Page 141 - enLIGHTenment Magazine - January 2017

on the mark

THe new roLe of THe moDern saLesperson
Each client
no escaping it. This is also an opportunity brick-
and-mortar retailers need to exploit.
This shi in control has been created by the digi-
interaction
tally informed customer and has reshaped the role
GoInG back In TIme
of today’s salesperson, se ing higher standards of
will need to
Back in the 20th Century (i.e. the dark days before performance and professionalism. Long gone is the
the digital revolution), everyone in sales was ben- manipulative part of the process. Let me be clear: be tailored

e ted by what is called Information Asymmetry. The sales skills of questioning, listening, problem-
speci cally
This describes the occurrence in a selling situation solving, and providing options are still critical
when one party has more or be er information talents that must be learned, practiced, and used.
to that
than the other, which can create an imbalance of Along with the sales process and having a good
power between the client and the salesperson.
personality, modern salespeople must possess the
person
Today, that has all changed; salespeople and needed human-to-human skills in their tool belt if

business owners are no longer the gatekeepers to they want to continue to succeed in the market.
industry-accurate information. It is out there for This means there is a need for you to learn an ad-

everyone to nd if they want to. That means the ditional set of core competencies.
amount of product-speci c knowledge you share The successful 21Century salesperson will
st
will vary with clients based on their comfort level have morphed into a “consultant” and “guide” for

with the Internet.
the client, which is a very di erent role than sales
The out-of-date character of the “typical sales- trainees were taught in the past.

person” is diminishing, and it will soon be gone You must learn who your various customers are
forever, le only to movies and memories. There by focusing on the di erent personas who enter

is now a need to adapt our old selling methods your business. Each client interaction will need to

to ones that will bene t both our clients and our be tailored speci cally to that person.
showrooms. Being human in your interactions is The interactions you have with people must be

now more important than ever.
focused entirely on them and the outcome they
want that ful lls their particular needs.

THe cusTomer Is In conTroL
As IMAP pricing aspires to level the playing

If you have been a student of professional sales, eld between online sellers and brick-and-mortar
you have heard of “the sales process.” Well, the retailers, you need to create a sales team that can –

process that was taught for decades has died, and
it will not be back.

Clients’ immediate access to information has

convoluted their buying journey. With up to 65
percent of the journey being done digitally, this

has placed the initial introduction of products
and other aspects of the “Top of the Funnel” pro-

cesses under their control.

The discovery phase of shopping has been im-
pacted the most. Clients no longer need to drive

to a store to discover the options they have in
lighting xtures. There is no reason to interact with

a salesperson to nd out the details of an item,

much of that is now provided via online product
descriptions and reviews.

“Laggards” still represent a portion of the con-
sumers we interact with at the top of the funnel

and knowing how to work with them is still impor-

tant for now.
A Majority of the Customers’ Buying Journey

Is Complete Before They Talk to a Salesperson

january 2017 | enLIGHTenment Magazine 139