Sales management must develop updated strategies, techniques, and training to bring the organization’s sales and marketing system into the 21st century. Many companies and sales professionals still rely on methods from decades ago. Below is a comparison of traditional selling versus modern, 21st-century selling:
| Traditional Selling | Modern Selling |
| Typical selling approach from the 1960s–1980s, still used today in some organizations. | Essential for sustaining successful businesses in today’s competitive market. |
| Standard, one-size-fits-all product. | Customized, flexible, and tailored products and services. |
| Sales handled by a traditional “salesperson.” | Sales handled by a “strategic business manager.” |
| Seller has product knowledge. | Seller understands the customer’s marketplace and the strategic implications and opportunities tied to the product or service. |
| Delivery, support information, and training are considered the primary value-added elements. | Value is expanded to include strategic insights into the customer’s market opportunities and guidance during project evaluation and decision-making. |
| Value is judged mainly by selling price. | Value is evaluated based on overall customer cost and non-financial factors such as CSR, environmental impact, ethics, and company culture. |
| Benefits and competitive strengths are mostly tangible; intangible benefits are rarely emphasized. | Benefits include significant intangible value, and the selling organization must clearly communicate and quantify those intangibles. |
