Challenging for Sales Success

For decades B2B organisations in solution selling have focused their sales approach on understanding client needs and building strong relationships. But research in recent years has clearly established that this is no longer enough, and that the very best salespeople go beyond traditional consultative and solution selling
to ‘challenge’ their clients in multiple ways. This session introduces the ‘Challenger Sale’.

• Understand the research [by CEB] on the behavioural characteristics of top performing salespeople and why they are key in a modern B2B solution selling environment
• Understand how we can adopt these behaviours to supercharge our own sales performance
• Appreciate how these align with and address modern buyer influences and preferences

1. The five B2B salesperson profiles
2. Which one are you?
3. The star performer – ‘challenge’ for optimal sales performance
4. Teaching for differentiation – bringing perspective and insight, insight-led conversations
5. Tailoring for resonance – at client and individual level. Generating widespread organisational support
6. Taking control of the sale – overcoming risk aversion and inertia, managing pricing conversations, the difference between assertiveness and aggression
7. The role of the individual seller vs the selling organisation
8. The surprising truth about what drives client loyalty

Nick offers a unique combination of skills in the UK insurance training sector – an industry sales specialist and a professional coach and trainer. Nick is an Economics graduate with over 25 years corporate insurance broking experience. He was a highly successful sales producer in the UK broking market before progressing into regional and then national sales leadership roles. As National Development Director at HSBC, Nick was one of only 40 people from a global workforce of 265,000 selected as part of the STARS programme to recognise exceptional performance. He is a highly trained consultative sales specialist, and his experience includes a secondment with a major management consultant to design a best practice sales process.

In the mid-2000s, Nick developed a chronic health condition; his journey to recovery fostered a new range of interests, and a passion for health, and performance. He studied widely, qualifying as a Master Practitioner in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), obtaining a Diploma in Life Coaching, before going on to study Corporate/Business Coaching with The Coaching Academy. Nick is also a qualified Holistic Lifestyle Coach and Advanced Exercise Coach.

In the last two years Nick has worked in a self-employed capacity in training, coaching, and consulting. He works with a specialist adviser in Insurance sector M&A (Mergers & Acquisitions), and through Nick Thomas & Associates.