Selling in 2016
Originally featured on the Hubspot Sales Blog.
Did you know in 1904, an article by Frank Hutchinson Dukesmith appeared in Salesmanship Magazine outlining the four key steps of the buyer’s journey? This journey was later named AIDA or Attention, Interest, Desire, Action.
A century later, the sales process has changed dramatically. As Social Selling Queen Jill Rowley puts it – “Your buyer is connected – she is mobile, social, and has done her research before you even call her.” Simply put, the new and “modern” buyer’s journey can be simplified to Awareness, Consideration, Decision. This differs from AIDA in two crucial ways.
First, the journey is problem-specific, not product-specific. Buyers are educating themselves on how best to solve their problems.
Second, the journey is buyer-driven. The modern sales process is focused on the buyer — a natural result of a problem-specific approach and the fact that buyers are more informed and independent than ever.
What does this mean for sales reps? The infographic (provided/attributed by Blog.Hubspot.com) below highlights some of the major changes in the buyer’s journey, and how reps should adapt to stay modern, connected and relevant.
You can get your own copy of this infographic in RISE Resources!