Latest insights

No matter whether it’s B2B or B2C, relationships can be difficult to manage. Manufacturers working with distribution partners sometimes have difficulty aligning goals that sit askance from one another. Maintaining brand consistency as products move through complex distribution networks can prove to be an additional frustration. However, overcoming these challenges and fostering collaborative partnerships with industry distributors is essential. Effective partnerships thrive on the symbiotic nature of the relationship – with each party helping the other, productivity increases

Skynamo’s Sam Clarke (CEO) and Wim Morris (COO) talks to The Margin about the challenges that comes with growing a global salestech business. With offices worldwide and $30 million in funding secured in February 2021, Skynamo now leads the field in sales management technology. Yet this Stellenbosch-based startup grew from a group of technologists with the right skills finding a target market that needed a solution they were capable of building. “Our background is in technology. We had the technical competencies of software development,

Businesses and consumers alike have had to weather several shocks over the past two years. In this article, I advise how businesses can make 2022 a year for rebuilding and taking advantage of new opportunities. During 2020, 42% of small businesses closed during lockdown, according to financier FinFind. Unemployment is at its highest ever levels, at 35%, while the July 2021 riots and an unstable electricity supply have added to business woes. 2021 ended

Creating sales success is easy when the data is captured and interpreted smartly. Monitoring analytics closely allows sales teams to refine their strategies and target key areas. In fact, in a recent survey of more than 1,000 sales organizations around the world, McKinsey found that 53% of those that are “high performing” describe themselves as prolific and effective users of

There have been a series of seismic business shifts over the past couple of years, but one area has endured: Sales Trends. That said, the need for creativity and resourcefulness is becoming increasingly important for sales and marketing teams to be successful as a new year beckons. Research suggests that B2B buyers aren’t just moving to omnichannel. They’re already

Every entrepreneur’s dream goal is to develop a revolutionary product and strong brand to attract and provide value to customers. However, in order to do so, you need to establish and follow the key ways to actually measure your business’s success. How do you know whether your business is successful? What parameters should you measure to evaluate your company’s success? Is being profitable enough for a business to achieve success? All of these factors are key to keep in mind to measure whether (and the ways in which) your business is a success.

It is absolutely essential that every sales manager in your business is a competent decision-maker. In sales, where every decision can directly affect your business’s bottom line, you need to make rational decisions. One misstep can have catastrophic ramifications for your business, such as loss of sales leads or key clients. Key with a sales manager, in particular, is the ability to also make these decisions quickly. Often decisions are made on the fly in the field. That’s why sales managers also need access to data to make these decisions in a second. Your sales

It’s already fairly common knowledge that poor mental health among field sales professionals can greatly affect your business. Sales reps and managers are not robots; they have their own inner struggles and private lives that affect their wellbeing and performance. This goes for your staff, and for you as well! Many of the top CEOs know this already. There are a number of tips to glean from their practices with regard to how to be a better manager by

Following South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement that the fourth wave of COVID-19 is expected to begin in December, many businesses face uncertainty. This is compounded with the issue of supply-chain disruption which the pandemic has wrought worldwide. Sam Clarkeis the CEO at Skynamo, a customer relationship management (CRM) mobile app for field sales teams. He says that now is the time for local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to tap into their entrepreneurial spirit ahead of the festive season to weather the storm once more. “SMEs are creative and resilient

Employee well-being should be the top priority of any business. Focused, driven, and happy sales reps are integral to every organization’s success. They’re the ones responsible for driving conversions and developing long-term customer relationships. Also, they play a crucial role in providing other departments with actionable insights about potential and existing customers. That’s why it is essential for managers to empower sales