Evolve or Die – Hard Questions for the Sales Professional

• Box Stores.  Amazon.
• Film. Digital.
• Blockbuster. Netflix.
• Landline phones. Cell phones.
• Sales People ... ?

These days we read article after article about how new and disruptive technology is displacing old, familiar “things” that we grew up with and that were cornerstones of society for many years. It is a pattern that repeats itself over time, and it is definitely increasing. Ten years ago the laptop was the new, shiny business tool. Now, many people are getting by with tablets or “phablets” and foregoing laptops altogether. This acceleration of innovation and disruption is a fascinating and well-studied phenomenon. This article, however, is not about technology. It is about how a career salesperson needs to think about disruption and evolve to avoid the same fate as the landline phone.

I often ask my sales team, or people I am interviewing, this simple question: “What is your function as a sales person?” It is shocking how many different answers you get back. These range from “making my number” to “finding new customers” to “growing my total sales by X%”. While these answers are all correct, I often wonder if there is a more fundamental, basic answer that in some way overlays all others. And in doing so, points the way towards the evolution in thinking that has to occur for tomorrow’s sales person to be relevant.

One way to approach this question is to ask another question: “Why can’t your target customers just buy your product online with absolutely no interaction with a sales person?” Now that’s a cold splash of water. Clearly this has already happened to many industries. Think about how Amazon (and others) have totally displaced entire stores and markets. At my own home, we bulk order all our pet food directly from Amazon and it is on our doorstep in a day. No driving, no parking, no lugging around heavy boxes. I research all I need to know about choices of pet food using the wealth of data and information on the internet. I read reviews from other people around the world. I even average out the review scores to extract the “signal from the noise”. Then I make my decision, punch in my credit card, and I’m done. This means that many of the big-box pet stores (and sales people) are in deep trouble – unless they can evolve.

Why wouldn’t every consumer want to buy product this way? Fast, easy, informed, quick, even better for the environment (less driving, parking, etc). This is a disturbing question for every sales professional out there. Ultimately the question is this: What is your true value to the potential customer?

Each industry may have a different reaction and response to this difficult question. In my industry, which is engineering software and services, we have been driving towards the “business advisor” model. The shift from “vendor” to “advisor” does not happen overnight nor is it easy. The idea is also not unique or novel, but its true application is significant. No longer can we go into a potential customer as experts in what is in our bag and ignorant of what their own very specific, unique goals happen to be. We need to have a priori knowledge and insight into that customer’s business goals, processes, and initiatives in order to make sure our “pitch” truly resonates. Less and less this seems like a “pitch” and more of a two-way discussion. An investigation. A problem-solving session.

Another way to describe this: I can sell the same product to two different companies who both make phones. But one of them can have a totally different philosophy, implementation plan, and training regimen around my product and therefore have much more successful results. That customer requires and expects my assistance and experience in developing a game plan for using my product and thereby gains a serious competitive advantage. It is not just about the specific product purchased or the purchase price. It comes down to willingness to engage during and after the sale by both parties involved. Hence, the Advisor role.

The march of time and innovation-driven displacement is inevitable for products, markets, and careers. It won’t be long before a new Generation has never even heard of Blockbuster or “landlines”. It might not be long before the idea of a typical bag-carrying, deal-slinging sales person goes the same way. Sales professionals must be ever-vigilant about maintaining and defining their value. The focus on the customer’s specific needs and acting as an extension to their team are ways to keep this value front and center. Unless you are selling something that is one-size-fits-all, you have to think as if you are the customer in order to customize your value.

 So, we need to keep asking the fundamental question of “what is our value as salespeople?” One useful answer is “to create competitive advantage for your customer”. Or, “help your customer evolve and survive”. In doing so, we can expect that success in the usual terms (financial, career, etc) will follow. And that we, as salespeople, can evolve our craft and continue to be valuable enough to be employed into the future. It won’t be easy, but it will be rewarding.