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9 Rules To Make Sales Training More Effective

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Sales Training is often boring, useless and sometimes even counter-productive. However, it does not have to be that way.  For all you Sales Managers out there, here are the rules on how to make sales training far more effective.

  • RULE #1: Set a goal to be the best trained sales organization in your industry. This will allow you to differentiate yourself from the competition, which can be challenging in a world where customers can easily find similar products and services.
    • Michael Jordon always stayed a couple minutes after the end of the training sessions, just in case his opponents had decided to put in extra time.
  • RULE #2: When times get hard, increase your sales training. When sales are down, it’s often a waste of money to spend more on marketing and promotion. The biggest bang for your buck usually comes from improving the ability of your sales team to sell.
    • It is the sales force, not the marketing and promotion plan that brings in the dollars.
  • RULE #3: Include skills training in every sales team meeting. Set a goal to spend at least one third of every team meeting on sales training. You’re more likely to increase everyone’s numbers by improving skills rather than with more product training.
    • Fifteen minutes each week is more effective that one hour each month.
  • RULE #4: Focus the training on fundamental skills. Most sales failures take place because of a lack of ability or practice in very fundamental skills, like questioning or presenting. Even top sports stars train the fundamentals every day. Sales people should too.
    • This will help all your people to become more like your best people.
  • RULE #5: Tie the fundamentals to your sales process. If you understand how those skills help move an opportunity through the sales cycle, you can identify exactly where additional training is needed, either on a group or on an individual level.
    • Identify where small inputs can generate largest returns.
  • RULE #6: Include role-playing in every training session. While it’s fun to bat around concepts about selling and sales theory, it’s only useful if the theory is tied to actual behavior. That means practicing, in a controlled way, so that the skills are really learned.
    • “Show me” that you can do it is more convincing that “tell me”.
  • RULE #7: Track the impact immediately after training. When you teach a skill, you must first ascertain whether or not the skill is actually being applied in the field, and what impact it is having. That way you can constantly improve performance.
    • Goal setting and measurements are the most powerful tools for instigating change and growth.
  • RULE #8: At each meeting, check for retention of what was taught before. Sometimes sales training involves eliminating bad habits and integrating new good habits. That requires continuing attention to make sure that the training sticks and continues to be used.
    • Sometimes it is necessary to Learn, Unlearn and Relearn.
  • RULE #9: Make sales training into a fun event. Sales training should ideal involve a contest, a competition, and/or prizes. Sales pros are naturally motivated to win, so turning sales training into an opportunity to win practically guarantees their attention and participation.
    • When you have a team of winners, you have a winning team.

Now that you have read these great ideas, do you need help to shake up your routine? Give us a call.

Not the Sales Manager but you know that your team could use some help? Then please feel free to share these rules with your Sales Manager.

original source www.ltsemaj.com

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs028/1103595147695/archive/1106673589933.html

 

 

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Businessuite Markets

iCreate Transitioning From A Digital And Creative Training Company To A Diversified Investment Holding Company Kintyre Holdings.

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This quarter, Visual Vibe’s strong performance has been instrumental, reinforcing its pivotal role within Kintyre Holdings’ portfolio. Additionally, we are now unlocking value from our strategic investments in key properties, which are contributing positively to our income and strengthening our position as a dynamic investment holding company committed to delivering sustained value to our shareholders.

Change of Name & Purpose of the Business
At our Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in October 2024, the company officially rebranded from iCreate Limited to Kintyre Holdings (JA) Limited. This name change reflects our shift in purpose to an investment holding company, better aligning with our broader business strategy.

We are transitioning from a digital and creative training company to a diversified investment holding company.

This rebranding reflects our expanded focus across various sectors and strategic ventures, marking a significant shift in our corporate trajectory. Additionally, our purpose has been updated to reflect this new direction, positioning Kintyre Holdings as an investment holding company designed to foster sustainable growth across industries.

Financial Overview
Kintyre Holdings achieved strong growth in Q3 2024, driven by strategic investments and Visual Vibe’s expanding success in addition to gains from our investment assets.

Operational efficiency has improved, contributing to robust financial performance.

The Group is positioned for steady growth and profitability. Quarterly revenue reached $56.6 million, a 59.3% increase over Q3 2023, with year-to-date revenue at $128.4 million, up 57.5% year-over-year.

• REVENUE: Q3 2024 revenue reached JMD 55.1 million, up 59.3% from Q3 2023. Year-to-date revenue stands at JMD 123.4 million, showing a 57.5% increase over the same period in 2023, driven by strong performance in digital advertising.

• OPERATING PROFIT: Q3 2024 operating profit rose by 718.9%, from a loss of JMD 4.2M to a profit of JMD 26.2M. Year-to-date improved by 126.3%, from a
loss of JMD 126.4M to a profit of J$33.3M, driven by operational improvements and non-occurrence of one-off acquisition costs in 2023.

Visual Vibe Operating Profit YTD 2024 vs YTD 2023: Year to date, Visual Vibe has posted a 46.8% increase in Operating Profits, bolstered by expanding its
network and introducing new advertising products like the backpack billboards and indoor digital screens.

NET PROFIT: The Net profit for the parent company (Kintyre Holdings) Q3 2024 was JMD 21.4 million, an improvement from the loss of JMD 13.9 million recorded in Q3 2023.

• Year-to-date Net Profit stands at JMD 20.4 million, representing a significant improvement from the net loss of JMD 150.1 million in 2023. The positive shift in
net profit is attributed to the increased revenue from the DOOH advertising segment, greater control over operating expenses. YTD 2023 also had one-off acquisition related costs that weighed heavily on Net Profits.

BALANCE SHEET: Total assets stood at JMD 564.7 million, down 19% year-over year, due to a reduction in goodwill and investments in assets. Total liabilities decreased by 40% to JMD 225.6 million, strengthening the company’s financial position.

Strategic Partnerships & New Business Initiatives
• New strategic partnerships for indoor advertising have been secured across the island, positioning Visual Vibe as a major player in the digital out-of-home advertising space.

• In addition, Kintyre Holdings has successfully partnered with SportsMax as their official out-of-home advertising partner for the 2024 Olympics. We showcased live streams of key races on our Hope Road, Spanish Town, and North Parade screens, reaching a wide audience and positioning our brand prominently during this high-profile event.
Physical and Technology Upgrades

• Visual Vibe upgraded its Manor Park screen to the latest technology, enhancing content quality and engagement.

• Yello Partnership: iCreate partnered with Yello to support SMEs by developing an affordable option for outdoor advertising, making high impact marketing accessible to smaller businesses across the region.

Impact of Hurricane Beryl
• Hurricane Beryl caused electrical outages and screen damage in remote areas, but we collaborated with JPS to use our screens for critical updates on rehabilitation efforts. This partnership minimized the storm’s impact and highlighted Visual Vibe’s role in community support during crises.

OUTLOOK
As we approach Q4 2024, Kintyre Holdings is focused on maintaining the growth momentum achieved in Q3. We are expanding our offerings, particularly through iCreate Institute’s new educational products, which will enhance our training services in the growing digital economy.

This expansion aligns with the increasing demand for innovative and agile upskilling
solutions.

Looking ahead, Kintyre Holdings is committed to operational efficiency, optimizing our assets, and driving cost-effective growth. We will continue to focus on executing our long-term strategy, ensuring profitability, and exploring new opportunities in key sectors to further strengthen our market position.

2024
Sustained Revenue Growth and Profitability:
• Target a 20% revenue increase in the second half of 2024 through expanded digital advertising and increased enrollments at iCreate Institute.
• Reach a net profit margin of 20% by optimizing operations and focusing on high margin business lines.

Expansion of Digital Advertising Network:
• Add 10 new indoor locations to our Digital Out-Of-Home (DOOH) network, leveraging partnerships that have been secured

Digital Transformation of iCreate Institute:
• Launch new courses and upgrade the learning management system to boost enrollment and enhance the student experience.

Strengthening Customer and Partner Relationships:
• Deepen existing partnerships, secure three new strategic partnerships, and achieve a 90% customer satisfaction rate by year-end.

Operational Efficiency and Cost Management:
• Reduce administrative expenses as a percentage of revenue from 60% to 50% by streamlining processes and adopting new technologies.

Corporate Social Responsibility and Community Engagement:
• Focus on creative talent development, digital literacy, sustainable business practices and promoting charitable causes.

Risk Management and Strategic Flexibility:
• Continue monitoring market trends, adjusting strategies as needed, and maintaining robust risk management to ensure stability and growth.

Tyrone Wilson Executive Chairman Kintyre Holdings (JA) Limited

For More Information CLICK HERE

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Businessuite Markets

First Rock Real Estate Investments Registers Net Loss For Three Months Ended September 2024, Driven Primarily By Unrealised Foreign Exchange Losses

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First Rock Real Estate Investments Limited registered a net loss attributable to Ordinary Shareholders for the three months ended September 30, 2024, totalling US$674,536, which yielded an Earnings Per Share (EPS) of negative US$0.002. Net loss attributable to Ordinary Shareholders for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, totalled US$1,453,640, which yielded an Earnings Per Share (EPS) of negative US$0.005.

The results were driven primarily by unrealised foreign exchange losses on translation of foreign currency denominated liabilities, which amounted to US$72,034 for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and US$275,170 for the nine months ended September 30, 2024. Additionally, interest expense amounted to US$118,839 for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and US$524,340 for the nine months ended September 30, 2024.

The Group’s financial performance continues to reflect the impact of the ongoing high-interest rate environment in Jamaica, which exerts downward pressure on property values, resulting in lower Property Income relative to prior year. Property Income totalled US$49,056 for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and US$1,916,074 for the nine months ended September 30, 2024.

To mitigate the impact on the bottom line from reduced revenues, the Group managed to reduce its overall Administrative & General expenses by 20% to US$2,274,250 for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, compared to the same period in the prior year. This cost management effort is part of our ongoing strategy to mitigate the impact of reduced revenues on the bottom line.

Outlook
The Group’s ongoing commitment to strategic growth remains steadfast as we navigate the headwinds that obtain in today’s real estate environment. By continuing to execute on our portfolio rebalancing strategy, which focuses on acquiring high-yield, income-generating properties across Latin America and the wider Caribbean region, we have built a resilient foundation that supports sustainable growth.

During the quarter our subsidiary, FirstRock Capital Cayman, entered into an agreement to acquire a fully tenanted investment property in Grand Cayman. As the largest acquisition in our portfolio, this property is poised to notably enhance our rental income stream, reinforcing our expansion across the region. Alongside this achievement, our two KFC locations in Costa Rica continue to deliver stable rental income under longterm lease agreements, with plans underway for additional site developments.

Looking ahead, we remain optimistic about finalizing additional acquisitions across the region, with several promising opportunities in advanced stages of negotiation. The Group remains committed to unlocking value through strategic investments, which we believe will yield substantial long-term benefits to our stakeholders.
Norman Reid J.P. Chairman First Rock Real Estate Investments Limited

For More Information CLICK HERE

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Artificial Intelligence

Guardsman Metaverse Elevating Security with AI Solutions

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Guardsman Metaverse, in collaboration with Jamaican artificial intelligence company Crimsontide AI, is revolutionizing security across Jamaica with cutting-edge, customizable solutions. This partnership brings together Guardsman’s expertise in virtual security and Crimsontide’s advanced AI technology, delivering a suite of intelligent security offerings tailored to meet the unique needs of Jamaican businesses and institutions.

Through this strategic collaboration, Guardsman Metaverse is positioned at the forefront of the country’s security landscape, offering systems that leverage both immersive digital technology and sophisticated artificial intelligence.

The partnership underscores the importance of local innovation in addressing the security challenges faced by Jamaica today, providing clients with tailor-made solutions that ensure effective protection.

Guardsman Metaverse is committed to offering security solutions that go beyond traditional models, emphasizing customization and flexibility to meet the specific requirements of each client. From large commercial operations to smaller enterprises, the platform delivers a personalized approach that ensures maximum efficiency and peace of mind.

This flexibility is what sets Guardsman Metaverse apart—adapting to each environment’s unique security demands and offering a more responsive, intelligent way to safeguard people and assets.

With AI-driven features that allow for real-time monitoring and proactive threat detection, Guardsman Metaverse empowers businesses and institutions to stay ahead of potential security breaches. Each system can be fully customized to fit the environment it protects, delivering advanced functionality across a wide range of settings.

Advanced Features for Comprehensive Protection

  • Facial Recognition: Guardsman Metaverse enhances access control through secure, real-time identification of authorized personnel, ensuring that only those with clearance can enter critical areas.
  • License Plate Detection: For commercial properties, this feature allows for real-time monitoring of vehicle activity, helping to identify unauthorized or suspicious vehicles and notify security personnel immediately.
  • Personnel Counting and Crowd Management: Especially important for businesses, this feature tracks occupancy and manages crowd flow, helping to ensure safety, meet regulatory requirements, and optimize operational efficiency.
  • Firearm Detection: Using AI-powered analysis, Guardsman Metaverse detects the presence of firearms, providing instant alerts to security teams to ensure a rapid and effective response to any threat.
  • Customizable Behavioural AI: Tailored to each client’s specific needs, Guardsman Metaverse’s behavioural AI can be trained to detect and respond to specific actions or patterns that are unique to the environment it monitors.
  • Infrared Drone Surveillance: Equipped with infrared technology, Guardsman Metaverse drones provide round-the-clock aerial surveillance, ideal for large properties, high-security areas, and search-and-rescue missions, offering comprehensive monitoring that goes beyond traditional methods.

These advanced security features are fully customizable, ensuring that businesses receive a solution designed specifically for their needs. Whether it’s safeguarding large commercial complexes, healthcare facilities or educational institutions, Guardsman Metaverse offers tailored protection that provides complete peace of mind.

The partnership with Crimsontide AI, a rapidly emerging Jamaican company specializing in state-of-the-art patent-pending artificial intelligence software, ensures that Guardsman Metaverse’s solutions are not only technologically advanced but also locally relevant.

Crimsontide AI Limited is at the forefront of technological innovation, and its expertise allows the system to be fine-tuned to the specific security challenges that businesses in Jamaica face.

Through this collaboration, a diverse offering of services is available to various customers and industries, including theft detection at banks, supermarkets, and retail stores, intruder detection and breach prevention at hotels and resorts, as well as risk mitigation and compliance solutions.

Crimsontide’s AI technology also enables businesses to recognize trends in data, detect outliers, and summarize data sets, all aimed at informing better business decisions.

This partnership ensures that Jamaicans are at the forefront of solving their own security issues, with solutions designed by Jamaicans, for Jamaicans. At Crimsontide AI, the commitment to rebuilding a safer Jamaica is at the heart of every innovation, working toward a future where local technology empowers local security.

However, beyond responding to security threats as they happen, Guardsman Metaverse is designed to predict and prevent potential issues before they escalate. By leveraging AI to analyse behaviours and patterns, the system can foresee risks, giving clients the ability to take proactive steps. This predictive approach ensures that businesses and homeowners are always ahead of security challenges, helping to mitigate risks before they become serious threats.

With Guardsman Metaverse, clients are empowered to protect their environments not just reactively but pre-emptively. This next-level security capability, combined with fully customizable features, ensures a comprehensive approach that adapts to the ever-evolving nature of security threats in today’s society.

 

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Business Insights

Beyond Repeated Failure: Defining a Strategy Triad

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Studies consistently show that most strategic plans fall short.

The reasons are varied, but a common mistake stands out: teams often assume they understand “strategic” planning, only to end up misguided, compromising their organizations’ success. Often, what they call a “strategic plan” lacks real strategic thought.

How Missteps Occur

If you’ve ever reviewed a company’s strategic plan, you’ve likely seen a list of ambitious goals. They may be grouped in catchy ways, but as you read through, doubts surface. Why?

You sense the organization may lack the resources or focus to achieve all these objectives simultaneously. The longer the list, the more you suspect it may be abandoned when daily issues arise, with lofty goals slipping out of view.

Redefining “Strategic”

One way to prevent this common pitfall is to rethink how we use the term “strategic.” Today, the label “strategic” is often used casually to signal importance, so much so that it’s lost its impact, and audiences tune it out.

This isn’t just a communication issue. When teams invest time in a strategic retreat, they expect the final plan to be truly strategic, yet often that’s not the case.

Typical brainstorming sessions encourage a mix of ideas and positive intentions without much structure. The result is often an extensive report of hopeful outcomes, which can look similar to other plans within the industry—ultimately, another reason for failure.

Enter the Strategy Triad

Peter Compo’s book *The Emergent Strategy* introduces a helpful redefinition of “strategic” by proposing a triad approach:

1. Aspiration: A meaningful, challenging goal that requires effort and won’t happen automatically.

2. Bottleneck: The main obstacle preventing the organization from achieving its aspiration(s).

3. Guiding Principle: A decision-making rule to help navigate actions that address the bottleneck.

Consider a store aiming to increase profits. If the biggest bottleneck is low brand recognition, the guiding principle could be to improve brand awareness through multiple channels—online, in-store, and through partnerships.

Applying the Strategy Triad

At a recent strategic planning retreat, a leadership team was challenged to apply the triad. Initially, it was difficult; identifying bottlenecks from new perspectives required collaboration and creativity, especially without cross-functional data, which led them to rely on firsthand experiences. Yet, they successfully defined bottlenecks and guiding principles that empowered employees to align their daily choices with the strategic plan. This alignment is what leaders want but is often rare.

Why Alignment is Rare

Leadership teams often avoid the challenging, healthy conflict required to build a robust strategy triad. They may take the easier path, creating lists of goals rather than diving into critical strategic planning. Alternatively, when discussions become too heated, leaders may intervene prematurely, cutting off debate and limiting essential buy-in.

To achieve meaningful alignment, it’s important to work through differing viewpoints until agreement is reached. Though challenging, this process builds the intellectual and emotional commitment needed for successful execution. By persevering through difficult conversations, leaders can significantly improve their strategic plans’ success and longevity.

Found this topic interesting? You may want to delve into my long-form content in my JumpLeap Strategic Planning Newsletter/Podcast.

Francis Wade
JumpLeap NewsletterPodcast

Framework Consulting
http://blog.fwconsulting.com : http://fwconsulting.com

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Businessuite News24

Elevate Underperforming Boards: Prioritizing Board Self-Examination

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Imagine you’ve joined a board, only to discover it’s deeply mediocre. This is your third meeting, and it’s becoming clear that the issues you sensed in the first two weren’t incidental—they’re ongoing. How do you address this underperformance?

Luckily, you aren’t the only one who’s noticed. Some members recognize that long-standing issues have held the board back for years, and while they’ve tried initiating change, nothing has stuck. These are complex, systemic challenges that won’t be resolved by casual discussions, pep talks, or a thoughtful email. Swift, strategic action is needed. But how?

I recently encountered insights from consultant A. Cecile Watson that shed light on why boards need their own strategic approach. Her perspective inspires these key reasons for why your board must implement a self-care plan.

Why Boards Should Prioritize Self-Examination

Boards are often envisioned as serving the organization’s needs. If all members align with this vision, things should function smoothly. Small differences can be ironed out, much like in the “Form-Storm-Norm-Perform” teamwork model, which illustrates the stages groups move through to achieve high performance.

However, boards today face a high-pressure environment, dealing with complex VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous) issues from the outset. While they might receive briefings, individual and group development often gets overlooked in the rush to deliver.

This traditional expectation—that boards serve swiftly, even if under-informed—faces scrutiny in Watson’s latest article. She argues that boards must practice self-reflection and strategy if they’re to excel. Smart people on a board don’t guarantee a high group IQ or EQ; in fact, group performance can suffer if proactive measures aren’t in place.

What does your board need? A new level of self-care. Watson suggests that boards operate as a kind of strategic unit, managing their performance preemptively. Failing to do so only perpetuates mediocrity.

The Case for Board Self-Strategy

Typically, boards focus on “strategic planning” for their organization’s future. Watson’s approach takes this one step further: boards must also strategize for themselves. As a unit, they need the space to address their own evolution.

This doesn’t mean ignoring corporate planning. In fact, I’ve previously recommended that board members actively engage in their organization’s strategic retreats, where they contribute to shaping long-term goals.

Yet, once these retreats end, some boards must adapt as well. For instance, one board I worked with chose to refresh its membership, reducing both the average age and tenure of its members to bring new perspectives aligned with the strategic plan.

In another case, a board had grown complacent. Members showed up sporadically, often unprepared. This lack of accountability permeated the organization, undermining its standards and culture.

Unfortunately, board evaluations alone rarely spark transformation. Instead, Watson advocates for a written Board Strategy, a guiding document that steers the board’s actions.

Creating a Strategy for the Board

Watson advises boards to define a vision for themselves and set measurable milestones to ensure the plan stays on course. While this may sound overwhelming for already busy board members, it’s ultimately about cultivating the right mindset, not rigidly following a checklist.

Adopting these principles can help your board become resilient, better equipped to navigate future challenges, and able to avoid the slow slide into mediocrity that affects many corporate teams.

Enjoyed these ideas? Consider checking out the JumpLeap Newsletter and Podcast with my best longform content.

 

Francis Wade
JumpLeap NewsletterPodcast

Framework Consulting
http://blog.fwconsulting.com : http://fwconsulting.com

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