The history of sales: how does it shed light on our future? – Olivier Forner

Sales: inherent to our history

The key point of this research: sales are deeply inherent to our history. One remarkable thing Olivier found: salespeople have ultimately always adapted to their time. With every new development, they have been able to adapt. While it’s true that in our era some people resist it, others have always adapted.

Salespeople, who are often portrayed in a certain way, have always dreamed of being highly connected to their era. They have been very inventive, whether in the world of the telegraph or out in the field. Ultimately, we see that companies have always had to innovate to adapt, and alongside sales teams they followed rather quickly and always in a fairly effective way.

The first salespeople: peddlers

The history of sales goes back almost to the dawn of humanity. If we look at the book Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, we can clearly see that in the Stone Age we were hunter-gatherers dependent on nature, and we already needed to trade. At the time, this was done more in the form of offerings to cross foreign territory.

As soon as populations begin to settle, a problem emerges: surpluses on one side and shortages on the other. That’s when trade really begins. At first it was barter, then gradually sales became more structured—especially when certain tribes sent members to explore new territories to trade.

Antiquity: Greek and Roman merchants

Antiquity shows that sales contributed to building the great civilizations. The Greeks and Romans developed their cultures thanks to merchants who set up trading posts and explored new territories.

The Greeks built ships to export their products and their culture. They also laid the first regulatory foundations for trade and benefited from the emergence of currency, which greatly accelerated commercial exchanges.

The Middle Ages and the Renaissance: fairs and shops

Trade regained its prestige in Western Europe in the Middle Ages and during the Renaissance. It was the great era of markets and fairs, with major expeditions led by Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus and Ferdinand Magellan.

It was also during this period that shops appeared. These fixed locations introduced new rules: trust, proximity, and a long-term customer relationship. These principles still structure modern commerce today.

Louis XIV and Colbert: taxes and manufactories

Under the reign of Louis XIV, with the actions of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, a new structuring element emerged: taxes. Paradoxically, these encouraged the development of trade by structuring markets.

Colbert developed manufactories and already promoted a strategy to enhance “made in France.” This approach particularly boosted port cities such as Marseille and Saint-Malo by encouraging exports.

The Industrial Revolution: the explosion of trade

The Industrial Revolution marked an explosion in trade. The 19th century saw the rise of major economic empires as well as issues of competition and monopoly.

Advances in coal, textiles, electricity, and chemicals accelerated production. New laws also made it easier to start a business, with around 2,000 new companies created each year between 1835 and 1845.

The first structured sales organization: Pont-à-Mousson

Some companies played a pioneering role in structuring sales forces. For example, Pont-à-Mousson set up one of the first structured sales departments. Other major companies followed, such as Saint-Gobain, Michelin or Peugeot.

Mobility: train, car, plane

The arrival of the railway revolutionized commercial mobility. The car then brought greater freedom, and later the airplane made it possible to expand sales territories even further.

This expansion led to the emergence of sales management to lead larger teams and cover broader geographic areas. Salespeople quickly adopted new technologies: telegraph, telephone, press, internet, social media, and digital tools.

Adaptability: the constant throughout history

Across every era, salespeople have demonstrated a remarkable ability to embrace innovation and develop new methods to grow their business.

The French vs. Anglo-Saxon view of sales

In France, sales are often perceived in a more complex way. French sales culture places greater value on visits and relationships, while Anglo-Saxon countries favor a business-driven approach and seizing opportunities.

This cultural difference also explains why the sales profession sometimes suffers from an image problem in France.

Restoring pride in the sales profession

The aim of this historical analysis is to show that sales are at the heart of economic progress. It is essential to rekindle the desire to sell among younger generations and to promote this strategic profession.

The future of the sales profession

The sales profession is not going to disappear—it will transform. Influencers on social networks already illustrate this shift toward new business models.

Artificial intelligence and new technologies will strengthen the value added of salespeople, especially in relational and strategic areas.

The salesperson: a trusted third party

Salespeople are gradually evolving from a transactional role to that of a facilitator and trusted partner. Despite digitalization, the human relationship remains central to the customer experience.

In a nutshell…

Here are the key takeaways from this Masterclass with Olivier Forner:

• Sales are inherent to our history: salespeople have always adapted to their time
• Adaptability is the constant: throughout history, salespeople have always known how to embrace new tools
• Restoring pride in the profession: we need to bring back an appetite for sales among younger generations
• The future of the salesperson: they will reinvent themselves and become a trusted third party
• To know where we’re going, it helps to know where we come from: understanding history helps us anticipate the future

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