For decades, digital technologies have been enabling businesses to expand or even transform their business. For many businesses, the restrictions introduced during today’s recession pressured them to either switch to the internet as a new channel of sales or increase efforts to sell their goods or services online. This highlights the potential of digital technologies to increase the economic resilience of businesses. Since a global pandemic struck over two years ago, companies around the world have recognized the importance of digitization. A company that has successfully transitioned to a digital landscape is agile and protected against disruptions. Various tools help in overcoming sales such as a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) to administer all of an organization's interactions with its customers, typically using data analysis to study large amounts of information.
Small or new businesses find CRMs accessible, easy to use, and approachable, but they typically don't manage it as fast as their business grows. What’s great about a tool like Salesforce CRM solution is it allows you to scale along with your business without worrying about outgrowing the software. It can handle even the most complex relationship management processes, no matter how fast or far you scale.
By integrating marketing, service, sales, and customer management modalities, Salesforce enhances harmonious coordination between different business lines in today’s modern hybrid working world. To keep up with the latest trends and technologies, Salesforce keeps updating its functionality and adding new tools. As a result, a digital workplace boosts speed, efficiency, and minimizes workflow drag.
Now to where the fun starts. Here’s what I took from Salesforce’s State of Sales and the three top trends to continue to watch for 2023, which not only hint at what other decision makers and your competitors are interested in, but also how these strategies fit into the future of work as we know it.
The key to growing opportunities in 2022 was to adjust your sales strategy to fit the current climate. Adapt and improve your current strategies now to be more competitive in the future. In fact, it seems businesses are open to retaining some of their new tactics even during “normal” times too. What does this tell us? Keeping up with sales in a mindful way will allow you to increase and retain customers and improve revenue.
We also saw sellers were adapting quickly to changes in their companies as well as those coming from their customers. The most successful sales representatives understood that empathy, trust, and key insights were essential to establishing long-term customer relationships this year. For example, businesses refrained from reaching out if their products or services didn’t really address their customer’s values and spent more time providing support for what their buyers or customers may be experiencing during tough times. In other words, remember that nurturing may be a better option than selling if your customer is not in the right mind-set or financial position to purchase.
2) Sales Operations is The New Black
In most sales organizations, Sales Operations are responsible for ensuring sales teams are effective and efficient in their processes. This typically includes things like managing day-to-day activities, creating reports, Salesforce administration, and implementing recurring tasks in order to support and motivate the sales team. The sales operations team also streamlines processes to allow reps to spend more time with customers while improving sales productivity.
It's not uncommon for the tactical “face” of Sales Operations to be submerged under the strategic one, but seeing the potential there, and harnessing it, 2022 saw companies noticing that Sales Operations was the secret element to success. To ensure a sales organization's success now and in the future, Sales Operations teams stood ahead of its issues and enabled the sales team to focus on what they do best - selling. A well-designed Sales Operations program can help sales teams become more productive and efficient, which impacts both the top and the bottom company hierarchy. The best of both worlds.
3) Sales Leaders Pivoted for Growth and Recovery
As the world changes, sales leaders are steering their ships towards recovery and growth. Leaders are rapidly adapting strategies and implementing necessary changes despite an uncertain future. It's easy to change direction off course or be uncertain about what lies ahead. During the early stages of the pandemic, many B2B marketing and sales teams were concerned about how to quickly pivot strategies and tactics. Several months later, as we've adjusted to the new way of living (and operating), we can begin to shift our attention from survival mode to growth and development.
In order to provide clear and conclusive leadership, successful sales leaders set a higher-level, and a big picture vision. Working with their teams, they focus on the ''why'' as well as the ''how.'' In order to develop a team's vision, a sales leader must convey the organization's vision to his or her team. It is also crucial for the leader to consistently be an example of that vision, since the team will be watching.
Liked this blog? This was part one of a four-series blog of the State of Sales on Salesforce. For an analysis of current Salesforce and Sales Operations trends, and what to look for in 2023, follow Efforceless.
By Anthony Trinh. Anthony is the Founder and Principal Salesforce Consultant at Efforceless.
About Efforceless
Efforceless helps business leaders scale their team. Founded only by seasoned past Shopify and Google employees, we polished what is needed for a successful Salesforce implementation and as a result our clients have the smartest Salesforce team working for them at less the cost of one Salesforce hire. For more information about Efforceless’s Salesforce consulting services and solutions, visit: www.efforceless.com
About Salesforce
Salesforce, the global CRM leader, empowers companies of every size and industry to digitally transform and create a 360° view of their customers. For more information about Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), visit: www.salesforce.com