the small stuff

Sales training solutions including: 
- delivery of company-specific material in two languages (English & German)
- creation of sales training material specific to the industry and / or company
- individual sales coaching programmes tailored to specific individuals and / or roles

Sales Recruitment and Onboarding
- development of recruitment strategies to attract the right talent and successfully assess ability and fit
- creation and delivery of onboarding programmes for new starters
- team training focussed on improving staff retention and building motivated sales teams

Sales Process Development
- KPI assessments and creation of sales monitoring systems to drive successful habits
- CRM system implementation and training on smarter use of your existing CRM system
- sales process strategy development, including training and implementation

Sales Trainer & Coach

RAIN Group

At RAIN Group, it’s our mission to unleash our clients’ sales potential. We’ve helped hundreds of thousands of people in dozens of countries increase their sales and margins, and achieve the highest career success by helping them develop more leads and convert them into sales with our RAIN Selling methodology.

We work with companies in industries with a complex sale, including:
- Professional & Business Services
- Banking & Financial Services
- Hospitality & Tourism
- Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals
- Education Management
- Industrial Products
- Technology

-- WHAT WE DO --

Our services tend to fall into 4 categories:

SALES CONSULTING: Many factors affect sales performance—the people, the organization, the sales structure, and the sales process. We’ll assess your organization, find the opportunities to significantly improve sales results, and build you a plan to get there.

SALES TRAINING: Through our training program, The RAIN Selling Seminar, and other skill-building training programs, we help companies increase sales and margins. Our training programs cover everything from prospecting to presentations to negotiation to sales management and strategic account management.

SALES COACHING: Working with a coach can be the difference between success and failure in sales. We help companies improve the coaching skills of their sales managers and provide coaching directly from RAIN Group coaches to help your salespeople build skills and confidence, and stay on target to reach their goals.

SALES ASSESSMENTS: We'll help you identify who on your team can sell, who will sell, and where they need to improve. Our assessments measure sales attributes and skills only, pinpointing the areas that will make the greatest difference in your team's success.

Regional Facilitator

The Sales Dojo

Helping salespeople of the world hit more targets, earn more commission and buy those new shoes! The Sales Dojo podcast chats with leading sales minds, leaders, authors, mentors and trainers from around the world to share their experiences and stories for the sales community to learn from. On the 'This Week In Sales' episodes me, Chris and Leon discuss this weeks hottest topics in the world of sales and selling. Sharing hints, tips and sales approaches from others on LinkedIn, and call out those who spread poor advice and lies. All with a straight talking, slightly sweary but always entertaining twist!

Co-Host The Sales Dojo Podcast

Anecdote International

I am an official Anecdote Partner, certified to deliver the Story-Powered Sales™ (SPS) programme.

Anecdote Partner

Transform Performance International

Accredited Business Partner

ALLDATA

Lead and manage the Inside Sales, Field Sales & Account Management teams for the DACH business which accounts for more than 50% of the revenue in Europe. 

Responsible for all recruitment, onboarding, coaching and training of the DACH Sales and Account Management teams. Introduced, implemented and rolled out the ALLDATA Onboarding programme for new recruits, delivering faster time to effectiveness of new employees and a significant reduction in staff turnover.

Delivered consistent year on year sales improvement from the direct sales business and improved customer retention within the Account Management team

Sales Manager DACH

Farecla Products Limited

Delivered successful sales growth in the European market through:

- identifying new sales opportunities and appointing new partners

- maximising the benefit from existing customers via marketing initiatives and local promotions, building close working relationships and trust and setting joint business objectives and targets

- leading and motivating local sales and operations teams to deliver sales growth through company-owned distribution channels

- building brand awareness via classic marketing channels and social media content, product demonstrations and presentations and attendance at trade fairs and shows relevant to the industry

- launching customer training events at head office in the UK and locally at partner locations

European Sales Manager

Farrow & Ball

Delivered significant like for like sales growth in the German market since joining the luxury paint and wallpaper company. 

Develop marketing initiatives (both local and national) including PR campaigns, product marketing and placement, B2B and B2C, sponsoring and advertising. 

Manage multifunctional teams and develop talent through development and succession planning, including recruitment of new team members. 

Deliver internal and customer training on a regular basis, including product, company and management training. 

Strive for an excellent customer experience in the showroom network to include growing the at home colour consultancy service. Organise and host customer events to grow brand awareness.

Work with and identify new third parties (B2B) to help grow sales via other channels within Germany.
Scope out opportunities for new showroom openings and further sales growth.

Use global experience and knowledge from previous job roles to form a working group looking to  increase brand awareness amongst professional specifiers worldwide.

Work with Head of International Sales to develop and deliver robust strategy for the German market.
P&L responsibility & budget planning

Showroom / Retail Manager - Germany

AkzoNobel

Set up and led long-term project team to develop and deliver new Global Colour Strategy for key AkzoNobel markets including North America, India, China and Europe. 
Initiated move to one global colour system following the merger of two large companies with established colour materials. 
Gained buy-in from key stakeholders and influencers both within the company and amongst suppliers. 
Negotiated service agreements with suppliers and worked on best practice delivery of a new colour system.
Delivered comprehensive sales and colour training for third parties (B2B) in the United Arab Emirates.

Global Project Manager - Trade Colour

Led and managed a team of nine Commercial Interior Designers (field and office-based). 
Introduced targets and efficiencies into the team and processes to deliver more focussed colour support for trade and commercial customers. 
Delivered new streamlined processes in colour scheme delivery via electronic and printed colour material. 
Demonstrated increased added-value in colour scheming for large customers with more than a 90% success rate in winning contracts.
Worked closely with R&D to deliver modern methods of colour printing and outsourced specific elements of the process to achieve this. 
Created and rolled out national colour training to partners throughout the UK.
Delivered regular CPD presentations to architects and specifiers. Developed and launched a new CPD accredited colour presentation for colour professionals. 
Led the team in a successful restructuring to make the best use of resources available, demonstrating savings whilst delivering an increased colour scheme output.

National Sales Manager - Commercial Colour

Managed five team members in a large Dulux Decorator Centre in the Southern Sales Region. 
Grew retail split vs trade sales, improving margin.
Increased store efficiency and standards.
Performed regularly against sales targets and improved number of debt recovery days. 
Introduced customer experience days including new product launches.
P&L responsibility and budget planning.

Store Manager, Dulux Decorator Centre

ICI Paints / AkzoNobel

Responsible for growing trade paint sales within the national social housing market in the UK.
Worked with large housing associations to introduce 'partnering' and a 'collaborative working' approach. 
Trialled and introduced tenant voucher schemes nationally.

National Account Manager - Corporate Sales

Maintained and managed key German account with long-standing customer Hagebau.
Liaised with head office to win new product listings, negotiate on prices and work on joint marketing strategies. 
Won new account listings for Molto and Hammerite brands.

National Key Account Manager

Led and managed the Molto brand in Germany.
Developed BTL marketing strategy for over 60 products within the Molto umbrella spanning six different DIY sectors. 
Worked on launch for new products and led BTL campaign including in-store point of sale, customer competitions and PR campaigns. 
Explored new channels for sales including successfully gaining exposure on QVC Germany.

Brand Manager, Molto, Germany

Helping B2B sales teams increase sales with less effort! | Sales Trainer & Coach | MBA | Author: How to Sell Virtually

My mission is simple: to help B2B sales professionals sell smarter, not harder, taking what they already do well and polishing their approach to unlock their full potential, think for themselves, and achieve outstanding results without burning out. 🏆 

That mission is exactly what the small stuff stands for and why I founded it in 2019. As Founder and Managing Director, I combine 20+ years of frontline experience with a modern, practical approach to sales training and coaching. 

We design tailored training and coaching programs that meet teams where they are, no off-the-shelf content. Every solution is built around your company’s goals, culture, and people. 

Recent projects: 

💎 EcoVadis - Confident Cold Outreach, Value-Based Selling, MEDDPICC Training & Sales Leadership Coaching for SDR, AE, Customer Service, Membership & Network Growth Teams. 

💎 Carousel Logistics & DANX - Sales Excellence Training 

💎 Aptar Beauty - Customer Engagement Programme. Including account management skills and deal coaching 

💎 SYNLAB International - Sales Training & Coaching 

💎 AXA - “Spaß im Vertrieb” and Modern Sales Training 

💎 Deutsche Telekom & T-Systems International - Next Generation Sales (Digital DNA), Strategic Deal & Key Account Management Coaching, Inside Sales & Account Management in the “New Normal” 

💎 Cisco Systems & Microsoft - Train-the-Trainer and Coaching for “The Salesperson’s / Leader’s Secret Code” 

💎 MuleSoft University (part of Salesforce) - SDM Development Programme  

💎 N3 (Part of Accenture) - Sales Trainer & Coach 

🎙️ Co-host of The Sales Dojo Podcast 

If you want to engage and inspire your sales teams to perform at their best, and make selling feel easier again, let’s talk. 

📅 Book a 15-minute intro chat: https://calendly.com/thesmallstuff/vc

A few weeks ago, I was flying back from Birmingham to Düsseldorf. 
At the airport, I found some Aston Villa shirts that I knew the kids would love! 

When I got to the till, something interesting happened: 
Before I even paid, the cashier asked: 
👉 “Is it ok if I email you the receipt?” 

Normally, I prefer a paper receipt if I have the option. But the way he phrased it made me assume there wasn’t an option. So, I nodded and gave my email. 
A small detail, but a great example of how wording shapes decisions.
 
In sales, customer service, and leadership, the questions we ask (and how we ask them) have enormous influence. 

Here are a few examples of cleverly framed questions: 

📱 Selling a phone: 
 "Would you prefer 5GB or 10GB of data?" 
 (Not “Do you want a data plan?”) 

🍽️ Restaurant upselling: 
 "Shall I bring you still or sparkling water?" 
 (Not “Do you want water?”) 

🏋️ Gym membership: 
 "Would you like to start with a 3-month or a 6-month package?" 
 (Not “Are you interested in joining?”) 

Small shifts in wording can change the dynamic of a conversation completely. 

💡 Which smartly worded questions have you used or encountered recently? 

Let’s collect some ideas in the comments! 

#Sales #CustomerExperience #Leadership #thesmallstuff

Susie Mathieson

Helping you increase your sales with less effort! | Sales Trainer & Coach | MBA | Sales Academy Trainer | Salesperson's Secret Code Practitioner

Sell Smarter, Not Harder | Sales Trainer & Coach | MBA | Author of How to Sell Virtually

🎙️ Letzte Woche war’s wieder soweit: The Sales Dojo Podcast-Zeit mit Chris Dawson & Leon McCowan! 

Und diesmal ging’s um eine Frage, die viele von uns im Vertrieb kennen, aber selten laut aussprechen: 

👉 Wie behalte ich Struktur, wenn mein Kalender unplanbar ist? 

Als Vertriebstrainerin sage ich oft: 
 „Struktur ist das A und O im Vertrieb.“ 

Und ja, mit Disziplin, klaren Routinen und geplantem Vorgehen kommst du weiter. Viel weiter. 

Aber hier ist die Realität: 
📍 Du bist ständig unterwegs, 
🚆 sitzt mal im Zug, 
🧳 mal im Hotel, 
💻 und selten wirklich am Schreibtisch. 

Also, wie geht das? 

Wie hältst du an Struktur fest, wenn dein Kalender dich wie ein Jojo durch die Woche wirbelt? 

Meine Lösung? 

Ich suche mir Strukturen in der Unstruktur. 

🔁 Ich bündele ähnliche Aufgaben: z. B. virtuelle Trainings immer montags (denn montags ist selten ein guter Tag für Vor-Ort-Sessions). 

📤 Ich outsource, was nicht meine Kernzeit verdient: Rechnungen, Admin, Nachfass-Mails. 

🧠 Und ich hinterfrage regelmäßig: Was braucht meine Energie, und was kann auch jemand anderes übernehmen? 

So bleibt mein Kopf frei fürs Wesentliche: Beziehungsaufbau, Training, Impact. 

🎧 Falls du dich darin wiedererkennst (oder einfach neugierig bist, wie andere Verkäufer:innen das machen): 
 
 👉 Hier geht’s zur neuen Folge vom Sales Dojo Podcast mit Chris und Leon: 
https://lnkd.in/gXm5M-V2 

Welche Strategien hast du, um Struktur in ein bewegtes Vertriebsleben zu bringen? 

Teile sie gern in den Kommentaren – ich freue mich auf den Austausch! ✨ 
#Vertrieb #Verkaufsalltag #Struktur #Storytelling #SalesDojo #WorkSmartNotHard

✈️ Viel unterwegs? Dann kennst du dieses Gefühl: 

Hotels, Meetingräume, Flughäfen… 
irgendwann verschwimmt alles zu einem neutralen Einheitsgrau. 

Effizient? Ja. 

Aber oft komplett seelenlos. 

Früher bin ich einfach durchgerauscht: 
Hotel → Meetingraum → Taxi → Flughafen. 

Aber irgendwann habe ich gemerkt: 
Wenn das mein Leben ist, dann darf es sich nicht wie „Warten auf Zuhause“ anfühlen. 

Also habe ich mir kleine Rituale geschaffen. 

Die Jungs sammeln Fußball-Tassen. ⚽ 

Und ich nehme mir auf Reisen bewusst Zeit, in die Stadt zu gehen, um eine neue für die Sammlung zu finden. 

Diese Woche war ich in Zürich und plötzlich war die Reise mehr als „Job unterbrechen - wieder in den Alltag zurück“. 

Sie war ein Moment, den ich in Erinnerung behalte. 

👉 Diese kleinen „persönlichen Anker“ machen das Vielreisen lebendig. 

Welche Rituale habt ihr, die eure Dienstreisen menschlicher machen? 

Schreibt gerne in die Kommentare, ich sammle Inspirationen ✨ 

#WorkLifeBalance #DigitalNomadLight #TravelRituals #SalesLife

🐘 What’s your limiting belief? 🐘 

In some recent sales training, we worked with a sales team that felt completely stuck. They were having brilliant conversations, but when it came to closing deals, something always seemed to hold them back. 

After a few sessions, it turned out the biggest barrier wasn’t the product, the market, or the competition, it was the story they were telling themselves. 

💭 “People don’t have the budget right now.” 
💭 “I’m not experienced enough.” 
💭 “They probably already have a supplier.” 
Sound familiar? 👀 

It reminded me of the elephant story. 

In some parts of the world, when elephants are young, they’re tied to a post with a thin rope. As babies, they’re not strong enough to break free, so they learn to stop trying. 

Years later, as fully grown elephants, that same tiny rope still holds them back, not because it can, but because they believe it can. 
That’s what limiting beliefs do. They’re the ropes we stop questioning. 

So, when we challenged that sales teams’ assumptions and rewrote their inner narrative, the results changed almost overnight. 

💡 Conversations became bolder. 
💪 Objections turned into opportunities. 
🔥 Confidence replaced hesitation. 
And most importantly: deals started to close!  

So, what’s your “rope”? 🐘 

What story are you holding on to, that’s holding YOU back? 

#SalesTraining #MindsetMatters #SalesCoaching

What are your limiting beliefs in sales?

I’ve been thinking a lot about “control” lately. 🤔

Not the big, executive, change-management, steering-committee kind of control…
…but the tiny kind.

The kind that you can actually touch with your hands ✋ in the next 2 hours. ⏰

Last week I was coaching a super talented manager. 💼

His company is in the middle of some exciting change 🔄 but right now that means: lots of unknowns ❓

He said:
“I know we’ll get clarity eventually…but until then I just don’t know what to do first.”

We explored that.

And I asked him:
“OK, what is one small thing you can control in the next 2 hours?”

He paused. 🤐
Then he smiled. 😄
“I love cooking. During lunch I will make pasta with fresh tomatoes.” 🍝🍅

Not a corporate transformation.
Not a strategic initiative.
But a micro-act of self-agency. ✨

He did it, and he even sent me the photo! 📸 (It looked incredible by the way!)

Sometimes power shows up in the tiniest places. 🌱

When the macro feels uncertain, take micro control.

Touch something real. ✋

Move one tiny thing forward. ➡️

It reminds the brain:
“I am not passive.
I can choose. ✅
I can act.” 💪

And that changes EVERYTHING. 🌟

#agency #mindset #salescoaching #leadership #personaldevelopment #ownership #changeleadership #microhabits #controlthecontrollables

👊 Hold a high standard, even when it’s uncomfortable. 

One of the most powerful shifts I’ve seen in sales leadership? Acting quickly when standards slip. 

⏱️ Not pouncing. 
🤐 Not waiting until the next 1:1. 

But stepping in with care and clarity, in the moment. 

Modern sales managers aren’t scorekeepers, they’re culture setters. And culture is built (or broken) in the small moments. When behaviour drifts, when expectations are missed, when silence feels easier than speaking up. 

🚫 If you let it slide, it becomes the new norm. 
✅ If you address it early, it becomes a growth moment. 💬 

As Kim Scott says: “Care personally, challenge directly.” 

Kindness isn't avoiding the tough stuff, it's believing your team is capable of more. 

This doesn’t mean being harsh. It means being fair, consistent, and fast. Addressing issues in real time, not banking them for performance reviews or end-of-quarter pressure. 

And the result? 
🤝  Psychological safety and accountability. 
💪  Trust and traction. 
📈  A culture where your team knows what “good” looks like and that it actually matters. 

📌 Want to be a better manager? Don’t just set the standard. Hold it. 

#SalesLeadership #CoachingCulture #SalesManagers

How many touchpoints does it take to make a sale? 🚀 

This is one of my favourite topics to think about! 

I came across this great article from RAIN Group exploring how many touchpoints it actually takes to turn prospecting into real meetings and opportunities.  

The key takeaway? It’s not just about more touchpoints, it’s about quality touchpoints: targeted messaging, clear value, and thoughtful engagement. 

A must-read for anyone looking to improve their prospecting game 👇 
 🔗 https://hubs.li/Q03Ds1z20  

#B2BSales #SalesSkills #SalesSuccess

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