Top CRM for Your Digital Sales Team
Any good digital sales strategy starts with an adaptable customer relationship management system. This was true even before sales went digital. Now,
having a CRM that can keep up with rapid technological changes is essential for businesses that want to stay relevant.
The following sections will go into more details on the key changes you can expect, but for now, online record-keeping is paramount. As your customer base grows and it becomes ever easier to contact them, you also need to continuously train your sales team on how to effectively and uniformly use your CRM.
For more information, our Sales Intelligence Webinar explains how to grow your sales using the Bitrix24 CRM.
Use automation as your digital sales assistant
In the world of digital sales B2B, keeping your customer’s attention is going to be a tough task, especially if they’re not currently looking for what you’re selling. That’s why it is important to close deals as soon as possible.
One effective way of preparing for a rapid sales battle on many fronts is to create workflows in your CRM. Let’s suppose your client has given you their details in exchange for a PDF download. This opens up a conversation and you need to be ready with a friendly welcome email to strike while the iron is hot.
Automated messaging is virtually boundless in B2B digital sales. Customer didn’t open your first message? Wait two days and send another. By creating and implementing a well-thought-out sales strategy, you can save your team hours on manual communication, while also ensuring that no contacts fall through the cracks.
This does not mean that your staff will be made redundant, but they can focus their efforts on the more important tasks that require a real human touch.
Similar to automation is the art of integration. Combine all your platforms through Zapier and Automate.io integrations for a seamless sales journey. For example, you can link your phone system to your CRM to keep precise records of all your contacts with leads.
One issue that a lot of project managers find in the sales process is communication between departments.
Digital sales analytics
In the introduction, we went over how sales has become harder in the age of information. But the flipside is that all this data can help you pinpoint your customers’ needs. Segment your analytics by channel, device, and much more for even more precise analytics.
Understanding your digital sales analytics covers your customer profiles, but also your ads. While more directly linked to digital marketing, having a data-driven ads strategy focuses your sales efforts on leads that are more likely to convert. Follow up your ads with remarketing, and you’re really covering all bases.
Now, the truth is that complex sales analytics are still relatively new to the game, and those that claim to fully understand them far outnumber those who actually do. It’s not good enough to simply have the right tools, you need to know how to use them. It’s like owning a Ferrari and not being able to get out of first gear.
Getting up into those higher gears is not rocket science. Just like automations and integrations, careful planning and training of your sales team will pay dividends in the future. As a manager, you can find vast resources online that explain how to get the most out of your analytics. However, if you’re not confident in your analytics, there are plenty of experts who can help you get started.
So many business breakthroughs have been a direct result of advanced analytics, and with the democratization of machine learning, this is sure to be an area to watch going forward in sales 4.0.
Making a name for yourself on social media
No list of online sales tools would be complete without social media rearing its head.
It is a free way of engaging your audience, and with a bit of clever planning, it is incredibly effective. But what exactly makes it so great?
In today’s world, and especially within the B2B market, people are incredibly skeptical of ads. Ads are everywhere these days and the more people see, the less effect they have. To counter this, social media offers real-life testimonials, and there is really no replacement for them. Word-of-mouth is great, but solid referrals on Google My Business, LinkedIn, or even Instagram can reach even further.
You might wonder whether B2B decision-makers will even see your social media activity. Think again. While younger professionals are taking up key roles, older employees are increasingly joining social media to stay relevant.
So you’ve got a vast audience through your social media, what next? Providing as much information as possible about your product puts your name out there and helps those at the awareness stage of your digital marketing strategy.
But social media goes further in digital sales. Setting up chatbots or even having salespeople live on your channels gives your audience the perfect opportunity to take their interest one step further. Perhaps it’s just a question, or it might be a request for more materials, but the key point is, it’s engagement.
Plan for the future
It seems clear that sales 4.0 is going to have an irreversible impact on how your B2B sales team works. And a key takeaway here is that it’s a sink-or-swim situation. You can’t be left in the dark while your competitors are exploiting machine learning in their analytics, so getting educated is extremely important.
It seems we are also moving to a much more holistic view of digital sales. The line between marketing and sales is blurring, and while social media was once a stepping stone to your traditional sales journey, it is now an end in itself.
So to conclude, adaptability is the name of the game. Don’t get too attached to your digital tools or your sales strategies, because it’s those who react who will succeed.
