3 Keys Takeaways from the Leadership Summit of the American Association of Inside Sales Professionals (AA-ISP)

On April 18th, a sea of 700 passionate Inside Sales professionals from companies of all size and scope descended upon the Sheraton in downtown Chicago to learn, share and celebrate everything to do with Inside Sales. It was the 9th Annual Leadership Summit of the American Association of Inside Sales Professionals (AA-ISP) and there were 3 days of intense learning, a great show floor displaying many of the latest sales technology companies, and terrific networking opportunities all around.

 The field of inside sales is one of the fastest growing areas within the sales profession and over the last 10 years, there has been a shift of upwards of 70% of outside sales positions (out in the field, meeting clients face-to-face) shift to inside, where sales reps are armed with a computer and phone and rarely meet their client face-to-face. It works particular well in software and tech where the actual product can be demo'd online and is what has allowed great companies like Salesforce to sell to thousands of companies throughout the globe, all by the work of their inside sales team who are based in a remote location (happens to be downtown Toronto). Microsoft spoke of building inside sales centres all around the globe.  

 I learned a ton, but here were my top 3 takeaways. 

 1. Sales Technology is taking over

 If you hadn't heard the term Salesstack before, you aren't alone. It's the nomme-du-jour to describe the overall 'technology toolkit' that a sales person can use to be better and more efficient at their job. Technology is available to help with almost every part of the sales process and it already seems to be a cluttered space with competing companies offering similar value propositions displaying 2 booths down from eachother on the tradeshow floor. But the theme was clear: Technology to help sales has arrived, and sales is changing fast! From call recording software to follow-up robots that literally chase a prospect until they reply, to tools that generate the leads and book the meetings, or the ability to find any direct dial and email information of a prospect - technology is everywhere and it's changing the way sales people and organizations sell. And fast. The best help automate time sucking tasks like coordinating meetings with multiple people, and there seems to be a general agreement (at least in the conversations I had) that nobody wants to feel like they are being sold to by a robot. You can click here to see a good starting list of many of the salestack tools that are out there. 

 2. Coaching is more important than ever

 No matter how much technology a salesperson has, sales is a confidence sport which relies on some core basics that must be mastered. This takes endless learning and ongoing practice and happens most successfully under the guidance of a good coach. There were lots of slides throughout the conference with pictures of famous college sports coaches and discussion around how their message and strategies apply to sales. Most notably, a coach knows the numbers (KPI's in sales) but focuses their coaching time (1-on-1's) to discuss future plays and thinking forward. What is done is done, but sales is about learning and pushing forward until you get that close. You can train a salesperson on what to say and how often to say it, and the computer will confirm this is happening, but then it comes down to the sales person being confident in what they are selling and being able to open and create business relationships driven by value. 

 Salespeople have to be coached on business acumen and are expected to know their customers and the needs of the customer before they've ever spoken to them. They then need to know how to get the prospect to listen to them which typically takes 8 strategic moves before contact is made. Good coaches build confidence and know where to go with each next play. They are responsible for building a good team and taking care of their players. The inside sales team are typically filled with relatively junior talent, quite often fresh graduates, and it is at this level especially where coaching is critical. The role of a good coach is critical in order to ensure that every experience at this junior level is a win for everyone: the young sales person so they succeed and love their job, the client so they have a positive experience, and the company in order to ensure the salesperson is profitable. 

 3. Salespeople bring passion! 

 Because things in sales change so quickly (new products are introduced, old ones are scrapped, pricing gets changed, etc.), and it can feel like such a grind trying to get new customers, good sales people make an effort to be vigilantly positive and proactive with their goal setting and review. When you have a bunch of positive, goal-oriented people, it makes for a very passionate group of folks on the whole! To be successful in sales, it take a lot of personal drive, which requires passion. Passion to be successful, passion in the product you sell, passion for something greater, and passion to go for the deal! 

 There are so many extremely passionate sales leaders and professionals out there, making a positive impact on the profession and those within it. Since leaving the Conference, I have tested a bunch of sales technologies, have closed on 1 already and have 3 or 4 robots following up with me on others. I am more excited than ever about the Sales profession, my own sales team that we're growing at Sales Talent Agency, learning to be a better coach, and watching the next generation of sales talent.

The 'inside sales industry' is still relatively new, is innovating fast, and there is still so much to learn. It was great to meet so many passionate sales people and to see old faces and make great new connections. Congrats to the organizers on putting together a terrific conference. Looking forward to 2018!