Future-Proof Your Sales Strategy

Is your company keeping up with the times? Technology has completely transformed how we do business, and sales strategies have evolved alongside it. But when was the last time you took a peek at yours?

If it’s been a while, it’s time to re-evaluate and future-proof your sales strategy. Some of the tools and techniques crucial to success in sales today didn’t even exist a decade ago! That’s why ensuring your sales strategy is up-to-date, optimised, and productive is paramount.

And if you don’t even have a sales strategy yet, no worries! It’s never too late to start building one from the ground up that’s modern and sets you up for success.

Impact of AI on Sales

The future is here, and it’s up to savvy marketing gurus to future-proof their sales strategies.

Undoubtedly, AI has made the most significant impact on sales this year. AI forever changed the game for sales and customer relations. Thanks to AI-powered tools, businesses can connect with customers in ways that were impossible before and ultimately close more deals.

AI can quickly and accurately process vast amounts of data. This means sales teams can quickly access valuable insights to improve their performance. For example, AI can analyse customer behaviour and preferences to provide personalised recommendations and targeted marketing campaigns. According to BusinessDIT, companies using AI for sales see a significant increase in customer satisfaction and experience a boost in leads.

Chatbots powered by AI are increasingly being used in sales and customer service. These bots can handle customer inquiries and provide support 24/7, freeing up human agents to focus on more complex issues.

By automating routine tasks, businesses can save time and money while improving the customer experience. A study by Gartner predicted that by 2022, 70% of customer interactions will involve emerging technologies such as chatbots.

The Social Selling Formula

One easy way to future-proof your sales strategy is to include the social selling formula. Social selling involves using social media platforms to build relationships with potential customers and close deals.

By leveraging social media platforms, sales teams can reach out to prospects and connect with them personally.

The social selling formula involves several key elements:

• Generate leads and drive revenue
• Create authentic relationships with prospects
• Personalise sales pitches and provide added value
• Expand your network

Here are the top tips for salespeople who want to get into social selling:

• Look professional: Your profile image is prospects’ first impression of you. Make sure it strikes the right balance between authenticity, trustworthiness, and friendliness.
• Build your credibility: Use social media to establish your brand and grow your reputation. Share your industry expertise and demonstrate your understanding of potential clients.
• Find your prospects: Identify where your potential clients seek information and engage in those online communities.
• Monitor conversations: Use social listening and monitoring to understand your prospects’ wants and needs.
• Participate and engage: Be active in relevant online communities and provide valuable contributions consistently.
• Nurture your prospects: Pay attention to what others share and say, and respond thoughtfully.
• Share success stories: Use social media to showcase proof that backs up your claims and earn the trust of prospects.
• Track results: Monitor relevant social selling metrics to learn and improve your efforts.
• Get offline: Use social media to establish warm connections, and then convert those digital friends into real-life relationships through email or in-person meetings.

Always Build Trust

Building trust is the final and most crucial step in your social selling formula. Trust builds relationships. And in the digital world, building trust is only possible through the following:

• Establishing yourself as an expert: Create content that shows your authority within your industry.
• Being reliable: Stick to your promises and always deliver on them.
• Safeguarding: Look after your customer’s data and tell them you are a reliable custodian.

To quickly boost your trust, you can implement any of the following tactics:

• PR: PR is excellent at building trust. Use it to break into new audiences and keep existing customers aware of your brand.
• SEO: An excellent SERPs ranking builds trust. Customers are more likely to trust your authority if you have ranking pages.
• Content Marketing: Use content marketing to establish authority and trust. Always create content that customers want to consume, so know your audience well.
• Events: Nothing beats in-person events. Events can put a face behind the company, making it easier to establish long-lasting trust.

CRM Marketing

If you’re looking for a way to improve your business’s bottom line and future-proof your sales strategy, look no further than CRM marketing. Combining customer relationship management with marketing strategies and technologies, CRM marketing is a powerful tool for engaging customers and boosting sales.

Tips for Improving your CRM Marketing

To boost the effectiveness of your CRM marketing, follow these tips:

• Create Quality Content: High-quality, relevant content that resonates with an audience will increase traffic. So, focus on excellent blog posts, ebooks, and webinars.
• Leverage Forms: Use lead capture forms to convert visitors into leads. Strategically place these forms where the appropriate audience is. Keep the forms simple and easy to quickly convert visitors.
• Automate: Don’t waste valuable time trying to nurture each lead. Instead, use lead nurturing automation to do the footwork for you.
• Score Your Leads: Know what your leads are worth. Understand the data behind the leads. Use this understanding to improve your CRM marketing further.
• Always Analyse: No matter how successful your CRM campaigns are, there’s always room for improvement. With constant analysis, you can pinpoint the weakest areas and efficiently improve them.

Benefits of CRM Marketing

One key advantage of using CRM marketing is the ability to segment your customer base based on specific criteria. By creating targeted campaigns that cater to your customer’s interests and preferences, you can increase their loyalty and retention, ultimately driving more sales.

In fact, studies show that companies that segment their email campaigns see a 760% increase in revenue!

Here are the top benefits of CRM for salespeople:

• Streamlined sales process: CRM provides a centralised platform for managing sales activities, including tracking deals, scheduling meetings, and assigning tasks. This helps salespeople stay organised and on top of their pipeline.
• Improved lead management: The CRM allows salespeople to manage leads more effectively, including capturing lead data, segmenting leads, and prioritising follow-ups.
• Automated workflows: HubSpot CRM includes automation features that streamline repetitive tasks, such as sending follow-up emails or scheduling meetings, allowing salespeople to focus on building relationships and closing deals.
• Enhanced collaboration: Sales teams can collaborate more efficiently with other departments’ CRM by sharing contacts, deals, and tasks and tracking team member activities.
• Sales analytics: The CRM provides salespeople with real-time data on their pipeline, including deal stages, revenue projections, and win/loss rates, helping them make informed decisions and improve performance.
• Integration with marketing tools: Good CRM tools integrate with their marketing tools, allowing salespeople to access marketing data and collaborate with marketing teams to generate leads and close deals.
• Mobile app: CRM includes a mobile app, enabling salespeople to access customer data and manage deals.
• Personalisation features: The CRM includes personalisation features, such as custom fields and lead scoring, that allow salespeople to tailor their sales approach to each lead and improve the customer experience.
• Easy to use: CRM is user-friendly and easy to navigate, requiring minimal training and reducing the time needed to get up and running.
• Affordable: CRM is a cost-effective solution, offering a free version with essential features and a paid version with more advanced capabilities. This makes it accessible for small and medium-sized businesses with limited budgets.

In today’s competitive market, CRM marketing is no longer optional; it’s essential. So if you’re not already using CRM marketing to engage with your customers and drive sales, now is the time to start.

Sales Automation

Sales automation tools can take care of time-consuming tasks, freeing up sales teams to focus on building relationships and closing deals.

The Upside to Sales Automation

• Increased efficiency: Sales automation can save salespeople time and effort by automating repetitive tasks, such as data entry and lead nurturing. This allows them to focus on higher-value activities, such as building relationships with prospects and closing deals.
• Improved accuracy: Sales automation reduces the risk of human error, ensuring that critical tasks, such as follow-ups and data entry, are completed accurately and promptly.
• Better data management: Sales automation tools can help sales teams manage large volumes of data, such as contact information, lead history, and sales metrics, making it easier to track performance and make data-driven decisions.
• Consistent messaging: Sales automation can ensure that all prospects and customers receive consistent messaging and branding across all touchpoints, improving the customer experience and brand reputation.
• Scalability: Sales automation can help businesses scale their sales operations by allowing them to handle more leads and customers without adding additional staff.

The Upside to Sales Automation

• Increased efficiency: Sales automation can save salespeople time and effort by automating repetitive tasks, such as data entry and lead nurturing. This allows them to focus on higher-value activities, such as building relationships with prospects and closing deals.
• Improved accuracy: Sales automation reduces the risk of human error, ensuring that critical tasks, such as follow-ups and data entry, are completed accurately and promptly.
• Better data management: Sales automation tools can help sales teams manage large volumes of data, such as contact information, lead history, and sales metrics, making it easier to track performance and make data-driven decisions.
• Consistent messaging: Sales automation can ensure that all prospects and customers receive consistent messaging and branding across all touchpoints, improving the customer experience and brand reputation.
• Scalability: Sales automation can help businesses scale their sales operations by allowing them to handle more leads and customers without adding additional staff.

One of the most significant benefits of sales automation is improved efficiency and productivity. With sales automation, sales teams can automate marketing. As a result, sales reps can spend more time engaging with prospects and customers, leading to better results and higher revenue.

Sales automation also provides businesses with valuable insights into their sales processes. By tracking and analysing customer interactions and behaviours, companies can identify areas of improvement and optimise their sales strategies.

Beware of the Downsides

There are some downsides to sales automation that every business owner should be aware of. Some downsides include the following:

• Cost: Sales automation tools can be expensive, especially for smaller businesses with limited budgets. Additionally, the cost of training sales teams on new tools and processes can be significant.
• Risk of over-automation: Sales automation can be overused, losing personalisation and human touch. This can harm the customer experience and reduce the effectiveness of sales efforts.
• Technical difficulties: Sales automation tools require technical expertise to set up and maintain. Technical problems can occur, leading to downtime and lost sales opportunities.
• Dependence on technology: Sales automation tools rely on technology, and if there are technical issues or outages, sales teams may be unable to access essential data or complete critical tasks.
• Inability to handle complex situations: Sales automation tools may struggle to handle difficult sales situations that require nuanced communication and personalised attention. In these cases, sales teams may need to step in and handle the problem manually.

Having a digital partner that understands the risks of sales automation is essential if you want to succeed online.

Marketing Triggers To Drive Sales

Marketing triggers are essential in today’s competitive business landscape. Here are a few of our favourite marketing triggers to drive sales:

Urgency

Urgency is an excellent marketing trigger that motivates customers to act quickly and purchase. By creating a sense of urgency, customers are compelled to buy. For instance, phrases like “limited-time promotions” or “sale ends soon” can inspire a sense of urgency that drives customers to purchase.

Social Proof

Social proof is another effective marketing trigger. Positive reviews and testimonials from other customers can build trust and credibility with potential customers, leading to more sales. Businesses can leverage social proof to their advantage by showcasing positive feedback and reviews.

Scarcity

Scarcity creates a perception of limited availability. By using phrases like “limited stock” or “while supplies last,” businesses can motivate customers to make a purchase before the product runs out. Scarcity creates a sense of urgency and prompts customers to act quickly.

Personalisation

Personalisation drives sales. By tailoring communications and offers to individual customers’ preferences and behaviours, businesses can create a more personalised and engaging experience. This not only increases customer loyalty but also drives more sales and revenue.

Personalisation can be achieved through customer data and segmentation, allowing businesses to create targeted campaigns that resonate with each customer.

Future Proof Your Sales Strategy With AI And Digitlab

Ready to future-proof your sales strategy and take your business to the next level? Look no further than Digitlab! We are a full-service digital marketing agency specialising in revenue optimisation on Sales and Marketing activities.