The world of the professional salesperson has changed dramatically over the last decade. With more demanding customers, more complex solutions, more intricate buying processes, and more intense competition, the list of challenges facing 21st Century sellers is both long and growing.

In response, salespeople have changed the way they interact with their customers. They have become more collaborative, more consultative, more solution-oriented, more responsive, and generally more intimate with those they serve.

Meanwhile, new research reveals that the very best salespeople have found another group of people with whom to get cozy. No…not new types of customers or even new business partners. Surprisingly, the best salespeople are standouts at wooing their own co-workers.

Read this great article by Jason Jordan, director of research for the University Sales Education Foundation, for ManageSmarter.com on Inside Information: An Untapped Source for Sales Success.

Then to get some insight into today’s buyer point of view, read Sharon Drew Morgan’s take on What’s Going on Behind the Scenes in a Buyer’s Environment featured on Craig Rosenberg’s blog, The Funnelholic.