You don't need to spell, and so you can't sell!

I have two daughters, one 11 and one 6. Naturally, in their father’s eye they’re the cleverest, funniest, cutest kids in England. Like most kids, they have spelling tests. Given I’m the self proclaimed master of spelling and grammar, I thought I’d take their tests. (See full results below!)

I buoyed the youngest ones confidence by getting a couple wrong on purpose. The eldest is a borderline genius (or so I think) so I took hers correctly.

I got 11 out of 16! And I think I’m good at spelling. It got me thinking...

A cornerstone of the IT market is to make our lives easier

Arguably, I can’t spell because I don’t need to. The computer corrects me and if it can’t work out what I meant, it draws my attention to the bad spelling with a red, squiggly line.

Marketing automation software with machine learning response is doing the same to our sales people. They don’t need to be attentive because it is. They don’t need good diary management because it never forgets. They don’t need to be perfect because the software gets close enough and anyway, the software can cover so much more ground that who cares if you lose the odd one anyway?

Basic skills are the foundation of complex skills. The degradation of basic skills compromises the quality of complex skills. But who cares, the software will master the complex skills by learning the basic skills anyway. 

So, is sales automation a good thing?

I believe only in the short term but in the long run, it will consume most of us. The only ones who will survive are the ones who will resist. 

What do you think?