Has social media made your sales team obsolete?
Customers have access to more product information than ever, thanks to the Web. How can marketers keep up? By providing top-notch customer service.
Jim Farley, vice president of global marketing and sales for Ford Motors, seems to think that on some level, social media has killed the salesperson as we know him or her.
Here’s what he had to say:
“The role of the salesperson has changed dramatically over the 20-plus years I’ve been in the industry, and it has reached a tipping point…
“Technology has changed the process of customer education… just consider how much a shopper can learn about a product (or brand) on their own, before they even speak to a salesperson.
“They can find information about a business on the internet, examine products via video, and even read candid reviews about previous buyers’ likes and dislikes.
“This has forced salespeople to find a new role.”
All my fellow marketers should put away their torches and pitchforks, however, because Farley’s advice is far from as blasphemous as it seems.
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