During the past years, there has been a growing discussion about how technology has been affecting the Sales profession, a discussion that has intensified recently, with the rapid development of Artificial Intelligence that already has been affecting many aspects of our lives. One of the main questions that has arisen is whether Legacy (Traditional) Sales models still have a place in today’s Sales environment.
Undoubtedly, the buyer’s behaviour has changed not only regarding B2C Sales, but also in B2B. Recent reports show that today’s purchasers overwhelmingly prefer digital and self-guided journeys. According to Gartner, 75% of B2B buyers prefer a rep-free experience, which can be explained by the fact that 71% of these people are Millennials and Gen Z, so their expectations differ quite significantly from past generations. This means that traditional models that are built around heavy face-to-face meetings and seller-controlled processes do not seem to depict how contemporary customers want to buy.
On the other hand, the need for human interaction is surely present, but Salespeople must understand when and where it will add Value to the whole process. This is especially true for complex deals with multi-stakeholder purchase committees that “rep-free” buying may be dominating during the early stages, but digital efficiency must be blended with traditional field selling and human expertise that are paramount for valuable insights and trust-building. Sales representatives still play a key role in negotiation, technical validation, shaping contracts and service level agreements.
With regards to legacy Sales management philosophies that measure success through the volume of Sales activities such as calls made and emails sent, their reign seems to be ending, as there is a shift from activity-based management to outcome-based dashboards. Nowadays, more emphasis is given to qualitative KPIs like buying signals, response timing and conversion rates, so more focus is given to precision rather than busyness.
Moreover, traditional “static” Sales funnels that are based on manual qualification and solely on the intuition of Salespeople are in danger to become obsolete. Modern B2B success depends on predictive analytics and AI-supported insights that are now the drivers of pipeline organisation.
From the above, it is evident that traditional Sales models are not disappearing, but their role is surely being reshaped by the shifts in B2B purchase behaviour and the AI revolution. Legacy models are still essential as they highlight the human element of selling, which is much required by customers, especially during the advanced stages of the Sales cycle, but they need to be fusioned with digitisation and buyer-centric practices that reflect the way that organisations are making their purchases in the modern era.