Soar to Success December 2021

What Sales Skills Can We Develop That Makes Salespeople Automation Proof in a Digital World? By Mark Roberts Y our mindset is critical to your success in sales. (Any job really) I work with many sales teams and there is a fear just beneath the surface with many salespeople negatively impacting their performance today: “Willmy jobbe eliminatedwithautomation?” “Will e-commerce and digitalization be the end of salespeople? “Will virtual sales be the final death blow to face to face selling?” The reality is some transactional sales roles that involve order entry and/or order verification and communicating ship dates will be replaced by automation, it’s just a matter of when. However, there are skills our sales teams need to develop that the Bots cannot replace. How do we make the role of salesperson “automation proof?” A report from McKinsey estimates that close to half of all US jobs may be automated in the next decade. Automation technologies including AI and robotics will generate significant benefits for users, businesses, and economies. No wonder some sales teams are afraid. The trouble with fear is it does not motivate but cripples’ salespeople. Buyers today are sharing what they want from salespeople, and it is product and market insights they cannot find in online searches today. Buyers are hungry to meet with salespeople who can connect the dots between what they are selling and how it will impact the buyers’ bottom line, but sadly less than 14% of salespeople are today. This leads us to the question: What skills can we develop in our sales teams that are automation proof? Is it any surprise the status quo (doing nothing) costs sellers more lost sales than competitors? Our job today as modern sales leaders is to shape and coach the path strategically understanding both buyers and our salespeople.