The world is moving so fast these days that the man who says it can’t be done is generally interrupted by someone doing it. —Elbert Hubbard

Okay, the fact that the world is changing is not much of a secret, especially if you read the preceding introduction. Change stares you in the face every day, whether you are shaving new beard growth or putting on makeup. But many people overlook change, ignore it, or deny it. Unless you embrace change and lead it, you are going to get steamrolled by it. You are going to wake up one day, look in the mirror, and realize the world has passed by.

In the world of sales not so long ago, it used to be that buyers would look for solutions from local representatives. Those sellers with the ability to build relationships, understand the buyer’s problem, and position their products and services as the best solution to that problem, could win the business.

Internet Empowerment. Now, approaching two decades after the birth of the World Wide Web, buyers are increasingly able to tap into the wealth of information on the Internet and educate themselves, both on defining the problem and on finding the best solution.

Globalization. To compound the power of the buyer, modern communication infrastructure provides superfast, always-on connections to vendors all over the world, who offer many advantages to buyers, including access to 24/7 workforces, lowest labor costs, and highest quality.

The secret that will take your sales to new levels is making change a part of everything you do, see, feel, touch, and think—in other words, becoming change-centric.

Sales professionals and the companies they represent are faced with two choices:  either become commoditized by global competition and Internet commerce, or significantly increase the value they add to the buyer.

Providing a solution to a problem is no longer sufficient to win the business. The professional salesperson must deeply understand the buyer’s organizational challenges and become an agent of change, driving permanent business results for the customer.

Internet Empowerment

Globalization