The Shift Control Sales Podcast

A high percentage of our work this year has been in training rather than marketing or brand strategy. Over the last number of weeks we have begun work with some major businesses across a variety of sectors, including construction and logistics - both could be considered as bell weather sectors - if they are building and moving then things are ok.

When they stop building and moving , there's trouble, right?

Businesses are investing in training and up-skilling staff but there is no guarantee that training or coaching will work - there are many factors at play which determine ongoing success.

In this solo podcast I look at what needs to be in play for a successful coaching outcome.

A high percentage of our work this year has been in training rather than marketing or brand strategy. Over the last number of weeks we have begun work with some major businesses across a variety of sectors, including construction and logistics - both could be considered as bell weather sectors - if they are building and moving then things are ok.

When they stop building and moving , there's trouble, right?

Businesses are investing in training and up-skilling staff but there is no guarantee that training or coaching will work - there are many factors at play which determine ongoing success.

In this solo podcast I look at what needs to be in play for a successful coaching outcome.

Most of the time sales people are focused on short term outcomes and look inwardly towards their own needs and wants over those of the customer.

There has been a widely accepted move away from features and benefits to outcomes - seeing the world from the perspective of the buyer is the most important thing where the key is to understand the consequences of which to build a cogent argument around.

Most of the time sales people are focused on short term outcomes and look inwardly towards their own needs and wants over those of the customer.

There has been a widely accepted move away from features and benefits to outcomes - seeing the world from the perspective of the buyer is the most important thing where the key is to understand the consequences of which to build a cogent argument around.

“Sponsorship is the future of business”

Jackie Fast, Pinpoint: How challenging the norm is the only route to success in selling sponsorship.

Only someone who has successfully navigated the choppy (and occasionally murky) waters of sports marketing and sponsorship can make that claim with any confidence.

As Fast points out in her book, advertising and marketing has changed.

Media consumption and channel proliferation has made it harder for brands to fully engage with their audiences but if advertising has changes then it is fair to say that sponsorship has also changed.

A logo on a shirt is never going to be enough.

In fairness, it never was.

There is greater demand on sports properties to demonstrate something beyond “equivalent media value” and greater pressure on brand owners and managers to make their sponsorship money work.

Jackie Fast sold her sports marketing business, Slingshot Sponsorship having worked with Sir Richard Branson, Spotify, IBM, Renault, Haymarket Consumer publishing and Shell.

She still very much believes in the benefits of sponsorship and her book, Pinpoint: How challenging the norm is the only route to success in selling sponsorship, looks at the world from both the perspective of property and brand – giving common sense direction and useful engagement and retention strategies.

It was a real pleasure to get Jackie on the show in a week where she was particularly busy in her capacity as board director of the European Sponsorship Association.

Follow her on www.jackiefast.com and on twitter @JackieFast

“Sponsorship is the future of business”

Jackie Fast, Pinpoint: How challenging the norm is the only route to success in selling sponsorship.

Only someone who has successfully navigated the choppy (and occasionally murky) waters of sports marketing and sponsorship can make that claim with any confidence.

As Fast points out in her book, advertising and marketing has changed.

Media consumption and channel proliferation has made it harder for brands to fully engage with their audiences but if advertising has changes then it is fair to say that sponsorship has also changed.

A logo on a shirt is never going to be enough.

In fairness, it never was.

There is greater demand on sports properties to demonstrate something beyond “equivalent media value” and greater pressure on brand owners and managers to make their sponsorship money work.

Jackie Fast sold her sports marketing business, Slingshot Sponsorship having worked with Sir Richard Branson, Spotify, IBM, Renault, Haymarket Consumer publishing and Shell.

She still very much believes in the benefits of sponsorship and her book, Pinpoint: How challenging the norm is the only route to success in selling sponsorship, looks at the world from both the perspective of property and brand – giving common sense direction and useful engagement and retention strategies.

It was a real pleasure to get Jackie on the show in a week where she was particularly busy in her capacity as board director of the European Sponsorship Association.

Follow her on www.jackiefast.com and on twitter @JackieFast

Is "Practice" part of your sales process?

How many of you spend time in 'rehearsal' preparing questions, answers, eventualities and outcomes for those big sales presentations?

In fact, not just those big presentations but for everything you do? There are examples everywhere of those people who take the time out to prepare hard for the main event. In a previous Podcast with Damien Hughes, he described how Pep Guardiola would spend 7 hours preparing for a 20 minute team talk.

Benjamin Franklin was renowned for preparation in his writing.

Do you make practice an integral part of your preparation - please, get in touch and let me know what you think.

Is "Practice" part of your sales process?

How many of you spend time in 'rehearsal' preparing questions, answers, eventualities and outcomes for those big sales presentations?

In fact, not just those big presentations but for everything you do? There are examples everywhere of those people who take the time out to prepare hard for the main event. In a previous Podcast with Damien Hughes, he described how Pep Guardiola would spend 7 hours preparing for a 20 minute team talk.

Benjamin Franklin was renowned for preparation in his writing.

Do you make practice an integral part of your preparation - please, get in touch and let me know what you think.

So, you all set for GDPR?

The much talked about but not always understood changes to the 1998 Data Protection Act kick in on 25th May 2018

As the way we store and transfer data changes so too does the legislation protecting customers - non-compliance could be costly.

In this podcast, I talk to Orlagh Kelly, Barrister and CEO of Briefed - the go-to GDPR training and compliance consultancy in the North or Ireland.

Over the last number of months, Orlagh and her team has been working closely with hundreds of businesses across the UK and Ireland implementing procedures and de-mistlfying legislation - in the podcast she gives valuable insight into the impact of the legislation on SMEs, how you need to prepare and the impact it has on businesses using email and telephone data for business development.

For more information, visit briefed.pro or email Orlagh directly on [email protected]

So, you all set for GDPR?

The much talked about but not always understood changes to the 1998 Data Protection Act kick in on 25th May 2018

As the way we store and transfer data changes so too does the legislation protecting customers - non-compliance could be costly.

In this podcast, I talk to Orlagh Kelly, Barrister and CEO of Briefed - the go-to GDPR training and compliance consultancy in the North or Ireland.

Over the last number of months, Orlagh and her team has been working closely with hundreds of businesses across the UK and Ireland implementing procedures and de-mistlfying legislation - in the podcast she gives valuable insight into the impact of the legislation on SMEs, how you need to prepare and the impact it has on businesses using email and telephone data for business development.

For more information, visit briefed.pro or email Orlagh directly on [email protected]