Are YOU On Demand?, Part 1

Why does anyone enter the highly respected profession of sales?  (Yeah, that was totally tongue-in-cheek).  I will tell you why, because we see an opportunity to likely feed our families and achieve our dreams via our natural gift of conversation or relationalism.  The ability to find commonality with just about anyone.

I am pretty sure, if you are in sales, you can relate with this notion.  You probably have been told over the years that you have the "gift of gab" or "get along with anyone." So, you gave up your first career of teaching, accounting, pizza delivery, paint stripping, or warehousing to enter the dynamic world of sales.

Let me ask you a question - is that enough?  Is the difference maker between highly consistent and successful sales professionals simply that some are more interactive than others?  No!  You have probably felt some measure of success, but you've had setbacks.  Yes, even self doubt at times.  I think I may be able to tell you WHY!

Almost as long as we've roamed this earth, there has been the sales profession.  I am here to tell you, though, that it has changed.  This function, this role, has changed - and changed forever.  Your bells and whistles should have been going off in the back of your head when you started hearing the entire world begin to talk about "Social" media, and when you can't take a break a conference anymore without seeing an entire sea of people staring downward at 3" x 5" screens.  This technology, this connectivity, has put a potential wall between you and your client.

You compete for the client's attention with a friend from 6th grade who just reached out to them on facebook who was an extra in the latest vampire movie, making them somehow way more interesting than they were the last 30 years.  With the tweet from a celebrity complaining that their Italian 38 cylinder sportscar is overheating in the traffic jam in Los Angeles.  With the page on Pinterest providing all the possible uses for lemon zest.  Yes, today's tools allow for 2 things: 1) constant entertainment, and 2) On demand facts.  The client isn't always rude enough to bust out the device in person and begin surfing, but even that is becoming more prevalent.  No, the most common place we feel the impact is when we are trying to reach them when they are not in front of us.  It's just to easy to hit "decline" on the touch screen to resume watching the latest YouTube video of 1,000 college students dancing to a nightclub remix while wearing clown suits.  Yep.  That was more important than you.

So here's the question: What's your plan to remain relevant in the On-demand Generation?

Well, if you haven't figured out how to deal with it while you yourself were playing the latest edition of "Angry Birds", here's your chance to ponder it.  I will spend the next few postings addressing these issues, but here's my first recommendation:

Present the needed facts in a simple, prompt, yet engaging manner. 

Yes, all personalities and types are unique, so this isn't true for all, but neither is anything else!  In general, you must become like their smartphone.  Simple, prompt, yet engaging.  Stop leaning on just your personality, and realize that every time they pick up that device, they are TRAINING themselves to demand that same responsiveness from the other things in their lives.  You are included in that.  Imagine if, as it relates to YOUR product, if you could be simple, prompt, and engaging - just like their smart device.  Think that may make them buy from you?  You bet!  Think they may grow trust in you and your knowledge base?  You bet!

Check back in as I dig deeper into this theory.  Together, we may get... smarter!