In spite of what you heard about sales reps and their imminent decline in numbers in the world of digital selling, the role of the sales rep is alive and has a bright future. Sales reps are not a dying breed, and companies that invest in their sales force, are seeing their salespeople evolve along with the sales process.
In today’s digital age, top performers have learned that if they approach sales as a science rather than guesswork, they close more deals. There is no longer a need for sales reps to navigate blindly through a path riddled with questions like “how” “when” and “who.” Sales tools have replaced guesswork and have come to play a critical role in closing the deal.
The Evolution of Sales
The shift in the current sales journey has happened as a result of the changing minds of consumers. According to a Harvard Business Review, customers complete, on average, nearly 60% of a typical purchasing decision before having a conversation with a sales rep. This is happening because of greater access to information. Customers are educating themselves more than ever have and don’t therefore don’t need a sales rep at this stage of the sales process. But in this ever-evolving process, the sales rep isn’t being replaced – he simply adopts the critical role of swooping in at the moment that the conversation has come to an end and the deal is to be made. How does he do this in the modern sales age? It happens with the adoption of sales enabling tools.
The Use of Sales Tools
According to Salesforce research, high-performing sales teams use nearly three times as much sales technology than underperforming teams and are eight times more likely to be heavy tech adopters than underperformers. That’s why sales presentations are changing as a result of sales enabling technology. They have become such a critical part of the sales process that they have changed the way companies look at sales reps. Because ultimately the needs of the customer and the goal of the sales rep intersect in the boardroom…the more powerful the presentation, the likelier the close.
In order to keep up with this new reality, it becomes essential to adapt to customer needs. Sales enablement plays a critical role to this. Leading organizations are entering the boardroom with an advantage – an entirely new way of presenting. They are succeeding because they have understood that if they can ‘wow’ and delight customers on sales call, they can achieve something truly great.
How effective are your sales reps in the boardroom? Are they struggling with presentations? If so, you may want to consider ways to empower them and enable them to close more deals. And sales tools are critical to this process.
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