Am I a Sales Luddite?

I remember 20 years ago selling a sign to an attorney. He had a Jaguar convertible with personalized plates … Luddite. I had no idea what that meant so I asked him. He rejected technology which, in his case, meant no computers. This was before cell phones were widely in use but I would assume it would have meant those as well.

How odd. While I was rarely an early adopter, I had sold various products that featured cutting edge technologies and I was always quite successful at doing so. Mind you, when I was given my first Blackberry, I rebelled. I think that it was more based on my perception that the company was placing a leash upon my person.

I’m feeling a little bit old. Ok, I am old but I’m not just referring to my age. I’ve been in sales all of my life and I confess that I barely understand the changes to my profession that people are discussing on LinkedIn and other places on the web. This includes people who I know and respect.

I was a fairly early adopter of CRM (late 80’s) but have since avoided most sales enablement tools. Many of those may be related to marketing which I abhor or they might be used to clumsily circumvent those selling activities that I consider to be both personal and professional. Either way … count me out.

The tech stack in sales continues to grow at an ever expanding pace. AI will be turbocharging these advancements. Only recently, have I begun to explore AI. The jury on this remains out. In the unlikely event that I ever find myself out selling again, I’m smart enough to pick the right scenario for my skill set.

This is all well and good except that … I like training salespeople. Will my old school experiences and techniques be applicable to their industries and responsibilities? Would I be doing them a disservice? Would I be doing the same to any company that might hire me? Are there any companies that would hire me given my shortcomings?

Since I do not have the inclination to answer these questions, with the exception of imparting certain sales wisdoms as it pertains to implementing Nimble CRM with clients … I think that my sales training days may be over. If they find me … perhaps. Then again, being a dinosaur, my next gig may be at a museum.

Honestly, I’m torn and I’m not ready to fully close this chapter of my life. Selling has evolved but the basic tenets have not changed. Sure, we have to respond to changes in technology and buyer behaviors, but you still have to sell. Never say never. I’ll chew on it. In fact, I already have something in mind.

Are you thinking about a CRM? If you would like to explore whether or not Nimble CRM might be right for you, please book a free 30-minute Zoom consultation with me by going to www.calendly.com/craigmjamieson .

To learn more about our Nimble training and implementation services, please visit our Nimble CRM training services page. Thank you!

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Craig M. Jamieson

Managing Member at Adaptive Business Services

Craig M. Jamieson is a lifelong B2B salesperson, manager, owner, and a networking enthusiast. Adaptive Business Services provides solutions related to the sales professional. We are a Nimble CRM Solution Partner. Craig also conducts training and workshops primarily in social selling and communication skills. Craig is also the author of "The Small Business' Guide to Social CRM", now available on Amazon!