I will take the opportunity to read your other work, but would suggest that my conclusion about the level of sales specifically in this country will be wholeheartedly backed up by any US visitor who has experience in this matter.

I would challenge you on a daily basis to identify, at any level, where you get sales service, which is any better than below average. Out of a number of encounters in a day I might get 1 which barely makes the grade and maybe once every few months, get a new one that surprises me. Worst of all, some of the worst service comes from the so called luxury sector.

I hope this improves overall and will be focussing my team on meeting an exceeding peoples expectations on every level.

All the best

Alex

Thanks for taking the time to write such a comprehensive response:

Your first sentence kind of gives it away - “This is the first time I have come across the work of JF”

You will discover that if you read more than this one post in isolation, that we concur on many of your points, but I must admit, it is the first time my writing has been called “naive”

You say - “I would suggest that the quality of sales people has fallen to such a low level in general (mostly through the lack of formal training, and the reluctance of companies to recognise the value of quality sales people) that what customers are seeking is a very basic level, decent if nothing else, because they are constantly being dealt a diet of poorly trained, ill educated no hopers who are being put forward as sales people.”

You don’t say whether or not you are a salesman?

I suggest that most of my American visitors might consider this a somewhat jaundiced view.

However, we do agree that training budgets are being reduced and in fact I posted on this very subject last week.

Do please have a look through some of the archives and I think you may arrive at a different viewpoint.

Again, thanks for your comment.

Best

JF

“Nowadays, the emphasis is on establishing long-term, mutually beneficial relationships and in order to achieve this, the salesperson needs to earn the right to continue discussions with his/her client. Before they can proceed to sell their products or services, the salesperson needs to reassure the client of their integrity, reliability, and ability to understand and recommend the appropriate solution.”
………Forgive me but hasnt this always been the case. Good salespeople have always worked in this way. My father in law spent a large proportion of his life selling insurance to his customers, learning their requirements and constantly proving his integrity not only in the way he did business but also in the way he lived his life as he lived in the same community he worked in (he is now in his early 70’s). What JF’s comments seem to miss is the problem is not 1.0 v’s 2.0 or the old versus the new, or even the order takers v’s the consultants, but the good v’s the bad.

Certainly some of the tools have changed and indeed you could argue that the new savvy customer requires an ever higher level of a consultancy based service, however I would suggest that the quality of sales people has fallen to such a low level in general (mostly through the lack of formal training, and the reluctance of companies to recognise the value of quality sales people) that what customers are seeking is a very basic level, decent if nothing else, because they are constantly being dealt a diet of poorly trained, ill educated no hopers who are being put forward as sales people.

It is not sales itself that has changed it is the level at which is practiced!!!!

If you want the most blinding and current example of this, how did the global financial industry sell below junk level loans to each other in big chunks; and which sales people at the very top “sold” these products on the back of their consultative style integrity…….

I hope JF looks again at his comments and considers that we are still talking about good and bad!!!!!!!!! (not old and new)

Sincerely

Alex