A revolution has taken place, smashing the grip salespeople have traditionally held on product information and creating a massive transfer of power to the customer.

 

For years salespersons were the key source of product and purchase related information. They were relied upon heavily to assist and guide individuals or buyers in any buying process.

 

In that world the easy access to timely information was so limited that it was essentially non-existent and so the default choice for data became the salesperson, giving them an automatic privilege in any purchasing situation.

 

While there were alternate sources of information beside the salesperson, such as personal experience, associate testimonials, marketing materials and product reviews, these had major limitations in breadth, timeliness and applicability.

 

And so the crucial need for information automatically placed the salesperson, as the key source, firmly in the path of most any sale. For better or worse this advantage kept many a salesperson in the game.

 

Disruptive changes to the sales process were not heavily felt in the early years of the Internet. While an explosion in data access was taking place the sites were still quite static and generally were seen as just another place to hang the company sign, push goods or tout a product=s virtues.

 

The true revolution came when the Internet Ajumped the tracks@ and went multi-directional. The capability to not only access more data and choices but to be able to create and contribute to the pools of data as well as cross communicate with multitudes of other voices shattered the traditional model of a salesperson.

 

Given massive access to product information and a vast spectrum of solutions the customer could potentially eliminate the salesperson from the buying process and often did just that.

 

But this did not make the species of salespeople extinct.

 

In fact the need for a powerful sales force and quality personnel is perhaps greater today than ever before, largely due to two factors the Internet has introduced:

 

One - the same power and altitude the salesperson gained from controlling information also worked against them. Given little choice, the customer instinctively mistrusted the salesperson and his data and set the stage for an “us versus them” mentality.

 

Two - vast pools of data and rivers of communication create overwhelming choices and possibilities. When confronted with tens, hundreds and even thousands of choices people freeze up and desperately need help.

 

Having lost their default position salespeople must now create a new role. It is potentially a more powerful and trusted role, but it must be worked for and earned - and knowledge is still at the center of it.

Breaking it down, what does one need?

 

$        A killer knowledge of the product(s), one=s company, one=s competitors and the market

$        A well defined, well managed sales team and process

$        A rapid means for valuable data captured in the sales process to be put to use - constant fingers on the pulse of the public

$        Fluidity to move with the market and the world               

$        The capability to deploy and maintain training and knowledge on an ongoing, real-time and accurately tracked basis