Good Sales Help is VERY Hard to Find

As I go through my existence in the Internet marketing world it becomes more and more evident that there is a serious dearth of good sales talent in the industry. For those of you who have encountered a slick, snake oil salesman type in the industry I apologize on behalf of all of us.

Why is this the case? A lot of it has to go to the fact that the industry is still relatively new. As compared to software sales or computer hardware sales there hasn’t been much time for maturation and development of the sales professional in the Internet marketing industry.

Here are a few reasons why the industry is suffering at a point when top-notch sales help is more critical than ever.

Experience – A lot of search marketing, and I would suggest social media agencies, are using more entry-level sales people due to cost. A major drawback to this approach is ignoring just how consultative and strategic these sales actually are. When a young sales person who has little to no sales or business experience is selling these services they approach it transactionally. This means that they just are looking to close the business and move on whether it is good business or not.

Survival – Many companies are just getting started or are simply trying to survive like everyone else. One thing that is happening is that with continued layoffs there are more people providing search and social media ‘services’ who really have no business doing so but also have no choice. It is still a hot industry and there is demand so that will attract more and more lower level people to the fray. The result is more competition for work and rather than that providing better chance for the consultative folks to shine it creates a ‘closer mentality’ and the quick hit forced sale becomes the norm.

Long cycles – For the major players / prospects / customers in the space, they cannot afford to take anything lightly so there can be some considerable time in the sales cycle for decisions to be made. In instances where search and social media agencies are using a sales team to grow the business there is trouble with frustration and turnover. In most cases, companies do not pay enough base salary for a sales person to survive long enough to see these cycles come to fruition as new business. They move on because they are not making the money and have no long-term perspective or dedication to the cause.

One-dimensional sales people– The reality is that most sales people are really not that good. A great salesperson can prospect, then guide a perspective client through the process, secure the business and have an eye on the delivery living up to the talk. They do all of this without being intrusive. Most sales people are good at one thing but are not at another and the results are predictable. They are too one-dimensional then too egotistical to take coaching or advice that would help them succeed.

I have worked in transactional environments and those that are consultative in nature. I have yet to see anyone do the sales side of search and social media well. As a result the reputation of the industry has become one of distrust. In a way, I’m happy about that because it makes those of us who get it look a lot better and become more valuable.