We recently posted a poll in our LinkedIn group Sales Specialists UK asking which aspect of sales is more difficult? 75% of respondents said “making first contact with the prospect” was the hardest.

In recent years, we’re less expected to make first contact in person. We can now connect via email, phone and Skype from the comfort of our own home or office. But people still make judgements on others within the first few seconds of meeting them, so however you do it, make sure you get it right:

• If you’re emailing them, ensure that you double check that what you've written makes sense and has no errors, or you’ll be remembered for your mistakes. 
• If you’re phoning a prospect, do it in an environment where you can give them your full attention and if it’s on a mobile, somewhere where your signal won’t cut out. 
• If you’re meeting someone face-to face, think about your mood, what you’re wearing and your body language. 

You’re building a relationship with your potential customers right from the first point of contact. If you can’t sell yourself, how can you sell your products? The old cliché is true: you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression.

Should you make first contact face-to-face, by email or by phone? How about through social media? What works when you make contact with a new prospect?

Hays Sales UK are experts in all areas of sales recruitment. To find out more about how our highly skilled consultants can support you, please visit our website.

Adam Horne, IT Sales and Managed Hosting Specialist Consultant at Hays, shares his thoughts on the IT cloud industry. An expert in all aspects of technical sales, including the IT, managed cloud hosting and infrastructure markets, he would be happy to hear from anyone interested in this post by email (adam.horne@hays.com) or on LinkedIn: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/hayssales. 

• CompTIA have released their IT Industry Outlook 2013 report, which forecasts a growth rate of 3% for the global IT industry in 2013.
• IDC has found that cloud-specific skills will grow at six times the rate of overall IT skills as cloud trends develop in 2013.
• TechTarget and Computer Weekly have reported that 30% of IT professionals said their budget for cloud services is due to increase when asked about their priorities for 2013.

It’s important for sales managers to motivate their team in order to get results. A bored and uninspired team can get stuck in a rut and performance levels can suffer. But knowing how to motivate them can be a challenge.

We’ve put together a list of 10 ways you could motivate your sales team:

1. Clear direction: Giving strong management and leadership and offering supportive feedback can make a real difference to how your team work. If you’re a good sales manager, they’ll want to hit the targets you set. If you’re not, they won’t be as motivated.

2. Training: Make sure you’re getting the best out of your team by ensuring they have all the resources they need to succeed. Talk to them regularly about any training or career development courses they feel could benefit them.

3. Pay incentives: As mentioned in our previous post Salary vs. Commission, commission is an important part of a salesperson’s life. Setting a structured and well thought-out commission scheme can motivate competitive selling behaviour.

4. Team building exercises: Classic team building days out can really bring a team together. It’s all about discovering how people think and work together. You can use the insights you learn for future planning and team structuring.

5. Hire motivational speakers: The best motivational speakers have learned from experience and aim to influence, inspire change and boost morale. Getting advice from someone outside of the team can bring a fresh perspective.

6. Find out what motivates individuals: Recognising individual success, rather than a commission scheme can often motivate people more. Some people are motivated by money, others aren’t. Find out what’s going on in your sales team’s lives and ask them what they want as a reward.

7. Competition: Contests and ‘buzz days’ where the whole sales team spends the day calling prospects and customers in the office can generate excitement and add a new lease of life to a stale and repetitive sales process. Invite all levels of your sales team to compete, from new starters to the big boss, and see who might surprise you.

8. Public recognition: By publically posting conversion rates and targets, you can utilise a little friendly peer-pressure, as well as a desire to be recognised (and bragging rights!)

9. Get creative: Change the way you think about motivation. Hand out random prizes or certificates for things other than hitting targets, like ‘person who closed the impossible deal’, or ‘team member who went the extra mile’.

10. The little things: Never underestimate how much people will appreciate small rewards, such as buying lunch for your team, playing music in the office, or a team night out.

How do you motivate your sales team?

Hays Sales UK are experts in all areas of sales recruitment. To find out more about how our highly skilled consultants can support you, please visit our website.

A successful Business Development Manager should be the driving force behind generating new leads; devoting their time to business development and making their organisation a success. As a Business Development Manager, you’re likely to spend a lot of time visiting clients and attending networking events. But what kind of qualities should a good Business Development Manager have?

1. Charisma: A good Business Development Manager should be likeable. Charisma is an important quality that can help you accomplish things faster, develop relationships and imbue enthusiasm in others. It helps you work with your team as well as your customers.

2. Strong communicator: Communication is key. Delivering sales pitches and convincing prospects to buy new products can be tough if you can’t deliver your message effectively. If you can confidently get your message across, you will gain respect and the selling process will become much easier. Communication skills can often count for more than qualifications in this role.

3. Passion for product: You need to believe in your brand and have a real passion for whatever you’re selling. An obvious passion for what you do will be visible to your customers and help build a sense of trust, belief and integrity.

Do you have the required skills to succeed in business development?

Hays Sales UK are experts in all areas of sales recruitment. To find out more about how our highly skilled consultants can support you, please visit our website.