I’ve just returned from a holiday in La Gomera, where I celebrated my birthday and set myself a goal: to read The Rest Is Just Noise by Alex Ross, a book that explores the history of classical music in the 20th century

I originally bought it as a Christmas gift for my dad

At the time, I was probably in denial about Dad's declining cognitive abilities as dementia and Alzheimer’s began to set in

Now that he’s passed away, the baton and his books, have been handed to me

What struck me as I read was how something as “dyed-in-the-wool” as classical music has constantly evolved with the times

From Beethoven to twelve-tone music, from Schoenberg to Philip Glass and Steve Reich, it’s been a journey of constant reinvention

Can we say the same for sales?

Sadly, not

Sales, for the most part, is still stuck in the 1980s

I was reminded of this today when I received two messages

One was a LinkedIn DM from someone who’s written a book on AI Cold Calling. The other was an email from a well-known “sales influencer” promoting a course on how to write better AI-generated spam

Here’s the irony: if AI cold calling was so effective, why did the author use social media to pitch me the book?

Shouldn’t his AI have called me directly? Ah, but of course, no one picks up those calls

And AI spam? Really? 

Do we need to add more noise to already flooded inboxes?

Let’s be honest: AI hasn’t revolutionised email marketing, it’s killed it

It makes you wonder, after 45 years, why hasn’t sales evolved?

Why haven’t the so-called sales innovators actually… innovated?

You might be thinking: “Yes Tim, you can’t beat a bit of Mozart or Beethoven.” 

And that’s true

But it’s not just the music that’s changed — it’s the listener too

Sales isn’t just about finding the next big app or slapping a digital plaster on outdated processes

Remember those techno remixes of Beethoven? They didn’t take off for a reason

Here’s the twist:
Sales in a social and AI-driven world is more about psychology than technology

What we do in the analogue world is mirrored in the digital world. If your focus is on chasing the algorithm or the next quick-fix tactic, you’ll always be behind

What you need is structure. A method. A clear methodology

That’s how you crack the sales code

And the results?

For an AE, we can shorten sales cycles by 30%

And the average SDR will get 1 x ICP meeting a day

Which should increase your revenue by 20%

You can get these results by using our social selling methodology, that is certified by Institute of Sales Professionals (ISP)

"social selling techniques to influence buyers and changemakers - 2nd edition".

In this brand new edition, I have updated all the text, I have also got 15 practitioners, so people who are doing this already to explain how they are get (practical) business benefit. From the CEO that has been running a digital business for over 18 months to sales leaders and sales people who use social selling every day to drive revenue growth. 

Articles on how these business have and are implementing digital, from Mercer, Telstra Purple, Ring Central, Cyberhawk, Namos, Ericsson, DLA Ignite and more.

What does Mark Schaefer, Marketing guru think of the book "social selling - techniques to influence buyers and changemakers - 2nd edition"? watch the video here

It's available on Amazon worldwide.  Link to Amazon.com here and Amazon.co.uk here.