What I Learned About Sales — and Why It's No Longer Enough Today

Tobias Grote is the founder and CEO of the consulting firm terraalpine. He held senior sales positions at Liebherr for over 15 years, most recently as Head of Sales Germany. Currently, he assists companies with brand management issues arising from the intersection of sales, digitization, and structure. He shares with XPLN the conviction that visibility only becomes effective when analysis, implementation, and management are considered together.

Real Sales Is About More Than Just Processes and Tools

I didn't make a 'career in sales'. I simply worked in sales for a long time. In real life. In meetings with customers, at trade fairs, in markets, and in long conversations with the sales force, partners, and my team. For me, sales was never just 'sales' – it was responsibility. For people. For structures. It was about brands that didn't just want to be bought – but understood.

During my time at Liebherr Appliances, most recently as Head of Sales Germany and a member of the Executive Board, we achieved a lot. Together, we built sustainable systems — not perfect, but clear in their direction. We focused on how a brand is presented in retail, how it is promoted and how it is perceived.

This work shaped me. And it showed me something: sales works if it is taken seriously.

Today, Sales Is Discussed Differently

It's all about platforms, performance, AI, MarTech, and content scores. And yes, a lot of it is important. But sometimes I ask myself: who actually listens when someone says, "I was in the shop yesterday. And the brand just didn't happen."?

In recent years, we have learned to analyse visibility, compare data and automate processes. That's good — as long as we don't forget what it's all about: Trust. Relevance. Impact.

Today, there are countless ways to be visible. But visibility does not necessarily equate to impact. Nor is it leadership. To me, effective brand management is not just about a product appearing at the top of the page. It's about whether someone has understood it. Whether they can communicate it. It's about managing it in such a way that people build trust.

Visibility alone is fleeting. Impact is created when people are convinced, not just informed. This often happens where systems end — in conversation, during counselling and through real contact.

Throughout my career, I have witnessed first-hand how powerful brands can become when sales, retail and branding are aligned. When you can also understand what is written in the strategy paper in store or in the shop. When partners are treated as equals — not just sales agents, but as part of a shared narrative.

Consistent Brand Management: Visible Online & Offline

I am convinced that the quality of implementation in the market should be the benchmark — not just revenue or visibility.

Brand management should not be based solely on commercial performance. The decisive factor is how visible, relevant and consistent the brand is in the market — online and offline, across all touchpoints and national borders — from traditional retail and platforms to social commerce and AI-supported product searches.

This is precisely what should become the basis for collaboration, development and remuneration.

That's what I'm working on, together with partners like XPLN. We make implementation systematically visible and support brands in linking conditions fairly and comprehensively to actual implementation.

My Main Concern Today Relates to the Question: How Do We Manage to Keep It All Together?

We have powerful tools. We have data. We have expertise. However, we don't always establish connections between the different elements. Between online and offline. Between the back office and field service. Between people and systems.

I'm not writing this text in response to anything. Rather, it is an invitation. To anyone who, like me, wonders how sales and branding fit together today. How digital systems can help – without forgetting people. How can we learn to listen again: to customers, retailers and our own brand.

I believe we need to rethink the concept of sales. Not reinvent it – but reassemble it. We should do this with respect for what was. And for what is needed today. Ultimately, it's not dashboards that determine brand success, but what people make of them.

Although we may not share the same experiences, perhaps we share the same aspiration: that sales should be more than the sum of their parts. Brand management should once again be more about attitude than headlines.

If you're as concerned about this issue as I am, connect with me on LinkedIn and let's start a conversation. I'm eager to see where it will take us.