Review – Joy Abdullah

Joy’s Review

Industrial sales, also known as B2B sales, totally depends on the human touch simply due to its inherent nature.

B2B sales involve high quantities and value. This creates risk for any organization due to the financial exposure the buying company bears. Understanding this critical factor well is what makes industrial sales so dependent on the one-one-one interaction.

As a marketer having worked with various types of sales teams, across industries, I always look for two critical success factors:

1. The team leader and the sales team clearly understanding the basics of selling and the role the supporting functions play in the process.
2. The importance and significance of human interface or the one-on-one interaction in the process.

As technology disrupts, changes and evolves the business processes and landscape B2B sales scenarios too need to evolve. No matter how far down the line the sales process is automated in a high value and high quantity B2B scenario there will always be the necessity for human interaction. This stems from the fact that the decision-making process involves groups that reach a consensus. In the course of this process what comes into play, often unsaid, is trust. Trust that can and is built through the personal interaction.

The key in creating and establishing trust lies in understanding how significant the human interaction is and how to methodically go about achieving it. Given the monetary value which is viewed as a financial risk having trust ensures that the decision-making occurs in favour of the sale. Bram captures the essence of this admirable and highlights the significance of humanization in each chapter.

Bram says it eloquently, in introducing “A Roadmap To Increase Your Sales Globally”:

“Every manager of a sales team should understand the fundamentals of the art of sales.”

That’s exactly what the book does.

It provides a simple and very helpful roadmap which aids in having an organized and disciplined sales process. That benefits in helping the customer to make complex purchasing decision as well as building long-term relationships.

Unlike many other industrial or B2B sales book the difference in ‘A Roadmap To Increase Your Sales Globally’ is its varied application from a sales perspective. It  provides simplicity and clarity to the process out by highlighting how and when does the actual commercial process start, the necessity and areas of marketing that are key and flows into the sales process and closes the loop with account management or manging the relationship.

Supporting these are some very useful tools like:

1. The DMU or the Decision-Making Unit
2. The CRM or the Customer Relationship Management system
3. The Sales Team Management

These tools provide the user a handy guide on what and how to create a process, if necessary, and bring efficiency to it.

Excellently supported with case studies and experienced based strategic advice, that always work in the market, these tools help in forming the sales team, training them and, most importantly, making them professional to be seen as a business partner to their clients.

At the end of the day business is about people. It’s done by people, with people and for people. Sales is the main process that enables a business to generate its lifeline or in other words its cash flow. Doing this involves people and having a customised sales system that works best for the business, its sales team and customers.

Joy Abdullah
Global Marketing Director & Co-Founder
Create The Edge