Selling In The Roaring Twenties?

So many an opinion piece across the waves about what the decade gone brought, and that which the oncoming may bring.

These are usually fertile ground for a sales kick-off event any early-Jan. But especially 2020’s.

Who foresaw all the major b2b selling changes since 2010?

The near total inability to gain old-school cold-call entry?

How you must now try distil messages into social media style snippets.

The rise of digital marketing ads killing mailshots.

Virtualisation of just about everything to an on-demand app style provision.

OpEx replacing CapEx through monthly rental payments.

Training Days replaced by Training Hour’s.

Your sector undoubtedly knows these and more. Useful for a moment of reflection, and tee-up the New Year’s drive.

Then there’s what could happen tomorrow.

Always a fraught exercise and perhaps, fool’s errand.

I read for instance about how travel and tourism may change. Destinations currently considered ‘extreme’ becoming mainstream, from autocracies to space. Modes of getting there then staying surely seeing imminent upheavals.

For commercial sales, crystal-balling an entire decade is set to send you crazy.

Remember how e-auction procurement would render salespeople obsolete as ’99 turned 2000?

Which makes me think too about selling (or your industry) predictions that did not come through as basis for a slide.

Still, now’s the time to read the stones and help give your desired direction ahead one of many pushes it’ll no doubt need with a slot at your next internal conference.