Forrester says about 1 million salespeople, or about 22%, will be out of their jobs due to self-service e-commerce by 2020.

The study elaborates that, for B2B buyers, 75% of them say buying from an e-commerce site is more convenient than buying from a sales rep.

Crazy! That means our nation will have almost as many sales casualties as we did in combat casualties in World War II (1,076,000).

So that means that in 2020, only about 3.5 million B2B salespeople will have survived.

The Good News: You Don’t Have to Be One of the 1 Million Without a Job

And I have even more good news for you: sales certainly isn’t dead.

So you can ignore anyone you hear talking about that.

But, if you’re not one of the top-performers at your company, your job sits on thin ice over the next several years.

How can you become the salesperson that always hits or exceeds quota? The one that your company simply can’t do without?

The Embarrassing Truth About Most Salespeople…

Most sales pro don’t view their positions as an opportunity for service. Instead, they want to find out how they can get the client to buy so they can make money and keep their jobs.

But, while sales still exists, how it works is changing. That’s because B2B buyers today have more power than ever in the sales process. They can research the solution to their problem online.

In fact, Google tells us buyers complete 57% of the sales cycle online before they even talk to you. And many sources have the percentage higher than that.

In the past, they couldn’t do that. So, they had to rely on salespeople more for information. They couldn’t make as educated of decisions. And you could use more high-pressure tactics to win the sale.

Today’s buyers, just like you with anything you buy as a consumer or business professional, have more options than ever before. And they constantly get marketing hype about why they should “buy it now.”

In fact, one of B2B buyers top frustrations with today’s white papers is they contain “too much marketing hype” says Eccolo Media. So when they get irritated, they simply leave and go to another source because they have so many options.

How You Can Use Today’s Power of Choice to Position Yourself as an Indispensable Asset to Buyers

Today’s buyer gets more baloney, useless information, and unwanted sales pitches than ever before. So they need someone they can trust.

Why shouldn’t that be you?

…But you have to earn their trust. And that means not throwing sales pitches at them right away.

Instead, do this:

  1. Give your buyer only the facts – Let them make up their own mind. Show them the pros and cons of your products and services and the competition’s. If they sense you trying to persuade, they’ll naturally resist.
  2. Care more about the relationship than money – Yes, you need money. And you will get it if buyers trust you. If you don’t think you have the right product or service for them, tell them. Ask for a referral, and you have a sky-high chance of getting it. Send communications just to “stay in touch,” and not to “follow up” on what’s in it for you.
  3. Act like a guide, not a salesman – Your buyer needs help. They’re short on time. They want to make a great decision that works and makes them look good. Help them get that. Don’t push for the sale.

You’ve probably heard this process called “consultative selling.” And this is how you pull it off. Today’s sales, more than ever, is more about how buyers feel treated by you.

Yes, business is indeed all about relationships.

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