Author Russell Ward runs a company called Silent Edge that specialises in sales train- ing. He says that having spent 11 years as a sales director, he realised that training companies were all too keen to sell him training without any idea what his problem was.

Most people don’t understand the complexity of selling and very few sales people have received proper training, he notes. His book aims to show how to sell in the business-to- business market.

One of his key concepts is how to successfully manage “the critical hour” – the first 60 minutes in front of your pros- pect that will determine whe- ther you do business together.

One of the most common errors is that sales people do not prepare properly for meet- ings and, although their selling behaviour is generally good, they do not listen to the client or ask questions. Many sales people fall into this category of “product pushers”.

Ward says that in current recessionary times, most deci- sions require a strong business case, more people are involved in making the decision, procu- rement departments will make competitive comparisons on price and decisions often stall unless a sense of urgency and value can be created.