How has your week been? If it’s been rubbish, we know how you feel. We’ve had many tough weeks ourselves. But do you feel like this every Friday? If so, this is for you.

Do you flee from work, crash land into the weekend and then spend most of it dreading Monday morning? It can be a horrible existence if that is the case. Why can we feel this way? In sales it could be down to many things. We aren’t selling enough, we dread speaking to some of our main customers, we can’t seem to get organised, parts of the business world seem confusing or intimidating, we take rejection personally, or many other joy-killers.

Some people always seem to have a fun-packed weekend and arrive fresh and full of purpose on Monday morning. What’s the difference?

Let’s get one thing straight. Sales is tough. Don’t be fooled by all of those “Top 10 sales tips to win big business” articles. It takes more than bullet-pointed sound bites to master this profession. Why do you think the sales world is full of quotes and analogies from leading athletes, world leaders and spiritual giants? Often it is because you need to dig just as deep to produce the same mindset, even to turn up for work.

The difference is, some people have learned a correct sales process and some have not.

Because they follow that process, they have more control over what happens in their territory and are more ready to respond to changes that need addressing. They have more control; therefore they have less stress and worry to contend with.

It is less about natural talent or personality, and more about understanding that we can be responsible for learning how to do things better. Take any problem in your sales role and there will be a sales process to fix it.

If you look at the list below, any one of these topics will solve nearly any problem in sales. If you were to note down what you dread most in your role and then match it to a gap in your knowledge, you would be able to find a solution from one of these modules.

In future all APS members, corporate and individual, will have free access to a pioneering new method of measuring whether customers were happy with the sale process. Sales professionals will also be able to set up secure virtual meeting rooms, where they can talk to their clients and stakeholders in privacy about an individual deal, and safely exchange and store key data.

The Sales Experience Metric is thanks to a pioneering link up with the sales research company Riddle Box, while the virtual client contact space is being provided courtesy of Client Share.

Andrew Hough, the chief executive of the APS, announced the new tools at the APS’s Conference 2017, Conversations That Win, at the Mermaid Theatre in London’s Blackfriars.

“This is one of the many ways the APS shows it is on the side of its members, helping you to provide extra value to your customers,” said Mr Hough.

Customer experience is key

Client experience is vital to a sale. Research has shown that more than half of a customer’s impulse to buy – 53 per cent – is determined by the quality of their experience at the point of sale.

Until now, however, there has no real way of measuring that experience.

Riddle Box has been working for two years to develop its metric, capable of gauging the experience on both sides of the salesperson/customer interaction. It is fully tested and already in use commercially with the Hilton hotels group.

The software has clear benefits for the salesperson, as it allows them to demonstrate and prove that they are providing a top quality sales experience.

This will help them to reassure customers, to burnish their reputation in the eyes of their manager, and to differentiate themselves when applying to future employers.

It is also an important tool for sales managers to monitor how well sales are going.

“For business, it’s a brilliant way to identify and safeguard revenue at risk, and to pinpoint good practice  in their sales team, which they can benchmark and use with their other team members to show what good looks like,” explained Mr Hough.

Riddle Box’s research shows that if salespeople are scoring below 50% on the Sales Experience Metric, then company revenue is or soon will be at risk.

By contrast, salespeople who score more than 75% on the Sales Experience Metric will be receive a certificate from the APS for Excellence in Experience.

B2B Customer Experience Management

Client Share aims to improve the relationship between buyers and sellers through private digital communities for client collaboration.

APS members will benefit from the power to set up private communities dedicated to one client, one corporate, or one deal.

Creating a community around your client will bring your business relationship to life, allowing you a dedicated space to share information, and manage feedback & reviews.

Buyers can access everything they need to know in one digital, interactive experience, and can easily invite colleagues.

“With customer experience dictating growth and retention, it’s time for B2B firms to bring relationship management into the digital age,” said James Ward, managing director of Client Share. “We’re passionate about helping improve the relationship between buyers and sellers, as we know that improvement leads to better results for buyers, and helps sellers retain and grow contracts.”

Client Share gives unique insight to account teams about their customer, enabling sellers to have their finger on the pulse of all facets of a business relationship. Sellers can get a better idea of the strength of their business relationship measuring NPS, size of community and customer engagement.

Depending on their level of APS membership, sellers will get varying degrees of access to the full functionality of Client Share.