The document outlines the evolution of B2B sales driven by technological advancements, emphasizing the shift from traditional selling methods to a more socially connected and empowered sales team. It describes the characteristics of future sales professionals who will leverage technology for enhanced customer engagement and collaboration, while highlighting the importance of social selling and alignment between sales and marketing. The guide concludes with recommendations for adapting to these changes to increase sales success in the digital landscape.

1. Social. Connected. Empowered.
A guide to the future of B2B sales and technology

2. www.qorusdocs.com2
Table of contents
1. The evolution of sales
2. Meet the Sales team of the future
3. The Sales team of the future is social
4. The Sales team of the future is connected
5. The Sales team of the future is empowered
6. Conclusion

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The evolution of Sales
Not too long ago, Sales success was the result of a (rather mystical) combination of
networking, people skills, intuition, and good ol’ cold calling.

4. But the advancement in enterprise technology over the past two decades has changed all that, especially
in the B2B environment.
Today, networking takes place online, technical skills are becoming more valuable than people skills, data
has replaced the ‘hunch’, and automation is threatening to shrink the job market.
But while technology seems to have made selling harder, it has certainly made buying easier. Which,
when you think about it, is exactly what Sales and Marketing are trying to do.
Luckily, Sales professionals are known for their ability to adapt. The Sales department is often the first in a
business to embrace new technology, find better ways of doing things, and cut unnecessary tasks.
It was Sales, after all, who first embraced cloud technology (CRM was the first viable cloud application for
business). And Sales who played a huge role in the consumerization of IT, by insisting on bringing their
own devices to work.
The evolution of Sales
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The evolution of Sales
5
A radically different Sales function – powered by technology
The internet, SEO and ferocious content marketing have put a wealth
of information at the buyer’ fingertips. And in many cases, have
made Sales all but redundant until the final stages of the buying
process.
Now, Sales needs to lead the charge once again – accepting the
changes that technology brings, and making the most of their new
situation.
They need to use technology to add greater value to the
conversations they have with customers. If they can get this right, we
might get to the point where prospects will pay for Sales’ time (as
described this great TEDx talk: Sales 2020, Future trends in sales and
sales management). This eBook explores how technology has
enabled the evolution of Sales to date, discusses what the future is
likely to hold, and offers advice for today.

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Meet the Sales team of the future
• They facilitate conversations and relationships
across their networks.
• They see themselves as advisors, consultants and
problem solvers.
• They spend much less time on transactional
activities, data capture, reporting and admin – as
these have all been automated.
• Their prospects follow them on social media, value
their opinions and come to them when they’re
ready to buy.
• They are industry experts with a wealth of online
content to back up their opinions and suggestions
• They are mobile, connected and networked.
• They know more about their customers than ever
before, and use this information to have valuable
conversations with them.
• They focus on what a customer needs, rather than
the product they need to sell.
• They facilitate co-creation .
• Their role continues well after the deal has been
closed, ensuring that projects are delivered as
promised.

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The Sales team of the
future is social
7
The Sales professional of the
future is connected to all the
major decision-makers and
influencers in his target industry,
and he engages with them
regularly through social media.

8. The term ‘social selling’ first became popular in 2006,
and has gained real momentum in the last three to five
years. It might be a hot topic today, but very few Sales
teams seem to be getting it right.
It probably doesn’t help that the term is so misleading...
The idea behind social selling isn’t to use social media
to sell directly, but to build relationships with
influencers and decision-makers.
Does it actually work?
A number of research companies, including Forrester,
have found that buyers, especially B2B buyers, are
already the majority of the way through their buying
process by the time they engage with a vendor’s Sales
team.
And many of these buyers are using social media to find
out more about products and vendors. They’re reading
reviews and asking questions via Twitter and LinkedIn,
sometimes before they even go through your website in
any detail. So it makes sense that Sales reps need to
find out where their prospects are having these
conversations. And that they should contribute to them
in a helpful, authentic manner – building trust and
encouraging the prospect to learn more about their
product or solution.
And if 50% of sales go to the first salesperson to contact
a prospect (as reported by InsidesSales.com), then
social selling becomes a very important channel for
engaging with prospects.
The Sales team of the future is social
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“Technology buyers are two-thirds of the way
through their buying process before they engage
with vendors’ sales teams.” – Forrester

9. What does the next decade hold?
If the success of LinkedIn is anything to go by, social selling is here to stay. And as
younger generations become more established in the workplace, so will the
influence of social media, instant messaging, and mobile technology.
Social listening tools will become increasingly powerful, and will integrate more
tightly with other Sales and Marketing tools to create rich customer profiles and
buyer personas. These will guide all content and conversations, enabling Sales to
add greater value in a shorter space of time.
The challenge lies in working out how to make the most of the opportunities social
media presents, without sacrificing too much time. And then there’s the urgency
factor – responses to comments posted on social networks need to be made quickly.
The Sales team of the future is social
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“75% of B2B buyers
use social media to
make purchasing
decisions.” – IDC

10. What should you be doing now?
At the very least, you should take a look at your Sales team’s online profiles
and set up some form of social listening.
Your team’s LinkedIn profiles are what your prospective clients are most likely
to come across first. Are they just half-hearted CVs? Or do they position your
Sales team as knowledgeable industry experts who are passionate about
helping customers overcome their problems? Would your clients find them
interesting? This guide from HubSpot has some great advice: The Sales
Professional's Go-To Guide to Social Selling.
Google Alerts and social listening tools will let you know when someone
mentions a specific term or phrase. Think about common terms that
prospective customers might mention when searching for information about
products like yours and set up alerts so that you can respond as it happens.
You could split the alerts across the team to lighten the burden.
Think about how you can encourage your customers to post reviews of your
company and its products online. Sites like Google+, Capterra, and trustradius
are where you want to be.
The Sales team of the future is social
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“In 10 minutes of social media
time, oxytocin levels can rise as
much as 13%—a hormonal spike
equivalent to some people on
their wedding day.” – Fast
Company and Claremont
Graduate University
“75% of buyers consult online
reviews before purchasing
business software.” – Software
Advice and Research Now

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The Sales team of the
future is connected
11
Social, mobile, cloud, video. The
Sales team of tomorrow is the
most connected, networked part
of the business. And they’re good
at helping their customers make
valuable connections too.

12. Many of today’s Sales teams already work in cloud-based CRM systems,
use their own devices for work, and use video conferencing and VoIP to
talk to colleagues and clients around the world.
Collaboration tools like Google Apps for Work and Qorus Breeze
Proposals enable multiple contributors to connect and collaborate on a
document at the same time, no matter where they’re working from.
Remote and home working are becoming more acceptable, resulting in
happier employees, lower costs and less congested roads and public
transport.
Powerful, cloud-based CRM systems, supplemented by social media
monitoring, and integrated with other enterprise platforms such as
marketing automation and proposal creation solutions, are helping Sales
turn valuable insight into effective communication. But poor integration
and customization are still an obstacle.
Social, mobile, cloud and video technology will continue to shape the
Sales function, becoming more transformative as integration and
customization becomes easier.
The Sales team of the future is connected
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“60% of b-to-b organizations report
that their biggest barrier to creating
relevant content is a lack of insight
into and understanding of the buyer.
That is both a huge problem and a
huge opportunity.” – SiriusDecisions

13. What does the next decade hold?
In the next few years, what Gartner refers to as the
Digital Business – a business in which every area is
integrated, connected and optimized thanks to
technology – will become the norm.
CRM, marketing automation, social listening and other
tools will become more powerful. These tools will
integrate with each other seamlessly, resulting in
unique, personal conversations with clients and
prospects across social media, email marketing, events,
pitches and proposals – giving businesses a wealth of
information that will need to be managed and
maintained.
Video conferencing and virtual events will make the
world an even smaller place, driving demand for
bilingual, shift-working Sales teams.
Home and remote working could become the norm,
requiring businesses to reassess their management
techniques and build a sense of accountability and
responsibility among staff.
The automation of routine tasks will free up the Sales
team. They’ll have more time to get deeper into the
client relationship, for example by facilitating
relationships between clients who have similar
interests, guiding technical conversations and guiding
co-creation.
In short, a connected Sales team will provide greater
value than ever before.
The Sales team of the future is connected
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“Working life isn't 9-5 anymore. The world is
connected. Companies that do not embrace this
are missing a trick.” – Richard Branson
“The process of co-creation brings different parties
together in order to jointly produce a mutually
beneficial outcome.”

14. What should you be doing now?
As your team becomes more connected and has access
to a greater volume of information than ever before,
they become a greater data security risk.
Sales and Customer Service employees are among the
most risky when it comes to the loss of devices or data,
and becoming the target of hackers.
If you haven’t already got corporate policies on data
protection, the use of personal devices, and remote
working in place – or if you haven’t made the Sales
team aware of them yet, now is the time to do so.
Questions that your business should be able to answer
include:
• How secure is your network?
• How does your business ensure that its data is
protected when the Sales team is accessing it on
their personal devices?
• How do you deal with stolen devices?
• Is it clear that all customer information belongs to
the company and not to individuals?
You should also be keeping track of Sales and Marketing
technology trends. Your CIO could be a valuable (and
realistic) source for this.
The Sales team of the future is connected
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“In UK firms, sales staff are the most exposed to
online attacks.” – Intel Security

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The Sales team of the
future is empowered
15
Instant access to information,
the ability to generate tailored
content themselves, and a
closer, less fractious relationship
with Marketing will empower
Sales to meet the needs of
increasingly demanding buyers.
“B2B organizations with tightly aligned
sales and marketing operations achieved
24% faster three-year revenue growth,
and 27% faster three-year profit growth.”
– SiriusDecisions

16. Many of today’s Sales teams are still working on how to align
with Marketing. And they are making headway, with the help
of technology.
Cloud-based content storage tools like Dropbox and Box make
sales enablement and marketing materials more accessible to
Sales reps on the road. And tablets make presentations and
pitches more engaging.
CRM and Marketing Automation tools are forcing everyone to
agree on lead definitions, streamlining the handover process
and resulting in a higher conversion of leads to customers.
What does the next decade hold?
Sales and Marketing will continue to find ways to work
together.
Some reports, including a recent study by Marketo and The
Economist, predict that the two departments will merge in the
next three years.
The change might not be quite so dramatic for most
organizations, but a closer relationship with Marketing is a
must, especially as buyers come to expect personalized
communications, proposals and even solutions from their
suppliers.
Richer, more useful Sales enablement created from fuller,
more detailed contact profiles in range of formats including
video, audio and visual will empower the Sales team to have
more valuable conversations with prospects.
Web-based content libraries that are controlled by Marketing
and can be accessed instantly by Sales to create tailored
pitches and proposals will become the norm, reducing
bottlenecks and delays.
Sales teams will be able to create content themselves, without
giving the Marketing team nightmares. And tight integration
with CRM and social media will ensure that the content is
highly tailored.
This increasing demand for customization will drive the rise of
client-focused, problem-solving Sales professionals who can
speak to both business and technical aspects.
Harnessing and analyzing big data will also become critical, as
businesses race to provide unique customer experiences,
enhance their products and streamline production and
manufacturing.
The Sales team of the future is empowered
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17. What should you be doing now?
You should be having lots of conversations around how to
overcome the challenges that Sales and Marketing face.
• How can you ensure that the Sales enablement content that
Marketing produces is actually useful to, and used by, Sales?
• How can Marketing support prospects who may be looking for
self-help ‘sales enablement’ content online (e.g. decision-
making guides, ROI calculators and business case toolkits)?
• How can you empower the Sales team to create high-quality,
tailored pitches and proposals without having to wait for
content from Marketing?
The Sales team of the future is empowered
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“90% of sales content is never used in
selling.”- IDC

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Conclusion
18
In many ways the future of Sales is not all that different from its
past. Sales teams have always been social, connected and self-
sufficient.
All that’s really changing is that the ‘art’ of these things is
becoming a science – driven by customer demands and enabled
by technology.
The Sales teams that can see (and seize) the opportunities
offered by technology, are the ones who will thrive.

19. Our technology, Qorus Breeze Proposals, is designed to
help Sales teams produce superb content (including
proposals, pitches, contracts and statements of work) in
a fraction of the time.
Microsoft Office add-ins, smart templates, automated
allocation and approval workflows, a guided proposal
wizard and Google-like search functionality mean that
users can generate accurate, beautifully branded first
drafts in minutes, and spend more time tailoring each
pitch or proposal.
About us
Qorus Software is a global provider of document
automation and proposal management software.
We’re passionate about helping our clients simplify
their businesses. We go to great lengths to create
solutions that are familiar and easy to use. And then we
go the extra mile to provide ongoing guidance and
support to make sure they work the way they should.
Our Customer Success Managers are certified by the
Association of Proposal Management Professionals, and
are here to make your journey with us a success. Their
help is a big part of what has led to our renewal rate of
97%.
Our happy clients span a range of industries, including
financial services, legal, staffing solutions, technology
and telecommunications. We have offices in the USA,
the UK and South Africa.
Qorus is a proud Microsoft Partner for Gold Application
Development and Silver Cloud Platform Competency.
How Qorus is helping to empower Sales teams for the future
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