By: David Johnston, President, Surgesoft

The concept of Sales 2.0 being the future of selling is fraught with a number of unresolved issues and tenets that while not nullifying its influence, certainly add caveats to the claim. To quote Selling Power magazine, Sales 2.0 will bring "productivity-enhancing technologies that transform selling from an art to a science". In no way do I deny the positive impact that customer-focused technologies will have on the selling process, I do believe that their adoption and ability to influence buying decisions will take time and require structural changes in the relationships between buyers and sellers.

In particular, the current "gate-keeping" accountability of many procurement departments are limiting the potential for Sales 2.0 to accelerate, collaborate or align the buying/selling processes. While it might reduce time to respond to requests or produce quotes, the rendering of even small to medium corporate purchases into the RFP process will reduce the efficiency of the sales effort and continue to increase the sales cycle.

Technology is and will continue to have a dramatic impact on the sales environment. It must however be an enabler for performing salespeople with good sales management and strong customer relationships. Providing only a software solution without the infrastructure support of the selling organization, willing and engaged customers and sales processes that facilitate the use of the technology will not result in sustained performance improvement. I welcome your thoughts.