--- title: Traditional Selling Falls Short in this Digital World description: Traditional sales falls short in this digital world. The buyer has taken control of the sales process. To overcome that, the Inbound Sales Methodology makes it easier for sales to engage prospects you who fit the profiles of the customers you can serve best. image: https://www.bristolstrategy.com/hubfs/blog-files/inbound-sales-transforms-relationships.jpg --- [![Logo.png](https://www.bristolstrategy.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Bristol%20Strategy-2016/Image/Logo.png?width=240&name=Logo.png "Logo.png")](https://www.bristolstrategy.com) - ** - [**](https://www.facebook.com/BristolStrategy/) - [**](https://twitter.com/HighTechMkt) - [**](https://www.linkedin.com/company/bristol-strategy-inc-) - [**](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaL66bWUF_isFvFRMqxiSEw) - [**](https://www.pinterest.com/BristolStrategy/) - [**](https://www.instagram.com/bristolstrategy/) x Search the site [Inbound Sales](https://www.bristolstrategy.com/blog/topic/inbound-sales) | 4 min read September 2017 # Traditional Selling Falls Short in this Digital World ![Dave Orecchio](https://www.bristolstrategy.com/hubfs/Bristol-Strategy-2016/Image/dave/dave-orecchio-headshot.jpg) [Dave Orecchio](https://www.bristolstrategy.com/blog/author/dave-orecchio) ![Traditional Selling Falls Short in this Digital World](https://www.bristolstrategy.com/hubfs/blog-files/inbound-sales-transforms-relationships.jpg) The **Inbound Sales Methodology** attracts the prospects to you who fit the profiles of the customers you can serve best. The primary goal is to create a selling experience that helps prospects choose your products and services. The ultimate goal is to delight these buyers so that they become your promoters. The initiative in sales has shifted to reflect the power of buyers in the digital age. Marketers and sales teams can respond and thrive in the new order by embracing the framework of the Inbound Methodology, in which (for marketing) you **attract, convert, close **and** delight** buyers and transform them into promoters for your brand. The Inbound Sales methodology borrows from Inbound Marketing but lays out its sales outreach method to engage the modern buyer with the **identify**, **connect**, **explore** and **advise** stages of engagement.  > **Bonus Sharable Infographic:** [How To Find Customers, Generate Leads, And Close Sales](https://www.bristolstrategy.com/infographic-how-to-find-customers-generate-leads-and-close-sales) ## Traditional Selling Falls Short in this Digital World Cold calling and direct mail shots were effective when mass-market selling was the only option. This traditional approach to selling no longer impresses buyers, and they have the power now to dictate how the process proceeds. The buyer-centric philosophy of [the inbound sales methodology](https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/inbound-sales-transforming-the-way-you-sell) means that customers will have done the majority of the work to understand the suitability before they reach out to you. Buyers now come to the table armed with information. Old style outbound selling is perceived as a pushy, expensive and ineffective process. [Inbound selling](https://www.bristolstrategy.com/inbound-sales-enablement-services) is a much more efficient allocation of your most precious resource, your people, because it engages prospects on their terms. Whereas the traditional sales process was transactional and driven by the priorities of the seller, inbound selling creates the experiences that solve for the customer. As the seller, you work to educate and support your buyers as part of the experience while leveraging digital assets that address the buyer's needs. > **Bonus offer:** [Download the Guide to Inbound Sales: Transforming the Way You Sell to the Modern Buyer](https://www.bristolstrategy.com/guide-to-inbound-sales-transform-the-way-you-sell) ## The Buyer’s Journey Renewed for Sales As the balance of power favors buyers now, it is vital to understand the experience from their perspectives. The customer experiences the stages of **awareness, consideration, and decision**, i.e., the inbound marketing **Buyer’s Journey**. In the simplest terms, inbound as a concept means focusing on solving the pains, frustrations, and goals of individual buyers. The inbound sales strategy transforms your relationship with buyers in light of the greater confidence that they bring to it. ## Personas Provide Focus For Inbound Sales The inbound sales methodology employs [**personas **](https://www.bristolstrategy.com/buyer-persona-development)as part of the framework to focus and direct your content assets to match the buyer’s journey. A persona is a profile that captures the essence of the most likely candidate to purchase your products and services. With well-defined personas to guide your marketing and sales process, your prospects will find you by searching the web and social media. Your carefully crafted personas will enable you to deliver valuable information so the right prospects to find you. ## Knowledge Rebalances Relationships Your buyers have more information than ever before; they can research your company online as quickly as you can for them. Your contact can also investigate you personally, and since trust is essential to successful inbound selling, it means that your online reputation is precious. The inbound selling best practices are designed to work congruently toward providing a positive sales experience for the buyer; it means selling in the way that reflects the customer’s buying process while delivering value with each and every touch. ## The Inbound Strategy Transforms What It Means To Sell While inbound marketing and sales work together to enable prospects to find you, it is still the job of your sales team to help the buyers through the decision stage of their journey and the closing and delight stages of the inbound process. Adopting the inbound sales methodology means transforming the way you target accounts. Sell to the leads that fit the personas that need with your offerings. Salespeople still have an important role in the process. Research by Hubspot.com shows that, while customers are much better informed than they were ten years ago, they often have gaps in their knowledge that only your sales team can fill. To maximize the value your sales process adds, transform the way you prospect accounts. Research your buyer diligently, so that you know who they are as an organization. Embody this empathetic approach by building rapport with your contact as a person, know who they are and speak their language to build a relationship. At all times be helpful. Businesses are no longer B2b or B2C, they are H2H (Human to Human)! While the buyer goes through the Inbound Marketing stages of Awareness, Consideration and Decision, the Inbound Sales representative should: - Identify the right prospects among their leads and targets - Connect with them by providing value with each and every outreach touch attempt - Explore their needs during the connect call - Advise them about how to solve their problem as they build a relationship with them ![inbound_sales_methodology.png](https://www.bristolstrategy.com/hs-fs/hubfs/blog-files/inbound_sales_methodology.png?width=940&height=320&name=inbound_sales_methodology.png) This inbound sales approach demonstrates to your prospects that you are different, more than a traditional salesperson. The inbound sales methodology requires that you be a listener and educator as part of your interactions. The trust you create from this type of engagement will earn you the right to ask for the business you earned.  ## Bristol Strategy For Inbound Marketing And Sales Enablement Inbound selling means creating a positive experience for the buyer as a person while you fulfill a need for them as an organization. **Bristol Strategy** is a comprehensive [Inbound Sales Services Agency](https://www.bristolstrategy.com/inbound-sales-enablement-services) for all stages of your marketing and sales funnel. Connect with us to find out how inbound sales can positively transform your relationships with buyers. [![New Call-to-action](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/524068/082aa24c-4131-449e-acdd-8f57e1c4fb2e.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/524068/082aa24c-4131-449e-acdd-8f57e1c4fb2e) Not convinced? Check out the research report that shows how buyer's perceive sales in this modern digital world. Download: [Buyer's Speak Out: How Sales Must Evolve in the Modern Age](https://www.bristolstrategy.com/buyers-speak-out-how-sales-needs-to-evolve). [![buyers speak about how sales must evolve in the modern age](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/524068/33d7bb93-9176-4510-8138-a7e1a35a2e11.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/524068/33d7bb93-9176-4510-8138-a7e1a35a2e11) *Bristol Strategy is a full funnel [inbound marketing agency](https://www.bristolstrategy.com/) and [inbound sales agency](https://www.bristolstrategy.com/inbound-sales-enablement-services) offering the full complement of  [Inbound Marketing services](https://www.bristolstrategy.com/inbound-marketing-services) that enable our clients to surpass their business objectives by transforming the way they engage with their buyer on-line.  [Reach out to us](https://www.bristolstrategy.com/contact-boston-digital-marketing-agency) to learn more about how our experience and capabilities can help your business grow. * Modern Buyer Image Copyright:[ 123RF Stock Photo](https://www.123rf.com/profile_wavebreakmediamicro) Inbound Sales Image Copyright: [Hubspot](https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/inbound-sales-transforming-the-way-you-sell) ## Related Articles: Inbound Sales [![Correct sales issues and Create an Effective Sales Strategy for Growth](https://www.bristolstrategy.com/hubfs/blog-files/sales-enablement-does-not-work.png) **Correct sales issues and Create an Effective Sales Strategy for Growth** ](https://www.bristolstrategy.com/blog/sales-strategy) [![Pipeline Generation: Why Self-Service is Crucial for Modern CX](https://www.bristolstrategy.com/hubfs/blog-files/customer-self-service-satisfaction.png) **Pipeline Generation: Why Self-Service is Crucial for Modern CX** ](https://www.bristolstrategy.com/blog/pipeline-generation-why-self-service-is-crucial-for-modern-cx) [![How does your website affect sales productivity?](https://www.bristolstrategy.com/hubfs/blog-files/your-website-affects-sales-productivity.jpg) **How does your website affect sales productivity?** ](https://www.bristolstrategy.com/blog/how-your-website-affects-sales-productivity) [![How Inbound Sales Is Improving Overall Sales Productivity](https://www.bristolstrategy.com/hubfs/social-suggested-images/align-marketing-sales-b2b-sales-process-1.jpg) **How Inbound Sales Is Improving Overall Sales Productivity** ](https://www.bristolstrategy.com/blog/inbound-sales-productivity-means-sellers-matter-in-the-digital-world) [![How To Get Prospects To Answer The Phone With Inbound Sales](https://www.bristolstrategy.com/hubfs/blog-files/how-prospects-describe-sales.jpg) **How To Get Prospects To Answer The Phone With Inbound Sales** ](https://www.bristolstrategy.com/blog/how-to-get-prospects-to-answer-the-phone-with-inbound-sales) [![Increasing Productivity: The Difference Between Inbound Sales and Outbound Sales](https://www.bristolstrategy.com/hubfs/blog-files/difference-between-inbound-sales-outbound-sales.jpg) **Increasing Productivity: The Difference Between Inbound Sales and Outbound Sales** ](https://www.bristolstrategy.com/blog/difference-between-inbound-and-outbound-sales) [![Why Conversion Rate Optimization is More Important Than Ever](https://www.bristolstrategy.com/hubfs/blog-files/conversion-rate-optimization.jpg) **Why Conversion Rate Optimization is More Important Than Ever** ](https://www.bristolstrategy.com/blog/why-conversion-rate-optimization-is-more-important-than-ever) [![Can Inbound Sales Result in 25% Compound Annual Sales Growth?](https://www.bristolstrategy.com/hubfs/blog-files/inbound-sales-equals-25-percent-cagr.jpg) **Can Inbound Sales Result in 25% Compound Annual Sales Growth?** ](https://www.bristolstrategy.com/blog/can-inbound-sales-result-in-25-compound-annual-sales-growth) [![The Best Way to Achieve Your Top of Sales Funnel Goals](https://www.bristolstrategy.com/hubfs/blog-files/The_best_way_to_achieve_your_top_of_sales_funnel_goals.jpg) **The Best Way to Achieve Your Top of Sales Funnel Goals** ](https://www.bristolstrategy.com/blog/2014/10/achieve-top-of-sales-funnel-goals) ###### Get in Touch Ask us about our unique approach that creates a full-funnel "inbound" engagement model for your business that attracts and converts digitally engaged prospects.  - ** PO Box 143 East Walpole, MA 02032 - ** [+1 (508) 921-0312](tel:+15089210312) - ** [info@bristolstrategy.com](mailto:info@bristolstrategy.com) - **[Contact-Us Form](https://www.bristolstrategy.com/contact-boston-digital-marketing-agency) ###### Services ###### Subscribe to Inbound Blog - [**](https://www.facebook.com/BristolStrategy/) - [**](https://twitter.com/HighTechMkt) - [**](https://www.linkedin.com/company/bristol-strategy-inc-) - [**](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaL66bWUF_isFvFRMqxiSEw) - [**](https://www.pinterest.com/BristolStrategy/) - [**](https://www.instagram.com/bristolstrategy/) Copyright © 2013 - 2024, Bristol Strategy, Inc. 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