Deck the Halls?

With the high street trying to get us spending for Christmas and the financial sector still feeling jumpy, many businesses are wondering what will be in store when we finally enter 2009.

The truth is that while the festive season is traditionally one of parties and office gossip, this year is bound to be a little different. But amid all of the news hype many businesses are planning for a positive future – they’re not willing to sit back and let themselves fade away.

Companies now, more than ever, need to be assessing and planning for what 2009 will bring. Individual skills and performance are key, and training can make a huge impact – building confidence and providing the techniques to do a job with the focus and flexibility the current market requires.

For many, training will have been put on the back burner as the boom times saw sales flying high. Today, training is one of the most important tools in helping business through the tough times that may lie beyond the Christmas festivities.

It may be too much this year to deck the halls, but with the right investment in skill development, next year you could be back in a position to do so.

It’s Selling – But Not as We Know It….

If you’ve watched ITV’s new reality show Natural Born Sellers, don’t let it put you off sales! At Pareto we’ve been surprised by some of the pushy attitudes of the contestants – they seem to show sales as it used to be 20 years ago, rather than the professional, more business focused industry it has become.

The programme, which features eight salespeople battling it out for a commission-based prize fund of thousands, shows the contestants competing to sell anything from double glazing to luxury limousines.

But, the focus of the show seems to suggest that in sales there can only be one winner - this is simply not the case. Professional selling today is all about creating win-win scenarios for the business and its clients, working as a team to support colleagues and pulling together to maximise success.

The sales process should be structured, professional and credible, with salespeople building an understanding of their clients’ needs in order to maximise potential in an honest and open business environment. Unfortunately, this programme has shown a more selfish approach to sales, which will rarely achieve the same results as a team focus.

Tell us your thoughts on the show…