December 28: “We would like to change the way we work, but we don’t have time and resources to develop our people” Typically, some of the busy business leaders would make this statement, as they would be occupied with various activities that usually takes away a lot of time on a regular basis. If that’s the situation, how will we be able to address the people-related priorities that need our attention? Do we consider developing our own team as a strategic priority?

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn”. – Alvin Toffler

Businessmen, Experts, Technologists and Futurists have suggested that the next few decades will herald the fourth industrial revolution. The fourth industrial revolution will be certainly driven by digitization, information and communications technology, machine learning, robotics and artificial intelligence; and will shift a good part of decision-making mechanisms from humans to machines. The ability to strike the right balance between human intelligence and artificial intelligence will be key for any sustainable growth. Climate change, Pandemic, geopolitical situations, localisation vs Globalisation, ageing population, and disruptive technologies will alter our ways of working.

How do we build Sales capabilities in the current times? Are we heading towards a “Renaissance” period for reinventing sales and businesses?

Selling is probably as old as the history of any economic activity. It has some timeless challenges and opportunities for any business. Nothing dramatically new, nothing of some outstanding importance has been discovered in recent years when it comes to sales as a function. As a philosophy, most of what we know has been known for ages.

Will the ensuing societal changes have a profound impact on B2B Selling and B2C selling? All aspects of the customer acquisition process, Account retention, Key Account Management, Stakeholder Management, and the whole meaning of sales productivity will undergo a substantial change. Clearly, we have entered a new phase of performing sales. And this period will be far for inclusive than ever before. A new approach towards conducting our business will have its roots in timeless wisdom with enormous abilities to absorb the benefits emerging from an AI-driven economy. And this Sales renaissance emerges with the diversity of thoughts, discerning views, heterogenous work cultures, and constantly changing landscape of business.

Some questions –

• What do we refresh in our sales and business approach with all the sweeping changes happening around?
• What do we do to retain timeless wisdom despite all the disruptive changes happening around us?
• What will be the significant changes in the ways to lead people?
• What will be the changes in the ways to measure productivity and impact on the business?

Many more questions need constant reflection and openness to embrace changes. Sales renaissance emerges with the diversity of thoughts, discerning views, heterogenous work cultures and constantly changing landscape of business.

Are we inclusive enough to navigate through these changes? Let’s face the questions.

About the author:

Dinkar Rao is an internationally acclaimed business coach.

He is the Founder of Groval Euler’s (www.grovaleulers.com),

Groval Selelctia (www.grovalselectia.com) and Kabir Learning Foundation (www.kabirlearning.in ).

You can reach him out at his email ID: [email protected]