CUSTOMERS ARE SHIFTING
It may be hard to imagine, but there was a time when products were just sold in a physical sense and salespeople were seen as the go-to experts before any sale took place.
But consumer habits change, often shifting due to technological advancements. Over the past few years, social selling has gained the attention of sales professionals looking to succeed in the altered customer purchasing landscape. With a predicted 2.55bn social media network users globally and consumers being 5 times more reliant on digital content than in the early 2,000’s, it’s clear the digital space is here to stay.
An organization looking to drive sales has a raft of digital technologies to choose from to improve the selling power of a business. But, just applying and using these isn’t enough. There needs to be a digital selling strategy in place that guides the organization as a whole.
Customers are rapidly shifting how they learn about and buy products and offerings. At the same time, the tools, data, and analytics that direct sales activity are becoming dramatically more sophisticated. It’s time to transform the go-to-market approach by taking these factors into consideration.
The 3 major trends affecting how sales models are changing
Business leaders understand the importance of effective selling, but they are faced with a rapidly changing environment around how customers engage and buy, as well as new competitors who are going to market in different ways.
- Data-Driven Selling. A digitally savvy marketplace requires advanced marketing analytics, process reengineering, mobile strategies, and deeper analytics.
- Digitization. Customers are accessing more information online and, in several cases, interacting with, trialing, or even purchasing the product without ever interacting with a seller. Further, a sales force equipped with the right information and anytime, anywhere connectivity can be more responsive and make faster decisions than one that relies on fixed communications.
- Rebalancing Go-to-Market. Some industry leaders are moving away from expensive field-sales models toward digital and inside sales.
What is the benefits of sales transformation?
Transforming the sales force by merging new trends with the still powerful, traditional sales levers of customer targeting, time on task, and messaging. Digital sales transformation is program to address sales strategy and effectiveness can drive significant. Focusing on frontline transformation efforts can:
Identify opportunities for improvment to increase sales efficiency and effectiveness. Solving key strategic, operational, and organizational sales issues can help businesses thrive in challenging environments.
Create more value, as companies are spending a significant share of revenues on sales. Improving sales effectiveness can directly translate into additional revenues. It can also free up resources that can be used to create value elsewhere in the business.
Optimize internal work, sales process is strongly linked with other functions, such as marketing and services. True sales transformation requires behavioral changes among managers and staff in these areas. Reducing complexity across the organization can lead significant growth.