Technology and training are having a great impact on sales enablement for businesses in 2021. New sales tools in AI and automation will also enable businesses to capture consumer information and engagement activity automatically, freeing salespeople to focus more on deeper customer research, culling insights from data and creating more meaningful interactions with their buyers.
With this in mind, marketing leaders must have a direct pathway to sales management in order to stay ahead of the tools needed to continue the brand’s story and track accountability and conversions.
According to Forrester, 40% of B2B sales representatives plan to modify their tactics to better fit remote sales, looking for more dynamic ways to earn buyer’s attention than the traditional email, phone calls, and screen-sharing interactions. Additionally, since buyers are increasingly comfortable with e-commerce, marketers are adding more value and functionality to their platforms.
Three trends that will make all the difference:
Sales intelligence technology
|
Sales intelligence includes technology to identify, track, analyze and interact with existing and potential clients. Better targeting and communication will mean more relevance throughout the process. You need to know who your prospects are and how your campaigns are landing with them.Not only must the sales function deliver timely insights, but those insights must be regular over time and evolve throughout the buying process from previous interactions. Success rests on the right systems.You may have the urge to automate these systems, but keep in mind that they need close monitoring. Remember, using “sales intelligence” is not the same as “creative intelligence.” The lifecycle varies across demographics and very much depends on an understanding of your audience’s journey. |
Personalization
|
Consumers are now experts at finding information online about the products and services they want. Impersonal, generic sales scripts will no longer win them over.Sales professionals (with the help of the right tech) are expected to learn, understand and anticipate the needs of their customers like personal consultants.For inspiration, consider Netflix, a company whose algorithm is famous for highly personalized viewing recommendations. But the company goes far beyond that, using its real-time data to do things like attract viewers with artwork that changes with what someone’s just watched. The takeaway: an approach that changes moment by moment. |
Sales coaching |
Technology will only amplify any poor practices in your sales processes, and successful businesses are investing more in sales training and coaching to ensure that sales teams are in control.When the world is happening (mostly) online, sales leaders have to figure out how to keep tabs on what team members are doing, and how they’re doing, both personally and professionally. This means going back to the foundation:
|
In closing
There are big changes on the horizon as 2021 brings continued COVID challenges for marketers and the companies they serve. From a sharp increase in the work-from-home workforce, to a renewed commitment to “digital first” and an excellent customer experience, teams will be forced to be innovative and inventive with almost everything they do. Lean, agile, flexible and reliable partners who can complement internal teams are becoming a necessity, not a luxury.
Check out the first three installments of our CMO Intelligence series:
