Deep within the heart of every true salesperson, there is some dark portion that thoroughly dislikes computers. Mainframes…mini’s…micro’s…the whole bleeding lot. Perhaps that’s because our early relationships were filled with fouled-up orders, programmers who only talked to the machines and each other, and checks made out to “James No Middle Initial Jones.”

Or perhaps it’s even more basic. A salesperson’s career is based on his ability to relate to a variety of human conditions and needs, and handle each one effectively. You can’t persuade a computer away from a totally negative position…even over lunch. I know, I’ve tried. It even stuck me for the bill of a pocket calculator that joined us.

And then there was that darned microcomputer who out-prospected me.

Like most folks who put bread on the table by their ability to sell products and services, I understand that prospecting is like planting the seeds to future sales. In fact, the more you can target your prospects by need, size, location and a number of other factors, the more effective and rewarding your sales efforts become. And there’s another highly personal factor in prospecting: self-discipline. Mail and phone prospecting has got to be done week in, week out, at least 48 weeks a year by each salesperson.

Although there’s no magic figure for the number of prospects to be contacted each week, veteran salespeople know that it should be no more than you can reasonably follow up within 10 days. After that, prospects forget your letter or phone call. I generally contact 10 new prospects and five present ones each week. Generally…except some weeks. After all, we’re not machines, except…well, microcomputers are.

You guessed it. I missed three weeks and had to do some hard scrambling to catch up. In the process, I discovered that one of my competitors had gotten there before me. At a recent trade group meeting I “congratulated” him on finally getting organized and staying that way. Then I asked how much he was paying his new administrative assistant to help with his prospecting. The son-of-a-gun couldn’t resist stringing me along, making comments that led me to believe he’d hired a person. My leg was about to come off in his hand when a mutual friend asked how well his microcomputer was performing. “Pretty good,” he said. “I managed to spear one of his customers with it.”

That tore it. Out prospected by a machine.

Rather than get mad, I decided to get even, spending about 120 hours over a period of three months (I’m a very slow studier when a mental block is involved) learning about computers as sales and marketing aids. Along the way I spoke to a number of sales organizations who used computers to directly support selling efforts in a variety of ways. Then I finally started using one myself…a little TRS 80 Model III. Rather than feeling somehow dehumanized by this “knuckling under” to the machine, I discovered that it helped me become more productive and actually gave me six hours a week more than I had before.

How Computers Can Help You Sell

Which kind of computer can best help you sell? Actually all of them can, but the small microcomputers seem most appropriate. The large, so-called “main frame” computers are incredibly expensive and can handle sales and marketing support with most of their circuits closed. Using a main frame for sales support purposes is like swatting a flea with a sledgehammer. Similarly, a minicomputer can be a case of over-kill. It’s more appropriate for a small or medium-sized manufacturing operation where it can perform a variety of tasks together with sales support (finance, administration, personnel and production, for example).

A relatively inexpensive microcomputer seems ideal for sales organizations. The micro, itself, together with a correspondence – quality, high speed printer (really a souped-up typewriter) is more than adequate to provide sales and marketing support whether you have one salesperson or fifty. There are many brands of microcomputers for business. All can do the job for you, and all cost less than $5,000…some much less. Rather than “hype” one brand, here are several of the most popular: Xerox, IBM, Apple, TRS, NorthStar and Wang. Each has its own pluses and minuses.

No matter which type of “hardware” you get, it’s the program, or “software,” that really gets the job done. You’ll need two types of programs which may be available from one of these sources: the manufacturer, the vendor (the person who sells you the microcomputer), or from a special software consultant. If you use a consultant, make certain that he or she is experienced in developing sales and marketing programs. The two types of programs you’ll need are data base and word processing programs. The former will let you maintain prospect and customer information; the latter will permit you to use the data to help you prospect and sell.

There’s Nothing Strange About It

Your interaction with the prospect remains just as complex as ever before…with or without a computer. The computer just buys you the time to be more effective.

The real Dr. Strangesell situation is about five to ten years away. By then most businesses will be able to contact each other directly through interlocking networks of computers. At that point prospects will be able to punch up data from your own computer about product, pricing, terms, availability, and delivery. Similarly, you’ll be able to contact prospects by computer offering them features, benefits, and prices. You’ll even be able to receive objects, probe them, and respond to them.

Will all this ever be as effective as a personal, eye-to-eye presentation? I don’t think anyone really knows, mostly because nobody’s actually studied it yet, except as an alternative to retail store selling. Most people think it will actually work in that kind of situation. The time is coming, however, when wide segments of industries that normally completed the sales process with face to face selling will be selling through a computerized medium. And it will probably begin with bottom of the line products that are subject to frequent reorders. That means salespeople who presently live among “cheapie” products and services must up-grade their selling skills and the lines they handle. It also means that we ought to stop our computer-phobia, and learn how to manipulate the darn things before our competition does.

As far as I’m concerned, losing one sale to a microcomputer was more than enough. I’m still learning new ways to help me use them better. After all, salespeople who refuse to learn how to use new marketing and selling tools are prime examples of the old adage: “One sure way to become an old dog is to stop learning new tricks.”