In a Dogfight, Tech Won't Save You.

In Top Gun: Maverick, the final scene features a classic Hollywood dogfight between Maverick – flying a 1970s-era F-14 Tomcat – and an unnamed adversary piloting a fifth-generation fighter. Throughout its more than 120-minute runtime, Maverick reiterates a singular lesson to the aviators under his command:?

“It’s not the plane; it’s the pilot.”

No spoilers – even if you haven’t seen the film, you can probably imagine how it ends.?

But this lesson – that it’s the pilot rather than the plane – is one that far too many sales leaders fail to understand.

The purpose of sales technology is to help us – not save us.

Early in my sales career, there wasn’t much “sales tech” to begin with. Aside from CRMs, we didn’t utilize much technology, but even as new tools and capabilities emerged over the years, their promise was never to replace core selling skills such as prospecting, discovery, or objection handling.?

In recent years, however, that appears to be exactly what happened.

For many B2B sales teams, the post-pandemic economy was like a game of Supermarket Sweep. Flush with cash, they ran out and filled their grocery carts with as much technology as possible. Online pricing configurators, digital contract proposals… and everything in between.?

To be clear, many of these tools can and do add value to a team’s operations and productivity – but only if they’ve got the core skills of selling nailed down.

Many of these teams did not.

The skills to sell always mattered – but in a depressed economy, they matter even more.

When capital was cheap, the consequences of not hitting quota weren’t exactly high and, as a result, sales teams invested in technology over training. The “problem of skills” was solved through headcount, with low performers being managed out as new recruits were brought in.

That world no longer exists.

Today, B2B tech companies are neck-deep in technology, but by most accounts, sales reps are missing quota by bigger and wider margins. In the rush to buy tech that promised deeper insights and greater efficiency, some sales leaders (some, not all) neglected the most important thing of all: the ability to actually sell.

Today’s selling environment is radically different from the one that early-career reps understand.

Prospecting is harder; sales cycles are longer. CFOs aren’t just pulling the purse strings, they’re calling the shots. In this environment, core selling skills are what separate the teams that exceed quota from everyone else.?

I’m proud to say that Sales Impact Academy continues to lead in delivering coaching and feedback that produce long-lasting behavioral change. Our newest course format - which we call “Lightning Sessions” (example here) - is giving reps the ability to build confidence and hone their skills working one-on-one with experienced coaches–rather than “practicing on prospects.”?

AND–you can try it for free (no strings attached).

If you’d like to grab a spot in one of our upcoming classes (or designate someone on your team), let us know by dropping your name in at https://www.salesimpact.io/get-started/. We’re getting reps up and running quickly, fast enough to impact the current sales quarter.?