Tech stacks are a mile high for sellers – and they cost beaucoup bucks for the companies that buy them. Of course, tech tools can automate redundant tasks and helps sellers expand their reach significantly. But there’s a tipping point where the purpose gets lost in the shuffle.
As Gartner notes in its latest CSO Quarterly, 49% of salespeople are overwhelmed by the number of technologies needed to do their work, and 59% consider new tech to be a hindrance. Meanwhile, efficiency gains from technology have grown smaller and more costly.
Begging for a Paradigm Shift - stop wasting money on tech.
So what’s the solution? How do we keep harnessing technology without becoming its servant? Gartner recommends that sales leaders and sellers of the future think of it as Technology as a Teammate (TaaT), instead of just Technology as a Tool.
Does that mean Tech should replace us altogether? Will we look over where John used to sit, and see a software program instead? No.
Instead, John will still be at his desk. But he’ll have Technology as a Teammate sitting next to him. And because of this, John will be more empowered to be what technology will never be: a human.
Where Sellers Outshine Technology
Gartner notes that human sellers have the unique ability and opportunity to address the emotional component of purchase decisions.
We can’t overlook the fact that for the buyer, a purchasing decision can be overwhelming and stressful.
Humans are emotional creatures. Humans are social creatures. This is why the fear of making the wrong decision can lead to analysis paralysis in buyers.
At any given moment, buyers may be thinking:
What if I champion the wrong solution to the rest of the buying committee?
What will my peers and leaders think of me if this fails?
It sounds like this product works for other companies, but what if it doesn’t work for ours?
Am I just being sold to right now?
So, do sellers need to be stand-in therapists for their buyers? Of course not. But sellers must guide the buyer through the process by putting themselves in the buyer’s shoes. They must maintain an awareness of the buyer’s emotional state. This awareness then informs how a solution is presented.
But why a solution is presented will hinge on a diagnosis of the buyer’s situation that is rooted in objective fact.
This is how we help buyers win: by validating their decision with a root-cause diagnosis and solution. According to Gartner, “When buyers experience value affirmation, they are 30% more likely to complete a high-quality deal.”
In turn, this is how sellers win: not by focusing on selling, but by focusing on guiding, helping, and validating the buyer.
Meanwhile, Technology as a Teammate empowers sellers to be better humans by automating redundant tasks, summarizing research, recording calls, taking notes, and operationalizing their sales approach.
"Wasted Money on Tech? What Sellers Can Do that Technology Can’t"
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