Representor Fall 2024 - Cover Story

COVER STORY

Shaping your future salesperson now

Create your intentional future sales self that is equipped to succeed

By Daniel Litts
In 2008, I was appointed to be the President and CEO of the Americas for a prominent Japanese electronic components manufacturer. Despite having a strong work ethic, some successful moments along the way, and some luck woven into the equation, I never aspired to rise to that level. In fact, my career aspirations were probably lower than what others saw in me. Looking back on my journey in the electronics components industry and specifically at that major accomplishment, the question that comes to mind is, why wasn’t I more intentional about my future?

The premise of this article is taken from Dr. Benjamin Hardy’s book entitled “Be Your Future Self Now,” where he introduced the idea of your “future self” as the ideal version of who you want to become. If you’re going to have a better future, you need to be intentional about building that future as opposed to having it unfold organically. By clearly defining this “future self,” you can create a roadmap to achieve it.

Special thanks to my colleague Jody Williamson who recently presented at the Sandler Summit conference. He incorporated Dr. Hardy’s concepts in developing a forwardthinking management approach to “hiring your future salesperson now.” He emphasized the importance of visualizing your ideal future salesperson and taking steps to embody that person in the present moment.

This framework offers insights on how these concepts can be applied to the electronics components industry, benefiting manufacturers’ reps, manufacturers and distributors.

While most of us have goals, both business and personal, only some of us are disciplined enough to work towards achieving them. These goals are typically based on an evaluation of our current state compared to our past and a projection of what we would like to accomplish in the future. In his TED Talk, “The Psychology of Your Future Self,” Dr. Daniel Gilbert explores how people tend to underestimate how much they will change in the future. He explains that while we recognize significant changes in our past selves, we often believe our present self is the final version. In short, most of us don’t envision ambitious changes for ourselves going forward.

Let’s explore a more intentional approach to shaping our future in sales. Considering current industry trends and the evolving role of sales professionals, envisioning the ideal electronics components sales representative five years from now can provide valuable insights. By intentionally defining this future self or sales team, we can create a roadmap to achieve that vision. Before we delve into specific ideas, let’s analyze the current marketplace.

The electronics components industry has faced numerous market and economic fluctuations in the past, but nothing compares to the upheaval caused by the pandemic. The supply chain was so severely disrupted that it still hasn’t fully recovered. Manufacturing processes were either halted or significantly altered. Our customers had to put new design projects on hold to focus on finding secondary sources.

As the supply side struggled to manage the crisis, companies opted to wait it out, leading to stagnation, shifts in market position and uncertainty about their future direction. Companies with strong adaptability and flexibility were more likely to successfully navigate these turbulent times.

The traditional model of selling components has radically changed, as a result. Working remotely caught us off guard and hybrid selling left many frustrated, yet it continues to gain momentum. While some have embraced the new world of digital fluency, others are waiting for the model to revert to the way it was. However, that is not going to happen.

As if that paradigm shift wasn’t enough, the traditional buyer’s journey has also changed. As shown in the chart below, the modern buyer’s journey is longer than before. Buyers increasingly rely on digital information to evaluate their options, bringing sales reps into the process much later than usual. This shift has expanded marketing’s role and responsibility in promoting components. Let’s explore what this means and the changing landscape that sales reps must navigate.

The evolution of the buyer’s journey

A 2022 Gartner survey found that 72 percent of B2B buyers said they prefer a “rep-free”experience or digital self-serve.

However, Gartner data indicated that buyers who interact with a sales rep are 2.3 times more likely to feel confident about their decision versus digital self-serve. This is likely because modern buyers are overwhelmed by the amount of information and the complexity of decisions they need to make. This often leads to decision paralysis and a higher likelihood of a no-decision outcome.

Our customers expect us to communicate in the method they prefer. Research shows buyers reported 10 unique supplier interactions back and forth across multiple channels on average during their recent purchase.

Modern-day buyers are using virtual meetings, pre-recorded video, email, LinkedIn and LinkedIn posts, text messages, phone, voicemail, in-person meetings and mail as mediums to conduct their purchasing process. Don’t get stuck on the method you like the best, but communicate in the way that your customer chooses.

HubSpot revealed in 2022 that 45 percent of meetings were hybrid, and their 2023 study concluded that now 71 percent of salespeople are hybrid, defying assumptions that communication tactics would return to predominantly in-person format.

When asked if their salespeople were better in-person or in a digital environment, sales leaders responded that 66 percent of sellers are much better at helping customers in person than they are through digital channels.

To complicate things further, there are more stakeholders involved in the decision-making process. A Google B2B survey stated that there are 19 influencers, on average, involved in B2B purchases.

HubSpot found that for smaller companies with 100-500 employees, there were seven influencers involved in the process. If that isn’t challenging enough, Gartner stated that 71 percent of sellers indicated that additional stakeholders are often added to the process. With the influx of these new trends, the process has become daunting to manage.

HubSpot also indicated that 96 percent of the buying community researches the reps and companies they’re considering doing business with. When a sales rep first speaks with a prospect, this is the percentage that knows about your company, products and services and how they compare to the competition.

In the past, this is what our sales reps felt was their role. Previously the buying community heavily relied on sales reps to impart this information so they could make educated decisions in the buying process. With the changes we’re seeing, the need for a sales rep comes much later in the modern buyer’s journey.

Consider the number of people involved in the buying process. They are all gathering research and sharing opinions. Within the B2B buying groups, 55 percent are experiencing dysfunction around who makes a purchase, making them 74 percent less likely to complete a high-quality deal.

This fact, combined with a preference for digital interactions, and sales reps entering into the buyer’s journey at a later stage, means the number of decision-makers and influencers in the buying process has increased, and most buyers conducting extensive research before engaging with a sales rep has made for an extremely complex selling landscape.

The question to consider is: How do you or your sales team measure up with the present state of the buyer’s process?

A 2023 Gartner survey acknowledged that 97 percent of sales leaders identified reskilling and upskilling their workforce as an immediate priority.

In a simplistic approach, a future sales professional or team should comprise three key elements: psychology, methodology and technology. The psychological aspect involves building relationships, managing personality behaviors and understanding group dynamics. Methodology pertains to your sales process, including communication, qualification, presenting, closing and handling objections. Technology, however, is the game changer. The ability to leverage advanced tools and methods, particularly AI as a personal digital assistant, will significantly boost productivity, efficiency and effectiveness.

With these industry changes in mind, you have a blank canvas to create an intentional future self or team that is equipped to succeed. Ambition, drive, grit, resilience, curiosity, adaptability and tech savviness are all sales competencies to include in the construction of this future self or team.

Skill sets to consider

— Being the disrupter not the responder. As digital fluency continues, do we understand the objectives that our customers, CMs or distributors are making? Are we merely responding to every request or are we really getting to the heart of understanding what their objectives are?

— Being the qualifier not the presenter. With the inception of AI and other digital tools, the amount of lead generation is forecasted to increase. The number of companies and tools available to digitally formulate leads is expanding daily. Not having someone to identify quality leads from others is certain to create a mess.

— Being the sense-maker not the complicator. According to Gartner’s study “The Sense-Making Seller,” decision paralysis has become rampant among modern buyers. Having a sense-maker helps buyers navigate the mass amount of information and options during the research process. This is essential to combating the rise in no-decision outcomes.

— Being the coordinator not the chaser. As the number of decision-makers and influencers involved in the buying process has significantly increased, the ability to coordinate and understand everyone’s specific needs would help unify and accelerate the decision-making steps.

— Being the value creator not the persuasive seller. Traditional sales tactics like persuasive selling and relationship-building are less effective in complex buying situations where buyers need to process vast amounts of information. Sales professionals have a tremendous opportunity to create differentiated values that distinguish them from the pack, elevate relationships and build status with their customers.

Over the past five years, individuals and sales teams have all experienced significant changes. Were these changes—including personal growth, successes and overall accomplishments—the result of intentional effort, or were they reactive in nature?

The dynamics in the B2B space will continue to evolve as technology grows at an unprecedent rate. With this in mind, is your sales team prepared to elevate their role in this new buyer’s journey?

Creating a future salesperson or team that can adapt and succeed in this ever-evolving landscape relies on proactive, thoughtful planning. Doesn’t it make more sense to intentionally build that team now than to leave it to chance?


About the author

Daniel Litts has been successfully selling and leading sales professionals for over 30 years. His career includes a successful track record in business development, channel sales and executive management in the industrial manufacturing sector with T.E Connectivity, Marshall Industries and Panasonic to name a few. Today, Litts is President of Sandler by Ascending Performance in North Carolina. His company’s primary focus is on sales training, management coaching, leadership development and organizational excellence. Litts believes that sales growth propels companies and has dedicated his career to helping teams and individuals grow. He has a passion for developing team environments, engaging those members who focus on problem-solving and meeting their objectives, and increasing top-line revenue for clients. Litts can be reached at daniel.litts@sandler.com or 908-468-0322.