The Web's No Good For The Traveling Salesman

You open your front door only to be greeted by a young man in a three-piece business suit, holding a box of pots and pans by his side, wearing a huge smile on his face.  I think most people have experienced this situation at least once.

Typically, I kindly excuse myself from this sort of sales pitch, but occasionally I feel sympathetic and give the poor guy the opportunity to sell me on his “pots and pans.”  The ability of this traveling salesman to get me to buy his product is based purely on his ability to convince me that his product is the best on the market and will offer a great bang for my buck.

Since e-commerce has transformed buying and selling (and every other facet of our daily lives), the traveling salesman has succumbed to being the low man on the totem pole in the sales world.  In the 20 minutes it takes the salesman to make his pitch and overcome my objections, I can perform in-depth research on a handful of products, compare prices and read reviews from my peer group on a variety of “pots and pans.”

Recently, Three Ships Media was researching customer relationship management software (CRMs) to implement its sales strategy and management, and it became apparent how great the Web’s influence on sales has become.  Within 5 seconds of performing a simple Google search, we were able to compare 5 different products, read reviews, sign up for free trials and even start an online chat with a sales representative.  Within 20 minutes, we had made a final decision based upon the extensive amount of information we were able to examine on the Web.  Essentially, in the same amount of time it would take a salesman to deliver his entire sales pitch, we were able to find, compare, demo and purchase a product online. 

Now, the consumer is in control and the companies (salesman) are left to answer to them, instead of the traditional salesman controlling the conversation. 

What are your thoughts on how the Web has shaped sales?

- Matt

Filed under: Emerging Media, Old World Changing