Page 15 - Journal of Strategic Marketing Magazine - January 2019
P. 15
SALES
consumerism, led to sales people motivation are all key skills necessary blogging, personal web pages,
being increasingly perceived as the to succeed in sales. LinkedIn proiles, YouTube review
harbingers and instigators of frivolous But perhaps the greater shift is in videos and the like. The creation of
spending, demonstrating questionable the application of ‘science’ in the sales these types of publicly accessible
motives and misaligned loyalty by function. Most people regard sales as online portfolios allows prospective
serving both their own and their a numbers game and various formulae customers to asynchronously meet
company's needs ahead of those of the exist to articulate the activity volumes and get to know and understand the
consumer. Mediums such as television necessary to successfully move knowledge, experience and character
and radio created the desire through prospects through the sales funnel of the sales people they might engage
clever marketing and the role of the to becoming customers. Simply put, with downstream. These proiles help
salesman was exclusively to close the the higher the number of prospects lay the groundwork for relationships,
deal by whatever means necessary. identiied illing the top of the funnel, establishing familiarity and trust before
Further casting a long shadow over the higher the yield of realised the irst conversation ever takes place.
the profession and perpetuating the customers emerging at the bottom of As such, it is incumbent on sales
negative perception was Hollywood’s the funnel. professionals to familiarise themselves
portrayal of the ruthless, calculating The real shift, however, comes with the opportunities digital platforms
and unscrupulous stereotypical in the leveraging and analysis of
salesman in ilms like Glengarry Glen available data. In the digital age,
Ross, Wall Street, and Boiler Room. the proliferation of customer
These movies misguidedly depict information, historic sales data
selling purely as an effort to convince and the maturing of AI means
people to do things they do not want the prospecting process
to do. is ripe for disruption and
Consequently, sales people often radical change. Couple this
get a bad rap, accused of being nothing increased abundance of
more than gloriied order takers, or data with the ability to study
commission junkies. While there are prospects’ social proiles and
those that may warrant these labels, online activity and the result is
there are far more of us who genuinely detailed customer dossiers. The
try to understand the customers’ needs information gathering, as well
and legitimately demonstrate how as client analysis phase of the
our offering can deliver value and the sales process, can be undertaken
requisite solution. with a far higher degree of
sophistication and yield
Appetite for change extraordinarily detailed
The ultimate question must be: Will the proiles.
role of the sales person, and the sales Social and
profession at large, survive? The simple commercial platforms
answer is ‘yes’, but there is need for a also afford sales
tectonic shift in the way sales teams individuals and
position themselves, execute their teams an
functions and undertake their role in opportunity
creating value for the consumer. to position
Sales is frequently described themselves
as part art, part science. The art of as thought
sales typically refers to the soft skills leaders and
required to engage with, understand segment
and deliver on customer needs. or product
Communication, empathy, emotional experts
intelligence, self-discipline and through
Strategic Marketing - p13
consumerism, led to sales people motivation are all key skills necessary blogging, personal web pages,
being increasingly perceived as the to succeed in sales. LinkedIn proiles, YouTube review
harbingers and instigators of frivolous But perhaps the greater shift is in videos and the like. The creation of
spending, demonstrating questionable the application of ‘science’ in the sales these types of publicly accessible
motives and misaligned loyalty by function. Most people regard sales as online portfolios allows prospective
serving both their own and their a numbers game and various formulae customers to asynchronously meet
company's needs ahead of those of the exist to articulate the activity volumes and get to know and understand the
consumer. Mediums such as television necessary to successfully move knowledge, experience and character
and radio created the desire through prospects through the sales funnel of the sales people they might engage
clever marketing and the role of the to becoming customers. Simply put, with downstream. These proiles help
salesman was exclusively to close the the higher the number of prospects lay the groundwork for relationships,
deal by whatever means necessary. identiied illing the top of the funnel, establishing familiarity and trust before
Further casting a long shadow over the higher the yield of realised the irst conversation ever takes place.
the profession and perpetuating the customers emerging at the bottom of As such, it is incumbent on sales
negative perception was Hollywood’s the funnel. professionals to familiarise themselves
portrayal of the ruthless, calculating The real shift, however, comes with the opportunities digital platforms
and unscrupulous stereotypical in the leveraging and analysis of
salesman in ilms like Glengarry Glen available data. In the digital age,
Ross, Wall Street, and Boiler Room. the proliferation of customer
These movies misguidedly depict information, historic sales data
selling purely as an effort to convince and the maturing of AI means
people to do things they do not want the prospecting process
to do. is ripe for disruption and
Consequently, sales people often radical change. Couple this
get a bad rap, accused of being nothing increased abundance of
more than gloriied order takers, or data with the ability to study
commission junkies. While there are prospects’ social proiles and
those that may warrant these labels, online activity and the result is
there are far more of us who genuinely detailed customer dossiers. The
try to understand the customers’ needs information gathering, as well
and legitimately demonstrate how as client analysis phase of the
our offering can deliver value and the sales process, can be undertaken
requisite solution. with a far higher degree of
sophistication and yield
Appetite for change extraordinarily detailed
The ultimate question must be: Will the proiles.
role of the sales person, and the sales Social and
profession at large, survive? The simple commercial platforms
answer is ‘yes’, but there is need for a also afford sales
tectonic shift in the way sales teams individuals and
position themselves, execute their teams an
functions and undertake their role in opportunity
creating value for the consumer. to position
Sales is frequently described themselves
as part art, part science. The art of as thought
sales typically refers to the soft skills leaders and
required to engage with, understand segment
and deliver on customer needs. or product
Communication, empathy, emotional experts
intelligence, self-discipline and through
Strategic Marketing - p13
