Sales may be a “numbers” game but selling is not.
We often confuse the two. Treating prospects as a “number” that we need to reach more broadly, and more frequently.
I had the opportunity this year to evaluate a half a dozen new AI enable sale and marketing tools on the market. New tools that promise the world but at the end of the day they deliver basically the same thing we are using tools for today.
- Volume – aka scale, scratching the “reach more’ prospect itch
- Speed – scratching the “more frequently’ itch
- Efficiency – an output of speed and some interesting capabilities to improve productivity
If the goal is greater efficiency you’re in luck, but if it’s efficiency AND effectiveness you’ll be disappointed.
Why? Because performance is not a scale or speed issue, in fact, they make it worse. To get to the root of the performance problem, you have to do post modem on stalled or lost deals.
Here’s what we’ve seen based on our assessments:
- Corporate Priorities – as in you’re no longer on it, priorities shift all the time as well as budgets, this one is interesting because companies often come back to solving the issue at some point
- ROE – the costs, the solution, resources investment, timeline, roi, etc. and/or some combination of those kills the decision
- Motivation – loss of sponsorship, other priorities, effort level, elements of ROE slow the progress
- Inside Job – they did it themselves, gave it to an existing vendor, picked someone they knew/trusted, etc.
Can you think of any sales or marketing tool that can fix the bullets above? If you answered no, you’re right, because they are “selling problems.”
Keep that in mind as you’re watching demos of the latest and greatest.
