I want to start a revolution. Not some rise against corrupt, imperial authority. And not some post-modern rant against the machine. I’m talking about the kind of revolution that describes a worldwide shift in how we live. And more specifically, sell.
Technically, the revolution has already begun – and I didn’t start it. When computers were reduced in the 1970’s and 1980’s from vacuum-tube monstrosities that filled entire buildings to become compact, desk-top devices that slowly took over our lives, something happened that has largely been overlooked. Or worse, been intentionally ignored. The complexity of the world around us was exposed grew.
I’m NOT talking about the complexity in terms of the massive wave of information that has bombarded us. You know what I mean. People often reduce the complexity that I’m talking about to the evolution of getting our data with the tap of a button or swipe of the finger until all the tapping and swiping became an addiction. (Seriously, though – ever lose your smart phone for a day? Torture.)
No, I’m talking about the complexity of being connected to a global system of relationships. Before the complexity, people could literally live (and sell) in a bubble. Your customers had the same last names as the kids who grew up in your neighborhood, you mocked the Canadian dollar, and most international experiences were limited to the annual vacation to Mexico or the proverbial backpacking trip through Europe. Now, people are trying to figure out the different tones in Mandarin, Canadians vacation in the U.S. to “get a good deal,” and you speak to India on an almost daily basis (Help Desk, anyone?). With this rise in complexity, a new part of the human brain was unleashed, one that screamed “more” and “faster” in the same breath. The connections became 24/7. And the demands expectations of everyone became just as hard-wired.
And these expectation-driven connections are not just constant.
They’re also non-linear. Nothing happens as planned any more. You can tell yourself that you will plan your week in advance, but how often has the calendar morphed between Monday and Friday with cancellations, additions, and adjustments? Shucks, how about since lunch? Straight lines have become legends the greybeards at executive row the soda/pop/coke machine tell us.
And that is exactly my point.
People still act as if the complexity is just an obstacle to be overcome. As if it’s just a passing phase of increased noise. We say that we can work our way through it all. Just keep on keeping on. In the mean time, go fill out that sales planner, play the numbers game, and follow that sales process. And remember, it’s easy to do because that’s how I did it when I was a kid.
Frankly, I’m tired of it.
The rules of “more” and “faster” have become ingrained in every aspect of life. But the complexity of the world today has seeped into every buyer’s world, creating more chaos than can reasonably be “managed.” If we (as people who sell for a living) don’t change how we live, we will get buried in the chaos. And I can’t watch that happen. Not when I genuinely believe that I think I have figured out how the chaos works.
This blog is dedicated to living and selling differently. To embracing the chaos instead of trying to shut the door on it. If that doesn’t intrigue you, well… I hope you really enjoy the ride you’re on. The seat belts don’t get bigger. But if that does intrigue you, stay tuned. And join me. Be a part of shifting how we live and sell.
And viva la revolucion.
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