February 2, 2005

"Carefully listening to B2B clients is paramount", is the main message for the B2B industry on both sides of the Atlantic, as delegates at ABM‘s and PPA‘s B2B conferences were advised to move a step beyond just selling B2B solutions.

More than 200 sales professionals attended the third B2B Sales Conference by the UK‘s PPA on23 November.

In one of the most popular sessions, delegates were given the opportunity to quiz Tim Weller, chief executive of Incisive Media, and Tim Lucas, consultant and former director of business development at The National Magazine Company, on what distinguishes an outstanding sales person from an average performer.

Tim Weller said that energy, drive and resilience played a vital part, along with a will to succeed. Weller, reflecting the views expressed a week earlier at ABM‘s equivalent conference in America, said listening to clients was essential: "Don‘t just flog - listen. And remember, we‘re not just flogging products, we‘re flogging solutions."

For Tim Lucas, the recipe for success included determination, belief in the product, team work, a thorough understanding of clients’ businesses, and appreciating the difference between sales and negotiation.

Said Lucas: "A good sales person appreciates the difference between negotiation and sales. It is easy to be too quick to drop from the rate card. To be a good sale person it is vital you create the value first."

Source: FIPP.com