Your recognition of change today is your success tomorrow

Are legacy sales & marketing tactics killing your business?

​A very brief history of where we have been to where we are now...
Sales is one of the oldest professions in the world 

Sales has gone from being a low-status job from peddlers to being recognized as the engine that keeps most businesses going and growing
Now with highly trained professionals helping their customers to make the right decisions...

Not that long ago going door to door to sell your goods or services was the only way to sell whether you are selling directly to consumers or to companies
In the 1970's telemarketing and phone-based sales (cold calling) began to come into play

At first, this was met with much resistance as many industries relied on the door to door model until their last breaths (literally)
However, as it became more and more obvious that people were no longer home to answer the door, these techniques slowly faded into history
​

Door to Door Sales

Similarily knocking on business doors also slowly faded as it became the accepted rule to book a meeting first 

The first gatekeepers were born!

Sales went through many new conceptual and delivery changes along the way with many leading companies having their own sales techniques and programs which soon became predominant

Xerox, IBM, Dale Carnegie, and many others drove this process and became the Universities of professional sales training for a number of decades

I know this all too well as I took practically all of them!

In addition, Customer psychology became and still is one of the highest researched indicators for both B2C and B2B sales 

​The disciples and successful practitioners of these became the senior leaders of the sales industry in the 80’s, 90’s and even today

Some still practice many of these same techniques as I write this article 

Of course, along the way there continued to be many changes in technology such as the cell phone becoming the smartphone and the word processors becoming PC’s and laptops...

Add to this the development and the complete overtaking of all by the “Internet of Things” and you can see how much things have changed!

​

Constant Change

Social Media Marketing & Training Certification

Throughout these constant changes, elements of Sales Process have been developed that will remain in place for decades to come no matter what medium they are practiced through 

For example, my absolute favorite is the “Trial close”... these work no matter where or even when they are used, when done properly

There are many other examples that are as effective today as the day they were developed

The point here is that while much in Sales, Marketing and Customer Service have changed there is in fact much that has remained effective  

So, here we are today and another tumultuous change has occurred, not just because of technology but because a Pandemic has finally forced reality upon those caught sleeping

It took many years in fact decades for many of the changes to sales methodologies to finally change

The same is true for online selling today

Those that have mastered "Virtual Business Development", "Social Selling", "Digital Marketing" and "Online Customer Service", are reaping the rewards 

Amazingly, there are still those who prefer the equivalent of knocking on doors ie, cold calling and there likely will be for some time to come if history is any indicator

Just as door knocking died hard, so too will the sales methods of the 90's...

However, the reality is that this method alone will simply not keep most companies in the sales and revenues they need to survive today, period

Again, just as it took the door knockers and the Xerox training methods many years to finally go by the wayside it will likely do likewise with those still promoting traditional methods of the 1990’s today

That said, there has never been a pandemic in modern times but here we are...

The great news is that we have at our fingertips easy and effective solutions to fill in the gaps created by social distancing and working from home. 

Times have changed as they always do

Are you still in Denial? 

What to do?
​

Social Selling / Techniques to influence BUYERS and CHANGEMAKERS - Authors - Tim Hughes & Matt Reynolds

​First, may I suggest you buy a copy of “Social Selling”, Techniques to influence BUYERS and CHANGEMAKERS,
by Tim Hughes & Matt Reynolds

https://www.amazon.com/Social-Selling-Techniques-Influence-Changemakers/dp/0749478012

This will begin to give you insight into a world that you may not yet understand and will allow you to begin your journey of
catching up with your customers

Once on this journey and through our training certification programs, you can begin to regain your footing and again feel in control of your business

https://www.socialsaleshq.com/university.html

This is a journey that can also include a “Digital Transformation”, as it relates to your sales, marketing, customer service, and all customer-facing teams 

As you might have guessed, we provide this as well! 

https://www.socialsaleshq.com/social-selling-sales-training.html

​​

The world is at your fingertips!

Now, think about this

"You cannot fix what you do not yet know is broken"

If you have not realized that many of your customers are being stolen away by your savvy online competitors, then you are not yet ready for this change

Try this,

Google the number #1 question you think your customers might type into google when looking for a product or service like yours 

Think about this through your customers eyes, that is, what would they type or ask google to search not as yet knowing of your organization?

If you do not come up organically (other than paid advertising, which very few click on) on page 1 or at least page 2…

​YOU DO NOT EXIST!

Worse, it’s quite likely your seeing your competitors on page #1!!

Let’s talk...
​
​

​Contact Thomas
LinkedIn 
Website
Twitter
​Facebook

Contact Social Selling HQ

• twitter   
• LinkedIn
  Facebook

---