Customers are increasingly raising their expectations for services, including the sales process. And soft skills can only get salespeople so far. A centralized technology is at the core of every successful sales team these days; it allows them to serve their clients how they what, where they want, and when they want. Additionally, we’ve gathered 10 ways to empower your sales team to be the very best they can be.
10 Ways to Empower Your Sales Team
Organizations are moving away from traditional sales methods. Technology-savvy customers have increasingly ambitious standards, and explicitly seek trusted advisors over traditional salespeople. A highly personalized sales experience could be the difference between your team closing the sale or the lead taking their business elsewhere.
1. Define organizational goals
To align the sales process and encourage employees to meet project expectations, leaders must establish goals. The most crucial factor is to set realistic, attainable goals. Being too lofty or ambitious with goal setting can stall a project and/or quickly dampen employee morale.
With the right digital tools and having proper expectations set, employees across all departments can work cohesively, navigating past any potential obstacles, avoiding departmental conflict.
2. Identify all individuals influencing buyer’s journey
A culture of transparency is one key to success. Sales is not the only department exclusive to the buyer process. It stretches across many key organizational departments including marketing, operations, customer service and sometimes HR. Therefore, all departments that influence the buyer’s journey must collaborate. Having a centralized hub where all sales-related activities and conversations are located can help create a cohesive end-to-end sales experience.
3. Revisit the sales process
Understanding the needs of a customer and predictive buying patterns helps to elevate the sales process. Traditionally, the sales model included lead generation and nurturing, resulting in a closed won sale. Those elements are still essential and cannot be abandoned, however the need for technology is imperative.
Two defining factors exposing the need for technology include:
- Increased competition
- Ambitious standards dictated by customers throughout the buying process
The technological investment made by an organization allows the entire sales force to have the customer insights needed to not only compete for but win the sale.
4. Establish accountability
There’s no “I” in “sell.”
Sales takes a concentrated effort by team members; all must be held accountable during the entire process. Organizations, especially those with distributed teams, will find that the adoption of technology makes it easier to track and define the customer buying process.
One example of technology being put to effective use is a customer relationship management system (CRM). Through each step of a buying process, employees are encouraged to input results, establishing accountability, and helping to gain customer insights at each stage.
Access to the CRM gives each department the visibility needed to make informed decisions relating to the customer’s buying journey. Whether for nurturing, reporting, or forecasting, having a strong pipeline helps keep each participant accountable.
5. Team Accord
Consistent communication must be maintained throughout the sales transformation process. The organizational goals established at the onset can only be achieved with a strategic approach.
Failure of alignment by any department can cause a breakdown in the chain of communication, resulting in delays or the potential loss of customers.
6. Mentorship
Mentorship is a vital component to any organization as it fosters an atmosphere of collaboration and helps companies to realize a quicker ROI. In addition to team support, some employees may need more individualized attention as not all are equipped with similar skills, especially in relation to technology.
This is an opportunity for organizations to train individuals in the art of leadership; affording skilled workers the chance to coach their peers. Without the benefit of training, unskilled workers can hinder the implementation and sales processes.
Mentorship programs can pave the way to create greater collaboration, allowing skilled workers the chance to assist those with less experience.
7. Optimize tools
The sales process needs to be as efficient as possible, eliminating redundancies and allowing all involved to optimize their performance. The right tools offer:
- Sales intelligence
- Robust analytics
- Automation of tasks
- Improved ROI
8. Good UX
Adding new technology can lead to some resistance from its intended users. Technology with intuitive UX will eliminate any barriers to adoption. Users will not only feel more connected to technology but will be better equipped to make insightful decisions because of ease of use.
9. Buy-In from executive leadership
Senior level executives need to “lead the charge” when it comes to digital sales transformation initiatives. Buy-in from the top is critical as executives normally possess a keen understanding of what is best for their companies. By taking responsibility for overall KPIs, they are the driving force behind the successful implementation of initiatives.
A lack of direction could result in lost time and project failure. Driving sales is not always easy, but efforts are optimized when the leadership team takes accountability.
10. Unveil change management plan
Successful implementation and deployment of digital sales transformation is most effective with a phased approach. Once core team members have been onboarded and trained in a pilot program, a phased rollout can be implemented for other team members.
The pilot program lets initial members give feedback and permits for required end-user tweaks before being rolled out on a larger scale.
Benefits of an Empowered Sales Team
Employee Benefits
When employees feel empowered, good things happen:
- They become increasingly motivated to succeed
- Employees working in a positive team culture have better communication resulting in strengthened interactions with each other and clients
- More employees will reach their sales goals
Leadership Benefits
To empower means to lead effectively. Leaders who assume accountability for a successful sales transformation can expect to procure the following benefits:
- As sales and profits escalate, a positive ROI is realized
- Increased client retention
- Maturation of employees internally; Attraction of top talent externally
Start Empowering Today
Salespeople using traditional sales methods will quickly fall behind their colleagues as customers are demanding more personalized experiences. Seen as trusted advisors, salespeople are increasingly conducting business with sophisticated, tech-savvy customers who expect engagement throughout the entire buying process. A misstep could be the difference between landing a large contract and watching a prospect walk out the door. Empowering your sales team to exceed customer expectations will improve internal and external relations. Customers may raise the bar, but salespeople can set their own standards for success.
Apexon helps businesses leverage Salesforce to take sales, service, and marketing to the next level. To learn more, check out Apexon’s Salesforce Services or get in touch directly using the form below.
