The world is changing. The craft of selling is changing. I have been spending a lot of time lately working with younger people. Dare I call them “hotshots.” These salespeople are two generations removed from my own demographic and actually most of our industry’s demographic. Yup, they are mostly thirty years old or even younger and they are hungry, ambitious, passionate and they want to succeed.

I would be lying if I did not say that working with them is like a breath of fresh air. After years of tired old salespeople making the same lame excuses of why they are not succeeding like “cold calling is dead and buyers don’t want to see anybody anymore”, and the ever popular “I can’t take them to lunch.” It is so refreshing to be working with this new team of salespeople who are telling me things like, “I love to make sales calls!” and “I love the chase of the sale!” That it is invigorating. And the good news is that they are also ready to do everything to learn how to do what they do even better. And yes they are ready to hear and use what I have to say.

I wish all of you could be on the calls I am having with this sales team I am working with. You would be amazed by their attitude, and you would be even more amazed at the success they are having. How if you make twenty or so calls a day, you will get appointments! And if you plan what you are going to say during those appointments you will get orders! Isn’t that something? Take it from me, it works. I’m watching it work.

And here is a cool thing, they are not “board guys” they are sales guys with backgrounds in selling everything from windows to cars! And they are getting it done in the classic way of “Hire for passion and teach the product.” And get this…they are fascinated by our products. When was the last time you heard someone flipping out about selling printed circuit boards?

Besides being passionate and fearless they are also finding new ways to sell. For years now people have been using the same sales strategies and techniques and tactics to sell their products and frankly it has gotten pretty stale. But now, I am watching this young team come up with new ways to sell and new out of the box ways to sell their products and services. 

Here are the some the things they are using on their road to success:

Interactive Social Media Campaigns: Creating interactive content on social media platforms such as HubSpot to not only track their sales activity from prospecting to lead generation, to setting up meetings to quoting to closing the deal. They are creating vital and important sequence messaging designed to drive the customer to the companies they represent.

They are doing such a great job engaging with and servicing their customers that they are having no problem getting these satisfied customers to become brand ambassadors and just about sell their products for them. Their customers are actually recommending them to other potential customers in their networks through referral programs or affiliate marketing. Yes, they are creating a loyal army of brand ambassadors who are more than happy to tell other people about them.

Collaborative Selling: They are partnering with influencers, bloggers, or other businesses to co-create exclusive products or services and leverage their audiences for promotion. Collaboration works!

Community Building: Fostering a sense of community among their customers by creating online forums, Facebook groups, or offline meetups where they can connect with each other and share their experiences. They are actually bringing their customers together. Their customers actually know one another and are starting to act like a software user list. Stay tuned,  this is pretty new so let’s see where this goes.

Content Marketing Campaigns: They are always developing compelling content such as blog posts, videos, or podcasts that educate, entertain, and inspire their target audience while subtly promoting their offerings. They are giving their customers and prospective customers valuable information and data. They are also partnering with industry experts, giving them a forum by developing an interested audience to come and listen and learn.

Collaborative Workshops: One of the things they are planning for the future is developing partnerships with businesses (even customers) to host collaborative workshops or masterclasses that provide valuable knowledge and insights while subtly promoting their offerings.

By incorporating these innovative strategies into their holistic sales approach, they are differentiating their brand to capture the attention of potential customers and drive increased sales and revenue. And here is the best part: they are doing this for their principals. Imagine having an entire plug and play sales team take over your company’s sales and marketing efforts? Now compare that approach to the old and tired and failing rep-principal relationship we have been struggling with for decades. This is a whole new and innovative and exciting way to sell. It’s only common sense.