Selling Power magazine interviewed dozens of industry experts in an effort to create a universal definition of what Sales 2.0 means (and what it doesn’t).  After extensive debates, the experts agreed on the following: 

“Sales 2.0 brings together customer-focused methodologies and productivity-enhancing technologies that transform selling from an art to a science. Sales 2.0 relies on a repeatable, collaborative, and customer-enabled process that runs through the sales and marketing organization, resulting in improved productivity, predictable ROI, and superior performance.”  Check out the full article at http://www.sales20conf.com/2009/includes/Sales2.0Feature.pdf 

While this might sound like the latest silver-bullet claim, there is potential for a big payoff if you can implement the right productivity-enhancing technologies for your business.  I have been reading and researching Sales 2.0 recently.  Here are some thoughts to consider. 

1.      Don’t fall for the idea that selling is an art OR a science and that if you just master the science somehow drones could achieve 100% of quota year after year.  I suggest that selling is an art AND a science. Work on both aspects to consistently perform well and achieve the best return.

2.      Take one step at a time.  There are more than 1000 technology solutions for improving performance across the entire sales cycle and more emerging every day.  It can be overwhelming and often the hype has many of us feeling left behind.  There is no doubt that these Sales 2.0 technologies can help.  Consider focusing on one aspect of the sales cycle where you would like to see and measure improvement as a result of implementing a Sales 2.0 approach. 

3.      Watch out for hidden costs. One thing I have noticed about many of these technologies—they are cheap.  For the cost of a nice lunch, a monthly subscription is yours...as well as the hidden costs of lost productivity through experimentation and implementation.  Many of these tools require a fair amount of knowledge and time from the sales person.  Define how much time you will invest and include these costs in your analysis before you buy.

4.      Commit time to expand your knowledge of Sales 2.0 approaches.  In as little as 20–30 minutes a week you can get smart on what works and what doesn’t.  Try some free trials, talk to other users, read and share what you learn. 

One final observation—I work with sales people and sales managers every day.  Most use just the basic technology to do their jobs: computer, MS Office, cell phone, and CRM.  The promise that technology will somehow transform the sales profession and deliver consistent and predictable performance has eluded most.  This is going to change.  Get started and ride the wave.