UP FOR GRABS: HOW A FUTURE OF SALES SPEAKER SEES SALESPERSONS’ ROLES GOING FORWARD

Put the question to any future of sales speaker, online/mobile/social selling consultant or futurist about how the role of salespersons and salespeople is changing and you’ll get a variety of different answers. It’s a phenomenon that reflects the multitude of new advancements and technologies coming to and changing the shape of the field. Commonly tapped to work as future of sales speakers, futurists and consultants, we thought we’d do some of the research for you. A few types of roles for salespeople that will be impacted by new trends and innovations in the years ahead will be:

• Inside sales – Sales conducted remotely via phone, email, video conferencing. Don’t meet customers face-to-face. Common in B2B sales.
• Outside sales – Sales reps meet with customers in person to make presentations and close deals. More relationship focused.
• Field sales – Sales reps who travel to meet clients onsite at their office locations or home. Often cover a specific geographic territory as we’re told by top future of sales speakers and futurists.
• Retail sales – Selling products and services directly to consumers in physical store locations. High customer volume.
• Business-to-business (B2B) sales – Selling products and services between businesses, not directly to consumers. More complex sales cycle.
• Business-to-consumer (B2C) sales – Selling directly to individual consumer customers. More transactional.
• Online sales – Utilizing websites, apps, social media to sell products and services online as future of sales speakers define the practice. Provides for cost efficient digital sales.
• International sales – Selling products and services across country borders. Requires expertise in export/import laws and cultural nuances.
• Direct sales – Selling directly to consumers away from a fixed retail location through parties, one-to-one demonstrations and referrals.
• Channel sales – Managing sales through third-party resellers and distribution channels to expand reach.

The bottom line according to future of sales speakers being that sales roles can focus on different customer types, locations, and distribution methods depending on the product and industry – and virtually all will be impacted by new advancements going forward.