It’s 2018, and the internet is used by more people than ever before. We have left the age of “buyer-beware” and entered into a new era of “seller-beware.” The internet has allowed consumers to research a product or service to the point where they may know more about it than the salesperson does. If consumers know what they want, then why do we need salespeople? Salespeople often get the reputation of being focused solely on closing the deal, and not caring about the consumer’s feelings or desires. These presumptions may accurately describe some salespeople, but any successful seller does not possess these traits. A helpful salesperson identifies a consumer’s needs, and tries to satisfy them in a healthy and effective way. Salespeople are the bridge between the company providing a product or service and the consumer looking to purchase. A salesperson humanizes the company, and allows the buying process to become a two-way conversation between the company and the customer. A product or service cannot speak entirely for itself. Rather, it needs a salesperson to communicate its value and potential fit to the consumer. So, if you’re an aspiring salesperson, then do not be defeated by the information revolution that we are currently experiencing. No matter how informed consumers become, salespeople will always be needed in the buying process. A great example of what I am writing about can be seen in many business’s “about” pages on their websites. Nearly every “modern-day” business explains a story or cause behind their product/service. By doing this they are selling a connection between the product/service and a consumer. I hope that by reading this you have gained more insight as to why salespeople are still so essential in the selling process.
Here are some website you can visit that exhibit the phenomena written about in this post:
BoweryJE22
I completely agree, if there are no people to talk to from the company you are buying from this could be a real “turn off” to customers. People, especially from the older generation, would want nothing to do with companies and businesses that have no salespeople. That “face to face” time with a salesperson means all the difference to many buyers, even if they don’t realize it. It is also important however that the salesman of today are focused on the customer and their wants and needs compared to just selling their product, because if they are only worried about selling their product they are not going to get very far.
It’s fascinating to observe the progression of this information age. While you’re right to say salespeople are always going to be necessary, some companies are unable to adapt new trends. It is the task of innovative salespeople to find ways their sales techniques will change in the digital age.