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Modern salespeople need a regular digital detox.
We know we should turn off all electronics at least one hour before going to bed if we want a good night’s sleep. We know we should put that darned phone away when we get home so we can spend time with our families, and that we should unplug when we go on vacation.
We’ve heard these cautions for years. Yet, most of us remain plugged in, both night and day.
If we’re always looking at screens, we’re missing out on life and undermining our most effective sales techniques. We’re losing the personal connections and relationships that drive sales.
The First Step to Recovery Is Admitting You Have a Problem
Technology addiction is running rampant in today’s society. We spend more time looking at screens than talking to the people who matter. This sad reality is creating distance between us, our families, and our friends—the people we should be keeping close. It’s also impairing our brains and making us less effective at work.
Elizabeth Segran’s Fast Company article—“What Really Happens to Your Brain and Body During a Digital Detox”—highlights scientific research about the impact of technology addiction. She writes:
We sense that our smartphones are making us less focused, that constantly checking our email and Twitter is making us less productive, and more disconnected from our real lives. But what do we really know about how our devices are affecting us? We have plenty of anecdotes, but the science of how always-on technology impacts human behavior is still in its infancy.
Results from the few studies that have been done are troubling. Social media appears to promote narcissism, smartphones could be causing insomnia, and screens seem to be making our kids less empathetic.
Read more to learn what happens when 35 CEOs, entrepreneurs, and influencers gathered in the Moroccan desert, without cell phones or any other technology. The insights this group gained without the constant distraction of always being “on” are remarkable.
What This Means for Sales Teams
The power of connections is infinite—and I’m not talking about computers.
Salespeople’s success isn’t determined by the number of devices that connect them to the outside world; it’s determined by the number of connections they have to actual human beings.
New, fancy technology is alluring. It’s easy to get sucked into the digital universe. But sales teams need person-to-person connections in order to expand referral networks, and to build and nurture relationships with prospects and clients.
What are your team’s most effective sales techniques? The ability to talk to people, to share ideas face-to-face, to connect on both a business and personal level. People do business with people, not with technology. And fancy gizmos won’t make that happen. But trusted referral networks and personal connections will. You make the effort, you win.
Join the conversation: How do you deal with technology detox?
Want to learn more about how to build your referral networks? Check out my Slide Share presentation, “5 Tips to Get Started with Referral Selling.”
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