For decades, the sales process looked and felt remarkably similar: Sales reps spoke with people who had personal or business needs and led them through the buying process from interest through close. Today, the landscape is much different, thanks to technology. The rapid pace of technological change has had a major impact on all aspects of the sales process and now, more than ever before, sales pros must have a strong command of that impact.
“If your looking for a relationship based sales solution and want to be on a team that is truly partnering with marketing then join CSS! We are living and breathing the technological transformation that is helping prospects move through the sales funnel.” Says Sharon Tsao, CMO, Contemporary Staffing Solutions.
Technology and The Disappearing Sales Process
Today, buyers typically make it through 70 percent of the sales process without ever talking to a salesperson. Thanks to the internet, both B2B and B2C consumers are conducting their own research to determine whether a product or service meets their needs. This “disappearing” sales process has required sales pros to adjust their approach. It has become necessary to partner more closely with marketing to generate content that will move people through the first half of the buying process, to get savvy with social media to build awareness and connections and to understand analytics to see how modern buyers are progressing through the journey.
Technology Has Knocked Down Business Silos
In today’s digital-driven world, it is important for sales and marketing to work together closely to overcome the disappearing sales process, but that is not the only business silo that technology has impacted. Thanks to CRM platforms and other technological advancements, sales can work together with customer service to ensure quality. For example, if a client calls customer service to complain about an issue, the customer care agent logs that complaint and the solution in the CRM. The sales rep can see that information in real-time, so they know how to frame their next interaction with that client. Sharing information across departments not only improves service delivery, but also increases customer loyalty.
Increased Efficiencies Through The Cloud
Old-school sales reporting was nothing short of torturous for both reps and sales managers. Traditionally, reporting platforms were one-dimensional applications that required individual reps to input their data – often across multiple systems – with little insight produced. Thanks to technology, data can be input into a single platform and leveraged for monthly reporting, forecasting, generating customer insights and more.
The cloud also makes it possible for sales reps to be more agile, responsive and effective on the road. In the “old days” if a prospect or customer wanted data from a rep during a meeting, the rep had to make note of that request, go back to the office, pull the information, prepare a report and send it to the client. Thanks to cloud-based applications, sales pros can now pull data up on their mobile devices and present it directly to the client in real-time.
Are You Hiring Sales Pros?
If you are looking for impactful sales professionals who understand how to leverage technology, the expert sales recruiters CSS are here to help. Whether you need to attract and retain top sales talent, or you are looking for advice on how to manage them for success, contact CSS ProSearch today.
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Contemporary Staffing connects job seekers to hiring managers nationally in the following professions: Accounting & Finance, Call Center & Office, Human Resources, IT, Salesforce, and Sales & Marketing.