Sales Process 2010

Axel, This is a great post. I like the mapping of the buying/selling processes over time. I think you make a great point that the sources of information have changed, they have both expanded and shifted. In spite of this, at least in complex B2B sales, the role of the professional sales person has not been eliminated, but is changing.

Social media and the changes in the selling process have, in fact, raised the bar on sales performance. As I speak to people in B2B buying roles, they are looking increasingly to the web for information, assessments, user feedback, etc. However, they also want to know, "what does this mean for me specifically, my situation is different from those I have found, etc."

This bridging role is a critical role for the sales professional, helping them understand the specific configurations, implications, challenges and value they will get.

Additionally, great professional sales people interact with customers differently, bringing them ideas and insight they never have thought of before about how to improve their businesses. The social web, primarily, responds to the query, search, etc, the customer has posed. But what if the customer is asking the wrong questions. What if they aren't aware of possibilities, because they are out of the experience base. The social world can provide some help, but this is where the high performing sales people make a difference.

For example, I would guess, that you provide a lot of insight, new awareness, ideas to your prospects and customers--because they are so new to this world and don't know the questions to ask.

Do sales people execute on this well? It's spotty, there are many that do, there are probably more that don't---they pitch products. The latter become redundant in Sales Process 2010, but the former increase their importance and value in that scenario.

I think the role of great sales professionals has only been enhanced, for their benefit, their companies, and most importantly their customers by Sales Process 2010.

Thanks for a great post!