Process-Centric Sales

In the high-tech world, we're constantly focused on improving processes. Manufacturing, R&D, testing, and engineering can all be improved by mathematical means like Six Sigma and the like. So, is sales such a process? Treated as a process, can sales be optimized in the same mathematical manner? Perhaps. But ask your customers how they feel about that.

I recently had a conversation with a client about restructuring their sales department to be "optimized" for performance. They would segment the talents for "hunting" and "farming." Sales warriors devoted to hunting down the next opportunity would close a deal, then hand it off to farmers who excel at account management and relationship building. Seems ideal, right?

But, nobody in the room was prepared to talk about the recent challenges that occured when several customers suddenly went cold after being introduced to their new rep. In situations like those, it becomes obvious that people buy from people, not companies or brands. Can customers be modularized and moved along an assembly line?

While nearly every aspect of product manufacturing and delivery is scientific... sales is still an art. Art cannot be improved mathematically. It cannot be taught, nor learned.

Have you ordered new phone service recently, or purchased any major enterprise software? It is this process-centric approach toward sales that has resulted in the poor customer service and impersonal sales style that plagues major companies today.