the show at [email protected] 

Steve Vaughan, Jonathan Cooper, Pru Layton, Christian Walter, Pascal le Floche,  Jayne Green  and Jonathan Slasinski are Sales Trainers from george james ltd.  You can email the show at:  [email protected]

 The trainers on LinkedIn:

 Steve Vaughan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-vaughan-salestrainer/
Jonathan Cooper https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-cooper-18716b1/
Pru Layton https://www.linkedin.com/in/pru-layton-b46a3528/
Christian Walter https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-walter-a1857b1/
Jayne Green https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayne-green-salestrainer/
Pascal Le Floch-Riche https://www.linkedin.com/in/pascal-le-floch-220ba46/

Jonathan Slasinski https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-slasinski-449a655/

george james training website https://georgejames-training.com/

This special holiday season episode features Steve reflecting on 2023 and outlining the plans for the show in 2024. 
We want to hear from you! If you have any sales or business related question you would like to ask the team, or if you have a suggestion for a guest interview we would love to hear from you. Email us at [email protected] - let us know if you would like the question to be anonymous. 
See you in 2024! 

Steve Vaughan, Jonathan Cooper, Pru Layton, Christian Walter, Pascal le Floche,  Jayne Green  and Jonathan Slasinski are Sales Trainers from george james ltd.  You can email the show at:  [email protected]

 The trainers on LinkedIn:

 Steve Vaughan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-vaughan-salestrainer/
Jonathan Cooper https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-cooper-18716b1/
Pru Layton https://www.linkedin.com/in/pru-layton-b46a3528/
Christian Walter https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-walter-a1857b1/
Jayne Green https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayne-green-salestrainer/
Pascal Le Floch-Riche https://www.linkedin.com/in/pascal-le-floch-220ba46/

Jonathan Slasinski https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-slasinski-449a655/

george james training website https://georgejames-training.com/

For this month's interview show Steve talks with three HR and business professionals about the impact of culture on sales and business. Becky Crisp, Katy Davies and Jo Boyd discuss with Steve:

• How company culture is not just about having some words on a piece of paper!
• Why culture doesn't (just) come from the boardroom but from the whole organisation
• Why anyone in an organisation with toxic culture should be able to speak up to highlight the problems
• How a toxic culture can lead to poor productivity and employee retention
• Why culture eats strategy for breakfast!

LinkedIn profiles for Becky, Katy and Jo:

Beck Crisp https://www.linkedin.com/in/becky-crisp/
Katy Davies https://www.linkedin.com/in/katy-davies-shift/
Jo Boyd https://www.linkedin.com/in/jo-boyd/

Steve Vaughan, Jonathan Cooper, Pru Layton, Christian Walter, Pascal le Floche,  Jayne Green  and Jonathan Slasinski are Sales Trainers from george james ltd.  You can email the show at:  [email protected]

 The trainers on LinkedIn:

 Steve Vaughan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-vaughan-salestrainer/
Jonathan Cooper https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-cooper-18716b1/
Pru Layton https://www.linkedin.com/in/pru-layton-b46a3528/
Christian Walter https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-walter-a1857b1/
Jayne Green https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayne-green-salestrainer/
Pascal Le Floch-Riche https://www.linkedin.com/in/pascal-le-floch-220ba46/

Jonathan Slasinski https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-slasinski-449a655/

george james training website https://georgejames-training.com/

Steve Vaughan is joined by three new members of the george james training team  for a discussion on what makes a great sales call, and some key do's and don't for a professional visit to a customer. 

Steve, Jayne, Christian and Pascal discuss, amongst other topics :

• Why there is no excuse for not being fully prepared!
• The importance of having a clear objective
• How silence can be so powerful in a sales call
• Why the customer should do most of the talking
• Why there is always a next step after any sales visit. 

This is a great listen for any technical salesperson making a sales visit to a customer, perhaps on the way to the meeting! 

Steve Vaughan, Jonathan Cooper, Pru Layton, Christian Walter, Pascal le Floche,  Jayne Green  and Jonathan Slasinski are Sales Trainers from george james ltd.  You can email the show at:  [email protected]

 The trainers on LinkedIn:

 Steve Vaughan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-vaughan-salestrainer/
Jonathan Cooper https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-cooper-18716b1/
Pru Layton https://www.linkedin.com/in/pru-layton-b46a3528/
Christian Walter https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-walter-a1857b1/
Jayne Green https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayne-green-salestrainer/
Pascal Le Floch-Riche https://www.linkedin.com/in/pascal-le-floch-220ba46/

Jonathan Slasinski https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-slasinski-449a655/

george james training website https://georgejames-training.com/

On our latest interview show, Steve talks to Luke Evans from Heddway. Luke specializes in provided training for mental fitness and a positive mental approach. Luke tells Steve:

• How his personal journey from growing up in the Welsh Valley's to working as a trainer for a leading pharmaceutical company has led to him starting his own business to provide mental fitness training
• Why training skills is not enough; training attitude and approach is just as important!
• What is mental fitness and how does it differ from mental health 
• How businesses can get an immediate ROI from mental fitness training in reducing lost hours due to stress and anxiety 

Luke is very open about his personal challenges in learning to manage his anger and depression and how he taught himself to manage these challenges in a positive and productive way.

To find out more about Luke and Heddway:

 https://www.linkedin.com/company/heddway/about/

Steve Vaughan, Jonathan Cooper, Pru Layton, Christian Walter, Pascal le Floche,  Jayne Green  and Jonathan Slasinski are Sales Trainers from george james ltd.  You can email the show at:  [email protected]

 The trainers on LinkedIn:

 Steve Vaughan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-vaughan-salestrainer/
Jonathan Cooper https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-cooper-18716b1/
Pru Layton https://www.linkedin.com/in/pru-layton-b46a3528/
Christian Walter https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-walter-a1857b1/
Jayne Green https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayne-green-salestrainer/
Pascal Le Floch-Riche https://www.linkedin.com/in/pascal-le-floch-220ba46/

Jonathan Slasinski https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-slasinski-449a655/

george james training website https://georgejames-training.com/

In this weeks show Steve, Pru and Jonathan discuss kick off meetings. Many businesses with a calendar financial year will right now be planning their start the year meeting for 2024, so this episode will be really helpful for anyone working on their event.  The team discuss:

• Why less is more when it comes to the agenda;
• Why having a theme is a great idea for your kick off meeting;
• Should you ask you CEO, CFO, etc to come to the meeting?
• Whether you should invite your distribution partners;
• Whether sales awards still have their place;
• How to make your kick off meeting FUN!

Steve Vaughan, Jonathan Cooper, Pru Layton, Christian Walter, Pascal le Floche,  Jayne Green  and Jonathan Slasinski are Sales Trainers from george james ltd.  You can email the show at:  [email protected]

 The trainers on LinkedIn:

 Steve Vaughan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-vaughan-salestrainer/
Jonathan Cooper https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-cooper-18716b1/
Pru Layton https://www.linkedin.com/in/pru-layton-b46a3528/
Christian Walter https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-walter-a1857b1/
Jayne Green https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayne-green-salestrainer/
Pascal Le Floch-Riche https://www.linkedin.com/in/pascal-le-floch-220ba46/

Jonathan Slasinski https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-slasinski-449a655/

george james training website https://georgejames-training.com/

In this 2nd of our interview shows, Steve talks to Martina Neville, PhD of Detta Consults. Martina is a specialist and subject matter expert in the field of life science marketing.  This is a thought proving show that will for sure get you thinking! Martina tells Steve:

• Why companies move too quickly into tactical marketing communications before getting their strategy sorted
• Why most companies get it wrong on LinkedIn
• Why your company can't tell you what to post on LinkedIn
• How AI is being used (for better or worse) in social media
• Why sales is a branch of marketing!

Martina's LinkedIn page : https://www.linkedin.com/in/martina-n/
Detta Consults LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/detta-consulting/

Steve Vaughan, Jonathan Cooper, Pru Layton, Christian Walter, Pascal le Floche,  Jayne Green  and Jonathan Slasinski are Sales Trainers from george james ltd.  You can email the show at:  [email protected]

 The trainers on LinkedIn:

 Steve Vaughan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-vaughan-salestrainer/
Jonathan Cooper https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-cooper-18716b1/
Pru Layton https://www.linkedin.com/in/pru-layton-b46a3528/
Christian Walter https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-walter-a1857b1/
Jayne Green https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayne-green-salestrainer/
Pascal Le Floch-Riche https://www.linkedin.com/in/pascal-le-floch-220ba46/

Jonathan Slasinski https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-slasinski-449a655/

george james training website https://georgejames-training.com/

In this latest episode, Jonathan, Pru and Steve, the training team of george james ltd discuss qualification of sales opportunities. Qualification is a key part of any well managed sales processes.  The team discuss:

• Why you don't have to run with every sales opportunity
• Why commercial qualification is just as important as technical qualification
• Why sales people don't ask about the available budget early enough in the sales process
• Why we are kidding ourselves if their is no competition for the sale!
• What is "ABQ"?

Jonathan, Pru and Steve also give a short overview of their own sales careers and their journey into full time sales training. 

Steve Vaughan, Jonathan Cooper, Pru Layton, Christian Walter, Pascal le Floche,  Jayne Green  and Jonathan Slasinski are Sales Trainers from george james ltd.  You can email the show at:  [email protected]

 The trainers on LinkedIn:

 Steve Vaughan https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-vaughan-salestrainer/
Jonathan Cooper https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-cooper-18716b1/
Pru Layton https://www.linkedin.com/in/pru-layton-b46a3528/
Christian Walter https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-walter-a1857b1/
Jayne Green https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayne-green-salestrainer/
Pascal Le Floch-Riche https://www.linkedin.com/in/pascal-le-floch-220ba46/

Jonathan Slasinski https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-slasinski-449a655/

george james training website https://georgejames-training.com/