We have been hearing about the end of selling for most of the last 30 years. It has been projected that technology would replace the need for pesky, pushy salespeople.
First, it was the FAX machine ending the need to speak to a salesperson simply to place an order. Did the FAX machine kill the salesperson?
No!
Next, came the internet and the ability to do our own research and make our own decisions. Did the Internet kill the salesperson?
No!
Next, came the Bots that SPAM us in the most sophisticated ways in order to create sales pipelines and endless clickbait. Did the Bots kill the salesperson?
No!
Next, came social media and the world of the Influencer. Influencers are powerful but they are nothing new. In the 1950s, during the birth of modern advertising, high profile actors and even physicians pitched us everything from cigarettes to booze. Have Influencers killed the salesperson?
No!
Why does business need salespeople?
Because, whether it is the newest gadget or fashion that we didn’t know we needed, we simply want to consume.
Fortunately, or not, humans have an innate need for status and for novelty in their lives. We want more, bigger, faster, better….. endless!
We love to buy and so the role of the salesperson is changing but not disappearing.
In 2021 there were approximately 1.03 million sales, and related professionals in the United Kingdom, compared with 976.5 thousand in the previous year. Up from 875.3 thousand in 2012.
Source: Office for National Statistics (UK); 2010 to 2021
The future of selling will change and evolve but, for the foreseeable future, selling is secure.
‘Sir, May I help you today?’