Keith,

I agree with your comments and in the current economic state our team contiuously embraces technology. As sales professionals we have to be on top of our game and be the fittest and most ambitious if we are to have continued success.

Our mantra is, “plant seeds every single day.”

Kerri Modla
Transatlantic Translations

As long as I am still in the business of building relationships with people (Prospects) and then selling to those people (making them Customers), I don’t see how selling changes. Getting around technology obstacles such as voice mail (and what ever will follow that) are where the future challenges will come from.

The printing industry salesman had better make some very BIG changes very soon or learn how to say “do you want fries with that”. The industry is changing at a much more rapid speed then progression. The advancement in our industry is leaving many people scratching their heads and other without a position altogether.
It’s sad but true. With the development of the internet and so called Wed 2.0 many of the functions that a sales rep once handled are now done va the internet.
E-mail me that proof, put the files on the FTP site, ordering printing on a digital storefront, and print-on-demand were all once laughed at by the print sales rep but today it’s the way of life.
Tomorrow, the sale rep will be nothing like the salesman of today, the next generation – they better know their customers buying habits, the products their customer’s sale better than their customers, how they can assist with taking their customers product to market, the return on the investment when doing a campaign, how to conduct a needs analysis and know what it means… all of this will be the knowledge that the print sales rep of the future better have in their hip pocket.
But they will no longer be print sales reps, they will be communication specialist.

I work for a Hardwood Moulding and Millwork Company and I have to say that my Sales Manager has taken this approach with our Sales Team. He says that “in times like this people don’t nessicarily need a Freind, They need a partner or advisor that will notice the things that will help them make it through these tuff times.” He has urged us to look longer and harder at what our customers needs are, and not to expect our phones to ring. Instead to use the information that we have gathered to solve our customers problems and always have something to offer them when we call them. This has worked for me and I can honestly say that my sales have not suffered becuase of it. Sure I have customers that seem doom and gloom about the whole economy and the drop on there sales. And at times they seem to be reaching for a freind, but I remain positive and focused.I like to think that it has rubbed off on them as well. In my opinion, nobody wants to talk about how hard times are anymore. Now it is about what we can do to make them easier that customers look for.
Great Article!

Kieth,
I totally agree and the future is now. The entire sales process may have changed with Google and social Networking. Salesmen should be a valued and often under utilized resource.

The salespersons with out a doubt has to evolve the best example of themselves to prove the product.

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Interesting post Keith. You are spot on and the future is now!

Respectfully,
Paul Castain