Armed with a Ford Mondeo a passable knowledge of Knutsford services and the ability to eat a Ginsters pasty at the wheel, the salesperson of the late 20th century was easy to define.
Racing up motorways, meeting over tea and biscuits and bonding at trade shows he – it was invariably a man, with his jacket slung on a hanger in the back of the motor – had targets to hit that were directly related to the miles covered, the shoe leather expended, and the hands firmly shaken.
Insight was gleaned via a few drinks at the bar and relationships formed on the golf course.
In truth, there were things to admire about business that was done almost exclusively face-to-face - with the odd exception being a call from the brick phone in the car. There was also quite a bit going on that is rightly now firmly in the rear-view mirror.
Today, with decisions led by data, relationships requiring a mix of the traditional and virtual, and a mindset adept at mixing sales channels, tailoring content to personas and creating bespoke solutions, the salesperson of 2025 is super agile, smart and digitally savvy.
What skills will the Salesperson of 2025 possess?
Data-led sales professional
Prioritises prospects influenced by data signals gathered from a central analytics function. Training in behavioural science enables a proposition to be created that is more likely to resonate with the motivations of each purchaser.
Solutions sensei
With access to cross-business experts, solutions are quickly crafted that are customised to each prospect. Supported by planning tools, often complex costings are simplified for customers to present a clear and compelling case that demonstrates a true lifetime cost together with projected outcomes.
Digital doer
Uses digital tools to ensure customer and prospect records are always updated, and applies AI-driven applications to cost and evaluate deals, identify upsell opportunities and prevent churn.
Continuous improver
Constantly developing through a mix of mentoring, bite-sized tuition and training personalised to achieving objectives, and is alive to changing trends and customer expectations to achieve superior sales performance
Social seller
Trained in social media, and specifically how to
use LinkedIn and SalesNavigator, prospects are researched, tracked, connected with and lovingly nurtured. An engaging personal profile, allied to the posting of valuable content, increases the likelihood of sales discovery calls, with, on average, five new leads generated each month.
Download Sales Person 2.0, Excelling in the Hybrid Age to get the full low down on the skills you need to succeed in sales today – and tomorrow.
About the author
Mark Schmid