The more digital an organization becomes the more distant it becomes physically from its customers.
By 2020 there will be a million less business-to-business sales people in the US, according to Forrester. Their jobs will be replaced by web content and apps. According to a 2012 CEB Sales Leadership Council report, sales person interactions accounted for 53% of the influence factors when it came to making the purchase decision.
All around us people are being replaced by content, by software. It’s increasingly a self-service world we’re living in. However, good sales reps don’t just sell. They build relationships with customers. They understand their needs, they understand the market, keep an eye on competitors. They keep the organization grounded and in touch because they’re out there in the real world every day.
