Although some things about sales will never change, it’s undeniable that the sales profession has undergone drastic changes over the past few decades. Around 2007, I started to host quarterly events for sales leaders, which evolved into the Sales 2.0 Conference. Today these events take place each quarter in such cities as San Francisco, Boston, London, Philadelphia and Las Vegas. We gather to hear the latest advances in the sales profession and how people, process, and technology can be leveraged for faster, better sales results.
Many sales leaders are still unclear on what Sales 2.0 is and how it can help them run more successful organizations. Let’s explore the three attributes of Sales 2.0 and examine how they help sales teams excel:
1. Sales 2.0 is about speed.
Smart sales managers continually ask themselves, “How can we increase pipeline velocity? How can we speed up the sales process? How can we close more sales in fewer calls?” In these respects, Sales 2.0 technologies have already totally transformed many sales organizations. Consider what it means to automate everything from price quotes, to sales comp calculations, to proposals, to cold calls. No more housing information in dozens of Excel files or cutting and pasting from several files to cobble together a customized proposal. Getting more done in less time is a huge competitive advantage. Speed through automation is at the core of what Sales 2.0 offers sales teams.
2. Sales 2.0 is about efficiency.
The Internet allows all stakeholders in sales to collaborate more effectively, bridge distances, and cut travel costs. Sales 2.0 innovations allow companies to harvest the collective intelligence of their sales teams and help the average sales performer deploy the most effective strategies and tactics used by top performers. Sales-collaboration technologies translate to a lower cost of doing business by giving expensive field sales reps the flexibility to meet with customers face-to-face via video rather than in person.
3. Sales 2.0 is about accountability.
Sales 2.0 solutions bring more science into the sales office, which allows companies to create a culture of value measurement. Companies that quickly and accurately measure the value that their sales and marketing teams create can hold sales and marketing accountable for their actions and results. Measurement enables accountability. Accountability ensures a level playing field. For example, lead scoring will hold salespeople more accountable when it comes to prioritizing their time investments. Marketing analytics will show how many leads marketing campaigns create, and sales analytics will show how many leads are converted into opportunities and how many opportunities will turn into sales. Another example is sales forecasting. With the right set of Sales 2.0 tools, sales managers will make fewer decisions based on hunches and more decisions based on science.
At the upcoming Sales 2.0 Conference in Las Vegas, speakers from such companies as Oracle, SAP, Xactly Corporation, ClearSlide, Nimble, ConnectAndSell will assemble to discuss the theme of “Sales and Marketing Convergence” for an audience of hundreds of sales leaders. Join us there and learn how Sales 2.0 can advance your success.
Join me in Las Vegas on September 18 at the Sales 2.0 Conference — check the agenda and speakers here. And be sure to use Alice’s Code to receive 50% off your ticket purchase. Code: s2vah
Also Alice and I will be giving a free webinar on the topic of sales 2.0 “Sales and Marketing Convergence” September 3rd, at 10:00am – 11:00am PDT
I’d like to invite you to join me at the Sales 3.0 Conference Chicago on June 18th-19th. As my guest I would like to offer you 50% off your ticket purchase– use code chah50!
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