Do companies really need a dedicated outside salesforce? Some organizations have concluded that so much is being done online that inside Customer Service teams can manage client needs.

The good news for salespeople is that things are different in the real world. The personal contact, the onsite visits and the problem-solving that happen when people meet around a table create connections and satisfaction on both sides.

Take the instance of a national services company who changed their sales coverage model to one of many Customer Service Reps and a few Business Development Managers. Within 6 months their revenues from key clients were eroding.

When the President talked to those clients, he learned that the lack of regular, personal contact had changed the business relationships his company had so carefully built over the years. Fast action on his part reversed their business model to one of regular onsite calls. Revenues are steadily recovering.

Many products and services are complex, and buying and incorporating them into an organization can have a profound impact on a company’s well-being, or its ability to compete within its marketplace.

Business is about people. The role of a salesperson is consultative, not transactional. Consider what Bain and Company, one of the world’s top consulting firms, said recently:

“Customers expect providers to help solve their business problems and measure value based on outcomes, not necessarily the lowest price.”

Salespeople matter. Great salespeople matter even more.