I just came across a post that Umair wrote guest post on Umair’s blog from August entitled Bringing Sales 2.0 To Life – I’m not really sure if there is a sales 1.0 and sales 2.0 as a lot of his points were as valid 10 years ago as they are today – but his “4 characteristics of world-calss 2.0 sales organisations” are worth repeating:
- Maximize selling time- remove mundane tasks associated with sales
- Define a clear sales process focused on high value activities
- Detail the mechanics of a meaningful conversations
- Synchronize selling activities with the buying process
In my 8+ years as a VC I’ve mostly been involved with software and new media businesses and these concepts hold true for both those sectors. Whether you are selling an enterprise CRM system or a run-of-site ad deal these disciplines will improve sales effectiveness. I would expect the same is also true in other sectors.
Useful resources in this area include the Sales2.0 site, and two startups which Umair points to that offer relevant services; Landslide and InsideView.