Representing a company in the field, in sales, service and consulting, is a job that many people do and that inspires many. New Work, rapidly advancing digitalization and, above all, customer expectations of salespeople, consultants and service employees are changing the job description of a sales representative enormously. Where is the journey going?
Successful prospects
Jörg O. has been working for his company in the tool trade as an area sales manager for several years. He regularly visits his customers on site, talks to production managers about new solutions, understands the needs of users on the machines and in assembly, negotiates terms with buyers and ensures excellent collaboration in all areas. He now also makes intensive use of the almost limitless possibilities of digitalization. Communication on all channels that customers want. In many cases, this saves time, makes appointments easier and speeds up important joint processes. He also enjoys the freedom that New Work offers him. Whether from his home office, which his company has helped him to set up and organize professionally, or from his favourite café – the motivation is right, inspires creativity and this enthusiasm is well received by everyone.
So much for the ideal target.
Incision and accelerator
There is no doubt that we will remember this year 2020 for a long time to come. It has brought huge burdens, cost painful sacrifices and we will have to pay for the expenses and national debt for a long time to come. Entire industries are fighting for their existence and for others it is the start of a brilliant success story. A year of extreme contrasts. Economic and social developments are happening at breakneck speed. Digitalization is booming, the home office is becoming the focal point of activity for many. Digitalization is also redefining the purchasing behaviour of consumers and companies.
Lockdown
One professional group is particularly affected by this: 
field service. Whereas previously every opportunity was taken to visit customers on site to actively shape collaboration, for several months now this has been done almost exclusively by telephone, email and web meetings. A new world for many people who had chosen this career field precisely because of the direct personal contact opportunities and the extra dose of “freedom” outside. From many conversations with people in the field, I have learned that they did not welcome the “banishment” to the home office. The qualities you previously perceived as typical strengths, such as a good appearance, quick-wittedness in face-to-face conversations or having a “certain nose” for working solutions – how can these strengths be accommodated in the home office, by telephone or web meeting?
If customers are increasingly doing business online, both in the company and as consumers at home, what future will this bring for the sales force profession?
Wild & Free
The core ideas of New Work are the extensive independence of time and space for one’s own work and integration into a global, largely unrestricted network. According to the guiding principle, those who work in New Work work at the place of their choice, whether in the company, in a home office, in an open workspace, café, on the beach or in a mountain hut. When and with whom it makes sense, so that creativity and productivity can be unleashed to the maximum, can be determined flexibly: Wild & Free!
This consideration also includes a more conscious use of our resources. Spending hours on the road in a car, burning up valuable fossil fuels and life time in daily traffic jams for short local appointments? Does that really make sense in any case?
Change now!
Without going into this important driver of innovation and productivity – New Work – the sales force was catapulted into the new way of working this year by coronavirus “with a bang” (as our finance minister, who is currently omnipresent in the media, would say).
A lot of things that previously seemed to be done exclusively in meetings on site definitely also work in meetings within the digital workspace. Even die-hard skeptics are now practicing this successfully on a daily basis. Is this about black and white thinking? No, of course not. New Work does not ban the forms and channels of communication that we are familiar with. Rather, it integrates them into a much more open working environment with more freedom and opportunities. Incidentally, we urgently need both in order to be able to face the future even better. The serious problems that we created with our behavior yesterday will not be solved with yesterday’s solutions. Time, innovation and creativity only move in one direction – forwards!
Qualification and qualification
New Work is not just a principle. It has to be learned with understanding and motivation. There are still management styles that believe that if their employees switch on Skype, Zoom, GotoMeeting or a similar program “then it will work”. This is not the case. WEB communication is not just a technical matter. It must also be a methodical and rhetorical dimension with a claim. Operating the on/off switch is not enough.
What’s more, we don’t just build SMART homes, we also design SMART companies. Connecting companies in their cooperation with each other is the essential aspect of B2B field service. However, knowledge, especially in the area of digitalization (ordering systems, data exchange, digital workplace design, etc.) is often modest. A whole mountain of new knowledge awaits everyone involved.
Corporate responsibility
Many people in the sales force, like Jörg O., are enthusiastically and successfully committed to their company and their customers every day. It’s a great job and, for many, a long-term vocation. It is the responsibility of your company to pull out all the stops as quickly as possible to promote the further development of this field of work. Intelligent, effective training and support for change are required. Field service was and is an important component of success in B2B business. The New Work train in field sales is already on the move. You should hurry to buy your ticket and jump on board.
by Karl Heinz Lorenz. Trainer at Lorenz Seminars