The Futurist's Guide to Sales
- Graham
- Nov 19
- 4 min read
I used to think that salespeople would make lousy futurists. Sales seemed so myopic, whereas futurists were all about the "big picture."
Yet as I've discovered, salespeople are futurists too.
Because sales is focused on outcomes, and the best salespeople focus on long-term outcomes.
But even salespeople can struggle to keep their eye on the long-term prize amid all the admin, qualifying leads, sales calls and countless other distractions.
So employing the techniques that futurists use to navigate change, capitalize on uncertainty and make great decisions can provide an edge to the savvy salesperson.
One of these techniques is The Mental Time Machine, which cultivates confidence in the future and our ability to shape it.
Here's how a salesperson can cultivate their inner futurist.
Thanks for the Memories
The first stop our Mental Time Machine will make is the past.
Wait... the past is for historians, not futurists, right?
Wrong. To be a good futurist, you also need to be a good historian, because the wisdom in our lives comes from experience.
Great salespeople don't outperform year after year by doing they same thing. They succeed by continually learning and adapting.
Graham Norris is a much sought-after international speaker who is often booked up months in advance due to his unique insights. Please get in touch with Graham as early as you can in your planning, so you can secure his presence at your event and get his input into your planning process.
To create a successful future, you need to learn from the experiences of others. This means not only studying "best practice," but also the cycles of change that have influenced your sector. B2B software sales, for example, have experienced many cycles of change, including the shift from mainframes to PCs, and from on-premise software to software as a service.
Your own experiences are also a rich source of wisdom, one that you likely squander. The reasons deals fall over or juicy contracts fall into our laps are rarely examined in detail. But recognizing the patterns is only possible if you take time to reflect on what's happening.
Famous salesperson and keynote speaker Zig Ziglar, for example, emphasized continuous learning from setbacks, using that experience to create ambitious visions for the future.
(Want to learn more from the history of sales? Here is some wisdom extracted from the experience of some sales masters.)
Ahead of the Curve
The next stop is the future.
The psychological challenge with the future is uncertainty. Research shows that not only is uncertainty inconvenient, it's stressful. But of course, where's there's a problem, there's an opportunity.
Because the greatest salespeople don't focus on solving today's customer pain. They're selling into tomorrow's problems.
But it's important not to get hung up on trying to predict the future. You just need to think through what could happen. What does the buyer want next year? The short answer is, you don't know. The better question is: What might the buyer want?
Simply creating some scenarios about what the market might look like one, two or three years down the line will help you anticipate your clients' needs.
Not only that, but you'll be helping the client understand the future, which could be strategically very valuable for them. You're feeding them not just information, but also the analysis of its implications.
Sensing current trends and understanding their future impact is how great businesses are built.
Mary Kay Ash, for example, made her name in multi-level sales of cosmetics. She based her business on the trend of women entering the workforce, anticipating that they would want flexible, relationship-based selling opportunities.
(Read more about Mary Kay Ash.)
Connecting Action to Outcome
The final stop is the present.
Great salespeople know that whatever happens in the current quarter is the result of decisions they made many quarters ago. So to set yourself up for future success, you need to make great decisions today.
This is where vision comes in.
Your vision is your opinion about what you want. It connects your actions today with your ambitions for the future. Your vision gives you direction, so you don't end up just chasing your tail.
The most important aspect of your vision is detail. We usually think of the future in only the vaguest terms, but to create compelling visions, we need to add detail.
Try this. Pick a time in the future and define success. Then imagine, at this future point in time:
where you are
what you're doing
who you're with
what you're saying
what you're thinking
what you're planning
Bringing the vision to life is what makes it motivating.
Sarah Blakely, for example, envisioned underwear that complemented the wearer's shape. She had to hold on tightly to this vision as her idea was rejected month after month. Yet with persistence and a clear view of the future, she managed to turn her idea for Spanx into a successful brand.
(You can read about Sarah Blakely's amazing story here.)
Take Control
Sales fads come and go, but the uncertainties of the future will always offer competitive advantage for the smart salesperson.
With a Mental Time Machine, your mind will become more agile, you'll gain confidence in the future, and you'll create real strategic value for yourself and your clients.
Set aside some time today to:
analyze the lessons of history
imagine the possibilities of the future
create a compelling vision for yourself
By adopting a futurist mindset, you too can take control of your future.
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