I do not believe the sales role will disappear anytime soon.  

What I do believe is that people buy today in a different way. This is creating an environment where a different type of salesperson is often very successful. When the term “salesman” (or saleswoman) comes to mind, we picture a charismatic, fast-talking individual who is entirely focused on closing the deal.  Think Alec Baldwin’s character in Glengarry Glen Ross, the fictitious character Gordon Gekko in Wall Street, and Nick Naylor (played by Aaron Eckert) in Thank You for Not Smoking. Nowadays, salespeople tend to have a bad reputation for sneaky sales tactics, repeated cold calls, and caring more about commission than the customer.  

When you take a step back, sales play a crucial role for any successful business.  Driving revenue is obviously the key function of sales, however, it is a sales person’s hard work that results in a purchase decision for a business.  That purchase decision will, in some aspect or another, solve a problem for that business. So, please, don’t be so hard on us!

Think about it: if something is needed for a business – software, hardware, professional services, etc., modern buyers will typically go straight to their favorite search engine, or reach out to their network for referrals. With the increase in digital and content marketing, buyers have a tremendous amount of resources available online. From website copy, white papers, and videos, to online reviews and social media pages – buyers are getting informed online.  Assuming a company has made this shift (or is working on it), buyers will now be more educated on the product and the company – often before speaking with a sales rep.

What I’ve discovered is that a majority of the deals we win are attributed to my sales reps being extremely responsive, organized, friendly, and accommodating. Typically, the new customer feels like our sales process is a good indication of how we will treat their business post sales (implementation and on-going support).  These are fairly common attributes in the professional world and, if a solid sales process is in place, an organization can find success hiring a candidate that doesn’t have a typical sales background.  There has been a change in the way people buy and who they want to buy from.  A successful sales person can be found from former customer service reps, retail workers, software developers, and bartenders. I’ve even heard of a lawyer making a great transition to the sales world.

Aggressive closing tactics, and other stereotypical sales traits, can often have a negative impact on buyers today. The standard sales résumé (cold calling experience, a track recording of quota achievement, knowledge of Salesforce, etc.) doesn’t always put it at the top of the pile.  Objection handling and “closing” are still valuable skills for success in sales, and this can be taught to newer sales reps.  There are always going to be individuals that are not cut out for selling, but if they close me on why I should hire them during the interview process, I’d say we are off to a great start!