Inbound Selling

Foreword

I couldn't ask for a more dynamic, experienced, and exciting duo to write the foreword for this book. The sixth employee and current director of sales at HubSpot, Dan Tyre is a world-renowned speaker, adviser, mentor, and investor to companies and individuals around the world on the topic of sales. Mark Roberge was HubSpot's fourth employee and head of sales through its run up to $100 million in revenue. Now a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School, Mark served as HubSpot's SVP of Global Sales and Chief Revenue Officer from 2007 to 2016. He is the author of the best-selling book The Sales Acceleration Formula.

I've asked Dan and Mark to discuss—in their own words—the history, current state, and future of sales.

On the History of Sales through the Salesperson's Eyes

by Dan Tyre

From my earliest recollection, the sales profession has suffered from a tarnished image. It's hard to pinpoint exactly where this reputation started. In the late nineteenth century—the early days of the geographic expansion of the United States—settlers purchased essential goods from a peddler or traveling salesman basically because they had no choice. The sales profession wasn't so much a profession as it was just someone with a horse and wagon. Transportation was the differentiating factor; the product and quality were secondary. Faced with an option to sell to a customer once and likely never see the prospect again, you can guess how that turned out. Exactly. Unfortunately, this activity ...