Do sales people "hide" behind technology?

Ok, as provider of technology (Lead Management Software for Inside Sales Teams) I could not resist getting my two cents in. I think everybody hides who can when it is convenient for them to do so. And of course it hinders productivity.

I love what Paula said; they hide but do so behind counters instead of technology in her business space. To me, the technology is not the barrier, wall or even a counter to hide behind. I think “hiding” goes to two fronts; poorly trained salesperson or the wrong salesperson. Either one of these should be placed at the feet of management. Clear guideline and goals should be established by management and best practices and expectations should be outlined giving a salesperson the roadmap as it relates to the deployment and use of technology as a selling tool. How to “win with” tech should be the order of the day and “time waste” stories should be socialized among the sales team.

I have seen companies stop what was working and think they are going to Tweet, Facebook and e-mail their way to sales. If they hand over the keys to the salespeople and salespeople, not all but some, shy away from meaningful engagement with prospects and customers than shame on management.

Technology is just a tool. As we have always known, it is not the sword but the swordsman.

I remember the old United Airlines commercial. It was a company meeting with a CEO.
They were taking about losing a key customer.
They discover that their sales organization is out of touch with their customers and they are losing business.
This is happening today in the IT industry as CIO's, VP's directors and managers hide behind voice mail and email. They build their own firewall to protect them from the avalanche of direct marketers calling on a daily basis to push printers, laptops and desktops, or the software they must have.
So first the telephone based rep reverts to creativity, leaving a more compelling voice mail that would catch the attention of the executive who more often that not will delete it if they even use their desk VM anymore.
So the salesperson switches to e-mail which is easy. They send lit and more compelling subjects. (Many get stuck in this role)
Now the salesperson is told to use social media which includes not only Linked-in, but Twitter and facebook.

It all comes back to networking.
Build your network of trusted friends, customers, acquaintances.
Build your brand, build your circle and make contacts.
Then go back to basics and go meet face to face with your customers. (if practical).
Build relationships and friendships.
As in the commercial, the CEO breaks out the plane tickets and says "We are getting back in the air and visiting all our customers. But where are you going someone asks the CEO. To go get our best customer back"

We all need to reconnect, not hide on the sales OR the customer side.
Business leaders need to look if they are hiding also.
What if as a customer you miss the call that would greatly enhance your profits and ROI?
That sales person on the phone may have the success factor you need to send your productivity skyrocketing.
If we all hide nothing will get done.
We all need to connect again somehow....

Well David, that's quite a question, the answer is yes sales people and customers are hiding behind technology. But i think this is done because people think that they can convince some one through written discussion than verbal discussion.
People can express a point verbally on phone than they can do via through an email.

Hello, Dave.

I too have been involved in the recent discussions Gary has initiated on this topic.

First of all, if salespeople are HIDING behind ANYTHING they need to consider that they may not belong in sales. I don't believe anyone who tells me they are never even mildly nervous or uncomfortable, but being confident and enthusiastic even when we don't feel like it is part of what we have to do as salespeople.

Technology is a tool and as such should be used in such a way as to maximize the probability that we will generate revenue. If you rely heavily on technology in your communications it may be perfectly okay, it depends on what is causing you to do that.

If you are truly convinced that the best way to get through to your prospects is through email, social media or other technology (and it may be) then who could fault you for using what you believe is your best available resource for communicating?

If you are relying on technology as a way to HIDE, then you may have more serious problems to address than whether to email or to pick up the phone.

-Nick B.

If I think about traditional retail operations the answer is "Sales people hide, but not behind technology. They hide behind counters, shelves and anyplace else they can avoid customers."

The root of this problem is that retail sales people don't have ENOUGH technology to help them be useful and productive in stores. Yes, this is a gross generalization. It is, however, accurate at least 60% of the time (the % of retailers who report they do not have wireless technologies in their stores). And average turnover in retail stores is so high, employees are unlikely to learn the "ropes" before they move on.

Do retail customers hide in technology? No...they use technology to educate themselves. This puts retailers at a large disadvantage.

This is a very big conversation, and takes us to a question around the future of the retail store. It is in danger.

IMO, it's not so much that sales people 'hide' behind technology as that we bury them behind it. Likewise, I don't think buyers 'hide' behind technology as they find it's one of the only paths they're offered via which to get the one thing they struggle most to find - help improving their businesses.

What's missing, IMO, is uses of technology in sales that promote discovery of best practices based on buyer response to those practices, and buyer experiences so helpful that they attract conversations. At that point, no one's going to hide. Regardless of the technology used.

Great question, Dave and excellent dialog thus far.

Yes, I believe many unenlightened sales people do hide behind technology. Personally, I prefer to say that they are lazy. My inbox is cluttered daily with sales spam and it seems to be on the rise. Social media/technology is a broadcast medium but that doesn't mean you send a generic sales pitch to every individual on your list. Sales is and always has been about developing great relationships. To do that well takes time. I don't know if sales people are feeling pressured by management or what, but whatever the reason, the broadcast spam is not an effective sales technique. In fact, it turns most people off. Technology merely enables and augments great sales process and skills. Using technology may open the door but you still need to get on the phone or face-2-face to close the deal.

The old adage, "you never get a 2nd chance to make a great 1st impression" is more true now than ever. Blow it using technology and you create a brand impression that is likely negative. For any sales person or sales executive reading my comments, I'd like you to consider that when your first interaction with a potential prospect through email or social media is a sales pitch - in other words - it's all about you - you can pretty much kiss that sales opportunity goodbye! Spam is spam and there is just no excuse for not taking time to customize messages in ways that truly benefit the receiver.

In a world of caller id and voicemail, where a prospector will get voicemail let's say 9 out of 10 calls and knows for example his prospect will let the call go to voicemail 99 out of 100 times - the lazy person is the one who does not use technology to his advantage.
I for example will make 3 calls to a prospect and if I get voicemail 3 times and can not get the receptionist or coworkers to get the door open for me - I will then take an email template and personalize a line or two and off it goes.
Is that hiding?
The email should be a unique compelling proposition that invokes a positive response or in the least will cause the prospect to acknowledge you.

We have always counseled and trained that a wise mix of contact media and sales approaches will produce better results than any one medium or approach will produce on its own.

But some reps over-rely on a single track … technology or anything else … and they suffer for it. So they may not be “hiding” as much as they are avoiding approaches they perceive as more difficult or not as “cool.”

For business leaders, we recommend close collaboration between marketing and sales and a clear delineation of how members of each discipline are to go about their duties. It is not a personal choice. It is a business imperative.

Thank you all for your insights and perspectives and for David taking my posts about this topic to Focus. I believe the way communicate in today's digital world is a vital conversation to the sales profession.

As digital communication channels advance, keeping our finger on the pulse and discussing the results, what is working well and what isn't, is necessary for every sales organization. The right mix of media and best practices are unique to each company’s process. Sharing our positive and negative experiences is good for everyone.