Today’s B2B buyers make purchase decisions in completely different ways, and the sales team needs to adapt accordingly. B2B customers spend most of the sales cycle in digital, doing their own research before even thinking about speaking to anyone in sales.
According to a report by CIO Insights, more than 70% of B2B buyers fully define their needs before engaging with a sales representative.
To complicate things, B2B buyers seek to make the right buying decision – and they want it to happen quickly. There are more decision-makers involved now in the buying decision, too. So, buyers are required to adopt solutions faster and accelerate the sales cycle.
With a goal of speed, sales acceleration gets B2B buyers through the sales cycle lightning-fast, cutting down the time it takes to close the sale, boost revenue, and improve your organization’s bottom line.
Here are 7 best practices to help enterprises accelerate the sales cycle:
Optimize sales and marketing data
It’s vital to have data that is organized, structured, and integrated across the enterprise. The data must first be mastered so that the information driving your key business decisions is accurate and fresh.
Most organizations have A LOT of data. Think about all of the first-party data you generate. And then add on the third-party data you’ll want to use to enrich your first-party data. Unstructured data can have a role, too. Your integrated first- and third-party data is your biggest proprietary source of data. This data can be used to create a true competitive advantage.
Share dynamic content
A content management system (CMS) enables users to create, edit, collaborate, publish, and store digital content. A CMS is typically used for enterprise content management. A CMS can provide a no-code, user interface with tools to create, edit, and publish digital content.
Your organization’s content, resources, and communications may be disorganized and siloed in different departments and divisions. An enterprise mobile platform can give your sales reps easy access to the information they need right on their mobile devices. Sales pros can search within the app and quickly and easily find the resources they need to share with clients, in real-time.
Embrace sales acceleration
While buyers prefer to conduct research on their own, it doesn’t mean they can’t interact with your salespeople during the sales process. B2B buyers rely on content to guide them through the buying process. You can also share knowledge and information to help them, so they can make an informed buying decision.
Create a content library or a knowledge base of all your assets that answer the most common questions your B2B buyers want to know at different stages of the customer buying journey. Decision-makers are much more responsive towards sales reps that include case studies, industry articles, white papers, and sales collateral.
Incorporate automation
Most sales leaders say that CRMs and virtual conferencing software are the most important tools for virtual selling. 61% of over-performing sales teams use their CRM to automate parts of their sales process. By automating their sales process, sales reps have more time to focus on selling. Sales acceleration that integrates with CRM platforms helps sales and marketing teams make better use of valuable data.
Provide sales training and coaching
Because your sales team may no longer be working in the office, sales managers must find other ways to keep up on coaching and training for sales reps. In the past, sales leaders would provide in-office training and collaborate with salespeople to help them with the latest tips and tricks. Now, sales reps may feel more isolated when working from home. Enterprise organizations can use an enterprise mobile platform to help coach, train, and collaborate with sales reps and track their progress.
Share real-time updates and alerts
Sales acceleration is a digital and virtual game. Your sales team is on the go. Yet, they need access to the latest and greatest information from the sales and marketing teams. It’s essential for sales pros to have the most recent up-to-date information to take to prospective customers. In addition, you can automatically notify salespeople of management changes, acquisitions, or other important business events.
Consider a no-code enterprise mobile platform
At CatalystXL, we want to help you quickly and easily share sales content and foster collaboration across your entire organization. We can deliver a no-code, custom branded sales acceleration mobile platform that unlocks answers and provides insights via our Cardware™ platform — sharing categorized content in a powerful flashcard format. Our mobile platform provides Sales Acceleration and a Connected Workforce for your sales teams and sales reps – both in and out of the office.
Book a demo today.
