Technology has shaped business processes. Machines, adding or replacing human labor, expedite manufacturing processes. Balance sheet and income statement figures are updated with every transaction through the integration of an online accounting system with the other profit and cost centers. Seminars can be hosted over the web, hence the term webinar, and interested audiences anywhere in the world can participate. The list of benefits companies reap from technology goes on.
The sales process has also gained benefits with the use of technology. Client presentations and meetings can be done over a phone or video conference. This bridges the gap for offshore outsourcing, and cuts both time on travel and costs. Sales appointments can be booked, confirmed and reschedule in just one click with timely reminders and alarms. Even presentations, proposals, brochures and marketing collateral can be easily crafted with handy tools designed for everyone, even if you’re not a layout artist. (just look at this business proposal template for instance)
Today, it is imperative to make use of technology for sales, whether it’s for closing business deals or for team management. Undoubtedly, your sales team might be using several technologies for efficiency, client servicing and to effectively manage the sales pipeline. But you might be missing these other apps, programs, cloud software and other technology trends that will help your sales team reach its full potential.
Email Tracking
Email can be considered the no. 1 sales and marketing tool today. More conversations and proposals are exchanged through this than any other medium, whether online or offline. What’s good about email is that you can do so much with communication. Apart from all basic aspects of email, you also have the power to track messages. Yes, you can!
With an email tracking capability, you take control of your email communication. You will know the activities related to a particular message – if it’s opened and when, and whether links have been clicked. This is a great tool to complement your email schedulers. By knowing the best time when people read your messages, you can schedule the perfect sales message and follow-up at the right time.
Productivity Software
Efficiency is the key to success. For teams like sales, it is important to be updated, lessen tasks and focus more on selling. You can install technologies that can help you with productivity. Apps, software and cloud technologies abound and you can select certain things that fit with your team. One good app is Slack, which is more than just a communication tool. It offers a shared workspace where you can chat, video call, send and receive files (and easily access them), bookmark important messages, and integrate your calendar so no one on the team is missing out on anything.
Sales Coaching
AI may never replace people but it sure can help with sales. One way to use AI is through sales coaching. I bet you might wonder how an AI can lend a hand in the most personal approach to selling. Using AI, you will know the key variables and best practices in closing deals. This is critical when employing new hires or trainees, and the ongoing development of your core team. Refract, sales coaching software, also allows a database of coaching materials for training while tracking the progress of sales reps. It provides insights on every sales call, making it easy to know what went right or wrong. These insights are necessary to accelerate opportunities for growth to sales reps.
Automation
In a day’s work, sales is not just about conversations with prospective clients. Around half of the time is spent on doing certain manual tasks, like reports, lots of research and other non-selling work. These may not book you a deal but they are relevant anyway. But of course, you want your team to spend more on signing up contracts. So, how do you manage?
One of the most efficient ways is to automate. There is a number of software options you can make use of to cut or eliminate your time doing manual tasks and focus more on selling. Just like AI, automation is not a replacement but rather an additional enhancement to your sales team. Automation allows you to immediately create records of contacts and activity logs, as well as perform data entry, research and communication. With this, your team can focus its attention on potential clients and craft the best approach to winning customers.