Sales Force Automation-Oxymoron

It seems most if not every business today is using, discussing or considering some type of "Sales Force Automation" tool. Isn't just the term sales force automation an oxymoron? The dictionary defines oxymoron as : ox·y·mo·ron??ks??m?r??n/noun 1. a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction.

How can you automate a sales force? hmmmm? Typically a sales force is human, I challenge anyone to automate a human. Just ask anyone, are we now considered robots? Are we assuming that sales has become so automated that it just magically happens? Unfortunately many who have entered this profession think this is true and we think that the orders will just come flying into our desks as long as our sales force automation system is working.

The reality is that sales is still a very personal and interactive activity which requires the building of relationships between humans, person to person. Automation can occur but not every sale lends itself to automation. Typically if you are purchasing commodities like supplies, or consumables the process of selling can be automated. For most sales however a relationship is critical to the success of closing the deal. So how do we bridge that relationship between the sales person and the automated process?

1. Understand that sales force automation is a process or tool that the salesperson or more than likely the marketing and management teams will use to forecast and manage the business. From the salespersons perspective it is a tool to track opportunities.

2. Unless your company just sells widgets and it is repeatable you can rely upon sales force automation to drive that sales process. If however your organization requires knowledge workers or to develop solutions for your clients the salesperson will always be needed. Just the name "salesperson" has gotten a bad wrap over the years simply because we have convoluted the salesperson role as technology has been integrated into the marketplace.

3. The real salesperson has evolved into a consultant who makes recommendations and suggests ways to improve your business with their products or perhaps even another solution. The true salesperson today takes a complete look at what your needs are and makes recommendations based upon your needs. Hopefully they will have what you need and if they do not then they should be able to help guide you in a direction that will give you the solution that you are looking for.

My Dad was a salesperson his entire life. He originally sold Remington Typewriters when they were first introduced. His territory was in NYC and it consisted of the Empire State Building going door to door selling this new piece of office equipment called the typewriter. It was revolutionary and it took off. Did he need automation? No, he needed a good pair of shoes and a solution that every office was looking for, it never could have been automated. Not much has changed, maybe its time to start hitting the streets again.

If you are looking for ways to manage your information regardless of its format or how it enters your organization, give me a call at Integra.

www.integraecm.com