While many sales organizations are still struggling to switch from offline to online customer meetings, the trend is already far ahead of them, as Gartner has found out. The future of sales is not only to switch from offline to online customer meetings, but it is all about developing a whole strategy around a digital-first sales cycle. Also, moving from experience- and intuition-based selling to data-driven selling becomes increasingly important.
Digital-first must be number 1 priority
In order to respond to the trend and needs of tomorrow’s customers, organizations must develop sales strategies, which combine multiple channels and tools. There needs to be a shift from seller-centric to buyer-centric sales strategies, which includes hyperautomated and digital-first customer engagement. Assuming that copying live meeting practices to online settings is not sufficient.
Synchronous & asynchronous customer engagement
Interacting with customers in a live (online or offline) setting is still important. Trust is built up, information can be exchanged and follow-up meetings be scheduled. However, customers don’t want to have to set up a meeting for every little question they have or to review information after the meeting again. So, providing them with a tool, which can be a microsite, landing page or anything else, which acts as a self-service channel is essential. There, the customer can review information gathered and exchanged during the meeting, distribute it to relevant colleagues or pop a message to the sales rep.
Virtual sales enablement
To make all this happen, organizations and sales reps need tools and resources to execute this new way of selling and interacting with the customer. A strategy, which pays attention to every single step during the sales cycle is highly important to not lose the customer at some point.
With Idiligo organizations can develop an overall strategy and have a tool to hand, which enables sales reps to hold high quality customer meetings, (no matter whether they are online or offline), by adding smart content and processes to these meetings. Additionally, information gathered and exchanged during the customer meeting can be provided to the customer on a microsite to give him the chance to review and distribute information afterwards whenever he wants and needs to.