"Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men."

This may surprise you.One of my favorite sayings about sales is from General George Patton.

Patton was one of the most storied, and controversial, American generals in World War II. (If you haven’t seen the classic movie “Patton” about a million times, as I have, you should start on that today.) Patton said: "Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men."Think about sales in that context. Sales may be fought with technologies and automation, but they are won by men and women. You have an increasing quantity of innovative sales tools at your disposal. They are valuable door openers and enablers. Just take a lesson from Patton and remember that these tools can only take you so far. They won’t build relationships or develop trust with buyers. They lack empathy and insight.If you have to choose between learning a new sales tool or mastering the human sales skills that enable you to quickly connect with another human, engage their interest, build their trust and inspire them to make a decision, choose the latter. The difference between winning and losing boils down to you; not your tools.- Andy