The ideal salesman’s characteristics of yesteryear, defined as a positive, persuasive, polite, and friendly individual, has undergone drastic changes and inclined to be transformed further during the coming years. Once upon a time, the salesman was the only go-to point of contact to provide information and complete a deal.
However, as of now, companies search for technologically capable people for sales-related tasks. They will rely on multi-talented people as salesmen and other relationship-orientated functions. In this digital era, a direct transaction may not be the dominant way to close a sale.
The role of a salesman has endured significant evolution during the past few years around the world, driven by technological advancements, shifting consumer behaviour, and changes in market trends. To serve the customers of the digital era, the sales role will undergo further transformation, becoming more sophisticated and customer-centric.
The increased technological integration through Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning into sales processes will impact the sales job role significantly and reshape the involvement of human salespeople. This trend is showing implausible levels of advancements in the near future and is likely to further change how sales teams will operate.
AI is already making technical skills more important in the world of sales. Familiarity with sophisticated software applications, social media platforms, and other generative AI tools will play a pivotal role in sales processes. The skills of managing these tools have become necessary. As technology advances, so too will the tech requirements for employment in the sales arena.
AI-driven tools will become increasingly capable of handling repetitive and time-consuming tasks, such as lead generation, customer segmentation, and follow-ups. In the next decade, salespeople will be compelled to rely more on digital technology to manage their job roles.
The AI integration in repetitive tasks will give more time for salespeople to focus on more complex activities, such as building relationships and closing deals. Automation will also streamline the processes, reducing the time and effort required to move prospects through the buying process.
Quality real-time insights
The advancement and spread of sales-related software programs will offer quality real-time insights, content, and other important information to empower sales teams in the next few years. These platforms will become more sophisticated, mixing faultlessly with customer experience and other sales and marketing functions, providing sales professionals with information they need to engage customers effectively.
Future customers will demand hyperpersonalisation from businesses when deciding on a purchase. Hence, companies will be forced to provide heavily customised experiences to their customers. By obtaining information from social media, web interactions, and other digital platforms, companies can derive a deep understanding of the preferences of respective segments. This will enhance customer satisfaction, leading to a competitive edge.
In the future, the skills required for selling will change drastically, and the market will demand a new breed of salesmen with adequate knowledge of digital applications. Digital literacy will become a basic requirement for sales professionals. Employers will look for people with high proficiency in digital tools and data analytics that will be an integral part of the job role of a salesman.
Employers also will seek individuals with higher Emotional Intelligence (EQ) to serve as sales professionals, as it will become increasingly vital to build relationships and provide human solutions to better informed customers. The ability to interact with customers, communicate effectively, and manage human relationships will be key to success in the future sales landscape.
The rapid changes and advancements in the sales arena will require salespeople to be highly adaptable. Unlike conventional selling practices, salesmen will have to be conversant with the latest trends and new technologies to sell to the emerging ‘alpha generation,’ who will be the largest customer segment within the next decade. Those who fall behind will be neglected by the employers when hiring sales staff.
The job role of even a traditional salesperson needed collaboration and teamwork. As sales teams become technologically more engaged in other departments such as marketing and customer service, a cohesive digital work environment will be essential. Therefore, sales professionals will need to work closely with colleagues from different functions to deliver the best customer experience.
There are two key reasons why the new generation is heavily leaning on social and environmental issues. The first is that they are so intensely interconnected and come across any mishap throughout the world in a flash. The second reason is the awareness of the deteriorating environment and the dire need to save it.
In this context, the next decade will see increased enthusiasm on ethical issues, particularly on social and environmental landscapes. Hence, they will demand social responsibility from organisations and sales professionals as their front-line members. The future job role will demand ethical selling practices with genuine concerns towards social responsibility. They will have to ensure a transparent, honest, and responsible approach.
More time
With the evolution of digital platforms, marketing is doing the bulk of tasks related to lead generation. Salesmen will have more time to forge relationships and expand their networks. Those with larger networks will be recognised better by their respective employers. Therefore, building large networks will be another part of the job role of salesmen.
In the future, skills and ability to coach can be an important element in personal selling. Customers will not only demand leadership traits such as rational mindset, administrative skills, and strong communication skills but also logical guidance in a transaction. Hence, instead of a dialogue between a manager and a direct report, it will be a coaching conversation between the salesperson and prospect or customer. Therefore, companies must develop sales personnel as consultative sales coaches.
However, despite the advancement of technology by leaps and bounds, the importance and value of human involvement are not weakened by any means. For sales professionals, having a reputation for being a credible, knowledgeable, and personable individual will be the key to surviving and succeeding as the markets and consumer behaviours change.
These human angles will help speed up the sales processes, making human salespeople an indispensable part. Hence, the duties and responsibilities of a salesperson will be maximised by technology while focussing on building personal relationships to expand individual networks. Future salesmen must be educated on technology that can undeniably amplify productivity. The evolution of the job role of the sales profession commenced a decade ago and will continue to advance in the years to come.
Businesses will search for individuals who can adapt to these changes by developing the new skills discussed in this article. They are compelled to embrace technology and adapt to enhance customer-centric approaches to succeed. Those who understand the changes and navigate through them will have better success in the future.
