Darren Cunningham, guest blogger at Sales Bloggers Union, posted an interesting article about what he calls sales SOS, Shiny Object Syndrome. There are a great deal of sales tools and sales software on the market today. It’s easy to get distracted from your goals.

“Does Sales 2.0 represent a real opportunity for sales management and reps to become more productive, close more deals faster,  better align with customer buying behavior and [insert your benefit statement here], or does it potentially represent a case of Shiny Object Syndrome for your sales organization?”

He then gives some good advice on choosing the right sales tool for your organization:

• Will it make my sales team more effective, not just efficient?
• Will it help me focus my resources on the right opportunities?
• Will it help me improve the accuracy and predictability of my forecast?
• Will it help us achieve our overall business objectives and improve results?

You can read the full article here.

We are excited to announce the launch of Sales Cycle Manager On Demand – Private Release 1, a new web-based opportunity management tool! This is the latest offering in the Sales Cycle Manager family of products that bring the patented OPM Sales Methodology into everyday use.

To learn more, download the press release (PDF) here.

Sales Cycle Manager On Demand can be used across an entire company, sales channel or even for a solo user. Each user has ownership and accountability for their own IBOs (Identified Business Opportunities) and can access them from almost any web browser.

Role-based hierarchies can be set for sales groups, territories or divisions, so that each manager has access to their team’s IBOs and forecasts. Forecasts are instantly created for any date range, company division or product line.

Sales Cycle Manager On Demand is a simple, secure and cost-effective way to manage your sales pipeline, get more accurate and reliable sales forecasts and improve sales.

Participation in Private Release 1 is by invitation only. If you are interested, please contact us.

Will technology ever make the salesperson obsolete? In short, absolutely not.

This is a common refrain at every step in technological advancement. Back in the late 1990s, there were whispers of how Internet technology would remove the salesperson from the transaction between buyer and seller. Now, over a decade later, we know that is not the case.

For the buyer, Internet technology allows them to conduct research on their own (with popular and trusted review websites like CNET, and Consumer Reports), and go through early phases of their buying cycle without contacting any vendors.

But technology also plays a big role in helping the salesperson achieve their goals. Advances in technology help salespeople reach prospective customers better, and provide the tools to manage a salesperson’s day-to-day workload.

Technology is neither the buyer, nor the salesperson’s enemy; it facilitates both the buying and selling process. In fact, technology is even right at the core of what we do here at SalesWays. The sales tools we develop at SalesWays allow salespeople to expand their opportunity portfolio, driving up overall value, and bringing them the results they are looking for.

So, technology is not going to replace the salesperson or leave them behind; for those adopting the best tools, technology will propel them even further toward their goals.