How Sales And Marketing In Technology Differs From Other Sectors
The technology industry is one of the core industries in todays economy, particularly in some regions; the Asia-Pacific for example relies on the technology as the main driver of business growth. Such a large part of the economy is made up by the technology industry that if it begins to suffer in any way, many other industries feel the strain.
The competition in the technology sector is far more intense than in any other industry as the products have a shorter lifespan, and therefore the sales and marketing methods used by and taught to staff in the industry are different to almost any other industry. The basics are the same, however the advanced sales methods are so different to that of any other industry that specialist coaches must be used to train sales and marketing staff.
One side of the coin is that the products may not last long, and that is the case most of the time, however there is a flip-side to that. A lot of the time, a company will release a product, and then very soon afterwards, a rival company will release a product with better functionality, making it obsolete, or the first company could have just released the next breakthrough innovation, we just dont know until people start buying it.
Another factor is the absence of physical boundaries. For normal sales, demographics play a vital role, and there are sales coaches who specialize in one area. But with technology, there are hardly any borders! Software invented in the USA could be being used in China within the hour!
Sales and marketing coaches in the technology sector (the good ones at least) will have had a successful career in the industry themselves and then moved on to coaching. However since skills and knowledge in the technology industry become obsolete very quickly, it is essential that the sales and marketing coach you choose is constantly keep him/herself up to date with all of the changes in the industry. If you can find someone like that, make sure you get them on a long term contract because they will be in high demand.
