Are Your Salespeople Ready for the 21st Century?

“The only thing that is constant is change.” - Greek philosopher Heraclitus.
"No man ever steps in the same river twice." - Plato

Change is with us for good. And it sure happens fast in the 21st century! Is your sales department keeping up? Here are a few things to ask if you want to find out:

Do they do the little things well? Do they have a Twitter handle? Is your sales person on LinkedIn? Do they network online? If not, why not? You’re missing out on easy wins just by avoiding LinkedIn.  

Let me put it this way: maybe you have a salesperson that prospects at chamber events and trade shows. Does that work? If so, great!  Keep doing it!

But what is the digital equivalent of a trade show? LinkedIn groups! Hang out ONLINE where your prospects hang out - ONLINE. If a salesperson is willing to mingle with strangers in a crowded room, why not mingle with strangers online?  

What about technology?

Does your sales team use a fax machine, scan and e-mail, or DocuSign?

If they’re still using fax you’ve got a problem.  Scan & e-mail - good. Google Drive and DocuSign - better!

Are your salespeople digitally literate? It can only help your business.

Here’s a tip: download the mobile app for DocuSign and give it a shot. You can use it on three documents per month completely free! Right from your phone. We use this at Inalign to sign long-term contracts with B2B partners. Completely secure. It doesn’t get any easier.  

What about tradition?

As Dale Carnegie famously opined, sales is all about winning friends and influencing people.

The simple solution he advocated for a century ago rings true today. I like to sum it up in two word phrases: “be nice,” “be honest,” “be genuine,” “be humble,” “work hard,” “take chances!” His great list of personal qualities and simple advice for a good sales person in 1914 are no different 100 years later.

Relationships and handshakes are just as important as ever.  

They’re all about trust. And yes, hiring people with integrity is essential. But if I could choose from two people with integrity, one who adds the digital space to their network and one that doesn’t, I’ll choose the former every time.  

Chances are good that the best new hires for sales are already taking advantage of the digital space in their personal lives. They are expanding their reach already.

When you seek to hire, look for those people that are already implementing best practices in their personal lives. Research their digital network. How much technology do they leverage? It’s the little stuff that makes a big difference!