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The Professional Society for Sales & Marketing Training (SMT) is the ONLY association fully dedicated to accelerating business results for its member organizations by improving sales and marketing performance through training. SMT's vision, since 1940, is to continue its role as the leading resource and authority for the sales and marketing training industries. SMT members include corporations and their inside training executives and practitioners, consultants, suppliers, and academic institutions.
SMT welcomes aticles, idea mints, and book reviews to be submitted for future newsletters.
Please e-mail Renie McClay if you are interested in submitting material to be considered for the newsletter.
Click here for article specifications.
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Coaching Sales Strategy: A Cornerstone for Improving Sales Productivity
by Richard D. Ruff, Ph.D. & Steve Gielda, Principals, Sales Momentum®
In today’s market, a sales team must not only be able to sell a competitive advantage; they must be a competitive advantage. And that requires them to be able to think and act strategically. So, let’s explore some best practices used by top Sales Managers for coaching Account Executives to become more skilled at selling strategically.
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Last Opportunity to Register for 2007 SMT Annual Conference
http://www.smt.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3417
The 2007 SMT Annual Conference is just seven short weeks away. If you have not registered yet, now is the time to do so! Please click here to learn more about one of the most dynamic edicational conferences ever developed for sales trainers.
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Tech Talk: Teaching Technical Topics
by LuAnn Irwin, Owner, LAI Associates
Teaching technical topics is a challenge of language and background. The technical trainer is typically the subject matter expert who speaks a technical language and comes from a different culture than many of his or her students. Each of our jobs has its own terminology and culture. We can speak to each other in shorthand by using acronyms and numbers that signify some common experience and learning. When teaching someone else about our world – we think we are speaking clearly – but often that is our perspective – it may not be clear to the students who do not have as much knowledge as the trainer. The trainer is the guide who gives the students a tour of their world.
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A Profile of Joel Cataldo, SMT President
by Lesley Boyer, Business Relationship Strategist & President, Sterling Ed
“No one plans to get into Sales Training.” Joel Cataldo exclaimed, Director, Organization Effectiveness and Global Sales Excellence, Arrow Electronics, Inc., in Melville, New York. “It’s not as if we had flip charts and markers in our bedrooms while growing up. Right?” he laughed.
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Training’s Role in Successful Product Launches
by Amy Pletcher, Instructional Design Consultant, Seattle, WA
As we know, Sales and Marketing teams have the same goal of trying to get products out to an audience and sold. However, the fact that the two groups measure their goals differently, (e.g. short term vs. long term, volume vs. profit, innovation vs. realities) means that cooperation is not always as effective as it could be. However, training can help ease the divide and support successful product launches.
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Is There a Book in Your Future?
by Renie McClay, SMT Trainer Talk Editor
If this title caught your eye, you have likely thought about writing a book. People get published for many reasons. Some of those reasons might be to leave something behind, give something back to their profession, communicate a unique view or new information. Many people want some credibility in their field, and authoring a book is one way to get that. I think based on our unique experiences we all likely have a book in us. Whatever your reason, hopefully you will find some ideas here to help make this happen.
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Getting Started as an Independent Contractor
Challenges and Advice for New Independent Trainers
by Thomas Martin, Executive Vice President & COO, Think! Inc.
Some of the common challenges for new independents in the ‘training’ industry, with some suggested web pages with advice on getting started as an independent, and some suggested initial activities and purchases to make.
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CONSULTANT’S CORNER: Consultants Giving Back
by Susan Onaitis, President, Global Learning Link
Successful entrepreneurs often find themselves at mid-career with the desire to “give back” to those who have not had the opportunities they feel they have had in their lives. However, if you are a consultant who wants to share your wealth with those not so fortunate, you might find the front-page stories of the Bill and Linda Gates Foundation’s multimillion-dollar donations a bit intimidating. Yes, it would be nice to be able to give an immense amount of money to your favorite charity. But not all entrepreneurs strike it rich enough to do that. The reality, though, is that you often possess the time and talents that are worth far more than money to many nonprofit organizations. There is a lot of behind-the-scenes “giving back” going on in the world of consulting and it takes many forms.
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September 2007
Give Your Sales Training a Second Life!
There Is No Place Like Work: Seven Leadership Insights For Creating a Workplace to Call Home
Authors: Dr. Sheila L. Margolis and Dr. Ava S. Wilensky
By Book Reviewer: Robert Klein
Stop Acting like a Seller and Start Thinking Like a Buyer
Authors: Jerry Acuff, with Wally Wood
By Book Reviewer: Renie McClay
SMT Annual Conference
November 12 - 14, 2007
Fairview Park Marriott
Falls Church, VA
Click Here to Join the SMT Family
SMT Welcomes Our New Members
Acclivus Corporation
Arrow International, Inc.
Express Scripts
Sales Momentum
Sony Electronics, Inc.
WellPoint
"Being a member of SMT provides me with an invaluable network of sales and marketing training professionals that have an incredible amount of experience and knowledge to share... I rely on this prestigious group to support me in dealing with business challenges unique to our profession...
SMT members are my peers, my mentors, my friends... SMT is the only professional organization I belong to..."
Mary Elliott Bassett, Worldwide Director, Sales and Customer Training, Entertainment Imaging, Eastman Kodak Company
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