Awkward Reality #438

It is unreasonable to expect sales calls to drive your innovation efforts.

Your sales force should play a key role in innovation-focused interviews. But not by themselves. Unaccompanied sales reps seldom attract all the right customer contacts, and they’re not rewarded for the lengthy time horizons required. Besides, market-facing innovation requires central coordination, since a single sales territory won’t contain all the needed prospects. However, your sales force can play a critical role when it also becomes a learning force.

More in 2-minute video at 47. Make your sales force a learning force