Sales Will Never Change.....

The world around us if forever changing.

The technology we use, the way we live, the way we communicate, what we do, how we do it, it is changing every single day.

When I was young there were no mobile phones, just landlines. Then there were mobile phones, then there were smart phones and now that technology is the norm. In a very short space of time I've gone from being a child and there being no such thing as a mobile phone, to now having a child who only knows a world with mobile phones.

These changing times impact the sales world as well.

For those of us who work in the sales industry, whether as a sales rep or sales director, these changes impact us as well. We've gone from sales being purely done face to face, to the telephone then becoming a sales tool, then email became a sales tool and now even social media is a sales tool. We even have Artificial Intelligence changing the way we sell.

Suddenly there is huge confusion as to what salespeople should do, will salespeople be replaced by AI, should salespeople use the phone or other platforms?

We have sales managers who worked in a world where the only tool they used was the phone. Suddenly they're now leading sales teams and having to integrate social media into the process, yet in their mind sales has never used social media before.

This change is confusing, scary and stressful. First of all you don't understand it. If you've never used social media to sell and perhaps don't use it a lot yourself, the thought of it will be really stressful!

Think of some of the older generations who scoff and younger generations being glued to their phone. Like it or not, that's the world as it is today! Each generation will always struggle to understand the next generation, but change isn't easy.

However, there is one thing that hasn't changed though....

SALES!

Sales itself hasn't changed. People still need to go out there, find prospects, identify needs, solve problems, present a solution and close the deal. It's the same now and it was the same 50 years ago. Look at the definition of sales:

That definition hasn't changed AT ALL. It has always been the exchange of a commodity for money and always will be.

Sales itself will NEVER change....

Yes the tools we use and the landscape to which we sell into will change, but the art of selling itself will never change. The core skills that a salesperson requires and the core process which a salesperson will follow will always be the same.

1 - FIND people who may need or benefit from your product

2 - ASK questions to QUALIFY whether they do need your product

3 - IDENTIFY how your product can help or benefit them

4 - PRESENT your product as something they need or want

5 - PROCESS the transaction and exchange money/value to complete

6 - IMPLEMENT your product, ask for referrals and maintain the relationship

It doesn't matter whether you're using the phone, email, social media, face to face or even virtual reality or jet packs to do those things! (Ok jet packs was a little extreme.) The point is that's exactly what salespeople were doing 50 years ago and it's exactly what salespeople are doing now.

Success in sales is achieved by people who master both the ART of selling and master the TOOLS needed to achieve success in sales. An artist will learn the art of drawing, and then learn how to use multiple tools such as pens, pencils, paints etc. A taxi driver will learn how to drive and the routes needed, and will then have to learn how to use different cars to do so as newer cars come out.

Sales is a CORE skill, the ability to sell is NOT defined by what we use to sell, it's how we sell that is important.

- Can you communicate effectively with people?

- Are you motivated and focused to go out and find prospects?

- Can you ask effective questions and listen?

- Can you build rapport, relationships and trust with people?

- Are you driven enough to push past objections and challenges to help people?

- Are you confident enough to ask for the business?

It is those skills and qualities that make an effective salesperson. I have been passionate about selling from the moment I started working in sales and I worked really hard to master those skills.

It's from my ability to master those skills that have allowed me to then use them super effectively on the phone, through email, face to face and through social media.

The reality is that NOT EVERYONE can sell.

Yes technically everyone is selling in one way or another, but to do it professionally is a skill that needs to be learnt, practiced and mastered. A business can only succeed if it can effectively sell something. If they want to grow, they need to sell more! Good salespeople and good sales teams can literally make a business. Bad salespeople and bad sales teams can literally break a business.

So let's forget about AI taking over sales jobs, let's not worry about whether you should be cold calling or social selling and let's focus on being the BEST salespeople that we can be. Go out there every day with huge amounts of pride and a sense of mission as you look to help as many people as possible with your product or service!

Do you agree? Do you think sales will always stay the same? How long have you worked in sales and has it changed for you over the years? Please do let me know in the comments box below!

I hope you found this blog helpful and informative! If you enjoyed this post please do click LIKE and click SHARE to share it with your network, thank you.

If you enjoyed this post please take time to read some of my other recent posts.

The 10 Things That Will NEVER Change In Sales

How To Make Cold Calling Fun!

Successful Salespeople SELL With Why...

The 10 Films You MUST Watch If You Work In Sales!

About the author: 

Daniel Disney is an international keynote speaker, is the UK's leading sales blogger and social selling expert and is also the Founder and Owner of The Daily Sales.

With over 250 sales blogs written over the last couple of years, Daniel has become a source of knowledge, motivation, entertainment and inspiration for salespeople all around the world. Daniel is the Founder & Owner of The Daily Sales, the most popular page on LinkedIn for salespeople! With an audience of over 450,000+ and growing by thousands each week, his content reaches salespeople far and wide.

Daniel now speaks at events around the world and delivers his hugely popular Social Selling Masterclass whilst on his mission to help all sales professionals and sales teams leverage social to its full potential. For more information on Daniel speaking at your event or bringing in the Social Selling Masterclass to your sales team, email [email protected].