What happens when a company has stocked a large group of traditional salespeople to represent their brand then the market suddenly changes? In the past the strategy of acquiring the best salespeople in the business moved a lot of product. Those people who could sell ice to Eskimos made a great living and brought in a ton of revenue for their companies.
Today’s consumer is loaded with choices and armed with information. There are fewer “product experts” because everyone has the resources to be an expert themselves. (How many “Do-It-Yourself” stores and TV programs are there to reinforce this??) So, how are companies coping? Better yet, are those salespeople making adjustments to their styles or just force-feeding old-school techniques to the new-age buyer? How’s that working for you? What’s the alternative?