If you are in sales, and have been for quite some time, you would probably agree that it has evolved into a new, and completely different type of process. With the advent of omnichannel marketing, top performing sales execs have watched sales evolve, and have been applying different methodologies to drive more growth. What does that mean? That means that in order to stay competitive, we have to focus on more advanced sales processes. The kind of processes that will fire up our sales teams.
So where does an advanced sales process begin? It begins with marketing and sales teams working together. According to MarketingCharts.com, only 1 in 2 companies say sales and marketing have a formal definition of a qualified lead. With each stage of the sales process, prospects and customers are meant to take their sales journey from being a simple lead and contact, to becoming an opportunity, and finally a customer. And this only happens when sales and marketing have agreed upon sets of definitions of what constitutes a lead at each stage of the sales funnel.
What should you be focusing on?
As technology evolves, marketing and sales teams are gaining more ways of understanding what customers are thinking and feeling. Channels like our websites, social media and email marketing campaigns, have enabled us to cut through the noise and get to the bottom of what customers need and what it is they are looking for. And how is this accomplished?
It is accomplished with analytics.
According to Salesforce, high-performing sales teams are 3.5 times more likely to use sales analytics. Analytics enable sales reps to speak with prospects in the context of their needs and challenges. That’s why we need to be pulling in the kind of data and insights gathered from our marketing and sales efforts in order that we refine our messaging and campaigns. What’s more is that sales organizations increased the use of sales analytics by 58% from 2015 to 2016, according to Forbes. Top performers understand that having analytics fuels the sales process.
Top performing sales teams are taking advantage of technology to improve the sales process. And they make it happen with sales enablement. Combine marketing automation and CRM, and you’ve got insight on your customers. Combine the two with a sales enablement solution, and you’re bound to impact the bottom line and empower your sales teams.
What areas of the sales process are you focusing on? It’s time to be more analytical, and it’s time to adopt sales enabling technology to your business processes. After all, there is nothing quite as important as enabling your sales force. Focus on what makes an impact. Focus on analyzing performance and enabling sales with the right technology.