Sales 3.0: With Technology, Don’t Forget Your Humanity

Sales 3.0 (formerly Sales 2.0) is always THE event for B2B sales leaders who want to learn about sales technologies, trends, and strategies to produce increased revenue and improved performance. And this year was no different! For more than 400 sales leaders gathered in San Francisco May 1-2, this event packed two days of knowledge sharing, networking, and personal and professional development.

As the Emcee and Chief Networking Officer of Sales 3.0, I got to be in the mix for the entire event and I want to share my top takeaways with you.

1. With All This Technology, Don’t Forget Your Humanity

The impact of artificial intelligence on the world of sales was a common theme that ran through most of the talks and panels at Sales 3.0. We know that AI is absolutely changing how we sell. How we use AI is really the question. Do we use it to be more human or less human? All the individual speakers and panels at Sales 3.0 focused on how we can use our human intelligence in combination with artificial intelligence. If we can use technology to be more human, that’s how we can build better relationships and win more sales.

2. Build Humanity Into Your Company’s DNA

Attendees got the first scoop on Bob Carr’s new business Beyond, which has a deep commitment to corporate social responsibility. A true philanthropist, Bob started Give Back and is asking others to consider giving back in a big way. As a former teacher, I know that what he is doing makes a huge difference in our society. He is making difference and encouraging other business leaders to think about their corporation’s social responsibility.

3. Tap Into Your Humanity As A Manager

Many of the great speakers shared stories about their sales management challenges and how they overcame them. Kara DelVecchio’s discussion on how to manage millennials really spoke to managers of all ages managing teams of all ages. The tips and ideas she provided the audience were the results of her discussions with her millennial team to find out what worked for them. What fascinated me most is that her tips to build a millennial-friendly culture really spanned all generations.

Likewise, Carol Sustala also shared some deep insights about how to use metrics to build a sales team that really performs. Her ideas to build successful profiles rather than job descriptions showed how managers need to really think about the humans working for them and how to set them up for success.

I really appreciated how Tris Brown and Laurie Sewell opened up about their journey to create a high-performance culture to drive strategy. Their “Top 5 Culture Warning Signs” was a wake-up call for everyone in the room.

4. Disruption Is An Opportunity

Jamie Anderson and Adam Markel both hit this point hard in each of their talks during Sales 3.0. It just goes to show that good ideas span the globe. (Jamie joined us in San Francisco from Scotland!) Our lead-off speakers both days, Gerhard Gschwandtner and Jeb Blount, also talked about disruption and how to use some of the ideas we’re all familiar within a new way.

All the speakers incorporated ideas that each attendee can take back to their teams. The presentations and panels created conversations about how sales leaders interact with customers and use artificial intelligence. I left with a feeling that we can make a change, we can be different, and we can help our sales teams improve.

Remember, there are two more Sales 3.0 conferences this year in Las Vegas and Philadelphia, so if you don’t want to miss out on this amazing learning opportunity visit sales30conf.com now for more information.