Robert Seviour
Participant Comments
2 1/2 day Sales workshop for GENBAND Telecommunications (UK) Limited
Corporate Headquarters Frisco, Texas, specializes in Internet technology used by telecommunications companies and fixed, mobile and cable service providers that sends phone calls over the Internet around the world across over 600 networks, including two-thirds of the world’s largest service provider networks spanning more than 80 countries.
GENBAND has research and development facilities in Canada, China, Massachusetts, North Carolina, and Texas. Genband recently purchased Nortel's CVAS business and technology.
Dr Dorit Columbus, Ahmed Hamdani, Anna Lapshina - three of the delegates at GENBAND, Maidenhead UK 'Selling for Engineers seminar
"Presenter's style kept people's attention by breaking into workshops / role-play to illustrate points. I have identified areas where I can improve my presentation and techniques in meetings to be more effective."
"A useful introduction to sales techniques and strategies for people with an engineering-led background and experiences."
"Nice guy, very open and made you feel comfortable. Lots of brainstorming with your colleagues . . .Good and easy concepts used during the sessions that can be applied to daily job."
"A pleasant seminar, very helpful to get some fresh ideas to use in daily life to improve inter-personal relationships to perform better at work and eventually to get more sales!"
"Very interactive, lots of personal experience delivered. The seminar provided a broad range of aspects of sales work, covering different types of sales. A lot of experience has been shown and illustrated the cases. Practical exercises helped to get a firm grip on do's and don'ts."
"Best of all I liked the practical exercises which helped a lot to understand the course material. Course is very good as an initial step in sales. Good way of delivering information - knowledge through fun."
"The seminar was very practical, with many exercises getting us to realize the benefits of the techniques and put them to the test. Would be good to make the course longer - one day extra."
"Realisation that sales is within us and that with some guidance engineers can make a huge difference to the sales cycle by adapting our approach to customer interaction."
"Relaxed atmosphere allowing easy discussions. Presentation section was very useful to me. I needed to clarify that in my own mind and your session did that. An excellent introduction to sales held in an easy atmosphere."
"This was a good introduction to sales. Entertaining and insightful."
"Good balance between presentation and role play."
"Introduction to the fundamentals of sales techniques based on the teacher's own experience (as opposed to MBA type of academic studies)."
Customer comments
I recently downloaded your book Selling for Engineers, which I found very useful.
I'd like to get a copy of "Sales Prospecting for Engineers" .
IT Executive, Brisbane, Australia.
Dear Robert,
I've just downloaded your 2 manuals, How to hire a good Technical Salesman and Sales prospecting for Engineers.
I brought Selling for Engineers a while ago.
May I say how delighted we have been with your manuals and how effective we find the content.
Regards
Mark Sanders
Sabre Home Security Ltd
Dear Mr. Seviour
I have just read your two books, "Selling for Engineers" and "How to Create Powerful Technical Sales Literature". I found them both full of extremely wise pointers and comments. I believe the principles presented by the books are absolutely right!
Congratulations on the books.
Paul Bentley, PJB Business Development
Dear Robert,
We were delighted with the manuals.
At our last marketing meeting I said that I was so pleased that I would be getting in touch with you. It was the realisation that you are not a large company but a small company that has put an awful lot of effort into a very good product.
I took your manuals into the first marketing meeting and left it with them. At the second review meeting the Production Director found them so good that he couldn't put them down.
The conscience consideration (we could have quite easily put it through the automatic copier and then sent them back to you with a note saying we are not interested) was not allowed by virtue of the fact that they were so good and we were delighted with them.
When you are driving a company forward some tools are useful and some are essential. These manuals are not only good value for money but they fill all the gaps we have been looking for.
Colin Dawson, Managing Director, Daletech Electronics Ltd
"I recently read a book entitled Prospecting for Engineers by Robert Seviour. It was written in simple, plain English and made a lot of sense from a practical point of view (totally the opposite to a lot of theoretical business books I have tried to read). I got the impression he is a very, practical, down to earth sort of guy."
Mark Robinson, Managing Director, Starret Precision Optical Ltd.
"Thanks Robert,
That's all worked fine - great speedy response. Its great to have good service, I seem to recall I enjoyed dealing with you all those years ago!
I will take up your kind offer of another title, quite like the sound of Powerful closing techniques.
If you need any testimonials from me, let me know, I would be happy to help.
Thanks again, good to deal with you. All good wishes for 2010.
Peter Taylor
Sales & Marketing Director
Britannia Kitchen Ventilation Limited
Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
The Selling for Engineers seminar has been held in UK, Ireland, Germany, The Netherlands, Norway, Belgium, Austria, Canada and the USA.
Robert is a fluent speaker of German and French; the sales training for engineering and scientific company course can be delivered in these languages as well as English.
Concerned about winning more clients for your technical business?
Do you have new people who need training in how to sell?
Are you a Sales Manager who needs to 'get the message across"?
I can help - this has been my speciality for 20+ years.
Robert Seviour teaches sales skills to engineers, technical people and a diverse range of industry delegates at his 'Selling for Engineers' seminars.
It's been a long journey from the beginning of his career as a 'hands-on' mechanical engineer.
'I probably would have stayed in engineering if a friend had not talked me into joining a direct sales organisation. There it was all different - what counted was how many new orders I was bringing in, not technical matters. It was a whole new world to me. To my surprise I enjoyed selling and was good at it. There's nothing like the buzz you get when you bring in a big order."
Robert began his working life at 'Power Frequency Heating Ltd. in the London suburbs. This company produced 'pre-start heaters' for emergency vehicles and large trucks and other equipment operating in cold climates. Customers included Dennis Fire Engines, Carmichael Ambulances, Caterpillar Vehicles, Petter Engines and Rolls Royce cars.
Later he formed a business, 'Robert Seviour - Energy Control Systems' which installed 'smart' heating controls for large houses and small commercial premises. An offshoot of this activity was to design and fit solar heating systems for domestic hot water plus a few interesting 'one-offs' which included flue gas secondary heat exchangers for larger domestic boilers.
In 1988 Robert sold the business and accepted an invitation to become North American agent for Structural Polymer Systems, a manufacturer of epoxy adhesives and composite materials. He re-located to Vancouver, Canada and developed from zero a client base of users of this company's products. The job involved finding new customers and teaching them how to use these advanced materials.
Five years later he was asked to help a UK scientific organisation develop good technical sales. This business was an installer of microwave communications equipment, the personnel were all engineers with no experience of sales. Robert coached them in the process of contract acquisition / business development.
The success of this operation led to an invitation by other companies within the Thorn group to repeat the same course with their divisions. For a year Robert travelled throughout the UK bringing weekly coaching sessions to this organisation's engineers and business development people. The products they were selling included security systems and the design of aerospace equipment.
The demand for training within technical companies, was strong and Robert, trading as Stick + Carrot Sales Training, ran courses for large and small organisations throughout the UK and in Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, USA and Canada. There were many well known companies, including Schlumberger, British Aerospace, IBM and Scottish Power. Since 1993 he has presented the 'Selling for Engineers' seminar over 600 times.
Delegates working on an exercise at a Selling for Engineers
seminar Aberdeen Scotland 
Information about seminars
The Selling for Engineers sales training manual is specifically for engineers, scientists and techies of all types - all about how to developing clients for technical products and services. It's from a specialised sales trainer who has two decades of experience training sales engineers.
If your company supplies technical products or services and you have had little or no formal sales training, this book is very useful. As well as the basics for sales engineers, you'll find many interesting, technical sales tips. It's for engineers, newcomers to sales engineering and sales managers who want a source of ideas for sales meetings and to develop commercial awareness for engineers.
57 A4 (US letter size) pages, many illustrations, price $37.00
Contents - how to:
-
Convert more enquiries into closed contracts
-
Resist being 'squeezed' on price
-
Be more confident about selling
-
Manage your day to free up more time for finding more clients
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Understand the motivations and wants of your prospects
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Reduce frustration when it does not go your way
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Achieve your sales targets
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Develop a consultative sales process that works
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Build successful business relationships
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Get referrals from your customers
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Qualify your prospects effectively
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Find buyers' 'hot buttons' with powerful questions
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Reduce activities that waste time and energy and cost you sales
Topics in the Selling for Engineers manual
The importance of business development
The symptoms of weak sales ability
Comparison of a 'sales-led' versus a 'product-led' company
An ethical approach
Should we hire a science graduate and train him/her to sell?
The reason why most 'techies' are not 'natural' sales people
What 'techies' really think about selling - the negative stereotype
The personality traits needed for sales How to take your engineers and make them into your sales force
How to make a good sales presentation
Sales engineer skills
Sales basics for beginners
Common faults in sales people
When your are the customer, what do you look for in a salesperson?
The 'ideal' sales personality
How to prospect for new business
Prospecting methods - mail, phone, visits, email, fax, exhibitions, referrals
How to write an effective sales letter
What to say on the phone
'Qualifying' the prospect
Dealing with common sales problems
Setting appointments
Meeting the prospect - the sales interview
How to deal with different personality types
Discovering the buyer's motivations
The sales presentation
The trap of the friendly, helpful buyer
Presenting to academics and experts
Asking for the order and closing the sale
Sales representative qualifications
Good answers to difficult objections, including
- 'It's too expensive'
- 'I'm getting other quotes'
- We're happy with our existing supplier'
- 'I want to think about it'
Dealing with 'difficult' buyers
- Handling the aggressive / dominant type
- Indecisive people
Handling rejection
Common reasons for lack of sales success - and what to do about them
How to stay motivated and get out of a sales slump
A refresher for older / experienced salespeople
Team management principles for Sales Managers
How to win repeat business.
The reasons for the rise and fall of companies
The 'Sales Process Flow Chart'
The ability to promote an idea effectively makes the
difference between failure and success in a professional career.
How effective are you at generating new business
opportunities?
Do
you convert most of your enquiries into closed business?
Some simple changes in your sales approach can
make a big difference,
let me show you.
The
'Selling for Engineers Manual' is
supplied as an electronic file in
Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format
which you print yourself.
When your credit card is authorized you
will receive an order confirmation via email and instant access to
download your manual from the web.
A charge of $37.00 USD United States Dollars (equal to approx. £25 UK Pounds) will appear on your credit card statement. Sales tax is in addition in some countries. There are no other charges.
I guarantee that you will like my books, if you don't agree, I will refund your money immediately without question.
Once you press the order link below you will be able to download immediately.
Discounted package - get the complete 5 volume set and save $88
These five manuals, priced individually at $37, give you all the strategies you need for success in technical sales.
Download all five of these manuals now for the discounted price of $97 for the set. Click the links for details of each.
How to Hire a Good Technical Salesman
How to Create Powerful Technical Sales Literature
How to Motivate Sales People - without spending a lot of money
Complete 5 volume set - a charge of $97.00 USD United States Dollars (equal to approx £62 UK Pounds) will appear on your credit card statement. Sales tax is in addition in some countries. There are no other charges. Once you press the order link below you will be able to download immediately.
Ability in selling can make the difference between success and business failure.
When did your company last do some sales training?
Verkaufstraining fuer Techniker, Ingenieure und Wissenschaftler
- welche gerade mit dem Vertrieb eines Produktes anfangen, oder schon laengere Erfahrungen in diesem Bereich besitzen. Der Inhalt hat sowohl produktspezifischen als auch ingenieurwissenschaftlichen Charakter. Es handelt sich um einen interaktiven Workshop welcher auf wissenschaftlichen Grundlagen des Verkaufs beruht. Dieses Seminar wird von mir bereits seit 18 Jahren, in deutsch und englisch, in grossen und kleinen Firmen innerhalb Europas und Nordamerika vorgetragen. Die typischen Berufsbezeichnungen meiner Teilnehmer sind unter anderem: Sales Engineer, Account Manager, Business Development Manager, kurzum jeder der berufsbedingt mit Neukunden zu tun hat.
___________________________________________________________________
Thank You, The manual
downloaded perfectly. . . . I would love to have a copy of Prospecting
for Engineers. Thank you for your superb customer service - you have
learned well!
Mike Kusch
Director Of Technical Marketing
Sherman Dixie Concrete Industries
Nashville, Tennessee
___________________________________________________________________
"It takes no time at all to realise there are benefits to be had from this presentation".
Ken Wright, Wright Associates."Not a jargon-based course". John Flett, Mott McDonald.
Enlightening, very informative". Allan McDonald, CAN (Offshore) Ltd.
"An insightful look into the sales world". Tommy Mackay, CAN (Offshore) Ltd.
have included aerospace engineering - Jetstream Aircraft, and scientific organisations such as the UK National Weights and Measures Laboratory, based near the National Physical Laboratory at Teddington, Middlesex and in the energy sector, Scottish Power in East Kilbride.
In Aberdeen, Scotland, the principal centre for the UK oil and gas industry, I have been proud to work with Performance Improvements, Pi, who have grown from a handful of engineering consultants in one building to a sizeable group with offices throughout the UK. Managing Director Steve Wright believes in the value of relevant sales training, and the rapid growth of his company (recently purchased by AMEC) demonstrates its effectiveness.
Hi, Robert,
You did a great job AND we had a lot of fun. I remembering making our
sales guys actually do some telemarketing during the training.
We are doing very well, and continuing to grow.
Diane Dolan, CEO
AmeriWater Inc
Dayton, Ohio
an archive of articles on selling, it will give you a flavour of the style of the sales training manuals and sales training seminars I offer.
Seminars, talks and workshops are offered to students at universities and technical institutions without charge or at reduced rates.
Please contact me for more information
Comments from a sales training session at Barcol-Air Ltd - Radiant Cooling Heating Systems, Oxford CT USA
"It was comprehensive. It gave many aspects of selling a product & identifying a customer's needs. I can see prospecting as being a positive way in which we as a company can further promote our business."John Ieronimo
"It was helpful in constructing a way to talk to clients / reps in order to have a better chance at getting sales."
Jason
Feedback comments from a
Sales Skills Workshop
University of Edinburgh School of Engineering.
Engineering students working on an exercise
"I like what we have learned today, and I like that the workshop was very dynamic & fun. . . ..interesting and useful ideas."Carlos Garcia
"Good fun and informative."
Angus McBride
"The interaction with the groups and role plays were very useful. How to identify the client's needs was very good. The workshop was very well presented and interactive. I have learned a lot in a short space of time. It was excellent to have somebody with actual practical experience to present their advice on sales in a logical and clear manner - some professors should attend!!"
Andrew Sheil
"Interesting exercises kept the audience engaged. A great introduction to sales skills."
Scott Lindner
"Presenter seemed to have an extensive knowledge of the subject. Good examples, informative notes."
Pawel Milto
"I got some extremely useful hints on how to go about selling products in a technical environment. . . the advice on presentations was very useful. Thanks very much, very helpful indeed."
Euan McPherson
"Interesting logical approach to selling. . . . . fun and interactive."
David Munn
Participant comments from a Cambridge University spinout company.
"Thanks Robert, the session was very useful. Thought provoking. Great overview, tailored to our needs as and when they popped up during the session."
Matt - Consulting Engineer
"Useful exercises and ideas, tailored well to our circumstances. Interesting ideas regarding client focus / self-focus. Lots of new ideas. Well taught, informative day."
Participant comments from SMD, Wallsend, UK who design and manufacture subsea robotics including remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), underwater propulsion and control products.
"Good overview of sales process skills."
"Good refresher on sales management and techniques."
"I liked the friendly and informal delivery of the course. There were several new sales ideas / techniques that I will use."
"A very interactive seminar which got everyone thinking and talking."
"Clear, simple, easy to remember points."
"Related often to our business - real world. A useful overview of the key principles and considerations relevant to technical sales."
"Enjoyed the first session - fast pace, practical activities, sense of direction."
UCLA Anderson School of Management, Los Angeles presented a half-day Sales Skill-building Workshop led by Robert Seviour
Feedback from this event:
"The workshop was done in a memorable & fun way. The technique was taught in an easy to understand way. The presentation is well formatted"
"Presentation was clear, concise & simple, which made it very easy to follow. Just the right level for me. It's a great intro class"
"The exercises were very effective in solidifying core concepts"
"I liked getting the great framework for successfully engaging potential clients"
"It gave me a better understanding of how to approach clients and increase possibility of selling"
"Clear, simple thoughts. Easy to implement (using role plays)"
"I really like the mini-assignments to help me understand the materials & retain the knowledge. The content is really practical . . .wish the workshop was longer"
"You are in many situations where you are selling something - especially yourself"
"The outline of presentation elements was very helpful. The page with the 'phrases-not-to-use' was very useful"
"I liked the model of instruction, then exercises. It helped make it concrete for me. I liked the assignment to different teams and people. It helped me get to know everyone"
"Dear Robert,
Thank you so much for giving us such a great class yesterday! I’ve never
got a real sales training before and your class really opened my eyes to
an interesting field."
"What you showed us yesterday are really essence of sales practice, and
I definitely would like to review them from time to time to keep what
I’ve learned.
Also, feel free to let me know whether in future you would like to visit
UCLA again and give similar trainings, and I will be more than happy to
be there!"
"Robert, thank you for the workshop yesterday. I have tried that first exercise - “Try to sell Item X to me” with 3-4 engineers already. Every one of them started data-dumping the features on me immediately. Thanks again for the very practical and useful workshop!
Best regards, Nan"
"Hi Robert,
Thank you for your great selling workshop yesterday.
Regards, Ralph"
University of Edinburgh
School of Engineering
presented a half-day
Sales Skills Workshop
led by Robert Seviour
Feedback from this event:
"Thought-provoking, not a prescriptive lecture"
"Easy to relate material to real world examples. Real information about sales techniques rather than abstract theories"
"Very well delivered - good structure & efficient. Relaxed approach and enjoyable tasks"
"All understood and very well presented"
"V. informative. Easy to remember thanks to multiple examples and good explanations"
"Very friendly and informal"
"The exercises that showed the intuitive but ultimately flawed sales pitch that I was using were very useful"
"The things that were covered were in straightforward terms and gave a good structure to the sales process"
"Interactive and entertaining"
"Informative - covered a lot of aspects of sales which can be very useful in an engineering career"
"I found the workshop useful and informative. I would recommend it for final year students"
"Liked the involvement aspects, time didn't drag as there were breaks and involvement. Really good use of examples make it really easy to relate to"
"Enjoyed level pitched at. Interactive level just right for me. Learned a lot. Very informative"
"I liked the practical examples. A lot of useful tips for communicating between buyers and suppliers"
"Introduced me to systematic methods of sales techniques. Will find this very useful. Good to get some exercises as these illustrate points very well"
"A day boot camp of sales strategies and way of thinking when approaching a potential customer".
Delegate Feedback
From an event held at UBC - University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada:
"A great crash course for beginners and refresher for experienced persons"
"Easy to understand - very well presented. . . . Really helped in structuring the thought process to concentrate on during the selling process".
Comments from participants at an event held at Robert Gordon University Aberdeen, Scotland:
Great course for people new to sales or if they need a thorough overview of the basic principles". Mark Graham, Dominion Technology Gases Ltd
"Made me think differently about selling (in a good way)". Eric Brechet, Engspire.
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This is a map of where the visitors to this page came from on 6 Nov 2015 - It seems I should open an office in East Coast USA!
Contrast the degree of interest in the USA about the business of selling technical products with the level in other countries, (of course language is a factor also).
If you have read this far and still haven't found what you want, get in touch - no charge for a chat. I've been in sales and managed sales teams for over thirty years, I may have the answer to your sales problem.