Old perceptions are creating obstacles to better solutions - and alignment.
The line between Marketing and Sales is blurring more every year. There are so many marketing initiatives that drive sales that marketing and sales people are becoming one (in a sense).
When you create a marketing campaign that drives online sales without a "sales person closing the deal" it's time to re-evaluate the term "sales person".
In fact, I ask people what they think of when they hear the term "sales person". It never fails that a negative connotation and/or imagery is described. Mostly I hear "I think of car salesman".
I even had someone say they think of Danny DeVito's character "Harry Wormwood" in Matilda. Now that's funny!
The point is that the term "sales person" is outdated. In an effort to rid the industry of an outdated term that may or may not have had merit back in the day, it's time to use more current terminology that accurately reflects today's tech savvy, knowledgeable and professional sales people.
With that said, I created the image to this post to show some OLD titles and NEW titles. I'll also list below:
OLD TITLES:
Sales Representative
Account Executive
Business Development Manager
Sales Consultant
NEW TITLES:
Relationship Manager
Customer Success Consultant
Customer Adviser
Relationship Engagement Specialist
Although titles essentially are irrelevant, using titles do continue to help us understand who we need to work with and talk to in regards to decision making, expertise and knowledge.
Beyond the need for a title change, there's also a need to change the responsibilities of sales. So much of what they do now is more than just sell: they educate, consult, guide and ultimately sign the deal. But sales professionals do more than the title and should be acknowledged for all that they do.
If we are going to use titles, we should at least use more accurate titles.
It would be great to get a conversation going on this subject and hear your thoughts. Drop your comments below and let's start a conversation!