the first sales training school in the uk

Sales Training & Telemarketing

learn the right way to sell

The first sales training school in the UK

Total Sales Solutions | Sales Consultancy

contents

03| Welcome from Founder and Director of Total Sales Solutions

– Marie Rodgers

04| The services Total Sales Solutions can provide to help your business grow.

05| Meet the team

06| Interview with Marie Rodgers - Selling is not a dark art!

08| Workshops - The aim of the workshops

10| Testimonials - what the clients say!

Park Lane House, Suite 2:9, Broad Street, Glasgow, G40 2QW t: 0141 611 7263w: totalsalessolutions.co.uk


welcome


Welcome to my world - the world of sales. I’d like to tell you a little about my company, Total Sales Solutions which offers a number of services designed to maximise the effectiveness and efficiency of your sales teams. We are passionate about making your business a success.

Currently we’re dealing with the toughest economic climate for decades and a very competitive market place. What’s the solution? Sales. Because sales

solve everything. Here is how we can help to transform you sales figures.

We provide expert telemarketing services which help you to grow by providing your sales team with a stream of high quality sales leads and business opportunities. We work closely with you to create a telemarketing strategy which will produce the returns you need. Whether you want us to contact individuals or if you’re looking for business-to-business telemarketing our service is flexible and designed to suit your needs.

Our sales consultancy service helps to make you more efficient when conducting sales. By focusing on best practices we will rejuvenate your approach to sales. Businesses have to stop trying to simply sell and start to understand why their customers should buy from them. If you understand that your customers’ objectives you can create an more effective sales strategy.

Through our sales training service we pass on our knowledge and experience to enable your sales team to excel. Good sales figures are created by a sales team

with strong sales skills. We provide a range of affordable training packages to suit most budgets and many of you may qualify for up to 50 per cent funding.

We work with clients who sell professional services to other companies, our client range is diverse from many sectors including legal, accountancy, software, telecoms, training providers, digital and tech companies to name a few.

Although we work with a diverse range of clients we do not believe in the “one-size-fits-all” ethos. At Total Sales Solutions each client is provided with sales campaigns that are designed exclusively for them.

We can help you to achieve higher quality appointments that result in more final sales. We focus on what your customers really want and ensure they know your product or service is the one that will deliver for them. We aim to shorten the sales cycle, make you more money and free up your time.

Any business willing to train its sales staff to the highest possible level will have the best chance of producing high income.

We can transform your sales force and, as a result, transform your business.Marie Rodgers,Founder and Director of Total Sales Solutions


www.totalsalessolutions.co.uk4

TelemarketingTSS telemarketing campaigns are bespoke for each individual client, we will provide a

continuous stream of high quality appointments or leads

• Design a bespoke telemarketing strategy in partnership with you

• Provide audio recordings of each appointment/lead

• Manage online diaries

• Provide weekly call reports

• Send marketing information

• Consistently achieve or exceed agreed targets

Sales training• All of our sales training is tailored to suit each client’s specifi c needs, we can work with

individuals or teams either on-site or at our specially designed sales school.

• 99% of our clients are eligible for up to 50% funding towards cost of training

• All aspects of telephone and face to face techniques to improve sales without hard selling

Sales recruitment: Find out why our tailored recruitment process is guaranteed to

hire the right sales person for your company

Workshops: We have a range of monthly workshops guaranteed to improve confi dence

and sales performance. 99% of our clients are eligible for up to 50% funding towards cost

of training

The services Total Sales Solutions can provide to help your business grow.

T: 0141 611 7263 or visit www.totalsalessolutions.co.uk

Telesales room

www.totalsalessolutions.co.uk


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meet the management teamSales Director – Andrea MacdonaldAndrea began a distinguished career in sales at British Airways before moving into the property sector, fi rst withestate agent Slater Hogg & Howison before being appointed a negotiator by Allen & Harris. She took a career break to raise her two sons but once back on the jobs market Andrea quickly received two job offers including one from TSS.

Offi ce Manager – Ruby MirzaRuby has an extensive sales background and fi rst worked with Marie in 2007 at Yell. “I can admit now that I didn’t want to join Marie’s team because I knew she set very high standards for herself and everyone who worked with her. But it turned out to be one of the best experiences of my career. I learned so much from her. Going to the offi ce each day was a pleasure and I found the work so fulfi lling. I joined TSS in April and it’s great to be back working with Marie. She is so inspirational and supportive.”

Marketing – Euan McTearEuan is at Glasgow University studying Spanish, economics and marketing but, through Club 21, has joined TSS as an intern. Club 21 is a University initiative to offer students quality work experience. In the time he has worked with the company he has proved himself to be indispensible. Although he has no formal title he is known unoffi cially as the marketing ‘guru’.

The TSS team is set to expand shortly because Marie is currently scouting for more talent to help cope with the growing demand for TSS’s services.

“I was seriously considering the other offer until I met Marie. I saw the potential in her business and was impressed by her total commitment. I knew right away it was something I wanted to be part of. For me getting back to work wasn’t just about getting any job. I wanted a really fulfi lling career that I enjoyed and that’s exactly what I’ve got at TSS.”Andrea, who runs sales campaigns for new and existing clients, defi nes her role as giving businesses the sales tools to increase revenue and profi ts. “It’s all about results and making sure our clients are happy. We’ve always to be thinking ahead and coming up with fresh ideas.”

Ruby, who is also a talented photographer, loves working as part of the dedicated TSS team and should any of the computers prove temperamental her IT skills come in very handy.

“He’s fantastic at what he does,” says Marie. “He’s a young man with so much talent and we’re delighted to have him on board.”.



Marie is the mastermind behind Glasgow-based Total Sales Solutions, the UK’s first sales school set up to help small and medium-sized businesses boost

sales and enhance profits. “I do a bespoke sales strategy for every client,” she explains. “It’s not some off-the-shelf solution I offer but a master plan that’s exclusively designed to meet their particular needs.”

Total Sales Solutions - or TSS - offers a range of services including training in how to sell, telemarketing campaigns, the recruitment of sales staff for clients and a range of practical monthly workshops. Businesses can receive grants of up to 50% through Skills Development Scotland for taking part in sales training.

“There are many entrepreneurs who have fantastic skills and talents. They are brilliant people with brilliant products and services but they don’t know how to sell,” says Marie. “Most of them don’t even have a sales strategy. That’s where TSS can help. The art of selling isn’t a black art. It can be taught.

“I can equip them with a set of skills to make them more effective in front of a customer. You have to remember that ‘sales’ is not a dirty word but a vital key to success. If company executives want to grow their business they need to find more clients and it’s our mission to help get them in front of the right clients.”

The art of selling is not just a job for Marie. It is a passion. “I absolutely love what I do,” she says, her eyes bright with enthusiasm. “I was extremely nervous when I struck out on my own but I knew that I’d regret not doing it more than I’d ever regret doing it and failing.”

But, in truth, failure was never an option for this consummate business woman fired by the motivation and vision to help others to succeed.

Glasgow-born Marie established TSS in May 2012 after a long, successful and multi award-winning career in sales during which she was crowned sales person of the year and sales manager of the year several times. She developed her unique and effective sales philosophy on the frontline having, in the 13 years before setting up her own company,

Marie Rodgers, Scotland’s queen of sales, does not beat about the bush. “The best sales person is the one who can listen, not the one who can talk,” she says bluntly. Her radical view is contrary to received opinion and undermines the popular stereotype of the fast-talking sales person but it is based on an amazing track record of success.

Interview with Marie Rodgers - Selling is not a dark art!



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worked for Yell, the company behind the famous Yellow Pages directory.

She started as a tele-sales consultant but because she was their number one sales person, winning all the campaign awards, the company quickly recognised her talent and asked her to go into management. She was despatched to Yell’s Milton Keynes office to manage an underperforming sales team. Within six months it was one of the company’s top teams. Marie went on to repeat this success in Manchester and Glasgow. “We achieved fantastic results,” she recalls.

She then moved into field sales and, after asking for the most challenging task, was put in charge of first-year advertisers. When she started the retention rate was 47 per cent but she rapidly pushed that figure up to an amazing 85 per cent. So why should she give up a top position and a secure salary?

“It came to the point where I’d done everything I wanted to do at Yell and was seeking a fresh challenge,” Marie explains. “Because of my sales experience friends with their own businesses were regularly asking for advice. I realised there was a gap in the market and that inspired me to set up Total Sales Solutions.”

Initially, to test the sustainability of the market, Marie ran her company on a part-time basis. “It quickly became clear my business model was viable and that running the company on a full-time basis would be my next challenge.”

So what is the secret to being a super sales person? “I’m not the typical sales person who is in your face,” she explains. “I listen to people. I want to know what they want to achieve. I believe in treating everyone like a customer you want to do business with again and again. This approach changes how you deal with them. Sales isn’t a battle. It’s not all about the hard sell.

“People, if they like you, will listen to you and, if they trust you, they will buy from you. I tell my clients not to try to sell to everyone. It’s much better to find the right market by

finding the people who need their products or services. The target isn’t to make a one-off sale but to make a customer who will come back and buy from you again.”

As well as sales training, TSS can assist other companies with the vital role of sales recruitment. “Some sales people are great talkers,” says Marie, who now works with a team of three. “They will promise you the moon and the stars. I use an assessment tool for training and recruitment to make sure we weed out the chaff. We look for people with the right behaviour and attributes and then train them.”

Marie pinpoints the fact that the sales division of many companies fails to meet its full potential. She quotes the startling statistic that 80 per cent of sales are made by 20 per cent of the sales team. So what are 80 per cent of the team doing? “Oh, they’re doing their best,” says Marie, “but with training they could perform so much more effectively. No business can afford sales people who can’t make sales.”

TSS will also create appointments with potential customers and clients can then close the deal face-to-face. There is also a business-to-business telesales service for outfits who wish to outsource this function.

Marie tries to ring fence her weekends so that she can re-charge her batteries. “I work very hard and during the week all my energies and most of my time are focused on the company. But I’ve learned that I need ‘me’ time otherwise you burn out so work tends to take a back seat at weekends so I can spend time with my family and friends and also indulge my love of reading. After a hectic week I love to escape into a world of fiction.”

Marie has ensured the success of her Glasgow operation and has plans, over the next five to 10 years, to open more sales schools in Scotland, England and Ireland. “I don’t want to be the biggest but I do want to be the best.” Given the impressively glowing testimonials from an impressively diverse range of clients she has, in their opinion, already achieved this target.



T he carefully-structured courses are held at TSS’s headquarters at Park Lane House, Broad Street, Glasgow. Firms who take part in the sessions, which last from

three to six months, can get a training grant of up to 50 per cent from Skills Development Scotland.

The workshops come with a cast-iron guarantee of success underwritten by TSS founder and director Marie Rodgers. “Companies who take part in these course will increase their sales performance. I’d return their money if they didn’t,” she pledges.

This impressive money-back offer is a measure of the confidence Marie has in

herself and her team to help other businesses to succeed.

Although the workshops will run over several months, each one will last only three hours. “In my experience people can’t absorb much more information after that,” Marie explains. “And in three hours we can communicate a great deal. In particular we can offer insights into the dynamics of selling and promotion. The techniques we teach have a proven track record and they can be an enormous help to anyone seeking to grow their business.

“And because they last only three hours people can attend our workshops and still have time to devote to their professional duties.”

WorkshopsTotal Sales Solutions has embarked on a series of monthly workshops specially tailored to meet the needs of all businesses. The team specialise in the legal and accountancy sectors.



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1 Creating a winning sales strategy which will increase your client base

2 Identifying your ‘competitive edge’ to enable you to stand out

3 How to confidently increase sales without selling

4 How to network with confidence

5 How to make repeat clients, not one-off sales

“As well as offering practical advice at the workshops we will, crucially, provide additional

support once our clients return to their office,” Marie explains. “If they need any assistance

they can email me or phone me for advice.”

TSS is targeting the legal and accountancy sectors because research has shown that, in

many cases, they are failing to maximise their earning potential and that they could boost

income and profits with a tailor-made sales strategy.

“I discovered that some of my clients use more than one lawyer to perform different

functions,” Marie says. “In many case one law firm would provide all the services they

need. But it seems that legal and accountancy firms are not pro-active about promoting the

services they can deliver. Through our workshops I want to help to change that. I also want

to give the people who work in those sectors the skills to develop their client base.” For more details of the monthly workshops contact Total Sales Solutions

T: 0141 611 7263 or visit www.totalsalessolutions.co.uk

The aim of the workshops include:



Total Sales Solutions and in particular Marie and Andrea have been instrumental in helping us launch our new brand, Elephant WiFi.

Being a I.T. company staffed mainly by technicians we have always struggled with sales and came to the conclusion that we do not have the in house skill therefore we need to outsource. After speaking to several local companies and also asking customers what they do Total Sales Solutions came very highly recommended from a sales manager based in one of our customers remote offices in Edinburgh and you can’t get much better than a recommendation. Working with a company based in Glasgow to some seemed like an odd decision as our offices are in Central England, Leicester but if they were as good as we were being told they were there was no need for them to be local as the outcome of a telephone call doesn’t change no matter how far away someone is!

After speaking to Marie I decided to fly up to Glasgow for a day to go through the project and meet Andrea, our account manager. The day was one of the most productive I have spent in a long time, it seemed that within minutes Marie had worked out my personality and proceeded to adjust the meeting accordingly. Not only did I meet a great bunch of people, I came away confident that they understood what we wanted to achieve and I even learnt things about myself.

The telesales campaign has been so successful that in only 5 days over 2 weeks we have spoken to several key decision makers in large PLC groups, quotes have been sent out and we are very close to closing some great projects. In our last 10 years of trading we have never seen sales activity like this and have never had a pipeline of potential business like we have now. I have more confidence in this one campaign than any other we have run before.

I’m am looking forward to a long and prosperous working relationship with the whole team at Total Sales Solutions.

Rod Rayner, DirectorIntalect Ltd & Elephant WiFi www.elephantwifi.co.uk

Testimonials - what the clients say!Total Sales Solutions have enjoyed positive client relations over the years - here’s what our clients say about Total Sales Solutions.



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Truststream Security Solutions Ltd are experts in IT Security. We pride ourselves on offering a customised service that meets our client’s needs.

As a small company we wanted to grow our client base and turnover but lacked the sales skills, resources and time to enable us to achieve this objective. We decided that outsourcing our sales would be the best solution, leaving us time to do what we did best – IT security.

We contacted Total Sales Solutions in September 2013 to discuss their telemarketing service. It was quickly evident that this was a company that understood our objectives and could deliver the sales performance we required.

The first step was a face to face meeting during which Marie from TSS carried out a sales strategy session which is the foundation of TSS sales success. During this session Marie promised that she would identify a ‘competitive edge’ that would set us above our competition and enable us to quickly achieve sales growth. She definitely delivered!

Marie then went on to design, set up and implement an extremely successful telemarketing campaign from October 2013 that is still ongoing. Our account managers Andrea and Ruby at TSS are a delight to work with and we receive weekly updates clearly showing their activity and results.

To date the return on our investment with TSS has been a massive 1012%, outstanding results from a product that we weren’t offering before working with TSS. The sales turnover that TSS has helped us produce since last October has allowed us to grow our company and expand our workforce.

TSS are a delight to work with and we would have no hesitation in recommending them to anyone who is keen to grow their sales channel.

Bryan Thomson & Paul SullivanManaging PartnersTruststream Security Solutions

Marie has a unique ability to to get you to focus on what’s important in your business and then get a simple but effective sales strategy in place which increases sales without it being ‘salesy’. We would highly recommend fellow professionals to Total Sales Solutions Gerry Murray, Murray Associates Accountants Ltd


• Make a client, not a one-off sale

• Don’t try to sell to ‘everyone’

• Every business needs a bespoke sales strategy in place

• Listening is more effective than talking

• Be trustworthy - clients will listen to you if they like you and buy from you if they trust you

Marie’s cardinal rules for successful selling are:

the first sales training school in the uk

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