Articles by Mike Southon

Is the Government doing enough to give young go-getters a leg up?

Mike Southon, the business writer and sales guru, meets four young entrepreneurs who have all taken a different route to launching successful businesses. Read more >
Published in The Daily Telegraph

The Sanity Check

Last week I left you with a potential customer, who clearly had some problems and was very interested in your products and services. Read more >
Published in The Daily Telegraph

Qualifying the Prospect

In the last article, I talked about going to the first meeting, which might only be fifteen minutes long, asking the prospect about their relevant problems, and them promising to return with some ‘Proof’ to back up the ‘Premise’ you offered in the meeting. Read more >
Published in The Daily Telegraph

The First Meeting

In the last article, I detailed ‘Mike’s Magic E-Mail’ a simple tool designed for getting first meetings with customers. You had identified a class of customer to target (based on your having a good reference customer of the same type) and sent them a four-line e-mail. Read more >
Published in The Daily Telegraph

Goodbye to Cold Calling!

I left you last time at Stage Two of the sales process, having generated a list of 100 good prospects. I also promised you something better than ‘Cold Calling’. Read more >
Published in The Daily Telegraph

Qualifying and Closing

Now that everyone understands their role in the sales process, as 'Hunter', 'Farmer' or ‘Manager’, it's time to get down to some serious selling. Read more >
Published in The Daily Telegraph

The Sales Manager

In the last article, I explained about ‘Hunters’, social animals who always come back from a conference or network event weighed down with new business cards, and ‘Farmers’, personable but commercially aware delivery people who are always on the lookout for existing customers with new problems. Read more >
Published in The Daily Telegraph

Who are you?

In the last article, I showed you how to be an ambassador for your company, and in any social situation (such a trade show or networking event) to work out who likes you. But there's much more to do in the sales process, and I'm sure many readers are worried about being involved in sales and somehow coming across as insincere or even sleazy and unpleasant. Read more >
Published in The Daily Telegraph

Making someone like you is easier than you might think

Networking is a vital sales activity, especially for those working in professional service companies, such as lawyers, accountants and bank managers. Competing service organisations often have outwardly similar skill-sets. What differentiates one firm from another are the people they employ, particularly those who enjoy meeting new people, be it at a conference, on a golf course or at a cocktail party. Read more >
Published in The Daily Telegraph

Boost your sales immediately by asking happy customers for extra business

Let's recap. Last week I asked you to write up your favourite customer case studies in the style of a story. They should detail how your customer had a problem or an opportunity, you intervened, providing some products or services. The customer received some benefits and was delighted and gave you some money. Everyone lived happily ever after. Read more >
Published in The Daily Telegraph

How to win at sales

In Britain, "sales" is a four-letter word. Salespeople are routinely derided as dodgy. Our image of salesmen is there to see in television, cinema and the theatre. Del Boy, Glengarry Glen Ross, Willy Loman - the sad, the inadequate and the untrustworthy. Not for the first time, art has got it wrong. And too many British businesses believe what they see or read. Read more >
Published in The Daily Telegraph

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