Sales is one of the world’s oldest professions. That’s right, I called it a profession. It’s not a hobby, not just something people do or tolerate, it’s a skillset and a career path for many people throughout history. Dating back as far as humankind can document, we’ve always found the need to have a system of bartering and exchange for goods and/or services. Dr. Phillip Squire details this exquisitely in his book ‘Selling Transformed’ and teaches this within the educational programmes for sales through the Consalia Sales Business School.
As the world evolves, and people find themselves in situations of constant change, the practice of sales also changes. In some instances, simplistic bartering and exchanging still occurs. But for the modern world, we’ve advanced with technological systems, tools, analytical approaches, tips, tricks, ways to manipulate people into forced buying and exchanging up to and post the 1980s. You’ve all seen and heard about consultative selling and for many in contact centres and beyond, it’s about overcoming objections and always closing. Well, I’m here to tell you that with the advancements of technology, internet, availability of digital data access, and now through Artificial Intelligence (AI), the sales profession continues to change.
In yesteryear we didn’t really focus on the needs, wants or mental well-being of sales professionals. We simply gave them directions, packed up an offer, and forced them on their way to close the deal. But today’s modern world has us intertwined with customers who have more access and information about our own products and services that some of our sales team members do.
People are living in a world of overabundance of information and resources available at their fingertips. But what does this mean to our sales team? What are they experiencing and feeling? Ghosting = no responses, over abuse of email, phone, WhatsApp, Text, social media, Spam and Junk messaging, Bots, Fake profiles, Robocalls, distrust of sales to potential customers. If that wasn’t enough, think about how many salespeople are calling on the same accounts in B2B relationships. Follow up, feedback, decision making with upwards of 7 to 10 people to make a buying decision and competing for time and financial resources to make a commitment.
Today’s sales teams are also faced against two or more competing interested parties. On one hand you have the needs of the organisation represented by revenue management. It’s more and more difficult to get a solid competitive offer or advantage because through globalisation, companies can hold off to get the best price from other customers. In many cases, global organisations are competing against themselves between markets. The pressures on the sales team are transactional – DO THIS at all costs to get the revenues. But what about the B2B and even B2C customers? This is where it is becoming more and more complex to connect, share, and garner feedback to support “closing the deal.” Salespeople are caught in-between with insurmountable pressures and stresses to reach quota that is continually rising. That creates constant Personal Change for the sales members.
In Comes Change Management for Sales Transformation
Sales leaders can tap into existing change management teams to help salespeople transition the ever-changing landscape. That’s a great first step. But for nearly a century within organisational change management, there is a surplus of discussions, incidents, documented journal articles and research data on why so much of organisational change falls short of achieving success.
Change means we can always go backward. Think of a caterpillar. It doesn’t change to become a better caterpillar. It transforms to become something entirely new. A butterfly. Change = you can always revert. Transform = you can only progress.
If we want our sales teams to transform their ways of selling into the modern world, we as sales leaders must learn how to support and develop and arm our salespeople with the change tools that can give them the best possible opportunity to achieve success. We need to realise that change is personal. Telling them to “Just deal with it”, or “They’ll be fine”, or “Hit your quota or else”, are not traits of transformational leadership. They are transactional and platitudes as best.
In his book Transforming Sales Management, Lead sales teams through change, the author, Grant Van Ulbrich, describes the new SCARED SO WHAT model and how members can learn what is Personal Change and begin to manage it through an action plan template.
Written by Dr Grant Van Ulbrich
Grant is a Founding Fellow of the ISP, a Fellow of the Institute of Training & Occupational Learning (ITOL), and a visiting fellow at Cranfield University School of Management. He is an I.L.M. Certified Sales Coach, a TEDx and keynote speaker, and is the founder of SCARED SO WHAT Ltd, whose sole purpose is to help people learn how to transform their lives through pioneering personal change models, consultancy, accreditation, and app technology.