The Art of Sales

Are we losing the art of selling?

 After spending a couple of years away from front line selling I find myself wondering if sales, as a profession, is regressing and whether selling is still seen as an art? Has the advent of social media, online buying, virtual show rooms etc caused the sales focus to shift from skilled sales people who are able to deliver results in complex and challenging environments, to a new era where 80% of the sale is done before the sales person walks through the door. Has that marginalized our sales people, reducing the skill required to find innovative, balance sheet based solutions? Are we still focused on training sales people in evolving their selling skills, understanding the macro and micro environment their potential clients are operating in, developing business acumen, the art of interaction - and something that I have always felt you needed to know in order to respect the role you play as a salesperson, the history and evolution of sales. From the days of Dale Carnegie (1888 - 1955), the American writer, speaker and businessman, who's self-help book 'How to Win Friends and Influence People' became an international best-seller, and probably the major source of the ideas and theory which underpinned traditional selling through the 20th century, and remains a highly regarded and widely read work on human motivation, relationships and 'influencing' others. To the Modern day 'Super sales person', who commits himself / herself to seeing sales as a profession and not just a stepping stone to other opportunities. Their impact comes from years of ongoing training, a business education and a never say die attitude. They are the energy source of the company, their ideas lead to innovation and they drive the most important aspect of any business - top line growth. They are like artists with an amazing talent to understand how to weave together all of the parts and moving pieces of a sale. They understand the challenge of managing all the elements that lead up to the close - and possess the remarkable confidence to ask for the business. The salesperson that is the companies celebrated hero.

 What will happen if we take our focus off our salespeople and neglect to invest in developing them? Unfortunately we cant see into the future and therefore have no reason to buck the current trend.

I'm not arguing against the role of social media, technology etc. in the sales process - I'm just wary of the future gap that a stagnating sales force could create.

Most importantly, why would you want to lose that wonderful moment when you stand up, shake your clients hand and know that its the start of a new relationship. Added to the moment you walk back into the office a celebrated hero knowing that you have done what very few people have the skill to do.

Quite simply - It makes every day a new journey.