The document summarizes the findings of the SALES 2020 research project which studied trends in sales over the past decade and expected trends for the next decade. Some of the key trends identified include globalization, the rise of the internet, increased efficiency, and a focus on ethics and governance. Future trends expected include value co-creation with customers, developing ecosystems of partners, the growing role of social media, knowledge management, and viewing sales as consulting on business problems rather than just selling products. The implications are that the sales function will shift to being business consultants focused on co-creating solutions with customers.

1. SALES 2020

2. SALES 2020 is a research
project which started in
2010 in collaboration with:
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3. We interviewed well over
100 sales executives from
different industries in Europe
and in the US.

4. The aim of the project was to:
• Identify future trends in sales
• Identify the role of the sales organisation in the future

5. WHAT WERE THE MAIN TRENDS IN
SALES FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS?
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6. #1
GLOBALISATION

7. Globalisation meant
that many customers
merged into larger ones.

8. Globalisation has
lead many customers to
consolidate their number
of suppliers.

9. As a result, many suppliers have
fewer but much larger customers.

10. As a result, sales people are dealing
with highly professional
and well organised
purchasing departments.

11. #2
INTERNET

12. The Internet has
empowered customers with
a wealth of information.

13. The Internet has
enabled customers to easily
compare their suppliers.

14. As a result, sales people are being
replaced by the Internet because
they fail to add value.

15. #3
EFFICIENCY

16. Organisations
are increasingly doing
more with fewer people.

17. As a result there are fewer
opportunities for sales
people and customers to meet,
requiring relationships to be
build on added value and
not personal contacts.

18. #4
GOVERNANCE AND ETHICS

19. The importance
of ethical behaviour has given
selling a bad name.

20. As a result, selling is evolving from an
art, based on personal skills to a
science based on replicable and
predictable processes.

21. WHAT TRENDS DO SALES
ORGANISATIONS EXPECT
FOR THE COMING 10 YEARS?
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22. #1
VALUE CO-CREATION

23. Speed of change and globalisation
are making product innovation
increasingly difficult for suppliers.

24. Sales people will have to engage
their customers into co-creating
new innovative products
and services.

25. #2
ECO SYSTEMS OF PARTNERS
AND CUSTOMERS

26. Co-creating will require
many competencies that
suppliers do not have.

27. Sales people will therefore have to
develop an eco-system of partners
with whom to co-create.

28. #3
SOCIAL MEDIA

29. Social media is becoming
the norm for people to
communicate with each other.

30. Sales people will have to use social
media tools and platforms to
communicate with their customers
and partners.

31. #4
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT

32. Co-creation requires knowledge
and understanding about the
customer’s business.

33. Suppliers will have to find ways
to capture and replicate the knowledge
about their customer’s processes and
business.

34. #5
THE SERVICE

35. “People don’t want to buy a
quarter-inch drill. They want a
quarter-inch hole!”, Theodor Levitt

36. Sales people will have
to help their customers
to maximise the benefits
and value they obtain
from using their
products and services.

37. WHAT ARE THE
IMPLICATIONS OF THESE
TRENDS FOR THE SALES
FUNCTION IN THE FUTURE?
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38. The sales person in the future
will be a business consultant.

39. … because the process is changing.
COSTOMER’S
BUYING PROCESS
ROADMAP PROBLEM SOLUTION SUPPLIER PURCHASE USESTRATEGY
2000
SELLING
2020
BUSINESS
CONSULTING
2010
CONSULTATIVE
SELLING
2020
BUSINESS
CONSULTING

40. Customers will have to pay
for the sales people’s efforts.

41. … because your margins are going
down and your sales costs will go up.
COSTOMER’S
BUYING PROCESS
ROADMAP PROBLEM SOLUTION SUPPLIER PURCHASE USESTRATEGY
Longer Sales Processes
Higher Educated

42. To co-create solutions with customers
sales people will have to adopt a truly
customer centric mind-set.

43. .. because it requires different
values and beliefs.
COSTOMER’S
BUYING PROCESS
ROADMAP PROBLEM SOLUTION SUPPLIER PURCHASE USESTRATEGY
EFFICIENCY
CENTRIC MINDSET
Which solution
do we need to
solve the
problem?
Which problems
does my product
solve?
Which is the
fastest way to
sell?
PRODUCT
CENTRIC MINDSET
CUSTOMER
CENTRIC MINDSET

44. The sales organisation of
the future will be a
matrix organisation combining
product and customer experts
CUSTOMER EXPERTS
PRODUCT
EXPERT
CUSTOMER
SERVICE
PRODUCT
SUPPORT

45. .. because customers will want to
buy from us in different ways.
COSTOMER’S
BUYING PROCESS
ROADMAP PROBLEM SOLUTION SUPPLIER PURCHASE USESTRATEGY
CUSTOMER
EXPERTS
PRODUCT
EXPERT
CUSTOMER
SERVICE
PRODUCT
SUPPORT

46. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE
ROLE OF THE SALES FORCE
IN THE FUTURE?
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47. The commercial logic of how
sales and marketing
complement each other is
fundamentally changing.

48. THE OLD COMMERCIAL LOGIC
1. MARKETING DEFINES THE STRATEGY
AND PRODUCT INNOVATIONS
2. R&D DEVELOPS THE
NEW PRODUCTS
3. SALES EXECUTE THE
MARKETING STRATEGY

49. This logic is BROKEN

50. Product innovation based on
traditional market research and
focus groups is too risky and
not fast enough.

51. Sales people are too expensive
to deploy as a simple personal
selling channel.

52. How can we fix the logic?

53. The costs and the risks of developing
new innovative products needs to be
shared with customers.

54. The commercialisation of newly co-
created solutions needs be done
through marketing channels.

55. THE NEW COMMERCIAL LOGIC
1. SALES PEOPLE CO-CREATE NEW INNOVATIVE
SOLUTIONS WITH KEY CUSTOMERS.
2. R&D DEVELOPS THE NEW PRODUCTS.
3. MARKETING COMMERCIALISES THESE NEW
PRODUCTS INTO THE MARKET.

56. MARKETING
R & D
SALES
SALES
MARKETING
R & D
THE NEW COMMERCIAL LOGIC

57. THE SALES PERSON OF
THE FUTURE WILL BE:
• MANAGING LARGE KEY ACCOUNTS
• PROVIDING BUSINESS ADVICE FOR A FEE
• MANAGING THE COLLABORATION WITH ALL
STAKEHOLDERS
• CO-CREATING SOLUTIONS WITH CUSTOMERS
AND PARTNERS LEADING TO NEW
INNOVATIONS

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