With fierce competition in the tech sector and higher customer demands, more effort needs to be put into closing sales. If your technology can't increase your closing rate, that's because you probably need to update your sales methodology: change the way you sell technology through inbound sales. fashionglee
You have invested your time and resources in creating an
interesting contact list for your business. These contacts are regular
customers who regularly use your products or services, or potential customers
who are interested in the information and education that you offer them through
your online marketing strategy. However, he confirms that his sales data are
insufficient given the number of contacts he has. Why, if you have so many
leads, is it so difficult for your business to convert them into customers?
You've probably already heard about new consumer trends.
Internet access allows customers to better search for information. Buyers have
access to additional information to help them answer the questions they need to
meet their needs, just as they have access to additional information about
technology companies. With these online learning opportunities, the
pre-purchase phase is longer than it was a few years ago, so closing sales can
be more difficult if traditional selling methods are still followed.
If consumer trends change, so will the way you sell
technology. Before you could sell your products or services as a perfect
solution, choosing the information you send them and for the purpose of selling,
making communicating with your customers a one-way sales strategy. But at
present, the client is the one who has the right to decide what solution he
wants, and for this, he needs all the necessary information to make this
decision: to understand what his problem or need is, what are the options for
solving it and what the company can provide a solution. the right decision.
Faced with this new situation, your salespeople must do more
than just sell their technology products or services: they must adapt to the
new trends and attitudes of their customers. It will no longer be enough to
educate sellers on how your products or services work, but they will need to
know how to communicate this information to both tech-savvy shoppers and
non-tech consumers. Because your customers, after all, want to be sure that
buying your services will solve their problem.
And how do you prepare the sales team for this new challenge?
Through inbound sales. Sure, you are already familiar with inbound marketing
and already apply some of its tricks in your marketing strategy, but did you
know that you can change your sales with inbound marketing? This strategy will
help you prepare your staff to better understand emerging consumer trends and
thus be able to start closing more sales and improving closing rates.
Inbound sales for technology
sales
What are inbound sales?
Essentially, this tactic abandons a one-sided sales strategy and, by employing
it focuses all of the sales force's efforts on the buyer's journey or consumer
buying process. Since the most important thing right now is to provide your
customers with all the information they need to select your technology products
or services, your sales team will need to know how to determine the right time
for successful sales.
You will need to prepare your
team to know what your potential customers are looking for at every stage of
their buyer and know what to do when a sale opportunity arises. As you can
see, your salespeople do not need to be limited to selling, but they need to
know very well the attitude of consumers and be ready to face their doubts and
concerns. If you meet the needs of new customers, you are more likely to close
sales faster.
To find out what information
they need, you need to explore the new attitudes and needs of your customers.
You know very well how your technology products and services work, but it's
time to refresh your knowledge of your customers and understand what they need
when buying technology today. For example, do you know what your customers are
after? Are your clients tech-savvy or do they need training? What are the most
common doubts your hero buyers have?
This new study of your target
audience will help you focus on how to start selling technology through inbound
sales. You will not spend all your efforts to sell to all potential customers,
but only to those who are at the end of the buying process. This way you will
optimize your efforts and increase your chances of completing sales. And what
does it do for your sales team? Well, this allows your salespeople to take
advantage of the opportunity to discover the best sales opportunities and
deliver a personalized sales experience at the right time.
As you focus your sales
efforts on a small group, you will have more opportunities to personalize the
experience of each sale and therefore improve your customer relationship. You
can imagine why: Customers trust you more when they notice your efforts to
achieve maximum satisfaction. Marketers can't just dictate how their products
or services work. They need to be able to explain the type of needs they cover,
and they need to know how to explain this to any type of customer that suits
your company's customers.
The sales team takes on a new
role in your strategy: they go from just salespeople to consultants. This
transformation is usually a big change for both your sales representatives and
your company, so you can always sum on a team of professionals
to know how to prepare your staff.
In technology companies, it
is already difficult to build a sales team: either it is made up of technology
professionals who need to learn sales techniques, or they are sales people who
need to be technically trained. Regardless of whether this is the case in your
company, your sales force must take on this new role: it's time to ditch
traditional business language and cold calls to prepare a language that seeks
to connect with customers more closely.
In their new role as
consultants, your salespeople will see that clients will take them as advisors
and trust your employees. Customers will come to your team looking for real and
honest answers, meaning they seek first-hand knowledge of the solutions and
benefits your products or services provide.
Consequently, employees
cannot be limited to providing numbers or technical information, but must take
on a more communicative role and know how to adapt to each customer's profile,
that is, to personalize the sales process according to the lead profile.
How to set up the sales
process? The moment a prospect contacts one of their sales representatives,
they must find a way to customize their strategy according to the
characteristics of the person: their company, their role in the company, the
industry in which they work, their technology training. .. Taking all these
details into account will speed up the communication of your sellers and create
a stronger and more honest bond with the buyer. This adaptation to customer
profiles is possible if your employees learn to process and study information
about their contacts; It will be much easier if you already have a CRM system.
This more in-depth customer
advice will not only come through personalized emails or phone calls; sometimes
they seek advice from sellers in person. What are the best methods to grab the
attention of your clients?
Explore their profiles in
detail. Before consulting with a potential client, the seller should carefully
analyze the information about him.
Tell a story to your
customers. Storytelling isn't just an engagement strategy that marketers can
practice; A good story can grab the attention of your customers. Instead of
getting into technical details, you can create a story about the benefits your
technology service can bring to your customer.
Individual orientation.
Depending on your prospect's level of technological knowledge, it is important
to prepare all the information you may need. Put yourself in the shoes of a probable buyer and imagine the questions that might
arise when you introduce yourself to sellers. Can you resolve all their doubts?
Can your products or services focus on solving your problem or need?
Informational and audiovisual
content. Sometimes tech-savvy leaders need statistics or technical data to
prove that your solution works. Your salesperson should know how to relate these
reports to the performance of their products or services, and demonstrate their
technology knowledge. At the end of the day, the area is to communicate what you are selling and
what results it brings. In addition, the presentation of these reports on video
is much more attractive to clients than a simple visual presentation.
Prepare a demo. There are
potential customers who are very close to buying your products or services, but
need an interesting demo to be 100% sure that you can provide them with the solution
they are looking for. Your salesperson should be willing to demonstrate to the
customer that the technology not only works, but also pays off. Honesty and
trust during a demo are essential to strengthening your salesperson's position
with your customers.