Hey there, business buffs! Let’s face it, we’ve all been there: firing off a quick message to a team member on chat apps like WhatsApp, hoping they’ll remember that important client meeting or update the latest sales figures. But is “quick” always “quality”? Here’s a lowdown on why chat apps, as handy as they are, might just be the wrong tool for your B2B sales squad.
Sales rep tracking isn’t just about looking for the whereabouts of your sales team. It’s also about tracking sales performance and finding ways to improve.
Field sales teams must always ensure they cover their bases to stay ahead in today’s competitive landscape. Granted, sales managers can only do so much to get there. When managing sales team members, keeping track of what everybody is doing is often difficult. This is especially true when they’re all out on the field attending to their individual clients. Are they visiting as many clients as they should?
A sales manager’s ultimate goal is to get their entire sales team to deliver. When a sales accountability culture is introduced, it means everybody pitches in and pulls their weight. If the company plans to achieve its target, everybody from the junior salesperson to the senior sales executive does everything possible to deliver results.
However, more eager sales representatives may deploy less-than-savoury tactics to hit their numbers. This includes undercutting rivals by offering steep discounts, which can negatively affect the bottom line. Instead of helping, these measures can push the goal out of reach.
Wholesale distributors want their customers happy at all times. An order-tracking system that monitors their purchase status in real-time is the answer.
Not all manufacturers have the network or the means to ship their products to everyone who wants them. Instead, they count on wholesale distributors to make their brand available to markets far and wide. These distributors serve as the critical link connecting the supplier to the companies from whom customers purchase products.
Business relies on exceptional sales performance. However, sales aren’t only about improving the bottom line. Reputation is everything in the modern business environment, and your sales team is often at the forefront of that effort.
Sales is one of the most important divisions in any business. Even the greatest products will collect dust without adequate sales efforts. The better you can empower your sales team, the more inventory they can push. These soaring sales numbers begin with company leadership learning the ins and outs of managing sales team expectations.
Sales technology has been at the right hand of sales personnel everywhere for years. Its development has pushed products and padded pockets with greater ease and consistency than ever before.
That is exactly why picking the right models for your company is mission-critical. Doing so means your team has the tools they need to thrive. These choices extend to the CRM software your company relies on for its day-to-day operations. Therefore, investing in the right CRM software ensures your sales team has the data insights they need to close more sales – sending profits and efficiency soaring.
The sweeping changes affecting B2B sales strategy didn’t happen overnight. Even before the onset of COVID-19, many B2B buyers had moved toward self-reliance to conduct their own research and share their findings with colleagues. Interaction with a salesperson often only occurs after the modern buyer satisfies their preference for self-discovery.
Nobody likes failing. Just ask any salesperson what their greatest fear on the job is; they’ll usually respond with the fear of rejection. Despite being offered the best prices on the best products, clients will still find a reason to say ‘No.’ It’s not personal, it’s business.
And yet, sales anxiety persists – and it affects everybody no matter where they are on the totem pole. But is sales anxiety the main cause of diminishing sales success?
The saying goes that sales tools make the salesperson. Is this true? Without a doubt, they do give sellers an advantage over those who still depend entirely on spreadsheets, charisma, and pitches. However, sales tools and technology alone won’t amount to much.
To make sense of sales tools like business intelligence, analytics, and marketing, agents will need to learn how to use them effectively and efficiently. This is where sales enablement comes into play.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems have helped transform countless field sales agents from transactional order takers into proactive, opportunistic professionals. Despite being revered as a sales tool, CRM systems can also prove incredibly useful in managing supply chain disruptions.
A CRM provides a single hub to organize, store, and access customer contact details, background information, and communication logs. Additionally, it tracks and saves orders, return history, and customer support tickets.
When things are going well, it’s easy to sit back and stay the course. This is especially true with your sales team. Why rock the boat when you’re sailing smooth? Most managers start pushing if their teams haven’t hit their targets or they see more potential. But shouldn’t effective leaders empower their sales teams in both bad times and good?
Of course, they should. Empowering your team is always the right move. Research confirms that empowering employees provides them with a better work environment where they can perform even better.