I'll admit it, I've finally bought into "Sales 2.0". I wrote earlier this week about how the "Sales 2.0" term is still not used or recognized by sales leaders, and it won't be until the definition of Sales 2.0 better reflects the new dynamics of the buying cycle. But after attending the Sales 2.0 Conference in Boston this week, I think the definition is much closer to being there than it was when I first got exposed to it three years ago.
The best evidence of this was when hosts Gerhard Gschwandtner and David Thompson were giving the opening remarks, and one of them asked "Shouldn't we call it Buying 2.0". (You had me at "Buying".) David flashed a definition on the screen:
Sales 2.0 combines customer-focused processes with Web 2.0 productivity technologies to enhance the art and science of selling while creating customer value.
Eric Berridge, co-founder of Bluewolf made a great point that the balance of information (between buyer and seller) hasn't changed...rather the buyer's information has gone up AND the seller's information has gone up. The key is making sure the sellers have the right information at the right time for the current opportunity.
The elephant in the room: recession, fear, layoffs.
The advice: Go on the offensive.
I'm seeing that too many sales and marketing leaders are putting their heads down and adopting a "do nothing" strategy, thinking that this is the safe strategy. Do you think if you go unnoticed, you won't get fired? That's a sure way to miss your number.
I'm taking the opposite approach. I'm talking with more than one of the "Sales 2.0" tool providers that I think can help me build pipeline this year. As a VP of Marketing, if I take a "do nothing" strategy, I will not survive.
