How Sales Is Totally Different From 10 Years Ago: RIP the Sales Funnel

When I worked for IBM back in the 1980s I went through their sales training.  At the heart of their approach, considered then simply the best in the world, was the structured sales call.  For years I have taught this approach to MBAs and you could hear a pin drop when I went through it, they loved it.  A couple of years ago I taught on an exec course and a sales manager from Alberta piped that they don't sell like that anymore - and he was right.  Another example of how what I learned when I was young[er]  is no longer relevant for today - something that C-suite executives most constantly keep in mind!

The world of sales has changed. Customers don't want to spend 40 minutes telling you about their problems and then you will tell them if you can help them.  Plus social media has changed the sales landscape.  What follows is an interview with Brian Fetherstonhaugh, other than having the most misspelled name in the world heads up OgilvyOne which is the online medium, new media part, of Ogilvy & Mather, one of the great advertising firm in the world.

Read full article: Forbes, August 1, 2011