Traditional sales methods are antiquated.

"Let's face it traditional sales methods are antiquated and just don't work in today's marketplace." I heard that on a sales training video this morning but they didn't say which methods are antiquated. Which traditional sales methods do you think are antiquated?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thomas

Which traditional sales methods do you think are antiquated?

That's a very good question.

Speaking from a B2B perspective, some research I saw noted that the Internet has tilted the "power" in buying situations to the buyer. This is because a buyer may be very far along in their evaluation of options before a salesperson ever becomes aware of the buyer's active interest. The buyer will know a lot more about the sellers products, pricing, options, configurations, specifications and competitors than before the advent of the Internet. This means that salespeople must add a whole lot more value to the buyer-seller relationship or be viewed as nothing more than breathing brochures by buyers.

Now, I've got some thoughts on ways this plays into your question, but I'd like to throw that out see what others have to say first.

Jim Cundiff

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thomas

"Let's face it traditional sales methods are antiquated and just don't work in today's marketplace." I heard that on a sales training video this morning but they didn't say which methods are antiquated. Which traditional sales methods do you think are antiquated?

I think the statement is too general to be useful.

Some of the things that have changed (and are changing) are the "market", our culture, technology, accessability, and information availablity.

In spite of this, I don't think buyers, in most areas of the marketplaces, are better prepared for the buying process.

One of the reasons is that our education system does not teach buying.

So in that regard, although there are more tools available to the selling community, people remain people. And selling is about people.

When I read this sort of thread, (unless, someone out there is looking at a single, isolated sales call) I think there is a major disconnect.

Sales methods or a particular sales training approach is a "snap-shot" in time. Any SR who "gets dipped in the waters" BUT doesn't evolve is going to be dead in the water at some point in time. But probably not for any of the reasons in this thread. AND, it certainly has nothing to do with "antiquated sales methods".

Agreed, customers are more aware than ever but, be honest with yourselves, the SRs in-the-day weren't cut from a different cloth! The thread started with the implication that SRs somehow had the "upper hand" and that these successes were scheduled for failure with the passage of time! Sheep-dip ... SRs (auto mechanics, teachers, plumbers, software developers, etc.) who didn't evolve, didn't earn enough to survive and probably weren't destined for long tenure in that craft in any event!

Successful SRs were diligent at weaving those sales methods into part of their personality.

As I look around me, I see somewhat of a malaise in young sales people:
1. the advent of certain technologies were expected to dramatically improve/increase sales (eg. CRM, www, etc.) but look at the abysmal failure of CRM installations and the reluctance of the sales force to use the tool ("big brother watching") and look at the amount of time SRs genuinely waste surfing the net instead of prospecting (not all surfing is wasted time);
2. a brutal effort to maintain professional communications (ie. watch for lazy communications within these forums as an illustration);
3. an inordinate reliance on certain technologies (eg. Blackberries) to avoid face-to-face communications (ever notice the number of SRs using their handhelds during meetings ... I rest my case);
4. punctuality is a lost art;

When I was a 19 year old shipping clerk at 3M in Ottawa, the Branch Manager took me out for dinner: he wanted to interview me for a sales position. I said, "Brian, I don't meet 3M's apparent profile for sales (post secondary ed'n, sales experience, married, in debt, etc.)". To which he said, "... the SR who I just fired, met ALL of those ...". There are a bunch of things in this story but the point which I wanted to make: it comes down to the individual.

I could go on for a couple of gig's on this topic.

Good luck & Good selling!'
Pat

Off-topic : I started this thread with with a quote from a 2007 top 20 sales training provider. I started another thread Closes are for shysters and charlatans with a quote from a New York Times Best Selling Author. How is an everyday salesperson getting training from these industry leaders supposed to know there is a major disconnect and if there is a major disconnect why are these people industry leaders? Does the rest of the industry not see what's going on?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thomas

How is an everyday salesperson getting training from these industry leaders supposed to know there is a major disconnect and if there is a major disconnect why are these people industry leaders? Does the rest of the industry not see what's going on?

I'm not sure I understand your point here. Can you elaborate on the "disconnect" you mention?

Jim Cundiff

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcundiff

I'm not sure I understand your point here. Can you elaborate on the "disconnect" you mention?

Jim Cundiff

Hi Jim. I got "disconnect" from Pat's post.

Quote:

Originally Posted by OUTSource Sales

When I read this sort of thread, (unless, someone out there is looking at a single, isolated sales call) I think there is a major disconnect.

The "disconnect" is from reality: anyone thinking that sales approaches are antiquated simply hasn't been outside lately. Or, perhaps because they're selling sales training, it's easy to improve the perception of their offering by implying something negative about that which has been proven successful.

I'd rather see people talking about how they're building on what they've learned versus publishing quotes/videos which are simply not well-researched.

In my experience, there is NO a difference between the auto mechanic, hair dresser, software developer, brain surgeon, or a sales person IF they haven't kept themselves up to date.

Having come through these "antiquated methods", I can't point to the old versus the more recent. So there is an evolution ...

Good luck & Good selling!
Pat

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thomas

How is an everyday salesperson getting training from these industry leaders supposed to know there is a major disconnect and if there is a major disconnect why are these people industry leaders? Does the rest of the industry not see what's going on?

Thomas, set the standard YOURSELF. You're as capable as anyone here. It doesn't matter what the rest of the industry "leaders" see.

Once you set your own standard, and set it high, everything will fall into place.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thomas

I started this thread with with a quote from a 2007 top 20 sales training provider. I started another thread Closes are for shysters and charlatans with a quote from a New York Times Best Selling Author. How is an everyday salesperson getting training from these industry leaders supposed to know there is a major disconnect and if there is a major disconnect why are these people industry leaders? Does the rest of the industry not see what's going on?

Good Question.
One of the top 5 MBA schools is just as concerned as Thomas.

That University is now working with our company on a research project designed to get the answers. We are attempting to identify and quantify obsolete and/or ineffective standard sales practices of Fortune 100 size companies. We are beginning with two of those companies in the USA and two in Germany.

Traditional sales methods are antiquated.

Sales Forum