In 2010, I Predict Salespeople Will ...

I was just asked to make my #1 prediction for salespeople in the upcoming year by Nancy Bleeke, from Sales Pro Insider. She's compiling a list from top sales experts.

Here's my #1 prediction ... (drum roll) ...

In 2010, a seller's ability to personally bring value to the relationship will become the primary factor in determining which company wins the business.

Why? In a world of minimally differentiated products and services, customers will choose to work with sellers who continually bring them relevant ideas, insights and information. Should no salesperson stand out in this area, pricing will become the de facto determinant.

What's your #1 prediction for sellers in 2010?

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Comments

[Justyn Howard]

I have to agree, the Salesperson who brings something extra to the table, whether expertise, a new line of thought or previously unexplored ROI consideration (etc.) will see a higher percentage of deals as fundamental product differences become fewer.

I also think that those who master technology assisted selling (use of social media, research tools, etc.) will have a big advantage in 2010, much more so than we saw in 2009.

And my final prediction - Salespeople who buy your new book will be very pleased =)

Justyn

[Dave Brock]

In 2010, the buyer continues to rule (as if this is a change). Sales people that establish a collaborative relationship with the customer, creating value in facilitating their buying processes, will achieve the greatest level of short and long term success. Sales people that help their customers internalize, own, and manage the change that goes along with their solutions, will establish deeper and richer relationships.

[Dan Collins]

Salespeople more and more are differentiated not by their offering, product or service but by the alignment they have created in what the buyer values above and beyond the numbers. Whether this is remarkable and customized insight,clearly creative superiority,dependability, accountability, substantive understanding of individual situations and needs or just simple character traits that others do not bring to the table the reality is buyers commoditize that which is common and value that which is unique. In 2010 the focus needs to be on our unique value proposition as a person but only in as much as it is of interest and value to the buyer (not necessarily what we think it is).

[Skip Anderson]

I predict that the top 20% of sellers in any given organization in 2009 (who were in the top 20% in 2008) will remain in the top 20% ranking of sellers in 2010.

[Jacques Werth]

I predict that many more salespeople will become top producers when they realize that personal relationships, characterized by mutual trust and respect, gives them an overwhelming competitive advantage.

[Mikedmerrill]

Relationships will become more important than ever. The ability to build rapport quickly and demonstrate professional solution selling skills will be key. Social Media provides an inherent level of trust because it is so authentic. My belief is sales reps will embrace the power of social media to reach out to potential customers for rapport building and lead generation.

Mike D. Merrill
President, Social Media Club of Dallas

[Laura Posey]

I predict that as we move forward into 2010 and beyond, salespeople will realize that they work for the buyer and they only represent their products and services. That means salespeople who want to succeed will have to get on the buyer's side of the table and truly understand what their desires are.

[Christian Maurer]

The trend towards a bipolar sales world will continue. Transactional field salespeople will struggle to prove their added value compared to other channels. Strategic, relationship oriented salespeople will continue to prosper if they approach selling from an attitude of contribution and service to the customer. They will have the credibility and trust to provide value to customers buy facilitating the buying process.

[Iamjf]

Jill,

I could not agree more.

Listening in to Tibor Shanto's TSE Masterclass last night, I was prompted to send him this brief message afterwards:

Your son's premise that they will contact him when they are ready to buy, flies in the face of my own (and I suspect your) preference for helping the client to write the RFP, rather than merely respond to it :-) Gen X vs Baby Boomer mentality?

Reactivity vs Pro-Activity?

The early bird really does get the worm!!

Jono

[Rick Venet]

Jill,

Thanks for your request to add my 2 cents. Unless the seller has a commodity that buyers want/need, the seller will need to break out of the typical FAB, ROI, etc. models to be sucessful.

What has been most successful and I predict will be the trend for 2010 is "value positioning" to reduce sales cycle times, provide competitive differentiation and support long-term value added relationships with customers. "Value" is that which is perceived and received by the buyer; not the seller.

The Value based Positioning model that we use has repeatedly helped clients excel in these dificult economic times, where traditional models have faultered.

I hope this helps!

Best wishes for a safe and enjoyable Christmas and New Years Holiday. All the best to you and your family for good health and prosperity in 2010!

Sincerely
Rick Venet
ROI Strategic Business Solutions
(586) 524-1653
[email protected]

[Jill Konrath]

Wow! Great ideas everyone. You're all getting me thinking! Clearly this sales world is changing - radically and forever. And, some sellers will be left behind.

Other thoughts? If you haven't added your two cents yet. Please do!

[Tom Cosgrove]

Great post as usual! For me alignment will be the mantra in 2010. When I align my self and service with a prospect that gets "it" the conversation deepens very fast. Finding that alignment is the problem because so many obstacles get in the way of the conversation (time, don't know you, too busy). I'll be writing about this "state" in 2010. Any suggestions would be helpful.

[Relevance]

Jill,

In 2010, Sales and Marketing Professionals can accomplish startlingly positive change. The changers will be those who think they are being relevant, discover they are not, and figure out what to do.

Your book is the quintessential statement of Relevance in Selling. Your personalized-for-each-prospect Value Proposition, updated as the sale progresses, aids the sales pro in maintaining relevance.

In addition, the sales rep needs support changes to help sell. Increasingly, the rep's company's website, brochures, ads; it's social media presence, the rep's LinkedIn profile - all this and more go before and behind him or her. The prospect must relate to all of it. The prospect needs to think, "Wow! This is about me!"

So in one major way, selling in 2010 will be no different. Sales professionals who "say" relevant things to their prospects will advance their case. Non-professional sales reps with a "Let me tell you about my product/service" sales message will be ignored faster than ever.

Thanks for great leadership in this area,

Ted Vinzani - RelevanceSells.com

[Bill Hampton]

As in a classroom, the brightest solution with the greatest value receives no attention if the teacher doesn't invite the contribution. Just raising your hand won't work in 2010.

Finding ways to be chosen to contribute will be an art in itself. It will separate the closers from the [c]losers. Closers will recognize that the effort to be of value starts long before the face-to-face meeting in a client's office. Successful salespeople will have a nimble ability to get themselves noticed through a variety of on-line, email, and telephone strategies.

Organizations like Jill Konrath's Selling to Big Companies will be helping successful sales people develop these techniques.

[Ken Thoreson]

While I can't disagree with anyone's comments; my prediction for success in 2010 is based upon the following assumption: "because of continuing economic challenges, most decision makers will have multiple proposals for unrelated products/services all competing for the same monies." In 2010 the salesperson must understand and speak to the short and long term business challenges of the decison maker and show how their solution solves hose challenges. The Art of Discovery or connecting the dot's of the BDM's problems vs how your solutions solve them will be the key.

[Nialldevitt]

Hi Jill, Great post and great comments. I concur strongly with all of then. My instinct tells me that a crucial factor next year will be the ability of the salesperson to get inside the head of the c-level executives. In other words, research, business acumen and aligning your positioning with the direction of the key decision makers will become the influential factor in deciding who wins the business. Effectively selling your product or solution alone will no longer cut the mustard :)

Less meetings will meet that time management will become even more critical.
As a recent convert to the sales 2.0 world, I think it fair to say that social networking tools will increase in their effectiveness as more people engage professionally.

But ultimately you are of course right, the bottom line here is the seller's ability to bring value to the relationship.

Thanks for asking,
Niall

[Elinor Stutz]

Hearing that hundreds of millions of users are utilizing Facebook and Twitter, I predict that the savvy salespeople will quickly learn to utilize these new social media tools to find prospects in their own locale as well as internationally.

Furthermore, the old venue of sell, sell, sell will work less and less. Attracting business is far more powerful. The combination of old fashioned concept of integrity and offering snippets of advice on new age social media will bring about the best results.

[Josiane Feigon]

Salespeople will continue to struggle with finding the Power Buyer- this all illusive character will be harder to find. Literally by phone, email, gatekeeper. Salespeople must learn to be productive in the clouds and align with the hidden sources of power in organizations if they want to make any money in 2010.

[Tom "Bald Dog" Varjan]

Jill, I think one of the greatest values salespeople can bring to their meetings is the absence of the hidden agenda that they have to make the sale and squeeze money out of prospects whatever it takes.

When they are busy with their own agendas of making the sale no matter what, they can't properly listen to prospects and facilitate proper diagnosis.

And this is what the RainToday study confirms that one of clients' major pet peeves is that salespeople don't listen.

I also believe that over time the importance of the sales presentation fades out and gets replaced by diagnosis, facilitated by the salesperson. And this diagnosis is not about sellers' products and services but buyers' issues.

Traditional "number's game" type prospecting keeps marching into obsolescence, and buyers will invent new peddler fodders to dodge aggressive peddlers.

[Kelley Robertson]

What can I add that hasn't already been stated?

I'll repeat the concept of providing value. BUT...not in the traditional terms of product or service.

Instead, the top sellers will postition themselves as partners with their clients and customers. They will help their customers solve a variety of business problems and become a resource for the key decision makers in the company.

This will require sellers to stop thinking about strictly selling their product or service, and instead, focus on looking for strategies to help their customers improve their business results.

Sellers who focus on winning price wars will continue to struggle while the small percentage of salespeople who grasp and understand the concept of becoming a stratgic partner will flourish.

[Paul_mccord]

Jill,

Your post has brought out some really great responses, most of which focus on the seller's relationship to the decision maker.

I agree that the relationship will be more critical than ever, but I also predict that finding and connecting with decision makers will be even more difficult than in the past and that sellers will have to reevaluate and revamp their prospecting and personal marketing methodologies in order to develop ways of connecting that prospects will accept, respect and respond to.

As decision makers increasingly ignore our attempts to connect, we’ll have to meet them on their terms rather than trying to force them to listen to us as we have in the past.

[Scott Marker]

For 2010, Sales Professionals must...

First! Put a plan together of how to “Retain” you existing profitable customers

Then...

Do a better job of qualifying profitable customers, not all customers are profitable

Find / use more strategic and creative ways to get into contact with decision makers, i.e. references, Facebook, LinkedIn, newsletters with value tips, etc.

Re-tool / strengthen value propositions.... Success Stories Sell (Read “Selling to BIG Companies”, Jill Konrath)

Re-tool / strengthen great questions to prospects (Read "Question Your Way To Sales Success”, Dave Kahle), sign up for his Ezine and Art Sobczak’s Ezine and / or CD’s, he is the Obi-Wan Kenobi of questions / probing

Relationships, Relationships, Relationships... are one of the biggest keys to my success in 2009 and will carry into 2010.

Automate all of the above, use a CRM. “Automate Your Memory” & “Automate Your Follow Up”!

Just my two cents and thanks to everyone elses ideas.

Wish everyone success in 2010!

Scott Marker

Twenty-year B2B sales veteran
Founder of MSA
Author & Publisher

P.S. I have no affiliation with any of the Sales Experts I recommend. They are just my top three going into 2010.

[Marcus Sheridan]

This has been fun Jill..Good idea.....Ok, so my simple prediction is that way too many sales people will blame the economy, creditors, the government, etc for their shortfalls.....but I also predict a certain few will continue to rise to the occasion and look in the mirror each day for answers and accountability...(I'm sure the latter would apply to everyone that's commented here;-)

[Ed Gandia]

Couldn't agree more with you, Jill! My prediction is that in 2010 salespeople will HAVE to start selling strategically in order to survive and thrive. There was room for tactical, features-based, price-focused approaches before when times were good. But in this environment, there's absolutely NO room for subpar, sloppy, seat-of-your-pants performance. In 2010, it will be about value-focused, strategic selling. Great post!

[Mary Hunt]

I'm surprised that no one predicted the GREEN value of products and services. Companies wanting to do business with Wal Mart are encouraged to answer 15 eco questions about their company and product. The same is true for those wanting to sell products to the LA Community College District. While it isn't yet required, being able to answer any level of questions tells the buyer something about the vendor's commitment level.

[FaulknerDesiree]

Make your own life more easy get the credit loans and all you want.