Cloud computing is being hailed as the future for many organisations with the Visiongain company predicting cloud computing services will be making some $83 billion per year in revenue by the year 2016. This kind of figure should make any sales manager or employer sit up and take notice as it seems cloud computing is something that can have a big impact on increasing sales.

Cloud computing isn't a term everyone understands though and since the wider internet is often termed the cloud anyway, the concept of cloud computing can be confusing. Understanding the term, cloud computing and what it can do for sales is important when looking ahead to 2012 and so it's best to start the year off by getting on top of this concept.

Cloud computing differs from the more traditional legacy computing. In the latter, you install a service or programme on a server or hard drive. Take Outlook Express as an example; this is an e-mail program that you access from your hard drive. Meanwhile, when using cloud computing, the service stays on the internet. Gmail is an example of this.

The result of cloud computing overall is the creation of a real-time service. This real-time attribute is a blessing for many types of organisation, including businesses aiming to increase sales. As cloud computing enables the swift collection of the latest information using only a browser and a connection to the internet, accurate information about what's going on in all aspects of the business and its wider world is readily available. Information that's useful therefore becomes available to businesses when they need it and this info will most probably be accurate. Using legacy computing rather than cloud computing, businesses have to enter information themselves and there's a chance this info will be inaccurate. Cloud computing reduces the chance of error.

Because the business doesn't have to enter as much data and has access to up-to-date info, it can make use of this data more readily and then use it to its advantage, for instance by increasing sales. An example of how this could happen can be found in terms of consumer trends. Cloud computing allows a business to analyse the latest data on what consumers are buying. A business can therefore focus its efforts on what's selling and stay current on what is in demand from consumers. Businesses are able to respond more efficiently to a changing market, therefore concentrating on appropriate segments as required. In short, cloud computing results in a more competitive business that is in touch with the market.

The speed at which information is available and how that can help a business reach out to consumers is visible through the example of the web commerce giant, Amazon.com. When a customer purchases a science-fiction book through Amazon.com, for instance, they'll get a bunch of recommendations based on what has just been bought. This targeted recommendation service utilises the information the website has about that customer and instantly turns it into advertising that taps into what the customer has already displayed they like. In this case, the result may well be that, thanks to the targeted promotion, the customer buys a second book based on what Amazon.com has recommended and a second sale is made.

Working in real time Cloud computing isn't just about enabling faster responses and data analysis. Cloud computing allows a business to work in real time.

Its very infrastructure is geared towards turning potential leads into done deals and therefore into money. Thus, the leads the company requires in order to generate profits are there for the taking. Companies that take advantage of this will be able to claim greater sales, as their lead generation and deal sealing will increase. Having access to real time information should mean that potential leads aren't lost before they can be acted upon by the company.

Cloud computing has implications in terms of inner company workings too. As there's a lot of information relating to the business and its projects available through the cloud computing infrastructure, this information is available to more company employees in a simple fashion. This saves time and effort and allows multiple projects to be managed coherently and simultaneously.

For general staff, the information that's available can make a big difference to their success and productivity and cloud computing keeps this data at their fingertips. For example, an employee may need info contained in a specific e-mail; with cloud computing, they will more readily be able to access the e-mail. Alternatively, a sales assistant might utilise customer history to aid their work.

It's easier to manage sales more effectively too, as professionals can build sales systems that integrate cloud computing and gain greater control over the sales process as a whole. A sales manager can utilise cloud computing to track a sale from a lead to an order to the completion of the sale. This aids understanding of the sales process and enables better troubleshooting should problems arise.

Finally, cloud computing enhances the ability of a sales team to drive business anywhere at any time. If a sales team member is out on the road, they'll be able to use their laptop to access the latest information and services they require without considering the need for upgrades or whether the data they have is relevant. The up-to-date nature of the information can then be used as part of sales deals or to enable efficient management of overall sales performance within a company.

Photo by Daniel Boyd

Networking is a critical skill sales people; after all, the more people you connect with the more you sales opportunities you create, according to blogger Kelley Robertson. However, many sales people make a variety of mistakes that prevent them from maximizing the power of networking.

To find out 10 blunders and mistakes you need to avoid read the full article on the Eyes on Sales website.

Photo by Arguera

With the advent of social networking, online social forums are becoming the best and most popular way to keep in touch with friends and colleagues. There are few people who don't have an account on at least one social networking site. For the casual user who wants to keep in contact with relatives and friends, Facebook is usually the medium of choice, but in the professional world there is a dark horse that is fast becoming so much more than just a networking site.

LinkedIn has seen exponential growth in the professional world over the past few years, with 54% of professionals now rating their LinkedIn accounts as more important than their Facebook accounts in 2011 compared with just 42% in 2010.

Such is the influence and self-promotion opportunity that LinkedIn allows, some US based companies have even been asking prospective job candidates to submit their LinkedIn profiles as part of their recruitment process. More and more employers are researching their candidate's connections and work history on LinkedIn, so a good profile with recommendations is essential in the job market today. For many people LinkedIn acts as a live, working business card and once your profile is up to date and well organised you will be able to attach a link to email signatures and blogs to help increase your credibility.

However, while many lower level employees primarily use LinkedIn to increase their employment opportunities, middle and senior management are increasingly using the network to promote and expand their business as well as to find potential business partners and organisations with services they will find useful. For sales professionals, LinkedIn offers unlimited opportunities for networking and increasing sales, if you know how to use it well. Sales people looking for a promotion or a new position will be head and shoulders above the competition if they have a good working knowledge of how to use LinkedIn to generate sales leads. Increasingly, employers are coming to expect this of their candidates, so make sure you are on top of this useful tool before applying for any jobs.

Using LinedIn to generate new business. So, how do sales people use LinkedIn to generate new business? One of the top tips for any sales person is to use your existing network to find prospects by subtly and intelligently identifying useful contacts. For most, users their first degree connections will be made up of 90% old colleagues, employers and school friends they are keeping in touch with. The 10% that could be potential prospects can be approached in subtle ways to create new opportunities, either through using In Mail, joining their discussions in groups or sending your company information to their desk.

If you don't find any prospects in your immediate network, make the most of your connections. Using the 'advanced people search' tool, you can search the connections of your contacts (your second degree connections) by industry, job title or well thought out keywords. When you identify a prospect, use your shared connection to get introduced to them, although be sure to explain to your first degree connection, why you want to speak to the person and what you think you can do for them, otherwise they may refuse your request.

Using this technique means the number of first degree connections and more importantly, the number of connections they have is essential to maximising sales opportunities. With this in mind, be sure to offer a LinkedIn request to any clients, colleagues or peers you connect with at conferences or in meetings. Once you have connected with them, it can be a good idea to look through their contacts list not only for prospects, but also for 'super-connectors' in their network. This means people with hundreds of connections. By getting introduced to these super-connectors, you can quickly expand your second and third degree network, thereby increasing your chances of finding sales prospects through LinkedIn.

Find out who’s looking at your profile It is also possible to see who has viewed your profile and the profile of your company. People looking at your profile may well be in the market for the type of services or products you offer, so follow these up through LinkedIn or by sending out a prospectus to their offices. LinkedIn also makes it easier to find the decision makers within an organisation, so if you think a company is interested in your services, actively seek out their directors and send them further information.

Another way to find out who may be interested in your business is to check which companies have been visiting your company website. This is easy enough information to obtain from your web provider, so make sure you have access to this information and use your knowledge to research these companies on LinkedIn and find the decision makers to follow up with. If you travel a lot for work you can use your extended network to find contacts in locations you will be visiting. This will enable you to make arrangements to meet up with these contacts, thereby maximising the benefits of your travel.

LinkedIn is also a good place to build your online reputation, through participating in relevant groups and discussions. Try not to use these as places to tout your business. Instead, it is better to make some educated and well thought out contributions to discussions, demonstrating your knowledge and intelligence on the subject matter and thereby enhancing your credibility within your industry. As well as joining groups that deal with your industry, join those that deal with your target market. Even if you don't contribute to the discussions, you can keep your finger on the pulse of trends, concerns and issues with your target market, giving you more to talk to them about and keeping you in the loop for new opportunities.

With all this in mind, it is absolutely essential you nurture your first degree contacts. Asking to be introduced through a connection you only met once five years ago may be viewed as somewhat utilitarian and could damage your reputation. Sending them the odd weblink that might be of interest to them from time to time is enough to maintain your relationship and make that contact request easier to make.

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Unemployment levels are at their highest for a generation, however Office Angels, has urged jobseekers to look beyond basic salary offered for a role. They are also urging jobseekers to consider all of the other benefits that come with a job.

This advice has come in response to new date from Office Angels and mysalarychecker.com, which has revealed that sales and telesales roles are in high demand across all industries.

This is because all companies look for successful sales people to help position their business for future growth.

Although, in comparison to general staffing administrative roles, sales salaries are at the lower end, salespeople and telesales advisors can earn a considerable amount through commission and bonus schemes.

David Clubb, MD of Office Angels told HR Magazine: "Next year is undoubtedly going to be incredibly tough, and jobseekers are going to have to be more flexible when applying for jobs. Candidates shouldn't just look at the salary of any given role but also consider the wider package and where the job may lead in terms of future opportunities. Commission, bonuses and other benefits can boost a mediocre salary and ensure that take-home pay is much higher.

"Our data shows that there are plenty of advertised vacancies available, although the large pool of jobseekers in the UK means that there will be strong competition for roles. Being prepared to accept a lower salary and then work hard to supplement that through performance-related pay can help candidates widen their search. Sales roles can also be crucial to career development, helping people who are new to the workforce to develop transferable skills which can help them in their future careers."

Picture: Aaron Tang

While the current economic gloom may have seen unemployment rise in the UK, research from Simplysalesjobs.co.uk has provided some good news for those looking for a new sales position.

» Read more: Sales vacancies strong despite economic downturn

Millions of pounds have been spent investigating and pursuing ways to grow sales, and no wonder; after all, sales are the lifeblood of any organisation. Yet only a handful of companies have been able to grow their sales steadily not just in good times, but in lean times, too, and in the face of ferocious competition.

For more on this story go to saleswork.co.uk.

Picture: Shawn Carpenter

According to The Sales Pro, the wealth of information online about companies and the people that work there – on websites, blogs and social networking sites – is making a marked impact on the sales process. In the last study into global sales effectiveness by CSO Insights*, nearly two thirds of sales professionals said that the Internet has had a significant impact on account research and a quarter said it has had a noticeable impact. For more on this story go to thesalespro.co.uk.

Picking up on all the many and various developments around modern selling employers, team leaders, staff and new recruits, there is one emerging theme that looks like the future, for many and the best paid sellers, if not for most or “the herd”. For more on this story go to modernselling.com. Picture: Nils Geylen

Managing a successful sales team is a difficult task. It often means dealing with a group of enthusiastic individuals, each with their own views, who work in a stressful situation and are potentially exposed to rejection on a daily basis. Effective management is a must, as are organisational and motivational skills but most importantly, a good manager will spend time with their staff in a variety of different scenarios. As we look forward into the New Year, it may be time to think about perfecting your management skills and learning to build trust and rapport with your employees for a fresh start in 2012.

It is essential to get the right people for sales positions and the recruitment process will need to be well planned to make that happen. As team dynamics are crucial, many businesses are now using psychometric testing prior to interviewing and using specific methods like behavioural competency questions during the interview itself. These and similar methods allow employers to get a good insight into the candidates' personalities plus their strengths and weaknesses.

Team building
The goal for a team is to collectively achieve more than a group of individuals could and this is where effective team building comes into play. There are numerous team building methods. Some are suitable for use during team meetings, some are social events and others are hosted and administrated by outside organizations. These are often residential events. Some companies require their new recruits to attend one of these events before starting their new jobs in order to establish how best to integrate them.

Sales staff are historically well paid and it is normal practice for them to receive a basic salary plus commission on sales, with the ratio being dependent upon individual business circumstances. Having regular reviews and offering performance related bonuses gives the opportunity for interaction with team members on an individual basis, as well as giving them more incentive to do well.

These one-to-one meetings should also address any issues a team member may have that could be affecting their performance either at work or elsewhere. Work related issues can be addressed by additional managerial support or training. As far as personal problems go, a good manager will have an 'open door' policy making them approachable for staff to talk to at any time.

All the information needed
Within the workplace, a team must be well armed with all of the information they need about the company, its products, strategies and services. As well as having an induction process in place, it is worth taking the time to create manuals for the sales team so that they have answers at their fingertips wherever they are. It also goes without saying that adequate means of communication will be needed. In most cases this will mean providing them with a mobile phone and laptop.

A team will function at its best when it is completely clear on what its objectives are. Targets should be a matter for team discussion and set realistically for each member. Unrealistic targets which cannot be met are likely to de-motivate the team and result in less productivity overall. In addition to targets, it is also important to agree on KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) for each person. For a sales team these could include factors like sales conversion rate (ratio of sales to calls made) and awareness of analytics e.g. customer retention rates.

Keeping a sales team happy and motivated is a full time task, but it is one that can be made much easier by getting to know each member well. Offer frequent praise for positive input and congratulations for achievements and always make sure that if criticism is required, it is done constructively. Above all, aim to minimise stress levels within the workplace as much as possible and make the effort to plan relaxing treats for the whole team with the subject of work banned for the duration.

Picture: Joi Ito

Sales was once a profession largely carried out on the road with attendant images of dynamic suit-wearing professionals driving all over the UK and beyond, sealing deals on handshakes and living out of their briefcases. Face to face communication and personal time spent servicing accounts was key and much engagement was done individually with a healthy corporate entertainment account to hand!

Today, however, the application of technology has begun to change certain elements of the sales industry beyond recognition. This isn't a phenomenon that's exclusive to sales as a sector. Technology is revolutionising business and consumer markets everywhere we look, from powerful customer management databases to managing business operations, social media tools for business communication, e-commerce platforms for online trading and web-based conference calls.

Power of the internet
At the heart of these changes lies the power of the internet and the steep change it's made in the way salespeople and customers manage and control information flow. Nowadays, anyone with a search engine can find as much information themselves as a salesperson can give although quality and accuracy of content is obviously a concerning factor. Information flows are no longer top-down from salesperson to potential customer. The buying process has become more conversation based, with the customer ever more informed.

Experts believe that this transformation is set to continue, as new technologies appear that continue to alter traditional buyer and seller relationships. Every time a new adopted technology appears, buying behaviours change and evolve. With change moving at an ever faster pace, the pressure on companies to adapt and evolve, keeping abreast of what's new and responding to it, becomes greater. Training of sales staff becomes more important, as does market research, speedy product development, organisational intelligence and responsive leadership.

Patterns and personas
For the new social media driven buyer, organisations need to firstly understand new buying patterns and personas, which are predominantly more customer oriented. Greater and more meaningful customer insights are required and research must focus on qualitative data, as well as hard MI. Salespeople need to be smart, reactive and intuitive about what makes their customers tick in the information age. They must also understand changing buyer journeys and the nature of rapidly developing market readiness. Five year marketing and sales strategy plans simply won't be enough. Planning must be fast and responsive to change and processes must allow opportunities to be capitalised on by smart sales staff.

At the same time, organisations must always be seeking to understand customer buying patterns, customer readiness, changing markets and the impact of new technologies. Behaviours, goals and patterns will change and evolve at increasingly fast paces. Smart organisations need to be set up to understand and respond to this. For example, how is social media being used and capitalised by salespeople? What is the strategy for monetizing this channel?

Of course, even in the midst of rapid change, some old factors hold true. The customer is still central, they still have needs and a good salesperson will use available channels to satisfy these needs with their products and services and build a mutually satisfying and profitable relationship. Salespeople will still need to advise buyers during their journey and uphold the brand experience.

What sort of things should salespeople be getting their heads around today? Digital marketing is a key area, with online advertising and social media activity providing paid-for and 'free' conversation that shares information and can then be used to drive sales and build a company's brand. There is also content marketing which will mean recognising the importance of good quality content online to move buyers towards a purchase decision.

For sales directors, training delivery for staff is essential. Often, it will need to be online, daily and possibly app driven. Building closer links with marketing, digital development teams and PR is key to driving forward effective usage of the new available channels. Making sure sales staff are comfortable with new technologies and engaging with potential customers via social media channels is also hugely important.

As with all business, the maxim remains that you either sink or swim. Change is a constant and good organisations will recognise the opportunities that come from new technologies such as the opportunity to reach new markets and reduce the cost to sell via social tools. Organisations that embrace change and find ways to respond to it, or even drive it, will remain competitive. Those who attempt to ignore change and hope it goes away will be disappointed!

Photo: Adam Jenkins