The Evolution of Sales Transformation in the Digital Age

Over the past few years, sales operations have changed and undergone a major shift. There was a time when sales usually meant that products are sold in a physical space with salespeople who are experts in the matter. However, with the growth of digitalisation, things have changed and taken a turn for the better. 

With the change in consumer habits and the advancement of technology, social selling or selling over social media has garnered a lot of attention and has altered the purchasing landscape for consumers. 

In order to have a better understanding of how sales has transformed in the digital age, BIBS organised a webinar on 15th May, 2021, which was conducted by the Vice-President and Business Head of TeamLease, Mr. Kaushik Banerjee who provided the students with better insight on the transformation of sales in this digital age that we are living in.

Mr. Kaushik Banerjee, the Business Head and Vice-President of TeamLease has 19 years of cumulative experience of which, 14 years has been in spearheading sales efforts, harnessing multi-tiered teams & different sales systems viz. Direct Sales (Field sales/Inside Sales), Channel Sales, AD sales and E-commerce. 

In the course of the webinar, Mr. Banerjee addresses the topic in four different parts. They are as follows -

1. The design of the sales organisation
2. Process of sales
3. Data and technology
4. Talent for Sales and Capabilities. 

Design of the sales organisation - The objective of the sales organisation should be to have more value adding and relevant sales interactions at lower costs. Organisations must have a responsive and systematic way of targeting opportunities which is not static across channels. In order to transform the sales process, it is also necessary to remove any sort of specialisation roles as it limits the abilities of the salespeople to add value to the customer. 

Process of sales - In order to support high quality interactions, the sales process must shift to a customer-focused approach. The marketing process must be integrated with the sales process to ensure the seamless flow of work. The main focus should be on the customer and the quality. 

Data and technology - Quite often the focus of CRM is on data capture which helps the management. If the focus is kept on simplicity and mobility then it enables the sales to be on board with the existing technology, as well as the new technology.

Talent for Sales and Capabilities - People working in sales must be able to evolve and develop skill sets that exceed the expectations of the consumers. The focus should primarily be on solving the problems of the customers. As a salesperson, you must have the ability to influence stakeholders and complex decisions. 

One of the best ways to adapt to the sales transformation in the digital age is through an Industry Integrated MBA. This is because when you are pursuing your Industry Integrated MBA, your MBA course is supplemented with working in the real world industry. Not only do you gain theoretical knowledge in the classroom, but you also have the opportunity to gain real world experience while you are studying. 

The webinar session with Mr. Banerjee was an enriching one as it provided the students with a lot of insight and gave them a direction that they should follow should they choose to work in this field. 

For students who want to pursue their Industry Integrated MBA in Kolkata, there are not too many colleges that provide this course. However, among the top MBA colleges in Kolkata, Bengal Institute of Business Studies (BIBS), provides an MBA course in Industry Integrated Management. The college provides first hand industry experience to students, giving them a chance to earn and learn at the same time. The college also gives its students live access to business leaders and entrepreneurs which provides them with plenty of insights about the industry.