Could out-dated selling techniques be the death knell for South Yorkshire’s heavy industry?

“Great swathes of the traditional manufacturing sector of Sheffield City Region are playing ‘Russian roulette’ with their businesses and relying on sales strategies from 30 years ago.”
Out-dated selling techniques could be the death knell for region’s heavy industryOut-dated selling techniques could be the death knell for region’s heavy industry
Out-dated selling techniques could be the death knell for region’s heavy industry

Nobody knows the worrying situation better than global sales expert Steve Knapp.

He was the region’s main sales person for Shell in the 1990s and dealt with the scores of the area’s biggest manufacturing names.

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Steve Knapp’s talents were quickly spotted and, following a series of promotions, he became responsible for devising and implementing cutting edge strategies for the multi-national that were adopted right around the globe and still help maintain the company’s dominance today.

Steve said: “It is a deeply worrying situation for many of these local firms with long histories. They are using outmoded selling techniques that are totally out of touch with the digital age. Research has shown that 60% of the buying decision is made on line today and these firms are being left behind by their competition.

“So many of these businesses are unprepared for sales, don’t research their target customers and don’t invest in their sales staff.”

Steve says the region’s business owners must be open to massive change in their marketing and selling techniques if they are to survive.

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“They must stand out from their competitors, they must offer new ways to solve the problems of their target clients and they must have exemplary selling techniques.”

Bamford-based Steve started his sales career at the very bottom – selling Calor Gas cylinders door-to-door in the late 1980s – but advanced it to the very top.

The sales handbook written by Steve for Shell still helps maintain the company as one of the world’s most recognised brands today.

He is now helping turn the business community of the Sheffield City Region into one of the best performing business sectors of its type in the UK.

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Steve recently unveiled ‘The Sales Mindset Coach’ – an online platform geared to helping local businesses feel more comfortable with selling and providing them with a proven framework to grow their business.

He added: “There really are no short cuts – you have to be rigorous and disciplined in your approach to sales. But my methods and experience can increase the pace and likelihood of success.”

Steve has just agreed a new partnership with the Source Skills Academy and is set to deliver a series of high impact sales training courses. He is also a member of the Association of Professional Sales and is a keen supporter of the lobby working towards a charter mark for the industry by 2020.

Visit www.thesalesmindsetcoach.com for more details.