A great discussion at yesterday's Technology Leaders Lunch around how to tackle the shortage of sales and marketing skills, long recognised as one of the "missing links" for many high tech businesses. The technology's great but we lack the passion for sales and marketing that American companies in particular excel in.
Some of the points raised :
- Good sales people are in short supply.
- The formal training for young sales people which larger companies traditionally provided is less and less available.
- Sales is a very under-rated profession, but highly skilled sales people are essential - we need to raise the level of recognition they get.
- Management needs to empower the sales team, by setting clear targets, providing regular feedback, and ensuring close liaison with the technical teams.
- In small companies the CEO is the key sales person; particularly where you're selling services.
- Selling services is markedly different from selling products
- The level of sophistication in the product management, marketing and channel management processes used by many of the larger companies needs to be better understood.
Some of the issues, but what are the solutions. How do we as an industry start to tackle this, without sending all our trainee sales people on intensive training courses to the States ?
What are your thoughts ?
Polly Purvis, Executive Director, ScotlandIS
