The Battle Between Legacy Sales and a Buyer-First World

Sales teams today are like 19th century ironclad warships, mixing modern advancements with outdated practices and becoming less effective as a result. Those who hold on to legacy tactics instead of fully embracing a buyer first, consultative, and self-service driven approach will struggle to keep up as the market evolves.

Ever heard of the HMS Warrior? A beast of a ship in the 1860s, it was iron-hulled, steam-powered, cutting-edge… but still dragging around full masts and sails. Why? Because the Royal Navy wasn’t ready to fully commit to the new world. They wanted the security blanket of old traditions, even when the future was staring them in the face.

This is exactly where sales teams are today.

We know buyers want self-service. We know automation is reshaping prospecting. We know consultative sales beats old-school pitches. Yet, instead of evolving, too many teams are stuck in a weird, outdated hybrid state: part legacy, part future, all confusion.

The Problem: Stuck Between Two Eras

Back in the ironclad era, naval engineers faced a choice: evolve or cling to the past. Many tried to do both. These ships had iron armor but still carried wooden elements, still had masts, and still used old battle tactics even though the technology had changed. They were aesthetically modern but strategically outdated. They were strong in theory but built for a world that no longer existed.

Sound familiar? Sales teams today:

  • Keep quota-driven cold calls like it’s still 1998.
  • Stick with endless forecasting meetings instead of fixing pipeline issues.
  • Slap AI on top of bad sales processes and call it "innovation."
  • Force buyers into unnecessary discovery calls when the information is already on the website.

We’re running sales teams like an ironclad warship with sails (I can't for the life of me come up with a play on the sails / sales thing. Get back to the point, Kyle).

Buyers are in control now. They want information on demand, fewer sales touchpoints, and more consultative conversations when they do engage. And yet, many sales orgs are still clinging to legacy tactics that don’t fit the new world.

The Winners Are Going Full Steam Ahead

The companies that win in this new world aren’t tinkering with their old model. They’re dropping the sails and going full steam ahead. That means:

  1. Ditching the Discovery Call as a Barrier – If your buyer can get the info online, why force them into a call? The best teams use self-service tools, content, and interactive demos to let the buyer control the process. If calls need to happen, sales reps apply new messaging that meets the buyer where they are and gets them information quickly. Does this skip the part where they are supposed to build a relationship? NO! Being professional and helpful builds rapport.
  2. Rethinking Outbound – AI is changing prospecting, but are your reps still mass-emailing leads with generic messages? The best teams personalize at scale, leverage insights, and focus on consultative outreach, not volume-driven spam.
  3. Making Sales a Competitive Advantage – If your team is just repeating what’s on the website, you’re redundant. The best sales teams act as trusted advisors, using real insights and guiding buyers through complexity.
  4. Aligning with Buyer Behavior – The old idea of “getting them on the phone” is dying. The best sales teams work with how people buy today—whether that means leveraging chat, self-scheduling, or asynchronous selling.

The Others? They’ll Be Left Behind

Hybrid warships looked cool for a while, but they got left behind. The same thing is happening to sales teams that refuse to adapt.

The question is: Where’s your team? Are you a full-fledged, modern sales engine? Or are you still dragging around a set of sails, afraid to cut ties with the past?

As my distant relative, Commodore George Dewey said during the Battle of Manila Bay in 1898, "You may fire when you are ready, Gridley." :)