The increasing number of internet-capable devices contributed in the rise of sales acceleration technology usage among industry leaders. In fact, 33 billion internet-connected devices are expected to be operational in the market by 2020 generating all sorts of data and revenue. Studies also show that high-performing sales teams use nearly three times the amount of sales technology than under-performing teams.
So with all these amazing facts about sales acceleration, it’s vital to know what sales acceleration really means. Sales acceleration is the method of increasing the pace of the sales process of a business on a renewable basis. Furthermore, sales acceleration tools specifically concentrate on helping businesses reduce their response times, avoid repetitive tasks, and make more calls, thus making the entire process faster. Therefore, anything that is beyond the implementation of a CRM system, can be loosely considered as sales acceleration, including business intelligence tools and data visualization.
The Impact of Sales Acceleration
Now that you have an idea of what sales acceleration means, let us find out how it works. The easiest way to do that is to determine the key features of sales acceleration tools available on the market. Basically, sales acceleration tools can perform one or more of the following processes:
Automation: Utilising software to automate different daily tasks, from simpler ones like processing orders, distributing data (via email, video conference, social media, and etc), and gathering contacts and prospects and monitoring orders and inventories -- helps reduce the pressure on your sales team and gives them more time to concentrate on more critical tasks. It’s also easier for entrepreneurs and sales executives to monitor productivity rates and sales quotas.
Data Analytics: Access to timely and accurate data on transactions done by sales agents will allow sales executives to analyze sales velocity, deal distribution types, lead management, campaign effectiveness, and even measure the productivity, efficiency, and effectivity of your sales force much faster.
Personalization: Many sales acceleration tools also have sales channels that enable sales agents to enhance customer engagement through personalized content. Industry trends show that many consumers prefer to research on their own first, before contacting a company, with over fifty percent preferring to use SMS or social media to contact sales agents. Consumers are becoming more and more informed. Therefore, organizations need to step up and offer premium, personalized content that will not only entertain but will also captivate and entice the customer to buy.
Tracking Engagement: Numerous sales automation technologies can track and monitor the sales process, from lead generation up to closing the deal. It may come in the form of tracking which emails are opened, read and acted upon by prospects, or by monitoring feedback gathered from inbound calls made by sales agents. It allows your company to deliver the appropriate message to consumers, depending on whatever step of the sales process they currently are on and will enhance your company’s entire customer management structure.
Do It Right
It’s important to remember that sales acceleration tools can’t transform your business overnight. You need to carefully plan its implementation and execution, in relation to your company’s weaknesses and strengths. Furthermore, executives and business owners need to educate their sales force regarding the importance of having sales acceleration tools in place. You also need to train them on how to use it, so that sales agents will not see these tools as a liability but as an asset.