We all know and expect that continued advances in technology are changing everything about 
business and the way we sell. If the United States is ever going to become “great again” through increased manufacturing jobs, advanced robotics are going play a prevalent role in the comeback. The real challenge to the US workforce is acquiring and using the skills needed to program the robotics, analyze the data, and keep the factories running as efficiently and cost effectively as possible.
Advances in Robotics will not be confined just to manufacturing. One of the most interesting potential application of robotics and artificial intelligence will be in field of selling and potentially even on your sales job. As industries and markets become commoditized, the need for Sales Professionals will be reduced and most likely eliminated. Imagine for a moment this scenario:
Customer A is looking to source a material that is used in the production of their oldest and most mature selling product. They have been using several vendors for the past decade and each vendor has a sales team to take the orders and oversee the order. The customer is always looking for the lowest possible price. Vendor A – knowing that every penny counts – thinks of ways to reduce costs; increased efficiencies in their own manufacturing, reduced operation expenses, reduced transportation costs, and so on. One day, a leader within Vendor A looks at the cost structure and wonders about the elimination of the sales cost; what if their customer can go to a “smart” website and order the materials online with the help of some sort of artificial intelligence that can guide the customer through a simple order?
This scenario isn’t out of a science fiction movie as it is already happening today. If the technology continues to evolve, and the need for a sales person in this scenario is eliminated, then the role of Sales will have to evolve as well.
I propose that proactive Sales Professionals living in 2017 must look at this possibility of their near-term future and think about how to remain relevant and important to their customers. Essentially, the answer to this challenge is determining a way to add value to customers beyond what a robot cans. Here is a list of the possible ways to add value on a future dominated by sales supporting robots:
Understand your customers business as well as they do and offer insights a robot can’t
A robot on the other end of a website is just a less expensive order taker. If that’s all customers want, then you can’t ever compete. However, if you have the business acumen and skills and tools to understand your customer’s business and offer valuable insights that a robot can’t you have a chance to maintain the business. This process takes a lot of work and effort to be able to execute. Some of the skills needed are Business Acumen for Sales Professionals, Account Management, and Negotiation skills.
Initiate the value process by developing relationships and staying connected to customers
Turn the process around; proactively engage with customers before they load up the web-based ordering system. Sales Professionals of the near future are going to have to modify their approached to reach out and form valuable connections to customers before they are ready to make an order. Staying connected through social selling tools and creating the perception of value by sharing information and insights is another way of competing against the robots.
Provide innovative products and services to customer that need innovation
The customer who just wants to order the same old commoditized product may be a lost cause. Customers who want and need innovation products and services may not know you and your products exist. Your job in the future will be to identify and create awareness with those customers that are looking for differentiation. That will require a disciplined approach and tighter prospecting and qualification. As the robots enter the world of selling, the days of “everyone is a potential customer” are over and the only way to beat the robots is to be smarter than the robots.
