Companies are transforming into agile businesses, teams are becoming more diverse, customers are switching between online, catalog and physical stores when shopping, occasionally getting lost in multichannel – in short, the world of sales is changing more rapidly than ever before. One large group of professionals is right in the middle of this change: sales staff. Where are they headed? What do customers and companies expect from them and how do they still fit into the beautiful digital world in which “Alexa” always takes care of everything in a nice and friendly way when called upon?
Everywhere Channel
Multichannel marketing is the strategic approach of retailers and service providers to reach their customers via various communication channels and retail platforms. These very different channels are influenced on the one hand by technical developments and on the other hand by manufacturers’ and retailers’ hunger for growth and profit.
With the general spread of mobile devices in absolutely all areas of life, the buzzword “Everywhere Commerce” has also found its way into the market. On the one hand, the term refers to e-commerce and, on the other, to the fact that customers can enter a purchasing decision process anytime and anywhere.
Manufacturer and trade
Companies are constantly striving for growth and profit. To achieve this, they need to find the right combination of product and service quality, availability and market-oriented prices time and time again. The entire external and internal regulatory framework is geared precisely to this. Capital wants to grow – that is, so to speak, the natural law of the economy, in the market and in companies. Managers are remunerated according to sales and earnings growth and all sub-targets are passed on to the individual divisions in the same way. In addition to the basic business parameters of quality, costs and time, other factors, such as social responsibility or an “act green” or a simple “must-have”, have a strong influence on economic success. Customers, both in B2C and B2B, do not act exclusively according to the bare price/performance ratio, but are strongly guided by trends and opinions in their purchasing behavior. The keyboard on which marketing experts play their tunes is broad.
The most important trend at the moment is probably the intensive use of digital media in the entire purchasing process. For manufacturers and retailers, this means that not only can a wide variety of information, communication, retail and logistics channels be designed, offered and, if possible, operated in a professional and trendy manner.
The customers
These days, customers have unimagined new opportunities to find out about offers interactively and get in touch with potential providers. This is so diverse and – not everyone was born with a smartphone and integrated wifi – sometimes overwhelming for the individual that providers are providing very clever technical assistance. While the Zuckerbergs and Bezos of this world are demanding a little more privacy and distance for themselves and their families, they are placing the eavesdropping shopping advisor right in the middle of the consumer’s living room. There, the friendly ALEXA and her cousins take over the communication between humans and the digital shopping world, managing offers, selection, ordering and delivery. What ALEXA hears, understands and evaluates in the meantime, whether permitted or not, is not clear and is rightly the subject of critical debate.
Quo vadis venditor?
In B2B business in particular, many companies base their sales on well-structured and qualified teams in the office and in the field. Large companies often have several hundred employees in direct contact and working for their customers. These salespeople and customer managers rightly ask themselves, sometimes with some uncertainty: What will my job look like tomorrow, what role do I still have in this digital transfer? Where exactly will I be needed, how can I continue to use my skills profitably for my customers and my company? If we work with our customers on several channels, what about the competitive situation within our own company? Do these channels then work against each other or with each other and how will my personal performance be assessed and rewarded?
Clear answers to these questions are needed, and quickly. Qualified employees are not day laborers. They want and need to know how their work will change and where the journey is heading. Every company will find its own solutions here, so there are no universal answers that apply to all sectors and all market participants.
Must-haves for sellers:
- Confident handling of digital tools and networks (user-oriented)
- Clear knowledge of the channel structure and channel strategy of your own company
- Basic knowledge of multichannel in general
- Consulting expertise that goes beyond the actual product or service
- Solution orientation
Must-haves for sales managers and company management:
- More speed in strategy development
- Not just informing sales staff, but involving and involving them
- Adjustment of the valuation and remuneration systems
- Suitable training courses for change qualification
- Protect core values in the company’s profile
- Further develop and promote behavioral guidelines
- Promoting creativity, initiative and personal responsibility
- Not only propagating agility and future orientation, but also living them
And tomorrow?
From my perspective, there will still be plenty of office and field staff in the future. There are some things that Alexa simply can’t do competently. Human creativity and human values such as trust, experience and intuition are required, especially when individual solutions are discussed and developed. However, I have no doubt that the qualities on the sales side will have to adapt very quickly to this change, to these altered expectations on the customer side. More flexibility and speed in the process are required, more knowledge in the digital area and also around multichannel offers, and perhaps also simply more concentration on somewhat higher-quality communication with the customer. This is where personal, human salespeople score much higher than their digital colleagues. Openness, willingness to change, learning and training are the order of the day, quickly and effectively. Afraid of the future? We’ll make it yesterday’s news. Let’s go!
by Karl Heinz Lorenz, trainer at Lorenz-Seminare