s EQ

The sales profession is in the midst of a perfect storm. Buyers have more power-more information, more at stake, and more control over the sales process-than any time in history. Technology is bringing disruptive change at an ever-increasing pace, creating fear and uncertainty that leaves buyers clinging to the status quo. Deteriorating attention spans have made it difficult to get buyers to sit still long enough to “challenge,” “teach,” “help,” give “insight,” or sell “value.” And a relentless onslaught of “me-too” competitors have made differentiating on the attributes of products, services, or even price more difficult than ever.

Legions of salespeople and their leaders are coming face to face with a cold hard truth: what once gave salespeople a competitive edge-controlling the sales process, command of product knowledge, an arsenal of technology, and a great pitch-are no longer guarantees of success. Yet this is where the vast majority of the roughly $20 billion spent each year on sales training goes.