Meet the customer -> Make the pitch -> wait to hear back

Or this:

Customer visits the web site -> they click around -> wait to see if they come back

In both cases, there is another critical step that makes all the difference between a deal closing or a potential sale disappearing into the either. It’s the quality of how your reps follow up.

Sometimes the follow-up can be pretty generic: a rep calls up a customer and asks, “So, have you given it any more thought?”

In other cases the follow-up is an obvious waste of time. The customer or prospect already made it clear they weren’t interested, and badgering them isn’t going to change anything.

What really works is a follow-up in which a rep provides additional information about a product or service, provides answers to questions that couldn’t be immediately addressed or offers a special discount or promotion based on the value of a deal.

Even then, though, more than one follow-up may be necessary to convert buyer intent into an actual purchase. It often takes two, three, four or even five attempts. This is because, especially in business-to-business (B2B) environments, purchase decisions involve multiple stakeholders, and there can be a lot going on behind the scenes a rep doesn’t even see.

If reps don’t make the effort to follow-up, though, it leaves the company with no other option than to go back to marketing and trying to attract other prospective buyers.

The problem is that reps, like all employees, are human beings with a limited amount of time and energy. The follow-ups they may need to do can be numerous, and they come on top of other duties such as assisting with sales forecasts, conducting demos and setting up their next prospect meetings.

Depending on the size of the sales team and their workload, it’s easy for following up with potential customers to fall through the cracks. Fortunately, technology has advanced to help automate this process in a way that optimizes the chances of closing a deal and helping reps crush their quota.

The development of more sophisticated tools is one of the reasons McKinsey research has estimated sales teams can improve their productivity by as much as 30 per cent by taking advantage of automation.

Turn following up into the easiest part of a sales rep’s job by taking the following steps:

1. Automate your workflows to provide an instant response when a lead expresses interest

Customers sometimes fill out online forms and wonder when someone at the company will get back to them. Don’t let that happen. Instead, design the forms so that they can be aligned with content that will help nurture the sale before a rep even reaches out.

Some of this content could include links to relevant company blog posts, an explainer video or the most common pricing-related details prospects want to know before they move forward. Make it easy for them to choose the right dates and times in a rep’s calendar to ensure the conversation moves forward.

2. Use automation to segment leads based on various criteria

It’s a lot easier to tailor the information you use to follow up with a lead when you know they share a set of common characteristics.

You might have different incentives to convert them into a purchase based on whether they’re a small, medium or large business.

There might be special versions or features of your products and services depending on whether the lead comes from manufacturing, retail or health care.

Some segments might be based on specific business problems or outcomes a lead is trying to reach. Create as many segments as appropriate, and revisit your segments based on a review of CRM data.  

3. Nurture leads through carefully designed sequences

Let’s say you’ve walked a lead through a demo of your product. After a week goes by, you might follow-up by sending over an eBook with market research that helps them make a business case for buying from you.

Next, follow-up with case studies and testimonials from people like them who have benefited from becoming your company’s customer.

Other sequences in a lead nurturing process could be an invitation to a webinar, a special promotional offer or buyer’s guide that helps them take that final step to signing off on a deal.

Be sure to set a trigger to provide real-time notifications for when a lead interacts with a follow-up, either through Slack, text messages or e-mail.

4. Use data to customize follow-ups based on behavior

It sounds like common sense but it’s easily overlooked: when customers act, pay close attention and respond accordingly.

Did the customer stop watching an explainer video half-way through? That could mean they understand how your product or service works, but they might need social proof that what you’re selling has traction in the market. That’s when a case study could do the trick.

Did a customer ask a question to their peers on social media? Add your response to others on the thread.

Did a customer click on a link almost immediately after they received it? Maybe your follow up should be equally quick. Show them you’re noticing and ready to help.

5. Personalize special offers based on a customer’s pain points

A follow-up shouldn’t come across as a desperate attempt to close the deal. It should convey the fact that you’ve been listening.

Even if you’re following up with content that applies to anyone, provide short-cuts to the most relevant details. If you’re sending an eBook with best practices that pertain to a particular vertical market, for instance, tell them in the e-mail the pages that relate most to their business goals.

Use the notes you’ve put into CRM from your initial meeting to fine-tune automated e-mails, and draw upon technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) to personalize your advice based on common needs and wants from similar customers.

Automating sales follow-ups isn’t a one-time exercise, of course. Track engagement metrics and closed deals logged in the CRM to refine your strategies. With time, the last follow-ups your reps do will be to send a “thank-you” message to customers for giving your company more business.

The post Automate Your Follow-Up Workflow to Boost Sales Conversions appeared first on Salesforce.

Though the skirt is undoubtedly popular – she has seen friends and more than one perfect stranger on the street wearing one – there is an entire rack of them waiting for her when she walks through the doors. In fact, the rack is full enough that she is pretty confident they will have multiple shades in her size. Maybe it would make sense to buy more than one.

For a small or medium-sized business (SMB) like this fictitious retailer, the woman’s customer journey represents a critical moment.

It’s what could transform her from a casual customer who thinks of the small business as just one of many other retailers she may shop from, to a loyal customer who comes back time and time again because she trusts they will have what she wants in stock.

The availability of that inventory is the result of strong sales forecasting, and it makes the difference between a retailer that merely keeps its head above water during difficult economic times, and one that thrives.

Retail sales forecasting can be even more important for those customers who are not shopping for themselves. When the holidays get closer, harried parents may start to worry that the present they’d chosen for their child will be sold out.

In some cases, people are not coming to a retailer for luxury items or splurges, but necessities. This could include medical supplies like bandages, or replacement parts for an essential item that’s broken down. If customers see empty shelves, their disappointment can keep them from ever returning.

Despite its critical importance, sales forecasting has sometimes been treated more like an art than a science. Retailers might plan inventory levels based on what they sold the previous year, for instance, even though factors like weather or the economy can influence spending habits significantly.

Gut instinct has its place, but taking an educated guess is not reliable enough to ensure sales forecast accuracy. Then, when you do run out of in-demand products, you’re forced to order more and hope that your supply chain can work fast enough to meet your customers’ needs.

Artificial intelligence (AI) turns that reactive approach to sales forecasting on its head. By using historical data as well as models based on trend analyses and other inputs, SMBs can allow predictive algorithms to provide them with numbers they can trust.

AI isn’t necessarily intended to replace human beings who work in merchandising and assortment planning and contribute to (or lead) sales forecasting. Instead, AI and automation are tools that enhance forecasting accuracy and enable teams to exceed customer expectations while driving greater long-term loyalty.

The business case for AI in retail sales forecasting almost writes itself. Check out three key business benefits of AI below.

1. Data integration from multiple sources

SMBs that put their core data in a CRM are at an advantage when they use AI, because it allows machine learning (ML) applications to see the most critical details that indicate future demand levels. There’s no reason to stop there, though.

AI can also be used to build forecasts based on market data from external sources like research databases. It can come from feedback that customers directly provide to your SMB through surveys and other mechanisms. Even social media can help retailers (and AI) better understand what’s becoming a must-have item.

2. The ability to build customized models

Sales forecasts will never look the same all year long. Change is a constant within any business, and many of those changes will affect forces like supply and demand. Fortunately, AI can help take those changes into account.

A good example is peak buying seasons. Besides obvious moments like the holidays, retailers might see a shopping surge as a new product comes to market, or even when they release an upgraded version of an existing product. Products that tie in with pop culture moments like movies and TV shows can affect buying, too.

For other SMBs, there might be value in creating customized models based on particular customer segments. If young professional men aged 18-24 represent your biggest spenders, for instance, you could use AI to get insights into their expected purchases for a particular quarter.

3. Real-time execution

Developing a sales forecast shouldn’t be like writing a book report in elementary school. Too often, however, SMBs have had to take time out to pull whatever data is on hand, study it, make their best estimates, and prepare the final numbers for distribution.

AI doesn’t just make this process faster and easier. It also ensures that all the data which gets put into a sales forecast reflects how shoppers are behaving right now. This makes it a lot easier to be more responsive to what customers want, and it can be done with much larger volumes of data than employees could manage on their own.

The future of AI-based retail sales forecasts

Retails need comprehensive sales forecasts to achieve their growth targets. The good thing about AI is that it doesn’t treat each forecast like an isolated project.

In fact, SMBs that use AI for sales forecasting over time will discover how the right tool will learn about the nuances of their businesses. That means their ability to meet customer demand will only get better and better.

Sales forecasting is key to your customer experience because it covers off a basic need – that shoppers can get what they want when they want it. AI is the best way to develop forecasts that deliver. 

The post Why Your SMB Should Harness The Power of AI for Retail Sales Forecasting appeared first on Salesforce.

If they’re talking on the phone, for instance, a shift in tone can indicate whether they are confused, excited or starting to get angry.

On a video call, a customer or prospect’s facial expressions can tell a lot about whether they are skeptical of a pitch or eager to hear more.

Even an email or text message can convey how a buyer is moving through emotional states ranging from uncertainty about a purchase to complete confidence in a deal that’s about to close.

Recognizing a customer’s feelings is helpful for sales reps, but the biggest success in sales takes more than that. You need to deepen your emotional intelligence – not only identifying and managing the feelings of clients, but your own as well.

Emotional intelligence, which is sometimes simply shortened to EI, is an asset for people in almost any area of business, but sales people can put it to particularly good use. After all, selling requires being persuasive, even in tense situations. It involves people who have to make purchases that might put their professional reputation on the line.

Sales targets can be ambitious, which means reps have to deal with high pressure. Customers have stresses of their own, of course, which is why they often seek out products and services in the first place. In a sense, the emotional stakes are high on both sides of the table.

Without EI, reps may risk the cues that would help them win a customer over. They could push too hard or act in a way that damages future prospects with a particular customer. In other words, reps need EI because the work they do represents a key component of the overall customer experience they are trying to deliver.

This was reflected in the most recent Salesforce State of Sales report, which found that 78% of salespeople say listening has an extreme or substantial impact on converting a prospect into a customer. The same research also found 71% of salespeople say building a personal rapport impacts the close of a sale.

Brands also have to ensure they’re providing everyone their team, including sales reps, the best possible employee experience. EI helps here in that reps can self-reflect and offer honest feedback to their managers on how they can be better supported on the job. This is more critical than ever as organizations adopt hybrid work models, where reps and their managers might not be meeting in person as often as they once did.

There are plenty of books and other resources to help develop your EI, but start by breaking down the basic components and looking at them through the prism of buying and selling:

Perceive

With each of these areas, start from within. What kind of mood are you in before making contact with a customer or prospect? Are you already feeling under the gun about your quota as the quarter is coming to a close? Did a negative interaction on your previous call leave you in a less than ideal temper? Is there anything going on in your personal life that could influence how you go into a new call or meeting?

Just being aware of your emotional state can help you avoid being overly influenced by it, or shifting your mood based on the need to make a good impression with a customer.

Now do the same thing with your customer. You can’t read minds, of course, but you can ask questions. Something as simple as “What’s keeping you busy lately” could help you perceive whether they’re in a good space to hear you out, or already overwhelmed with fires to put out. Asking “How’s the morale at your firm” might reveal as much about their emotions as their broader comment on team morale.

Understand

True EI doesn’t stop at spotting how we or others are feeling. It analyzes those feelings, much in the way companies analyze data to continually improve the experiences they offer.

If you’re feeling tired, sad or angry right before you sell, for instance, there are going to be obvious limitations in your ability to persuade a customer or prospect to accept a proposal. You might also forget key details or mix them up because your emotions are getting in the way. Thinking through the causes of those emotions is the first step in overcoming them.

Similarly, you need to try and understand why customers may be feeling the way they are. In some cases their emotions will be a result of what you’ve been saying or how you’ve been behaving. In others, their feelings may have little or nothing to do with you.

Manage

EI wouldn’t offer much value if it didn’t include an element of problem solving or working through our feelings and those with whom we’re interacting.

When your own emotions are the issue, it may come down to accepting a situation that isn’t really in your control. You may have to forgive yourself for mistakes you’ve made, or be prepared to seek forgiveness from someone else later. There could also be an aspect of compartmentalizing your emotions – not necessarily letting everything go, but mentally deciding to deal with them later.

Managing the emotions of customers is best done with empathy. You can acknowledge, for instance, that the purchasing decision they’re making is a complicated one. You can also recognize that there are many other priorities going on within their job or across their business.

Where it makes sense, ask what might make them feel better about the purchase, or how you can help build their confidence in the product or service. Customers may feel better just knowing that their feelings are being taken into account by a rep.

As EI becomes a more vital skill within sales, remember that it’s not about achieving perfection every time. Instead, it’s an ongoing process of asking, listening, and doing your best, and then doing it all over again.

The post Why Your Sales Reps Need To Boost Their Emotional Intelligence appeared first on Salesforce.

As more companies look for ways to boost revenue and combat a challenging economic climate, equipping your reps with the right tools can make all the difference in how much they get done every day. It can also make a difference in how their work is done – a shift from running around an office trying to get answers to having them arrive near-instantaneously to their smartphones.

Slack is an ideal tool for sales teams because it has all the features that make it easy to foster collaboration internally and with the wider world of customers, partners and suppliers. Unlike a traditional phone system that only allows one call at a time, Slack channels provide a means of managing multiple channels at once. This makes it a powerful mechanism for managing stages of the buying journey.

Unlike many other communication and productivity apps, deploying Slack doesn’t put your small and medium-sized business (SMB) at risk of being stuck in a data silo. With the ability to integrate with critical business systems like a CRM, marketing automation, and customer service, Slack has become the foundation for operating a digital HQ for organizations of every kind.

Slack is still new enough, of course, that it may not be obvious how it could align with the typical processes and workflows that go on within sales teams. That’s okay, because we’re happy to offer some ideas to get you started:

1. Let new reps hit the ground running faster with a Slack-fuelled onboarding process

The first few days on the job can involve a lot of wasted time for new employees, including sales reps. Sometimes they’re waiting on HR to provide them information about benefits enrollment. Their manager might want to introduce them to some more senior reps, but they’re on the road. When new reps need help, they may have to toggle across multiple applications in order to get the resources they need.

Slack takes all these issues away by centralizing data and connecting it to the rest of the sales team. You could create a “newbie” channel to officially welcome new reps, for example, where everyone can share the best times to connect and their area of expertise. Other departments can send links to files and documents rather than burying them in an email inbox. Sales assets can be stored in channels too.

In this way, Slack becomes like a self-service tool for more effective onboarding.

2. Create sales centres of excellence to execute more targeted strategies

In most companies, you’re not selling to the whole world. There are often specific customer segments, such as vertical markets, that are the big priorities. In other companies sales opportunities are mapped out as territories that need to be covered. Those using account-based marketing (ABM) might be going after an even more defined customer list.

Think about setting up Slack channels where you can divide and conquer based on the experience, expertise, and talent. You could form a dream team that uses a dedicated channel to pursue opportunities in the financial services space, for example, while another channel could be focusing on a sector like life sciences.

The same approach works if some reps are assigned to win deals with startups and others are pitching to large enterprises. These channels don’t have to be limited to reps alone. You can also bring in partners, such as resellers and consultants, and create space to store highly relevant data that helps close deals.

3. Accelerate the time to decision (and action) through automation

The wheels can turn very slowly in some companies. Reps might get asked to put a quote together, which then has to be sent to their manager, who in turn has to get it signed off by someone more senior. That sign-off process could see a single document move through email, a print-out, or just involve a verbal conversation.

Slack can standardize these kinds of processes and make them much faster. When everyone is using the same tool, it’s easy to build in rules on where messages and information should be routed over the course of a buying journey. That’s great news for the quality of your customer experience, but also for the reps who want to crush their quota.

4. Stay up-to-date on what matters in real time

A customer raises an objection a rep hasn’t heard before. Better jot that down later, they think. Maybe the customer mentions changes to their budget or procurement rules. That’s probably worth noting too. The only risk, of course, is that the rep may forget after the meeting when they go back into their various applications.

This is another benefit of using Slack as a one-stop shop for your sales processes. All the data and records can be updated while meetings are still going on, without leaving Slack. That can save reps a lot of extra time and allows them to capture insights while they’re still fresh.

5. Form deeper relationships with customers

In the end, reps succeed by being good at getting to know their buyers. That usually means doing a lot of emailing, calling, and trying to set up additional in-person meetings. This can be tiring for reps and customers alike.

Fortunately, Slack is highly secure, so you can not only conduct live conversations with customers but make them more meaningful. Instead of the famous “I’ll get back to you on that” when they have a question, for instance, you can bring in subject matter experts into the discussion within minutes by tagging them, no matter where they’re working. Tagging is also a great way to ensure no miscommunication or confusion with other parties that may wind up being part of the buying and post-purchase process.

Slack is a great way to help teams work smarter – by staying in sync and using a single tool to manage the complexities of selling in a digital-first era.

The post 5 Ways to Use Slack to Boost Your Sales Teams’ Efficiency and Productivity appeared first on Salesforce.

Talking to customers.

Making a pitch so persuasive that “yes” is the inevitable result.

Seeing a deal signed and knowing they’re getting that much closer to crushing their quota.

As the nature of selling has changed, technology now plays a huge role in all of those activities. However, when the tools salespeople use proliferate without the proper training and a strategic approach, salespeople can get overwhelmed and become less effective.

They don’t call these collections of technologies a “tech stack.”

Among themselves, they might refer to them as a mess – not because they don’t appreciate their employers giving them access to powerful tools, but because their work has become more complicated, not less.

This was a theme that came through loud and clear in Salesforce’s 2023 State of Sales report. Our research found that nearly 70% of sales reps are overwhelmed by the number of tools they’re using today.

Perhaps even more worrisome, the data showed that reps are spending just 28% their week actually selling. Instead, the majority of their time is consumed by other tasks, such as deal management and data entry.

There isn’t a small or medium-sized business in Canada that can afford to have their sales reps selling less than a third of their time. If that persists it will mean key sales targets could get missed, affecting revenue during a challenging economic time for many companies.

Perhaps even worse, sales reps who feel weighed down by the plethora of tools they’re expected to manage might decide they would be better off working elsewhere. A poor employee experience can be closely tied to higher turnover rates, and wind up affecting the customer experience as well.

Companies may find themselves in this situation despite the best of intentions. They may have introduced a single tool to their sales team – like an invoicing system, for instance – and found it makes people more efficient and productive.

Next, they might have brought on a tool to schedule client meetings. Then a tool to record some of their notes from client calls. Then another tool. Then another.

A sales tech stack isn’t just a pile of different software solutions. It’s a collection of technologies that should naturally layer on top of each other, streamlining sales workflows and automating areas that free up reps to close more deals.

The problem is that many companies don’t really know what technologies are going to emerge, and wind up cobbling together a tech stack with little forethought. It’s possible to turn this situation, around, however, if you take the following steps:

1. Audit your sales tech stack

In some organizations, the tech stack didn’t just get out of hand because of what reps were provided by IT. Many software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications are easy to install or deploy directly by reps or other line-of-business staff themselves. This means the company may not even know what’s in its current stack, let alone rationalize and consolidate it.

Bring the key stakeholders – including reps, managers, IT and anyone else involved on the sales side – into a meeting. Have everyone list out or explain all the tools that are currently in use or available within the sales department. Identify who “owns” or manages each tool, if possible.

Take a closer look into each of these tools. Which are regularly updated, and which might have security vulnerabilities? Are there any tools that are being discontinued? What about integration – how well do these various software systems “talk” to each other? If they don’t, that probably increases the volume of data entry reps have to do.

2. Consolidate based on unifying data

You don’t just want to get rid of tools in the sales tech stack for the sake of it. That approach risks cutting reps off from technologies that could actually help them in their jobs. The question is, how do you know what to keep?

It helps when you have at least one core foundation in your sales tech stack, such as a central source of customer data. With a platform like Customer 360, for example, you’ll feel confident you have the critical information in the same place. From there, you can determine which tools can integrate with your core platform based on what your reps demand and the needs of the business.

3. Evolve your stack based on business priorities

Once you’ve got your sales tech stack in better shape, you’ll want to ensure it doesn’t become more convoluted in the future. The only way to do that is to develop some criteria around what you should bring into the mix, and when.

The best way to do this is by looking at your broader business strategy. Are you planning to expand your company into new geographies in the coming year? You might need to invest in tools that will help reps collaborate with remote team members. Introducing new products and services soon? Make sure you have the right tools to assist with sales enablement and demos. Are reps often in the field? A mobile-first approach to their tech stack is probably a good idea.

If there are any changes in your key performance indicators (KPIs), meanwhile, or new goals for the business as a whole, consider what kind of analytics would be helpful for sales reps to help achieve them. There might also be external factors to consider, such as shifts in the average length of the sales cycle.

Finally, don’t treat your sales tech stack as an island! Reps benefit from great technology, but so do those in other departments such as marketing and customer service. These groups may have sophisticated tech stacks of their own. You should be thinking about what processes move across those business functions, and ensure that the various tech stacks mesh into a coherent whole.

Sales reps deserve the best tech stack you can give them. The more importance you give it, the better they’ll be able to excel in their role.

The post Why Your Team Should Consolidate (And Prioritize) Its Tech Stack appeared first on Salesforce.

Even before customers come forth with an objection, the sales rep will make their pitch in a way that addresses it.

The sales rep will also reach out with a special offer, or news of a new product or service that perfectly aligns with a customer’s need, without them having to reach out to the company first.

It’s not that these sales reps can read minds, of course. They’ve simply learned a lot based on the relationships they’ve developed with their customers, and take action accordingly.

Artificial intelligence is a lot like that, but with one critical difference.

Whereas a great sales rep anticipates and proactively takes care of the needs on the customer accounts they manage, AI can do so at scale – for every account across the company’s addressable market.

An individual sales rep is also limited by the amount of customer information they can single-handedly absorb in the moment and remember long afterwards. AI has an infinitely greater capacity to collect, store, and manage customer data in large volumes.

It’s no wonder sales organizations have increased their use of AI by 76% since 2018, according to Salesforce’s latest State of Sales report.

That level of adoption is only set to continue as advancements in machine learning and generative technology such as EinsteinGPT become part of their arsenal of tools.

The true value of AI in sales is becoming two-fold: on one hand, the technology delivers insights that can help reps increase their win rate and crush their quotas. On the other, AI is automating some of the more routine tasks within sales, freeing up reps to develop the creativity and strategies they need to address the more complex aspects of selling.

If your sales team hasn’t embraced AI yet, these are a handful of areas where it can prove game-changing:

Future-proof your forecasting

Companies need to make critical decisions during every quarter of the year. Should they increase the supply, or scale back? Will they need to hire more people? How should pricing change? What kind of promotions could help hit the right target? Sales forecasts are key to helping guide these decisions so the company can execute according to plan.

AI helps by synthesizing historical data about your company’s rate of customer churn, rate of new deals, average deal size, contract renewals and more to identify trends and patterns. It can also weave in what-if scenarios based on everything from new investments the company is making, to macroeconomic fluctuations. This leads to forecasts the company can count on with greater confidence.

Coach based on contextual clues

Managers will always be an invaluable source of coaching for reps, but it’s not always possible to connect with them when deals are in play. Reps also need to communicate the right amount of detail for their managers to give them the tips they need.

This is why AI provides a helpful layer of assistance in terms of coaching. Thanks to cloud computing, the tools are always available to reps, wherever they are. The technology can also get super-granular about the forces that influence a win. This includes going through call recordings to highlight moments where customer sentiment indicates an intent to buy, or how often they’re referring to competitor firms.

Reps can even use AI for professional self-development, grading themselves on areas of strength and where they can improve, such as creative responses to customer challenges.

Enhance and accelerate sales enablement processes

Depending on what you’re selling, customers may have a lot of questions. Nurturing a deal will require continually coming back to them with proof points that will help nudge them closer to a “yes.” When you’re managing a slew of opportunities at once, this can take up an inordinate amount of a sales rep’s time.

Make sure you explore how AI can take on some of this heavy lifting. You can use it to automate outreach and follow-up messages, even in a way that is highly personalized and relevant. Let AI help learn which kinds of assets – such as eBooks, case studies, or research reports – will be best to send to a customer who is considering a purchase, and when they should send them.

Can AI tell you when a prospect is ready to book a meeting or a call? Can it score leads more quickly? Can it enrich the contact data? Yes, yes, and yes.

Next steps: Paving the way for AI in your sales department

Contrary to what you may imagine, introducing AI to your reps doesn’t have to be difficult or controversial. You just have to stay true to your history and your values.

Instead of positioning AI as a disruptive technology, for example, help your sales team see it as an evolution of steps you’ve already taken to modernize the way selling is done. If you’ve already adopted a CRM and mobile apps, for example, they’ve probably already experienced the difference it makes compared to the days when customer data was limited to sticky notes and lines in an Excel spreadsheet.

AI should be treated as just another way to enhance the employee experience your company is delivering. Empowering the people who work with customers is usually a core value for most companies, so make sure to show how AI builds upon that value.

Finally, try to paint a compelling picture about what a day in the life will look like for reps with AI, compared with all the mundane tasks that have taken up their time and energy until now. You might soon see how AI unlocks the ability for reps to not only get more done, but to get better at doing the things they do best.

The post How AI Can Boost Your Sales Team’s Performance appeared first on Salesforce.

Account information, order information, purchase histories . . . the data that underpins a relationship between a brand and its customers is vast. It’s also incredibly important to the long-term growth of the business. Before the direct-to-consumer (DTC) model emerged, however, much of that data was at least one step removed from the brands that could have benefitted from leveraging it.

When companies sell exclusively through larger retailers or via wholesalers, for example, those intermediaries often get first access to customer data. This meant the brand’s role was largely marketing and providing products to be placed on a shelf or in a store aisle. Though some data gets passed on, the retailers and wholesalers are responsible for delivering most of the customer experience (CX).

This all changes with the DTC model, and potentially in the best possible ways. Instead of simply looking at it as a way to “cut out the middle person,” the most successful brands recognize it as an opportunity to deepen customer relationships by enhancing experiences at every state of the customer journey.

A DTC can spend more time, for instance, thinking about the transition customers will make from the moment they discover their brand to when they begin actively considering a purchase. They can begin to identify and remove friction that slows down transactions. They can also streamline workflows such as providing customer service, and using the data collected there to address common pain points.

This may not require hiring a chief customer officer or setting up a designated CX team. Instead, DTC brands often work to make CX a cornerstone of their organizational culture, so that everyone across the team recognizes the importance of putting their needs first.

If you’re not already convinced that DTC and CX are inextricably linked, consider the following:

1. The DTC model is perfectly designed to meet digital-first customer expectations

Plenty of DTC firms have set up pop-up shops or physical stores, but they tend to be born – and continue to thrive – online. In doing so they are responding to what customers are showing they really want.

Even if they continue to enjoy in-person shopping, for example, today’s connected consumer is extremely savvy. They will be quick to take out their phone and compare prices and other features online with competitors. They might also prefer to do online research before leaving the house to shop. Either way, they want options, and DTC firms can ensure they show up in those search results.

For many purchases, customers may prefer not to make a trip to a store, and DTC firms can often provide a fast, fluid experience to place orders and have them delivered straight to their homes.

2. Running a DTC basis opens up greater potential for personalization

No one wants to walk into a large store (or navigate through a web site) and feel ignored. They want to be treated as though they are valued and recognized for the individuals they are.

DTC should stand for data-to-customer in part because the data you gain is key to serving customers in a one-to-one fashion. Having direct access means you’re not working with out-of-data or possibly inaccurate data passed on by an intermediary.

Looking at what someone has ordered in the past, for instance, you can use technology to cross-reference complementary or similar items to make smart recommendations for their next purchase.

You can also use technology to communicate with them on a first-name basis in the channels they prefer most. These can include e-mail, text message, social media and more.

3. The DTC model accelerates the ability to respond to customer needs

Consumers don’t want to wait on hold with a contact center every time they have a question or a complaint. They want answers, and DTC firms can build the ability to give them almost as soon as they’re asked.

Using a chatbot, for instance, DTC firms can be open for customers 24/7, automating the most common troubleshooting and customer service tasks. Some DTC brands take it a step further and set up customer portals or communities that let them take a self-help approach using explainer videos and tutorials.

DTC firms can also provide the same flexibility in terms of digital channels they use for marketing to take questions and complaints from their customers. That’s a lot better than leaving a contact center as the only option.

4. The DTC model can support a broader scope of loyalty programs

Buy one, get one 50 per cent off. Buy 10, get one free. These are some of the most common ways companies have enticed customers to stay loyal to their brand. DTC firms can get more creative using the data at their disposal.

As they learn more about their customers interests, challenges and preferences, for example, a loyalty program could be based on more than a discount or promotion. They could provide invitations to VIP-style events, inspirational content and first look at new products that are being added to your catalogue.

5. The DTC model means you can help customers become subscribers

Many customers suffer from “decision fatigue.” In other words, they have many purchases to make and only a limited capacity to give them all the time and attention they need. It can be helpful to have some of their shopping offered via a “set it and forget it” approach – otherwise known as subscriptions.

A good subscription service doesn’t only automate the process of sending out products. It can also create a rich, curated experience. You might send subscribers a box, for instance, with suggested items based on the data you’ve collected about their tastes. This adds an element of discovery and genuine surprise and delight when they get a package from you.

DTCs are not a trend – they’re a viable business model because they can allow entrepreneurs to build better CX with all the capabilities that digital technologies allow. There’s never been a better time to get started.

The post 5 Reasons Selling Direct-To-Consumer Will Improve The Customer Experience appeared first on Salesforce.

Exceptional salespeople, on the other hand, set themselves apart with skills that highlight their competitive advantage over other sales reps. Some even formally obtain microcredentials to further their education and validate their special skills.

Increasingly, sales leaders are encouraging their sales reps to level up their expertise with these bite-sized continuing education programs focused on specific competencies and skills. And when even a handful of reps gain new knowledge, sales leaders level up their entire team while driving efficient growth and preparing for the future of work.

In this article, we explore how microcredentials raise the standard for sales professionals, ways they benefit salespeople, and popular program options for sales reps to explore.

Raising the Standard for Sales Professionals

These days, there’s more to sales than just connections, charisma, and persistence. Plus, increasingly sophisticated buyers expect sales professionals to be efficient, empathetic, and value-driven with their pitches. Natural selling ability alone can kickstart a person’s sales career, but ongoing training can help supercharge it.

That’s where microcredentials come in. While they’re offered across different industries, microcredentials help sales reps specifically by further developing their hard and soft skills so they can better leverage technology, strategically influence their prospects, and increase their sales performance. Since microcredentials are accessible and flexible — and popular, with 76 per cent of Canadian post-secondary institutions offering online courses for microcredentials in 2019 — more sales professionals are leaning into these additional learning opportunities.

In fact, many programs are affordable or even free. More often than not, they are offered online, allowing employees the flexibility to skill up when it works for their schedules. This convenience makes it easier than ever to proactively build skills while balancing a day job and personal life. Take Trailhead, for example. Salesforce’s innovative, free, online training program offers microcredentials in a variety of roles — from Sales to Marketing, Developer, Architect, and even Design — that help reimagine the educational experience by removing a dependence on costly degrees and tailoring learning to individual workplace needs and successes.

Upon completing a new microcredential program, sales professionals can earn formal certifications, which offers them another way to enhance their resume and up their chances for career growth. In short, microcredentials are a win-win-win for the sales rep, sales team, and company as a whole.

Benefits of Microcredentials for Salespeople

To encourage salespeople to pursue microcredentials, it’s helpful for leaders to outline the different ways this type of upskilling will benefit them. Below are some of the most notable advantages of stacking microcredentials.

• Bigger deals and commissions While most sales leaders won’t have the budget to bonus staff based on microcredentials, they can still motivate their incentive-minded staff by emphasizing how filling in the digital skills gap with the right microcredentials can improve sales competencies and conversions.

• Career fulfillment and development Some companies sponsor ongoing education programs, including microcredentials, which help employees make room for reskilling. By picking and choosing the microcredentials they want to attain, salespeople can personalize their own development plans.

• Efficiency and time savings Mastery of no-code platforms, workflow automation, and API usage can help sales reps build apps or other resources that boost productivity so they can focus on what matters. Shifting to a more automated sales workflow also minimizes a sales team’s reliance on support from the engineering and marketing departments.

• Promotions and raises Sales is an incredibly competitive trade. Microcredentials allow reps to stand out from their peers, enabling sales leaders to promote employees from within. Of course, obtaining microcredentials alone won’t earn reps a promotion or raise. Managers need to see their sales staff applying their newly learned skills, too.

Sales leaders can encourage their staff to focus on specific microcredentials, which could help fill in critical skills gaps and level up their entire team. Closing these gaps reduces a sales team’s reliance on other departments — or additional hires — for support. As sales teams become more self-sufficient, they can eliminate more roadblocks during the sales process and accelerate the sales cycle leading to higher close rates and revenue.

Examples of Popular Microcredentials for Sales Reps

Microcredentials can enhance existing skills or help learners develop new ones. Sales reps should keep an open mind toward all microcredential programs — within and outside of sales — since learning and development can reinforce a team member’s understanding of certain competencies or discover new passions and strengths.

A few examples of popular sales-centric microcredentials include:

• Communications Good communication is an ever-evolving art, and it is especially important for salespeople who want to learn how to effectively influence potential buyers. While some strategies may feel repetitive in a communications microcredential, sales reps will learn useful and insightful soft skills that can make all the difference in the way they communicate with their coworkers, managers, customers, and prospects.

• Data analysis There are general courses available for data analysis as well as platform-specific modules, such as Data Filtering and Sorting in Tableau Desktop, if sales professionals want a broad refresher or an advanced understanding for targeted use cases. A data-enriched team can help influence resource allocation, work prioritization, and overall strategy.

• Lead scoring Knowing which leads to pursue and how much effort to invest in each interaction can help salespeople better manage their time. There are various lead-scoring techniques sales professionals can learn along with techniques to effectively use lead scoring in apps like Pardot.

• Negotiation Whether negotiating a first deal with a client or a renewal with an existing customer, a variety of tactics can help lead to a winning proposition for everyone while also increasing a salesperson’s average deal size.

• Sales enablement Some sales teams defer a majority of sales enablement responsibilities to their marketing counterparts. The challenge is that an overreliance on marketing can cause bottlenecks. Instead, high-performing sales teams are taking more responsibility for producing sales collateral and data analysis in order to face fewer roadblocks to conversion. In other cases, they work more closely with marketers to produce even better sales materials and automation resources.

• Sales psychology Navigating buyer behaviors requires a thorough understanding of sales psychology. While intuition is useful in many sales interactions, high-performing salespeople use sales psychology to respond more methodically to different buyers and decision makers in an organization.

• Workflow automation Low-code and no-code solutions make it easier than ever for non-tech-savvy salespeople to build apps and dashboards that automate repetitive aspects of their work process. This ensures they don’t have to rely solely on engineers to build time-saving solutions for them and frees up more time to focus on adding value to the customer experience.

• Virtual events strategies Webinars and video conferences are now more the norm than the exception. While many salespeople started their careers by closing deals through face-to-face interactions and phone calls, there is a more urgent need to excel with virtual events that keep audiences engaged and reach a wider spectrum of customer.

Closing Thoughts

As B2B sales evolves, leaders need effective ways to facilitate development and learning for their salespeople. Microcredentials provide a helpful, convenient solution since they offer targeted competency training and require low levels of commitment (unlike traditional education and certifications). The overall accessibility of microcredentials makes it easier to garner buy-in from higher-ups, too, since sales leaders also benefit from the efficient and affordable upskilling of their team members.

When managers and directors support their teams by allowing the time and space to earn microcredentials, they help drive efficient growth, close deals, and build customer relationships, all while ensuring sales reps stay on top of new trends and strategies.

The post Microcredentials: What They Are and How They Benefit Your Sales Team appeared first on Salesforce.

Sales teams need to approach opportunities and manage their pipelines with care, however. The driving factors that ultimately lead to a closed deal may have changed considerably over the last 12 months. A new set of common objections may have emerged. The way products are bundled, the assets that prove helpful at later stages of the purchase cycle – all these factors need to be tailored for each customer.

Even during less turbulent periods, companies have often developed a sales playbook to ensure their reps are equipped with the best information to provide a consistent and effective customer experience (CX). While we often think about CX as being focused on post-sale areas such as customer service, a great buying experience can be key to driving loyalty and building positive word of mouth.

Sales playbooks will include an overview of the company’s products and services, for example, that reps can use to educate customers and help them make the business case for a purchase. A good sales playbook will also provide reps with buyer personas, lead qualification criteria, and other resources to help them meet their quota.

Although they may not have always been considered as such, a sales playbook can be a core pillar in offering a great employee experience for your reps. It’s an asset that can provide them greater confidence in doing their job, while offering ideas to take charge of their own professional development. When they truly value their sales playbook, reps will sell more, and customers will be happier.

If your company has never created a sales playbook before, now is a great time to start. If you’ve had a sales playbook but haven’t updated it in a long time, this is also a perfect moment to revisit what’s there and revise according to the current business landscape.

Here are some ideas to get this process started:

1. Clarify the business outcomes you want your sales playbook to support

Of course you want a playbook to help reps close more deals and increase revenue for your company. That’s table stakes. A great sales playbook will do more than that, giving reps a greater insight into your company’s unique goals, frameworks, and values.

Beyond the basic suggestions, for instance, your sales playbook could be a way to educate reps about your company’s data culture, outlining steps that they should take to make more strategic use of information. It could motivate them in using automation (like a chatbot, for example) to be more productive and drive more efficient growth as prospects come to your website.

Don’t forget the point made earlier about the relationship between sales and CX. Include tips in your playbook to understand how they can enhance the customer journey and create magic moments of surprise and delight.

2. Describe plays that foster collaboration and alignment

A great “play” is not merely one that convinces a customer to spend their money. It’s a play that helps the rep make the connection between the work they’re doing and those of other teams that will be involved in delivering the experience.

Closing a deal won’t matter much, for example, if the customer in question winds up having a lot of trouble with a product and has to keep reaching out for support. Your playbook could help mitigate this risk by describing the most common troubleshooting tips, which reps can pass on as a purchase is made.

The playbook should also help reps be more aligned with the way the marketing team is trying to enhance lead generation, or how the IT department is saving costs by centralizing data into a consolidated platform.

Make it easy for reps to collaborate by using the playbook to teach them about your approach to managing data, and encourage them to use simple tools like Slack for real-time communications.

3. Illustrate how sales success depends on using digital channels

The earliest sales playbooks probably reflected a world in which reps were primarily selling in two ways: in person and over the phone.

As a result, a lot of the advice might have covered the art of cold calling, how to get past “gatekeepers,” and the art of getting a customer to say “yes” once the rep was finally sitting in a prospect’s office.

Today the pathways a rep might take can be much different. They might first notice a customer describing a challenge or pain point on social media, for example. This could be followed by some polite outreach via direct message (DM), and then conducting a virtual walk-through or demo of a product over a video call. The deal might be closed without anyone talking on a phone or meeting in person.

You’re doing reps a favour by thinking through all the various channels and customer scenarios they’ll encounter as digital processes become more common. Help them to see how they could wow a customer by demonstrating a product or service using augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR). Coach them on how to navigate a sales process that spans email, text messages, apps, and more.

Conclusion: Keeping Your Sales Playbook Current

The past few years have created huge changes in the way we all work and live. That may galvanize your firm to do an update on your playbook this year, but what about in the years to come?

Create a policy that your playbook will be reviewed following a critical milestone, such as reporting your year-end results or after completing performance reviews. Make it standard to have newly-hired reps write a “review” of the playbook after their first year on the job. Do an annual tour of marketing, customer service, and IT to show what’s in your playbook and ask for their suggested edits and additions.

A top-notch playbook only stays that way if you make it a living document. In other words, you’ll achieve greater success if you’ve given your reps an asset with timely, actionable content that makes it easy to bring your strategy to life.

The post How to Craft a Top-Notch Sales Playbook appeared first on Salesforce.

In many ways, the rise of the direct-to-consumer (D2C) approach reflects how digital technologies have empowered businesses of almost any size. Traditionally, the only way for a new entrant to reach consumers would have been by forming relationships with partners such as wholesalers and department stores. Those intermediaries controlled distribution and, in some respects, customer relationships.

Thanks to the emergence of digital channels, however, more companies than ever before can now sell directly to consumers. This includes setting up an e-commerce store on their website, selling through online marketplaces, and even offering purchases through social media channels.

Cutting out the “middle person” means D2C companies can not only have a closer connection to their end customers, but potentially increase their profit margin. They can even find ways to offer physical experiences through pop-up shops and exhibits associated with special events.

None of this is to suggest the D2C business model is any easier than selling through partners. There are also some brands that are not purely D2C, but use it as one approach in addition to having a more traditional presence through retail and wholesale partners.

If you’ve been hearing about the opportunities that D2C represents and are mulling whether this is the right time to make the move, this selection of pros and cons may help with your decision-making:

Pro: Greater visibility into the customer journey

Once your merchandise has been delivered to a retail partner and put out for sale, brands don’t always have a lot of data on what happens next. But so much of what happens next represents key stages of an experience.

This includes how customers first discover a product through marketing. There is the moment when a sale happens, and of course any customer service needs that come up. A D2C model provides a much more holistic view of the customer journey, offering potential learnings to improve it.

Con: Greater responsibility for driving awareness and conversions

Department stores and wholesalers are experts in moving large quantities of products. They put up large displays to show off goods. Most critically, they can use their advertising investments to make sure products get noticed in flyers, in social media ads and many other channels.

As a D2C company it will be up to you to ensure your brand becomes familiar to your total addressable audience. You’ll also want your marketing dollars to lead to bottom-line results such as sales.

Fortunately, there are plenty of tools available to assist with this. Marketing automation platforms, for example, allow you to manage everything from online ad campaigns to email newsletters and more.

Pro: The potential to personalize experiences and drive loyalty

A product being sold through a retail partner may represent just one small part of its total assortment. The consumer, meanwhile, may be more likely to associate their purchase – and their pleasure in the experience of buying it – with the retail partner rather than you, the original manufacturer. Not so when you’re a D2C.

This is your chance to truly move towards a one-to-one marketing, sales and support model for your customers. You’ll gain access to large amounts of customer data that can be analyzed, segmented and optimized to provide highly contextual and relevant communication with your biggest fans. And in doing so, of course, their fandom will only grow.

Con: Data can get siloed and difficult to use effectively

Even if you remain a relatively small or medium-sized business, wires can get crossed between those working in sales, marketing or other departments. Poor data handling can lead to duplication of effort, errors, and missed opportunities. The more applications your team uses, the more complex it all can get.

The solution here is to look for a unified platform that offers a single version of the truth in terms of customer data. Using automation to centralize the details that matter most will lead to an increase in overall productivity while driving efficient growth.

Con: The list of competitors never gets any shorter

If you become a D2C firm, you won’t just be up against other D2C firms. You’ll also be vying for consumers’ hearts and minds alongside much larger retailers, which may operate a fleet of store locations in addition to being present on digital channels.

This makes it particularly important for you to leverage technology to exceed expectations by creating “customer magic.” A good example might be artificial intelligence (AI) that helps anticipate what an existing customer might want or need next, and proactively reaching out to offer it as part of a special promotion.

You could also introduce self-service tools like a chatbot that operates 24/7, compared with competitors who only respond to questions during business hours.

Pro: You can achieve success from anywhere – and meet customers everywhere

D2Cs have realized they can think big. Instead of being confined to their local market, or wherever large retail partners are located, they can use digital channels to offer products to a global audience.

Even better, working as a D2C doesn’t mean having to set up a physical shop or office and spend your entire time working there. One of the many benefits of cloud computing is the ability to take your data and applications to a location of your choice.

This means you’re free to attend conferences, visit suppliers or simply achieve a better work-life balance, staying in touch with team members through easy-to-use communications tools like Slack.

The D2C model is here to stay – and as technology continues to advance, it’s a model that may only become more compelling to Canadian entrepreneurs hungry for success in an increasingly competitive brand landscape where customer loyalty is up for grabs.

The post Time to Switch to a Direct to Consumer Model? Here’s What to Consider appeared first on Salesforce.