The first quarter of 2018 is almost done already; are your sales teams embracing the ever-changing world of sales? Here are a few sales trends that are spicing things up in 2018 so far:
Artificial intelligence (AI)
AI is transforming selling by allowing us, not to do more, but to do more of what matters! Implementing AI into your business and sales teams can not only increase the number of leads but also reduce costs & call times. Ensure your sales people have the latest platforms to enable them the opportunities to advance and over perform. Top athletes analyse their performances all the time and use the data to help develop and improve them. There are now these sorts of platforms to help your sales people too!
Sales people training
The Sales role is undergoing a shift as companies are seeking higher success rates and competition is intensifying. As a result, we will see more sales training, respect and support given to our sales developers and the role will be seen less as a ‘stepping stone’. Alignment in the organisation between sales and other customer facing teams (e.g. Customer Service, Credit Control, Technical Support) is becoming more business critical. The Sales teams are often best placed to co-ordinate this from the point of sale to creating customer ambassadors.
The stronger your front line, the greater the results!
Capture your customer’s attention
Don’t make the same noise as other sales people. People are making more cold calls, sending more emails and sending more connection requests than ever. Those finding innovative ways to get past this are having more success in sales. Be targeted in your approach and treat your customer from the start as if they are already your most valuable client.
Customer interaction
Chat and messaging services are becoming key channels for customer interaction. Your customers are probably using messenger and WhatsApp more than Facebook and Twitter! Customers are more likely to interact and find an answer via an online chat on your website than pick up the phone! Don’t just recruit people who can talk face to face. Being able to engage face to face, over the phone, via email, LinkedIn etc is the mix that is needed today.
Watch out because Emoji’s are closing deals – a simple thumbs up is giving people the go ahead!
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
May 25th 2018 sees the new GDPR come into force. It won’t be the end of the world for sales and marketing people that some may think; just make sure you’re prepared and understand what consent, opt-in, right to be forgotten, sensitive personal data and other key terms are all about!
Are you experiencing any of these trends right now? Do you have any to add? Pop a comment to us with your thoughts.