Our popular What’s Out and What’s In 2006 Hot List is here with lots of fresh insights in the Inside Sales World. This past year was a dynamic one for the sales, service and support industries.
We start the New Year with a renewed sense of optimism and the courage to raise the bar on productivity- after all, we are well positioned to dream big this year. We predict a rapid deployment of technology, continued growth opportunities from an increasingly global workforce, and an emphasis on customer retention. Let’s check out more sales and service trends as well as pop culture trends.
| What’s Out | What’s In |
|---|---|
| Decentralized teams with disparate reporting structures | Centralized teams with unified reporting structures |
| Sales Development teams reporting into Marketing | Sales Development teams reporting to Sales |
| Offshore customer support | Lower cost on-shore customer support |
| New business development | Customer retention and expanding installed base |
| Building an inside sales organization | Making your existing inside sales organization to be best in class |
| Corporate attitudes and conservative policies | Corporate passion and agility |
| Limited and specialized selling | Bundling solution selling |
| PowerPoint presentations over the phone | Collaborating real time via web conferencing |
| Broad based marketing programs | Targeted solutions marketing programs |
| Team training without management involvement | Management participation and reinforcement |
| Webinars | On-Site customized training |
| Tactical outsourcing to reduce costs | Strategic resource planning |
| Negotiating seminars | Time management Seminars |
| CD burning | Podcasting |
| PlayStation 3 | XBox360 |
| MapQuest | Navigational System |
| Xanga | MySpace |
| Crossword Puzzles | Sudoku |
| Terrestrial radio | Satellite radio |
| Alan Greenspan | Ben Bernanke |
| Tom Cruise | Postpartum depression |
| Survivor | Lost |
| George Lucas | Woody Allen |
| Tom Brady | Carson Palmer |
| Merlot | Pinot Noir |