Man vs. Machine - The Eternal Sales Effectiveness Debate - Newsletter Series Nº 4

I talk to startups and small business owners several times a week, and our chats often include discussions on building sales teams and optimizing sales programs. One of the most recurring and divisive subjects is whether a company should invest their finite resources into an actual sales team or focus their capital on sales enablement technology. A sales team represents a large recurring expenditure that may or may not deliver while technology could automate the majority of sales outreach with predictable results. What is fascinating to me is that regardless who I talk to there seems to be little to no middle ground with this debate as companies take a very “right/wrong” approach. In my experience the reality is that neither option is 100% right or wrong! Businesses do not realize how close they could be to an optimal solution if they could find a compromise between the two. Data shows that a sales team reaching out to customers as well as fully automated outreach can each be effective on their own to a certain degree but the best results will truly happen with a multi-channel strategy blending the best of both worlds.

This debate reminds me of how people go for fad diets or fitness crazes where it seems to be more attractive or easier to stick to something extreme for a short time rather than dedicate themselves to a long-term solution such as a balanced diet and regular exercise routine. You might get results quickly with these extreme diet and exercise programs but they typically are not sustainable or healthy in the long run. For a brief moment they provide an illusion of success but results are only fleeting and typically disappear quickly.

Cold calling (calling on potential customers with no prior business relationship) to solicit business became popular in the 1970s and was quite effective for decades to come. Unfortunately, as with any technological breakthrough, this business development strategy was exploited by scammers and con artists which over time conditioned customers to become wary of unsolicited phone calls of any kind.

Fast forward to today:  Businesses have technology at their disposal such as email automation, text messages, social media, predictive analytics, voicemail drops, auto-dialers, and AI/chatbots just to name a few. This ever-changing tool mix allows for businesses to have access to low cost options which enable their sales teams to be more efficient than ever before.

Today’s technologies are typically low cost, high yield, and have fewer uncontrollable variables than their human counterparts who come with varying skill sets, work ethic, attitudes and emotions. The decision to remove the human component for technology seems to be the logical and easy answer but why then are sales organizations everywhere still struggling to optimize their sales programs?

Could it be possible that the exact variables companies are seeking to control and remove were actually key components that persuaded prospects and customers to move forward? Maybe that is exactly what was missing: the human element.

The video embedded in this newsletter discusses the science of persuasion, and I've linked the video to start from its explanation of one of the six components of persuasion: likability.  The video goes on to discuss how reciprocal conversation and becoming likable to the person on the other side of the table will actually greatly impact results in a positive way for both (or "grow the pie" as it is sometimes referred to in negotiation strategy). I am confident that nobody has ever become friends with a chat bot…

I like to think of these new sales enablement tools as the Power Loader mech-suit from the movie Aliens. In the movie this mechanical suit gives the human operator the strength and power to fight the onslaught of aliens attacking. The human and the mech-suit on their own would be powerless but together they can not only survive but also defeat the aliens. The two are meant to compliment each other, not replace one another.

If you are a part of a sales team and do not feel like you are capitalizing on sales enablement technologies and being as effective as you could be, reply to this email so we can explore options together. If you feel that you are up to speed on the latest sales enablement technologies but are still struggling to convert prospects, let’s talk.