The sales and marketing automation markets are among the fastest growing software sectors. I lost count when total numbers of apps exceeded 20,000. Companies are proud of their tech stacks, often getting into “mine is bigger than yours” discussions. I see clients with tech stacks in the double digits, paying millions in fees.
At the same time, when you actually talk to people, the utilization of these tools is very low. I wish it was a minority of managers, unfortunately, it’s not, but when I meet a new client, I typically ask, “Can you pull the most current pipeline report from your CRM system,” the response is, “How do you do that?”
As the number and spending on these tools has expanded, sales results, by virtually every measure continue to plummet.
All these tools that are supposed to make us more efficient or more effective, the actual results seem to be the opposite.
And with the onslaught of AI enhanced tools, we can expect the tech stacks to get even bigger with the continued promises of dramatically improved efficiency (which seems to be the biggest selling point) and some improved effectiveness.
Despite all of this, we’ve seen some interesting things.
The highest performers are using these tools very well, productively, and effectively. The tool vendors would claim, “They are the highest performers because they are using our tools…..”
I actually think it’s the opposite. These high performers would be the highest performers with or without the tools. It is because they are high performers, they know how to use the tools to greatest advantage and impact.
I reached this conclusion, thinking back on an experience a number of years ago. I had contracted with Kevin to do a number of major renovations to our house. He ripped out the kitchen and breakfast room, completely remodeling them, creating a space that graced the covers of local design magazines. He put in a new bathroom, a laundry room and remodeled my home office. The quality of the work was stunning.
Over the course of this remodeling, Kevin and I built a great relationship. I admired his craftsmanship and complimented him at it. We shared a common passion for modern jazz and craft beer. Late, many afternoons, we would sit listening to music, drinking beer and talking about all sorts of things.
There was one last project. It was a “simple” one. I asked Kevin if he could build a multilevel deck out the back (The new breakfast nook had sliding doors into the back yard.). I was, also an “experienced do it your-selfer,” having built decks and other projects in previous houses.
“Kevin, I can help you…..” I didn’t detect a groan or eye roll, he politely said, “That would be fun, Dave.”
It was a long weekend project. We had the design, Kevin had ordered the lumber, he had already put in the footers and framing. We just had to build the deck itself.
Kevin showed up with his “tech stack.” Basically a couple of hammers, drills, power saws, levels, carpenter’s squares, tape measures.
I had visited the local tool store the night before. I had all the tools Kevin had, but decided to enhance my “tech stack” with other gadgets that promised to make the job easier, make me more efficient, and create a deck of beauty.
You can guess what happened.
Kevin took part of the deck to himself–the largest and most complex because of some angles we had designed. I took the simplest part, a smaller rectangular section.
We both started work. We had talked about the “construction,” had a plan that was simple and straightforward. For my section, all the lumber had been pre-cut to size. Kevin’s was different because of some of the angles and other things we had designed into the deck.
As you might guess, Kevin was a machine building his section. Every once in a while, he’d look up asking, “Dave, how are you doing?” He’d come over to me, make a few polite suggestions, then go back to his section.
Eventually he finished his section and came to help me finish mine. We got the job done, I stood and looked at it. Not only did he have a larger more complex part of the deck, but the quality of his work was stunning. And mine……
Despite all the gadgets, you could see all sorts of “dents” in the wood–where I had missed the nail with my hammer. Even the nail pattern was different, his was straight, mine wandered. The separation between pieces of lumber varied–only slightly but noticeably. I had neglected to correct for some of the warping of the lumber. Despite my experience in using the tools, despite my tech stack being fancier than his, everything about what he did was visibly superior to my work. And he had completed a larger job in much less time!
Kevin was polite as we cleaned up and drank beer. He made a few observations about the nail pattern, and other things, but he complimented me on a job well done. A few days later, I had been on a short trip, I came home and went out on the deck. My portion had been ripped out and replaced. It turns out Kevin talked to my wife, saying he didn’t feel good leaving the project like that. He charged a really reduced price, spent a few hours fixing my “workmanship.”
I suspect we are seeing the same phenomenon with our sales and marketing tech stacks. The highest performers are getting the most out of these tools because they know how to leverage them with greatest impact. They know it is less about the tool, but the effectiveness in how you apply them.
And the majority of people—they are where I was at with my carpentry skills. I knew the basics, I had familiarity with the tools, but my effectiveness and efficiency in exploiting them was terrible. We see the same with the majority of sellers and marketers.
The difference between results produced by high performers and everyone else is their mastery of the basic principles of selling and marketing. It’s their ability to perform at the highest levels, regardless of the tools, that enables them to exploit the tools with greater impact.
I don’t want to let the vendors of these tools off the hook. They know this is what happens, they take advantage of this citing the results produced–focusing on top performers knowing the fundamentals and leveraging the tools effectively. They don’t help customers recognize the difficulty “normal” sellers will have in using the tools with impact.
I’m all for using these tools, I know the impact they can have, I know how high performers leverage these for greater impact. We need to recognize that it is less the tool, but the skill and mastery of the people using these tools that has the greatest impact. We need to invest in building higher levels of skill and mastery in the basics of selling, before investing in these “productivity aids.”
Stated differently, “A fool with a tool is ……..”
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