Alex Abbott (F.ISP)'s Linkedin Analytics

Three years of testing; Imagine my delight, when I uncovered the solution to the B2B pipeline problem! Before I get to that, I just LOVE this quote from Theodore Roosevelt, "Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care" After leaving School at 16 and spending a few years working with cars, I realised this was not my calling and that I wanted to earn better money. Without further education, I felt sales was my route to a better future. My first sales role was in 1993, knocking doors selling Kirby Vacuum Cleaners, then onto double glazing, before moving onto selling cable TV and phone services. Though, I wanted to be in B2B sales, where proper money could be made, however with no B2B sales experience or a degree to enter through a graduate program, I ended up as a recruitment consultant, where my manager would regularly shout “Alex, a hundred calls today, and why isn’t that phone Sellotaped to your head?” One of my favourite clients was a US based emailing marketing software company, I had spent 18 months securing four key hires to support their European expansion, when they asked me to join as an Account Manager. I jumped at the chance! ..and after just 4 months I was promoted to UK Business Development Manager, it was 2000 and I had made it into B2B sales after 7 years! But selling complex solutions to other businesses was very different to consumer sales. By 2006, I had worked for six different companies, had seven different managers, I’d been fired once and I was on the verge of losing my job again for poor performance, when… And then, in 2007, a switch went in my mind. I had a family to feed, how could I explain to my Wife I had lost my job, again! I realised that I cared too much about my customers and not enough about the commercial outcome I delivered for them. Realising this, I was able to be more persuasive, challenge my customers thinking and teach them new perspectives, to ensure a mutual commercial outcome was achieved, all whilst maintaining my friendly nature. Fast forward 18 years, I’ve enjoyed living in the UK, Middle East and Australia, sold across three continents, built a business from zero to $22M ARR, led a 50+ person sales transformation from a product led to a buyer centric sales approach, and now running my own business, I’ve designed the solution to the B2B pipeline problem. No silver bullet I’m afraid. A method. Requiring focus and work! Three years of testing, (ongoing) and I look forward to sharing my insight and my journey to achieving it, to those curious to learn more…