The Evolution of Sales Part 5

 

Guest articles > The Evolution of Sales Part 5

 

by: Daniel Milstein

 

With technological advancements and industry growth, the future looks bright for the sale profession. In coming years, sales people will need to rely on a couple of guidelines to remain relevant.

Keeping it Personal--There will still be a need for salespeople to make a connection with customers, to match a face with the voice. The Internet has minimized the amount of 'face time' required to excel in sales, but it has not eliminated the importance of maintaining personal relationships. I have purchased several cars without actually visiting the dealership, after viewing their 'online showroom' and subsequently arranging the vehicle's delivery to my home. However, I had already developed a good rapport with the sales manager and was confident that it was the best possible deal.

Salespeople will find it necessary to query customers and prospects on the way they wish to meet and stay in contact. It will most likely be a combination of in-person meetings, e- mail, online discussions on Skype and other venues.

Teams to Help Expand--In some industries there will be more emphasis on team selling, the development of mutually beneficial alliances. Loan originators have done this successfully for years, with one or more 'junior' salespeople supporting the lead loan officer's production. I believe that there will be more informal partnerships of salespeople working together as teams, for increased efficiencies and to ensure the customer's needs are met. For example, this might involve a financial planner, Realtor, CPA, loan originator and insurance advisor serving as the customer's financial services team.

On the other hand, it is likely that fewer sales assistants will be needed, because greater online options will help streamline a company's operations. As more consumers apply for a mortgage or purchase a car on a website, there will be a reduction in the necessary administrative support. When an innovative company developed an online application program enabling borrowers to do most of the work in seeking a mortgage--selecting the loan based on established criteria, filling in required title information and completing the closing documentation--it set the stage for other industries to follow suit. There will be many such examples of less support staff being needed to help complete a sale.

The future salesperson will be better educated, knowledgeable, more professional and technology savvy than earlier salespeople. They will have better training in their specific industry and access to a greater array of resources.

 


Daniel Milstein is the bestselling author of ABC of Sales. For more information, visit: http://amzn.to/ABCARTICLES.


Contributor: Daniel Milstein

Published here on: 26-Oct-14

Classification: Sales

Website: http://amzn.to/ABCARTICLES