ADVANCING WORK:

8 WAYS TO PREPAREFOR THE FUTURE OF SALES

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The sales industry is changing at a rapid pace. According to Gartner, by 2020, customers will manage 85% of their purchasing transactions without talking to a human.

85%

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From the growth of business-to-business sales to the decrease in the “typical salesman,” organizations are learning how to quickly adapt to the new sales terrain. Organizing tactics in relation to future trends will help businesses propel past the competition.

As such, what are some ways companies can prepare for the future of sales?

8 WAYS TO PREPARE FOR THE FUTRUE OF SALES

1. Sales engineering

2. Treat customers/clients di�erently

3. Bottom-line ROI tie to product

4. Less sales pitches, more product presentations

5. Social media influence

6. Increase of remote meetings

7. Employee brand advocates

8. Convergence of marketing and sales

1. SALES ENGINEERING

Salespeople are no longer pitching products, but are obtaining technical skills to better explain products and provide sales support. These engineers can even be department heads or supervisors that have the best understanding of what they can deliver to clients each contract.

We are watching the shift from salesperson to sales engineer or technical sales.

WHAT SALES ENGINEERS TYPICALLY DO:

• Give technical presentations• Confer with customers/engineers to assess equipment and system requirements• Secure and renew orders and arrange delivery• Modify products to meet customers’ needs• Provide customer service• Recommend improved materials• Help in researching and developing new products

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2. TREAT CUSTOMERS/ CLIENTS DIFFERENTLY

Because customers are more knowledgeable and savvy in products, organizations need to focus their sales tactics around better customer service and not just on product information.

Customers and clients want to be treated with respect which can create a more positive experience overall. In the end, this can build a sense of trust with the organization and the customer.

3. BOTTOM-LINEROI TIE TO PRODUCT

At the end of the day, organizations want to see how the product ties into their unique ROI. During presentations and conversations, salesmen need to tie the product directly to the bottom-line ROI in order to ensure the best sale that tailors to an organization’s needs.

4. LESS SALES PITCHES, MORE PRODUCT PRESENTATIONS

Salesmen need to shy away from traditional sales pitches and focus their presentations on outcomes organizations will expect. Presentations also show the authority you have within the industry.

For instance, Tom Searcy, founder and CEO of Hunt Big Sales explains,

“As the market in which companies compete becomes more complex, buyers are looking for insights that provide them a marketplace advantage...You now have to compete on how you can o�er value outside of your quality, level of service and price. In other words, your sales team needs to become an industry authority, not just a company consultant.”

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5. SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCE

As mentioned previously, customers are more knowledgeable thanks to the growth of the Internet, and as such, social media. As sales starts to move away from networking and personal relationships, organizations need to grow their social media presence and be an actual presence online.

For these reasons, LinkedIn has become a popular social media for sales professionals.

6. INCREASE OFREMOTE MEETINGS

As sales teams become more diverse and less co-located, the more likely meetings will take place remotely. Start today implementing remote technology, such as video, screen sharing and conference calls during weekly meetings to help involve all your sales members.

According to a recent TechValidate Survey, 64% of GoToMeeting users have said GoToMeeting has helped their business grow over the past year thanks to the ability to operate a flexible/ remote workforce.

64%

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7. EMPLOYEE BRAND ADVOCATES

As your sales department diversifies, it’s important for organizations to take advantage of another good resource, their day-to-day employees.

When employees are naturally engaged, motivated and have a positive attitude in the work that they do—they become your best brand advocates.

What’s the best way to get your employees to become brand advocates? Get your employees to use tools, from social media handles to LinkedIn to share what they do in a natural way that spreads brand awareness.

8. CONVERGENCE OF MARKETING AND SALES

Sales has always been a separate entity, but a growing trend among organizations now is shifting the sales department to be more in-line with the marketing departments. With their convergence, it can open more opportunities for growth and relatable sales for future clients.

Kyle Porter, CEO of Salesloft explains, “I think that there’s going to be a better concerted effort around a ‘revenue generation’ department inside of an organization. It might not be, ‘he’s a sales guy, he’s a marketing guy.’ Instead, here’s all the functions in a revenue generation funnel, and here are the people that fulfill those and they work as a team.”

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When organizations adapt to these future sales trends, they can help grow their business for the future consumer environment.

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