Howard Dover - The Sales Innovation Paradox: Harnessing Modern Methods for Optimal Sales Performance

Over the past ten years, we have seen innovations in all aspects of buying and selling. Technology innovations allow sellers to do things that were impossible in the past.... All these innovations should enable us to drive step-function increases in revenue growth and value creation. But somehow weve failed. Percentage of reps making quota, average tenure in sales jobs, and employee engagement and satisfaction have plummeted. Customers are actively choosing rep-free buying experiences....

It seems we have a paradox. Why are all these things that should be driving leaps in performance and value creation failing? Dr. Howard Dover gives us a perspective on the potential of these innovations, the challenges in harnessing their power, and some of what has driven failure. The Sales Innovation Paradox dives deeply into these issues, helping the reader understand both the potential and challenges. This book helps you rethink how you and your organizations might better harness the potential we have in driving sales and buying performance.

DAVE BROCK, author of Sales Manager Survival Guide and CEO at Partners in EXCELLENCE

Howard gets in the trenches with data, and in the celestial clouds, to paint a strategic horizon. The paradox that he talks about is not for the feeble; its for the hungry, who want to skillfully create their future. The calm part of the book is the lull before he shoots you to the moon. Its best to mentally buckle up, cause when you hit zero gravity, and your mind is floating, youll be looking at your future, with negative or positive g-force.

Anyone else frustrated with the black hole of innovation? Dover uses his PhD credential, love for data, calm demeanor, but incredibly biting desire to move people off their inertia pedestal and into action. If necessity is the mother of all invention, Dover is the godfather, offering perspective and a gentle (okay, all-out) push to move you to informed action regarding innovation in the firm and your career.

ROBERT M. PETERSON, PhD, Deans Distinguished Professor of Sales at Northern Illinois University

If youre wondering why your return on the new sales enablement tool didnt materialize, you need to read this book. If you want to understand how to fix it, buy the book for your team.

SCOTT GILLUM, founder and CEO of Carbon Design

Paradoxes are intriguing, everywhere, and influential. When such seemingly counterintuitive propositions that relate to sales are not recognized and decoded, sales organizations are challenged and may decline. Howard Dovers Sales Innovation Paradox makes influential observations of the evolving world of sales and solves the sales innovation paradox to help us embrace new sales challenges with success. With the sales and technology adoption with behavior shifts (STABS) model, Dover enables the reader with a comprehensive understanding of the new strategic capabilities sales organizations and leaders need so that they can benefit from multiplier effects. The Sales Innovation Paradox is a beautiful tribute to the changing world of sales, where modern sales organizations need, more than ever, modern sales leaders.

JOEL LE BON, PhD, professor of marketing and sales at Johns Hopkins University

This sales book will define an era. Dr. Dover puts his finger right on the truth weve sensed is out there but now must urgently address. He gives us not only the well-research and reasoned background for the paradox but also tactical actions we can take to address it. Imagine the change thats possible if we made concern for the customers reaction the center of our commercial strategy. It would be game-changing.

SPENCER WIXOM, chief customer officer at Challenger

Many companies have a lot of friction in their buying process. With the advent of more than a thousand sales apps, tools, and add-ons, there is often a classic sales process not leveraged by innovation. As Dr. Howard Dover shares, we need modern tools and modern motions. As long as our buyers are in a continual state of behavioral shift, our modern sellers will need to hone skills and also evolve. With all the change in the last few years, one message really stood out to methat every company should question its existing revenue enablement structure (including talent) and realign to be more customer-centric.

LORI RICHARDSON, sales strategist and author of She Sells

This book should be rated D for disruption. Everything youve believed about sales will be called into question with this book. It disrupts norms, challenges your beliefs, and throws your core principles to the wind. But, unlike other books that leave you hanging, this one sets the table for the future of sales. This is the book that is the blueprint to follow.

MARK HUNTER, author of A Mind for Sales

Struggling to increase sales productivity? Find out why in The Sales Innovation Paradox. Better yet, discover how to achieve a sustainable multiplier effect, leading to true market dominance.

JILL KONRATH, author of Agile Selling and SNAP Selling

For years, sales organizations have fallen victim to the siren song of morehire more SDRs, buy more sales technology, complete more activities, implement more training, etc. Dr. Howard Dover uncovers the underappreciated sources of inertia holding us back from the promised land of increased sales efficiency and effectiveness. And its not what you think. I recommend this book to any sales rep looking to become a modern-day sales professional.

JEN ALLEN, chief evangelist at Challenger

Howard eloquently shows us the past, present, and future of sales technology innovations. The Sales Innovation Paradox is a must-read for revenue leaders looking to accelerate successful and scalable go-to-market strategies, balancing technology with process and theory with practice. Reading this book will shine a light on ways to improve your sales efficiency and sales effectiveness.

ELAY COHEN, cofounder of SalesHood and author of Enablement Mastery

If you have a sales team, you need to read this book. It not only gives you context and data on sales history; it gives you a road map and tools for how to shape your sales organization for the need of today and into the future. Its a must-read for all organizations wanting to grow and stay relevant with their customers.

JULIANA STANCAMPIANO, author of Radical Outcomes: How to Create Extraordinary Teams That Get Tangible Results

Dr. Dover provides us with an in-depth analysis of modern-day professional selling from three critical perspectives: the sellers, the buyers, and the sales leaders. He does an excellent job explaining the tools and technology available for salespeople, sales leaders, sales organizations, and the proper applications. He also provides an important perspective from the customers point of view that will educate and reinforce the importance of proper preparation and sales motions by everyone who touches the customer. There is so much more on the pages that follow about resourcing, training, and the critical importance of the frontline sales leader. I thoroughly enjoyed this how-to guide to sales technology and would recommend it to salespeople, sales leaders, and sales executives regardless of industry.

MIKE HART, former vice president of sales at Lennox

The Sales Innovation Paradox highlights the unrivaled thirst of companies that try to adopt new and innovative technologies to improve their sales game but fall short of achieving their goals. Not all technologies are created equal, and few are grounded in the reality of the trench warfare salespeople need to go through to win the many battles required to close a deal....