Run Away to Join the New Circus - Sales 2.0 Whitepaper Part 1

Sales 2.0 Whitepaper: Part I
Sales 2.0 Whitepaper: Part I
Run away
to Join the
New circus.
© Copyright 2007, CSO Insights All Rights Reserved Sales 2.0 Whitepaper: Part I
Acknowledgements
CSO Insights: We wish to thank Landslide Technologies, Inc. for underwriting the Jim Dickie development and production of this white paper series. Beyond this Managing Partner financial support, we specifically wish to thank Razi Imam, CEO & Founder ph: (303) 530-5930 of Landslide, and Saman Haqqi, Vice President Marketing, for their thought-jim.dickie@csoinsights.com ful input and lively debate as we developed the concepts presented here. Barry Trailer Terms & ConditionsManaging Partnerph: (415) 924-3500 Printed in the United States of America. Except as permitted under the barry.trailer@csoinsights.com United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be produced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher except in the cases of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For additional information, contact CSO Insights, 4524 Northfield Court, Boulder, CO 80301, Phone: (303) 530-6930, email: jim.dickie@csoinsights.com.
The reader understands that the information and data used in preparation of this report were as accurate as possible at the time of preparation by the publisher. The publisher assumes no responsibility to update the information or publication. The publisher assumes that the readers will use the infor- mation contained in this publication for the purpose of informing themselves on the matters that form the subject of this publication. It is sold with the understanding that neither the authors nor those individuals interviewed are engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal or other expert advice is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. The publisher assumes no responsibility for any use to which the purchaser puts this information.
All views expressed in this report are those of the individuals interviewed and do not necessarily reflect those of the companies or organizations they may be affiliated with, including CSO Insights, Insight Technology Group, or Sales Mastery. All trademarks are those of their respective companies.
© Copyright 2007, CSO Insights All Rights Reserved Sales 2.0 Whitepaper: Part I
Executive Summary
Have you heard the story about the old commissioner of the U.S. Patent Office? In 1899 he suggested that the office be closed because everything that could be invented already had been. It would be easy to feel the same way about sales-that everything that could be said has been. Why should you take the time to read yet another paper on the topic?
We would agree that most of what needs to be said about the history of sales has indeed been said; now it is time to look at the future of sales. This paper distinguishes between the two sides of this tipping point, and borrows a labeling convention being used for the Internet. We are calling what has gone on in sales until now Sales 1.0 (S1.0). We are labeling what is currently taking shape and what will be needed to succeed in the new business environment Sales 2.0 (S2.0).
This is not a primer on sales process, but it does build on this model. This is not a trashing of S1.0, but a recognition that we must move beyond historic approaches. This does not claim to be the definitive word on what will come next, but it does offer a definition and examples of what is now available and how many firms are leveraging people, process, technology, and knowledge to make significant gains. "Now this is not the end," Winston Churchill once said. "It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."
What sales is has not changed. How sales are accomplished is changing radically. In this first of a two-part paper, we present an overview of the state of sales today, supported by metrics from our 2007 Sales Performance Optimization survey. A brief overview: Sales rep turnover is higher, new rep ramp-up times are longer, and despite the fact that more leads result in initial meetings, a lower percentage of initial meetings result in presenta-tions. And fewer presentations are leading to deals closing. In sh... [download for more]