How Sales Technology Has Evolved






Salespeople constantly adopt new technologies to make sales more strategic and efficient. These technological developments disrupt the sales system and equip sales reps with more tools to best optimize their performance. Currently, modern sales technology continues to change every stage of the sales process and the way reps engage with customers.

Yet, this isn’t a new concept. Here’s an example: the invention of the telephone in 1876 along with an ancient manuscript, the phone book, created telemarketing, the most revolutionary sales process of the time. However, cold calling is now an outdated concept. Younger generations tend to ignore calls from unknown numbers and no longer use voicemail. Even further, governments have extensively started to regulate cold calls. For example, the US Federal Trade Commission created the “Do Not Call Registry” to restrict unwanted calls from cold calling systems. From the invention of the printing press to modern data analytics, it’s important to remember past developments so that we can successfully prepare for the future of sales technology.

Technology is changing the sales game. A company’s ability to use new tools and software is now a necessity to run a competitive business. Organizations need to be willing to adopt the latest technological developments or they risk being left behind.

Fortunately, future generations of salespeople will be far more versed and comfortable using modern technology. By 2020, millennials will account for roughly half of the US workforce. At the same time, companies plan to increase hiring in their sales department by 36%. Millennials are entering the sales field in record numbers as a generation capable of handling large volumes of information and adapting quickly to new sales techniques. On that note, it’s time to step up your recruiting, embrace sales technology, and realize it’s leading to more productive sales and increased revenues (and isn’t that what we all want these days?) Welcome to the future of sales!