MarketStar Blog | Sales

I’ve been spending a lot of time supporting demand generation efforts for several large B2B and B2C businesses – with lead nurturing center stage. When organizations hear the value proposition behind nurturing, they can’t hold back their excitement and jump blindly into the initiative.

Most people can agree that the sales environment has become more competitive, and more complex, to the point that sales require more than a good call list and a plane ticket. In order to solve a customer’s problem and drive more revenue, marketers and sales leaders need to consider outsourcing some or all of their market development, lead qualification, appointment setting, and end-to-end sales activities in order to not lose sight on developing great products and services. 

Key Takeaways

• Implementing RevOps to unify and streamline your GTM operations can have numerous benefits for your organization–from increasing revenue coordination to better business-wide accountability

• It’s a big change. As you get started with it, it is essential that your current processes don’t pose a hindrance to your big plans 

• As a crucial component of any organization, your tech stack deserves the same attention as your RevOps strategy. It’s how you will be able to scale your GTM initiatives 

• It can be confusing to build your ideal tech stack. But once done, it can go a long way in ensuring that your various customer-facing teams have access to the same data. This will help you optimize your workflows and infuse new efficiency in your campaigns 

Advancements in tech stack and increasingly sophisticated buyer behaviors have mandated an evolution in operating models if enterprises hope to stay ahead.

Organizations, especially those in the B2B space, are increasingly opting for newer approaches to enhance their customer acquisition and retention strategies.

The concept of centralizing teams from marketing, sales, and customer success–the core concept behind RevOps–has become popular to accelerate revenue growth and go-to-market operations.

Companies are reporting significant gains in terms of accelerated revenue growth, about 100% to 200% increases in digital marketing ROI and 30% reductions in GTM expenses, according to a BCG report.

The importance of delivering a successful RevOps initiative relies heavily on having a deep understanding of the right technology stack which will support a well-aligned RevOps strategy.

But the sheer number of software and apps available for RevOps can make it a daunting task. Additionally, you don’t want too many systems in your technology stack as this can lead to limitations in individual systems.

Having said that, a full tech stack that is aligned with your RevOps strategy can be the game-changer you are looking for to align your sales, marketing, and customer success teams while ensuring streamlined workflows, in order to capitalize on growth opportunities.

How Does RevOps Affect Your Technology Stack?

No two businesses are the same.

This also means that not every tech stack is affected the same way by RevOps. While some companies require a complete overhaul of their RevOps tech stack, others might see no change.

The tech stack previously selected by your sales, marketing, and service teams provided each individual function with its capabilities. So the tools used by your service team were vastly different from those used by marketing. This changes with RevOps.

With RevOps in the picture, the underlying goal is to structure technology in such a way that it supports the customer journey across all touchpoints while unlocking more of your organization’s revenue potential.

A technological audit as part of your RevOps framework can help you get started. It will help you analyze the various gaps in achieving the ideal tech stack.

How to Evaluate the Ideal Tech Stack for Your RevOps Strategy? 

A hard look at your existing systems as part of your revenue operations practice can help you assess the gaps in your current tech stack and how the addition of any new software fits with the overall goals of your GTM operations.

• Start with Business Process Evaluation: Begin with a thorough map-out of your customer’s journey. Then document all the processes that your customer-facing teams go through.

• Do a Little Research: The purpose of this market research is to gather all relevant data about the tools that should be part of your organization’s revenue tech stack.

• Cost-benefit Analysis: When you map out each of your GTM functions with the tools available in the market, you will gain a better understanding of the software that will make up your ideal tech stack. 

How to Build the Perfect Tech Stack for RevOps?

In “The State of Business Operations in 2021” report, conducted by Tonkean and Lucid of 500 companies and IT professionals, only 24% of respondents were satisfied with their current toolset handling all workflow needs.

An ideal tech stack for revenue operations will include tools that monitor top-line data that can be easily integrated with other apps. Remember that your tools should help you scale your RevOps strategy and achieve overall business operations.

1. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software

Since aligning and unifying your organization’s various functions under one umbrella is what RevOps is all about, it makes sense to start with CRM to get all your customer data into one place.

A CRM software will centralize customer data, putting it in one easy-to-access place.

This means that even if your data is coming from various sources such as Google Analytics, Social Media portals, and other apps, the chosen CRM for your tech stack will sort, clean, analyze, and store data in actionable formats.

For your marketing, sales, and service teams, this data serves as the single source of truth for their various campaigns.

2.Revenue Intelligence Software

Driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), Revenue Intelligence Software streamlines data gathering, synchronization, and management across your customer-facing functions. 

Such software is incredibly helpful as it eliminates siloed data entry that can potentially hamper the success of your GTM operations. Since it automatically captures data at every touchpoint, your teams have more accurate and reliable insights to fall on. 

This also means that your sales reps have better leads to deal with since your teams are better equipped to assess the direction of customer conversation as it unfolds. Consequently, you also allocate resources to the right team, expediting the lead qualification process, and optimizing conversions.

3. Project Management Tools

Collaboration is key to success for RevOps and project management tools can help you achieve it. Teams have a centralized place to effectively work on cross-cutting revenue-related activities.

Such tools are useful in the end-to-end management of projects, including task ownership, and deadline adherence. 

Bridging the Gap Between Strategy & Tech

A HubSpot report highlights that a whopping 61% of B2B businesses leveraging technology and automation in their sales processes will exceed revenue operations.

Selecting the ideal tech stack is your first step to scaling your RevOps strategy and streamlining sales.

As daunting a task it may seem, you can ease the process by understanding what your RevOps team needs in order to function properly. Build on this understanding to lay down the foundation of your RevOps technology stack.

Looking for the right RevOps strategy to compliment your GTM initiatives? Head over to our blog and read more about the top 5 areas of consideration for RevOps success!

Key Takeaways

• There’s no exception that sales organizations have their work cut out for themselves

• Factors such as a competitive market and consistent growth agenda can take a heavy toll on the sales force, especially the sales operations team 

• As responsibilities grow, so does the possibility of getting it wrong 

• The good news is that such pitfalls can also be avoided if proper processes are set in place and the larger team understands the critical role sales ops play in revenue generation 

As sales transform in an increasingly dynamic market landscape, the importance of the sales operation discipline has taken off in almost every sector. 

Sales and operations planning is expanding rapidly to touch more processes, while shaping new workflows, driving better policies, and delivering holistic insight across the entire sales cycle. 

The report titled “The LinkedIn State of Sales Operations Report 2021” highlights the many ways in which the role of sales operations is growing.

According to the report, the role around the world increased by 38% between 2018 and 2020. Additionally, 49% of sales ops professionals feel that they are valued as much as any other sales professional in their respective company.

These numbers are a clear indicator of the discipline’s evolution. Its growth stems from two areas.

First is the vast amount of data readily available coupled with the number of data providers in the space. Second is the acute need of the sales operation team to synthesize this data to enable salespeople.

This also means that the responsibilities of sales operations professionals have increased. From determining which accounts to focus on to building relationships with existing customers and forecasting business performance, sales operations need to be at the forefront.

Regardless of the scope of responsibilities, some common pitfalls can hinder sales effectiveness. Think of your sales ops team as the behind-the-scenes revenue generator.

While value demonstrations, negotiations, and deal closing might lie at the front, it’s the actions taken by your operations and planning department that make it possible.

5 Common Mistakes to Avoid in Sales Operations

1.Lack of Data Ownership

In all probability, the data exists that will help the sales team with their pitch success.

The problem is that it is not properly managed and processed, putting a question on its accuracy. Data is also the foundation of sales operations which means that data ownership must become a core value across BUs.

Instilling a practice of data ownership in day-to-day activities is a must.

2. Higher Load of Administrative Tasks

While processes, roles, territories, and quotas are all meaningful work that sales operations are tasked with, they eventually get burdened with crediting decisions, exceptions management, comp administrations, and commission complaints to make any bandwidth for the tasks that matter.

If the sales operations and planning team are buried in an avalanche of sales administration tasks, it would be difficult for them to focus on the larger goal: driving greater sales productivity.

3. Absence in Strategy Discussion

Many times, the sales and operations planning team is just not part of key meetings and discussions on growth strategy and sales coverage. 

This exclusion often leads to misalignment between the growth objectives of the organization and the focus areas of sales operations. 

In the absence of clear definitions of the company’s future outlook, the sales ops team will wrongly prioritize tasks or investments of time and resources. 

Sales roles require perfect clarity of the product or service and the customers being targeted. The same applies to sales operations. 

For your sales ops, the customers are internal and products are the internal sales enablers.

4. Lack of Documentation

If you document it, you learn from your mistakes.

It’s essential to capture all the institutional knowledge and assumptions that go into planning. Companies can put a mechanism in place to capture such information from all the participants.

When this gets embedded into the plan, you can understand the context of the decisions and changes, even months later.

5. Addition of Shadow Resources

Helping your sales operations and planning team become the center of excellence for one or more functions requires commitment from the entire organization. When this single team is given this amount of attention, added responsibilities and bandwidth issues can hinder team performance, putting the team’s efficacy in question.

Rather than investing in duplicative shadow resources, business leaders must work actively with the team to understand pain points and bring relevant measures to resolve them.

How Can Sales Operations Be Improved?

A common theme emerges when we look at revamping the sales and operations planning team: to keep on top of things. To transform the team, business leaders should look at the following recommendations.

• A culture of internal audits for continuous improvement can help to eliminate bureaucratic bottlenecks. Admin issues should be assigned to the sales department. Field salespeople should have access to regular sales training programs. Tools and software should get regular updates to keep up with the times.

• It is also critical for the sales operation team to have a crystal clear idea of the mission and objectives of the company. The executive team must consistently communicate them so that all oars keep rowing in the same direction. 

• Quick fixes will not work for your sales ops team. Sales are meant to be fast. This means that you will have problems faster than the time you have to fix them. Instead of looking at temporary band-aids, try to fix the real problem. 

•  While there is no shortage of KPIs and metrics, it’s important to choose the one that fits your team. Even when you have the numbers, break them down and examine them carefully. Deep dive into the performance of your sales operations team and identify the areas where they have shined and areas where they may have to improve. 

Empowering Sales Ops to Go Above and Beyond

89% of sales professionals feel that sales ops are critical to business growth, according to “The State of Sales Report” by Salesforce.

Navigating the landscape of sales operations and planning can be tricky, with the mistakes leading to activities being derailed.

But with proper processes in place, there’s no telling how much your team can accomplish.

Key Takeaways

• Sales operations are a critical component of any top-performing sales organization, helping the business reach its revenue target 

• A sales ops team is well-poised to help sales teams close more deals while alleviating salespeople of non-selling sales activities 

• Despite its increasingly critical role, many sales leaders struggle with building a sales ops team 

• Certain practices can make the process easier and help organizations bring transparency and clarity to their processes

Like most sectors and departments across industries, sales operations were disrupted and reshaped by the pandemic.

Digital solutions are offering new paths to sales operation strategy where the key is building better connections, both with customers and the workforce.

The increasing importance of utilizing data to drive decision-making has made sales ops more important than ever.

According to the Trends in Sales Ops Report, 75% of the sales ops professionals now have new responsibilities with 64% expecting their role to change.

Despite its increasing scope, sales operations is also an area that many sales leaders struggle with. But done right, sales ops can help companies improve their sales performance and boost revenue growth.

This article attempts to answer this. Deep dive into why sales ops is such a critical piece of your sales puzzle and how to build a stellar sales ops team for success.

Let’s get started.

Why is Sales Ops So Important?

According to a survey, sales ops teams drive up to a 10% increase in sales productivity each year.

Simply put, your sales operations team is responsible for helping sales professionals sell better, hit goals faster, and lead smoother sales processes.

Senior leaders of organizations can leverage their sales operations department to synthesize data about the sales experience to make it more effective.

Here are four more ways how sales ops help organizations boost their performance. 

• Sales operations free up time and energy for organizations as they analyze and streamline internal processes so sales teams are not as distracted or bogged down. If any given task takes more time as it’s being done manually, the sales ops team will research ways to automate that task. The result is that your sales team is better poised to serve customers.

• There’s a clear gap between companies that scale and those that don’t. The answer is the absence of a clear and effective sales operations strategy which could have helped build a repeatable sales process that is codified across the sales team. Smart sales ops leaders help their companies to establish best practices across teams, making results predictable. 

• The sales operations team demystifies the sales process for other departments so data-driven decisions can be made which helps achieve revenue targets. Sales ops professionals make use of CRM data to paint a holistic picture of the customer journey which can help leaders gauge if the pipeline is healthy or not. 

• Your sales operations department will be in a better position to notice risks that heads of sales may miss as they are more focused on closing the deal. With the sales team busy executing the plan, sales ops leaders will dig into data and use those insights to design incentives and create a killer sales ops strategy. 

How Do You Structure Sales Operations for Success?

While sales operations continue to grow as a strategic imperative in a dynamic marketplace, the current structure and roles are not without limitations.

The State of Sales Operations Report by LinkedIn highlights that 36% of sales ops professionals struggle with balancing strategic and operational responsibilities.

The answer lies in having a well-planned sales operations structure in place.

Once established, you have more consistency and control over your sales process while your tasks managers and sales reps have better clarity to complete goals.

Here’s how you can structure your sales operations team. 

1. Determine Operational Scope

Your operational scope for sales ops corresponds to your plan for sales and strategy.

For instance, if online advertising and content marketing are part of your sales plan to generate leads, your sales ops structure will be different.

This is your operational scope. It defines your sales process, core metrics, supportive tasks, and roles.

It’s essentially a top-down approach where you start with a strategy, set up a sales ops structure that incorporates the strategy, and then, implement resources and practices to optimize the system.

2. Define KPIs for Sales Operations

Since sales ops encompasses both strategy and execution, it is important to evaluate how the team is performing relative to its goals. KPIs will help you with that. 

• Average Win Rate: Your sales ops team is working hard to ensure that your sales department closes more deals. You can measure the efficiency of your team by monitoring the average win rate. 

• Average deal size: This is the average dollar amount for every closed deal or contract. It’s an important metric to understand the financial health of the organization and its pipeline. 

• Average Sales Cycle Length: Your sales ops team is hard at work to slash the time it takes a prospect to close after entering your sales pipeline. Monitoring this cycle can make your team more efficient.

• Lead Response Time: Also known as speed to lead, this measures the amount of time it takes for you to follow up on clients after their first contact with your business. 

3. Establish a Sales Process

A sales process will include repeatable steps to get prospects from the awareness stage to the purchase stage. These include various activities such as cold calling, lead qualifications, and hosting a client meeting to present a pitch.

Both sales funnel and sales pipeline can help strengthen this process.

Your funnel represents the lead’s buying journey with your business. The pipeline involves all internal activities you can take up to move the lead through the funnel.

4. Establish a Strong Leadership

Your sales operation structure should have a direct line to the executives. 

Make sure that your team is led by a vice president, director, or senior manager. These leaders should report to the president or a high-level sales leader. 

While sales ops and marketing work closely together, your sales team is the one that understands the overall sales strategy. This team should be part of sales rather than marketing.

5. Get More Team Members for Supportive Sales Tasks

According to the State of Sales Report by Salesforce, 75% of sales reps have taken on new responsibilities at work. Supportive tasks should not throw your sales ops team members off track. These are the administrative tasks that ensure sales process optimization.

For instance, recruitment, training, and onboarding of new members are all supportive tasks in sales as they don’t directly impact the sales process.

Similarly, invoicing and billing a customer to collect revenue, tracking sales commissions for the payroll team, and creating sales forecasts and sales contests are all supportive tasks for your sales operations team.

A proper pipeline on how these tasks are completed can help to strengthen your sales ops structure.

6. Make Use of Technology

78% of customers expect a consistent customer experience at every touchpoint and digital channel.

It’s essential that your team is not burdened with manual tasks that take their time and energy from critical activities. Use technology as much as possible to automate tasks.

CRM software, email automation software, lead prioritization engines, and sales software are just a few of the tools that you can make use of.

However, it will also be counter-productive if your sales ops team is toggling between 10+ tools. Figure out the role a new software will play in your sales process and only then implement it. 

7. Who to Hire

According to one report, 36% of sales ops professionals agree that it’s hard to recruit and retain good hires in sales ops.

Putting together any new team can be challenging, but more so in the case of your sales operations team because of the central role they play in your revenue growth.

Keeping in mind certain qualities can help you make the right choice. This includes the ability to analyze data. They should have excellent communication skills so they can help the larger team understand the significance of the data.

As the sales ops team is linked to almost all parts of the organization, they need to be able to build relationships.

Succeed with an Effective Sales Ops Team

Building a sales operations team is one of the most critical steps of your enterprise sales cycle. Done well, it can improve productivity and deliver a stellar customer experience. 

More than anything else, sales operations will help you create a robust system of selling where data, insights, and technology play an important role in driving performance and sustainable growth.

Key Insights

• Many businesses choose to ignore small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), setting their sights on closing larger clients

• Businesses will benefit better by targeting the SMB market which has a shorter sales cycle and less red tape 

• Striking connections with your SMB customers will be easier if you make way for personalization and a clear communication process 

• If you are selling to small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), you must make it an intentional part of your strategy, tailoring not just the prices but your entire approach. 

• SMB is a segment in its own right. Your SMB sales can only be successful if you remove barriers, understand the whys and hows of the SMB market, and adopt the right mindset to ensure success with SMB customers.

With almost 31 million small businesses in the U.S. alone, the SMB market represents a tremendous business opportunity for enterprises of all sizes.

Before we jump into effective strategies for successful SMB sales, let’s look at what the landscape is all about.

What Does SMB Sales Mean?

As mentioned earlier, SMB stands for small- and medium-sized business.

SMB sales refers to salespeople selling products or services to this market. SMBs usually have fewer than 500 employees.

SMBs also have shorter sales cycles and cost less for salespeople to close a deal.

Since SMBs often have very different needs and customer pain points, it requires SMB salespeople to use a unique SMB sales strategy to land clients, compared to the strategies involved in any big enterprise.

7 Easy-to-Implement Tips for Selling to Your SMB Customers

Many businesses choose to ignore SMBs, setting their sights on closing larger clients.

But, in comparison, SMBs have less red tape, resulting in shorter sales cycles. It is also easier to get in touch with key decision makers, entailing more success for your SMB sales strategy.

It is vital to keep in mind that SMBs don’t always remain an SMB.

An SMB today might grow into a multi-million dollar company in a few years. And this big enterprise will keep on using your product or service for years to come.

Let’s walk through some of the best sales techniques for SMB customers.

1. Connect Early

As you get down to fine tuning your SMB sales strategy, make sure to add early engagement as the first part of the process.

Interact with potential customers before you start pitching.

By making yourself available at the very start of the decision-making process and maintaining consistent contact, you will provide greater value throughout the process.

Additionally, you will be top-of-mind when the time comes for your SMB customers to make a purchase.

2. Qualify Properly

Qualifying leads help you to determine whether a lead fits into your ideal customer profile and will convert into a paying customer. 

Lead qualification is critical to any segment that you are targeting, but more so for the SMB market. Keep the following points in mind when evaluating an SMB business:

• Has the business been registered last week? 

• Has the SMB determined its business model yet? 

• How much funding does the SMB have? 

Such questions will help you evaluate if you are zeroing down on a SMB that fits your business. Otherwise, you will deplete your own resource pool in chasing the wrong client. 

3. Niche Down

Regardless of what you are selling, it won’t be a good fit for everyone.

One you have zeroed down on your ideal customer type, you can make the process even more seamless by focusing on a smaller cohort.

For instance, let’s take restaurants as your target SMB customer. Rather than simply targeting restaurants of a certain size, target those that cater to a specific demographic.

The idea is to get as specific as possible. This is how you will get to know everything about your ideal SMB profile, enabling you to sell better and smarter.

4. Keep it Simple

When you are fighting to make a mark in the SMB market, it is easy to get caught up in the details. But an in-depth sales pitch isn’t what your SMB client wants to hear.

Don’t complicate your pitch.

In fact, a simple straightforward pitch, with touches of personalization will be more effective for making a sale.

Present your information in an easy-to-digest, bite-sized format. Cover the facets of your product or service that your SMB leads will care about. 

5. Offer an End-to-End Solution

SMBs require products and services that will be up and running in no time, with little or no effort on their part.

That is why you must make it clear that your solution will meet their needs without an extra investment of time or money to install and build the features.

Regardless of your target SMB, ensure that implementation is fast and easy.

When you emphasize your understanding of their need for a turnkey solution, you show that you value their time.

6. Alleviate their Worries

SMB customers tend to be risk-averse, for many of them are bootstrapped.

For SMBs, every dollar counts.

You can set your customers’ minds at ease with some easy steps listed below:

• Offer a free trial of your solution 

• Provide a money-back guarantee 

• Make way for monthly payments rather than a yearly subscription 

• Feature testimonials and case studies on your website so they have proof of your product’s features 

7. Cultivate Loyalty

Long-term customer loyalty comes with a slew of benefits for your business.

In fact, repeat business can generate valuable referrals for you.

So, it is important for you to maintain and strengthen existing SMB partnerships.

This starts with treating your SMB customers as valued individuals. Personalize their experience with your sales team. Be patient and offer assistance at every stage of the sales process.

Whether it be pre-sale or post-sale, every engagement must be guided with the objective of providing stellar customer service and support.

Summing It Up

To capture a meaningful and sustaining partnership, it is critical to lead with the objective of providing value for your SMB customers and not just to create value for your business.

A successful SMB sales pitch will find a way to help clients achieve their dreams in a manner that is honest, transparent, and respectful. 

Key Takeaways

• Dropping dead leads and prioritizing high-value and sales-ready ones can help you gain more efficiency

• The more control you have over your sales pipeline, the better your revenue generation

• Combining your sales and marketing teams can pave the way for your business’s growth 

• To increase sales, provide more relevant content to your product/service and business 

• Identify and cross out possible bottlenecks in your pipeline to keep your potential customers moving through the sales pipeline smoothly 

Are your sales declining or not growing as you expected them to? The issue could be in your sales pipeline.

Your sales pipeline is the backbone of your overall sales process and is vital to your business’s success. It delivers a stable feed of qualified leads and enables your sales team to convert those leads into valuable customers.

However, if you’re unsure about how your pipeline is built or are looking for the best practices to build your sales pipeline – don’t worry; we’ve got you covered!

Before we get moving, you must be clear on understanding what a sales pipeline is.

“A sales pipeline is a visual way of tracking a potential client’s status in the sales process. It is a set of actions taken by salespeople to convert a lead/prospect into a customer”.

According to Harvard Business Review, “there was an 18% difference in revenue growth between companies that defined a formal sales process and companies that didn’t. Businesses that adhered to best pipeline practices saw 28% higher revenue growth.”

It is imperative that your company, B2B in particular, has a healthy sales pipeline as it enables you to: 

• Improve the entire sales process

• Predict your business results 

• Analyze the best sales strategies for your business 

• Evaluate your company’s progress

• Close more deals

6 Best Practices for Building a Powerful Sales Pipeline

We’ve listed below six best practices to help you transform the way you manage your sales pipeline. These tips can help improve your sales process and generate more revenue. Let’s explore.

1. Define Your Pipeline Stages

The first step to follow in managing your sales pipeline is to break your pipeline into stages and then define them. Each stage needs to be clearly defined with actionable steps for the sales reps to take.

If you haven’t created a  yet, our experts can help you create one.

Map your customer journey by understanding how a lead moves and makes its way through the sales process.

Also, understand what your sales team is already doing. Modify the existing approach if needed and build a new pipeline for better management.

2. Put Your Customers First

“Never put the cart before the horse while building your sales pipeline.” 

One of the biggest mistakes most sales managers and teams make today is they don’t put their customers’ thought processes first. Instead, they just build their pipeline around arbitrary decisions.  

But your product/service exists only because of your customers. So, build a customer-centric sales pipeline that runs alongside your buyer’s journey.

We recommend you break your buyer’s journey into the following stages:

• Recognize the problem

• Realize the economic impact 

• Specify decision standards 

• Check alternatives 

• Select the vendor

Each of these five stages require a specific action to be taken by your sales reps.

For instance, let’s say your potential customer has reached the fourth stage (checking for alternate sellers/vendors). They might be weighing up your product/service against your competitors. This is the right time for your sales team to quickly jump in and send a brief comparison video or a similar asset to them, which can help them sway back to your side.

Remember, these stages need to be flexible so they can be tweaked later per the customer journey.

3. Bridge the Gap Between Sales and Marketing

Bridging the gap between sales and marketing may sound cliche or like an adage, and you just shrug it off. But, you might want to reconsider your thoughts as it is crucial for your sales team to be aligned with the marketing.

Yes, their main objective is to forward good and qualified leads. What if they don’t know what a good lead or SQL (Sales Qualified Lead) is? The very thought haunts you, right?

However, the good news is that it can be fixed by working closely with experts who can help you identify the problem, fix it, and overcome your lead generation challenges.

4. Identify & Focus on the Best Leads

It takes about the same time to close each deal in every sales process. It is best practice to avoid getting distracted by leads that won’t move the needle.  

Instead, concentrate your time and efforts on high-value and sales-ready leads. View the activity of your leads, identify the most engaged ones, and focus on them. 

It is equally important to drop a lead when you need to!  

After spending weeks or even months nurturing a lead, letting it go can be hard. But, when they are not interested and can’t be pushed through to the next stage, it is better to drop them and focus on others. 

Don’t waste your time trying to convince leads that simply aren’t interested. Identify dead leads quickly so you can concentrate on the following opportunities in the pipeline. 

5. Review and Update Your Sales Pipeline

Top sales companies know that a technique that works today may not work tomorrow. So, they review their sales process and strategies regularly to ensure things are on point for maximum efficiency. 

Every sales pipeline changes constantly – new leads come in, move from one stage to another, and finally, deals get closed. If you are not prudent, your pipeline can get helter-skelter and lead to lost deals. You must keep your details and information in your pipeline reviewed and updated for each process stage. 

6. Deliver More Content

Emails and phone calls are indeed the pillars of sales communication. However, people require more in-depth information that can help them better understand your product/service and is helpful for their business. 

Create content that showcases your brand, product/service, and offerings. Send them to your prospects – this will enable your team to take your potential customers to the next stage. A study byMarketing Charts reports that only 27% of sales reps who talk to prospects collaborate with the marketing team on content creation. But, the sales and marketing teams need to work together to create content your potential customers want to consume. 

Optimize Your Sales Pipeline Today

Not heeding your sales pipeline can negatively impact your business growth.  

The six sales pipeline best practices can help you drive your sales process, focus on sales pipeline growth, gain better control over sales data, and boost your profits. 

You need the right sales pipeline management tools, technology, and expert guidance to achieve this, close more deals, and gain more revenue.

Key Takeaways

• Building a strong sales process can help your team convert leads into paying customers

• The Aberdeen Group found that best-in-class companies are 67% more likely to have a formal sales enablement strategy in place

• Investing in sales enablement can help your team identify the most effective strategies and tools to improve sales performance 

• The future-proofed sales team will be composed of experienced human salespeople and AI-assisted technologies 

• Sales teams must be able to adapt to changing customer needs and trends to remain successful 

In today’s fast-paced business world, companies need a sales team that can adapt and thrive in an ever-evolving landscape.

The future of sales is no exception.

With new technologies and changing customer behaviors, companies must stay ahead of the curve and future-proof their sales teams.

This article will explore the challenges that sales teams face and provide actionable tips to future-proof your sales team. We will also address the role of technology in sales and the importance of aligning your sales strategy with your business objectives.

And lastly, we will also discuss how MarketStar can help your sales team stay on top of the game and thrive in a constantly changing digital world.

The Importance of a Sales Team for an Organization

A strong sales team is vital for an organization's success, as they play a key role in driving revenue, building customer relationships, shaping the company’s image, and providing valuable insights into the market and customer needs. 

A study by the McKinsey Global Institute found that sales productivity can increase by as much as 14% with the use of sales force automation (SFA) technology. 

Sales teams are responsible for identifying, cultivating, and closing deals with potential customers, directly impacting revenue and growth. 

The sales team is also responsible for building and maintaining relationships with existing customers, which can lead to repeat business and positive word-of-mouth marketing. 

Additionally, the sales team is often the first point of contact between the company and its potential customers, which means they play a key role in shaping the customer’s perception of the company and its products or services. 

A strong sales team can also provide valuable insights into customer needs and preferences, which can fuel product development and marketing strategies. 

Furthermore, the sales team’s performance can also be a vital indicator of the company’s overall health and growth prospects. 

A high-performing sales team can drive revenue growth and help the company achieve its goals and objectives. 

On the other hand, a struggling sales team can signal problems with the company’s products or services, market positioning, or sales strategy.

Challenges that Sales Teams Face

Sales teams are under immense pressure to perform. 

They constantly seek new ways to improve their numbers and hit their targets. However, this pressure can sometimes lead to sales teams making mistakes. 

There are several challenges that sales teams face that can prevent them from being successful. These challenges include:

• Lack of leads and customer engagement

• Long sales cycles

• Missed quotas and low win rates 

• Not having a clear sales strategy 

• Not understanding their customers 

• Not having the right sales tools 

• Keeping up with changing technologies 

• Sales onboarding and training

If your sales team struggles to meet its goals, it could be due to one or more of these challenges. But don’t despair – there are ways MarketStar can help your business overcome these challenges and get your sales team back on track.

The Changing Landscape of Sales

The sales landscape has undergone significant changes in recent years, driven by technological advances and changes in customer behavior. 

Some key changes in the sales landscape include digital transformation, increased automation, remote selling, shift to inbound sales, emphasis on customer experience, increased focus on data and analytics, and increased use of AI and machine learning. 

These changes in the sales landscape are driving companies to rethink their strategies, processes, and technology stack to stay competitive. Let’s discuss how to future-proof your sales organization amidst these changes. 

8 Effective Ways to Future-Proofing Your Sales Team

Future-proofing your sales team involves preparing them to adapt and thrive in an ever-evolving business landscape. Here are a few key strategies that can help you future-proof your sales team: 

1. Embrace Digital Transformation

This can include investing in sales pipeline management tools and platforms to manage leads, track customer interactions, and close deals. This will help your sales team work more efficiently and effectively. 

2. Automate Repetitive Tasks

Automation can help your sales team save time and focus on more strategic tasks. This can include using CRM software, marketing automation platforms, and AI-powered sales assistants. 

According to a Salesforce study, companies with a well-defined sales process and using a CRM system see a 25% increase in sales productivity.

3. Embrace Remote Selling

Remote selling will likely become more common in the future, and your sales team should be equipped to operate effectively in a remote environment. 

4. Shift to Inbound Sales

Inbound sales, which focuses on attracting customers through content and building relationships, will likely become more popular. Your sales team should be equipped to adapt to this approach. 

5. Prioritize Customer Experience

As customers become more empowered, sales teams must prioritise providing a positive and personalized customer experience to drive repeat business and positive word-of-mouth marketing.

6. Invest in Data and Analytics

Sales teams will need to become proficient in using data and analytics to gain insights into customer behavior, identify trends, and make more informed decisions. 

7. Invest in Sales Enablement

Investing in sales enablement can help your sales team stay up to date with the latest trends, technologies, and best practices. This can include training and development programs, mentoring, and coaching. 

8. Embrace AI and Machine Learning

AI and machine learning can help sales teams in lead generation, customer segmentation, and predictive analytics thereby enhancing the sales process.

How MarketStar Can Help You Future-Proof Your Sales Team

MarketStar helps businesses future-proof their sales teams. Here’s how. 

We offer sales solutions and services that include – sales enablement, digital transformation, inbound sales, outbound sales, feet-on-the-street, pipeline management, and operations. 

• The sales enablement service can help businesses identify the most effective strategies and tools to improve sales performance. 

• Digital transformation helps businesses adopt new technologies to improve sales processes and customer engagement.

• Our inbound sales service can help businesses attract and engage potential customers through various inbound marketing techniques such as SEO, PPC, Social Media, and Content Marketing. 

• Outbound sales service helps businesses reach out to potential customers through various outbound marketing techniques such as email, telemarketing, and direct mail. 

• The pipeline management service can help businesses manage their sales pipeline effectively to improve conversion rates and increase revenue. 

• The sales operations service can help businesses with sales process design, CRM implementation, and performance analysis. 

These are some of the services MarketStar offers; we can help businesses improve their sales performance by providing expert guidance and support in areas such as lead generation, sales strategy, and technology adoption. 

Get Started with MarketStar, today!

In conclusion, MarketStar can help businesses future-proof their sales teams by providing various services. 

If your sales team is facing challenges such as generating leads, meeting quotas or staying current with changing technologies, consider reaching out to MarketStar today to help future-proof your sales team and drive success for your business.

Key Takeaways

• Businesses can successfully slash their sales expenditures by switching to AI based platforms.

• AI-based sales platforms like Nytro.ai can drastically improve sales readiness and thereby enhance sales pipelines.  

• Nytro.ai helps outsourced sales by integrating CRM platforms and thus optimizing productivity. 

Introduction

Data is no longer just a resource that can be collected and analyzed. It is a building block for creating standalone platforms that automatically harness information and automate queries-based processes. Artificial intelligence is a vast sector that utilizes this power of data to perceive, synthesize and infer information.

AI finds application in any sector that simulates human intelligence, including technology or business. Businesses can use AI to smoothen their sales processes by predicting customer behavior and automating repetitive tasks.

In this article, we explore how AI-based platforms like Nytro.ai have made sales teams more efficient, especially in making data-driven decisions.

How has AI revolutionized sales? (Problems and how AI addresses them)

Perceived growth in revenue: 44% of businesses using AI in sales report a cost reduction. With a 50% rise in sales leads, AI enables businesses to identify the most effective actions to generate and qualify genuine leads.

AI can automate sales forecasting and boost sales enablement by determining the likelihood of prospects making buying decisions. As sales enablers, these data-driven processes can provide sales teams with essential tools to help them sell smarter. AI can also eliminate uncertainty and thus prevent deals from going cold. 

Precision in sales: AI-based sales platforms using machine learning algorithms to devise optimal price optimization strategies that can evaluate precise data and analyze them.

By calculating the price elasticities of the products, the sales and marketing departments can determine the optimal demand for that product and the price. AI can drastically improve the B2B pricing strategies in their development and implementation instead of relying on trial and error.

A window of opportunities: Sales teams using AI can transform how Sales Qualified Leads perform, especially in the post-pandemic period. Together with AI-based CRM platforms, AI can boost win rates by opening new channels for cross-selling and upselling.

Moreover, they also help determine how Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) can fine-tune selling strategies. AI-powered CRM platforms can reduce sales costs by 11-20% by using customer data to qualify sales, thus saving valuable time and effort. Additionally, businesses can employ these platforms to restructure their product inventory and thus minimize inventory shortages.

Greater emphasis on content marketing strategies: AI-based sales efforts can accelerate sales cycles by personalizing content strategies. Issues like inefficient lead prioritization and the inability to personalize sales approach can imply a drastic fall in sales leads.

AI-based platforms can automate the process by maintaining a constant inflow of personalized content like testimonial videos. Customers prefer to continue purchasing a product when sales teams hold genuine discussions using 24*7 chatbots or personalized content to customers’ social feeds.

To summarize, AI-powered platforms validate your sales data with high-performing sales teams and identify the points of conflict. Bid adieu to traditional sales techniques and welcome a system that leverages cutting-edge technology to track your sales team’s success. 

Introducing Nytro.ai

Are you still struggling to make sense of organizational data and wondering how you can derive valuable insights from them? 

With Nytro.ai, sales teams can manage their sales pipeline from a single platform, allowing them to focus on the most important deals and opportunities. As an invaluable tool for sales teams, Nytro.ai can provide personalized training, pitch recommendations, and customer insights. By leveraging AI in these areas, sales teams can increase efficiency, effectiveness, and overall success. 

It provides access to advanced analytics and insights that provide real-time assistance during customer interactions, suggesting the following steps and providing relevant product information. 

Quirks and features

Nytro.ai employs a user-friendly interface that offers a range of tools to help sales teams analyze customer interactions and provide insights into customer preferences and behavior patterns. The three most important benefits that Nytro.ai delivers are as follows:

• Sales training: Sales teams must identify knowledge gaps and develop personalized training programs. Nytro.ai can analyze sales reps’ performance data to identify areas that need improvement and provide targeted training materials to address those gaps.

• Sales Pitch Training: Nytro.ai can analyze data on successful sales pitches to identify common patterns and use that data to develop personalized pitch recommendations. Its data-driven algorithm can also provide real-time feedback during pitch practice sessions, enabling reps to refine their delivery and messaging.

• Conversational Intelligence: Ntro.ai helps analyze customer interactions and provides insights into customer preferences and behavior patterns. This can help sales representatives tailor their communication style and approach to each customer, increasing the chances of a successful sale.

Nytro.ai offers two leading sales-based solutions that a business can utilize – Sales onboarding and Sales Readiness. A sales onboarding platform increases the chance of sales representatives landing with better sales pitches that can guarantee positive leads. The sales readiness platform helps sales representatives engage with their customers better by improving their presentation skills. 

How does Nytro-ai function?

Informed insights on training sales teams: Nytro.ai’s industry-leading AI technologies adopt these styles to provide valuable input.

• Accumulates and analyzes primary data corresponding to your sales prospect. 

• Boosts motivation, confidence and ability when training sales teams  

• Blends personality into sales: information distribution across channels

Focus on information that matters, asking the right questions.

Who is it for?

Sales development representatives willing to derive valuable insights from data

AI-driven assistance for outsourced sales: Struggling to manage your outsourced sales team? Nytro.ai modernizes the traditional rep-training with machine learning through

• AI-powered sales pitching that highlights rep-readiness  

• Prioritizing sales tasks and opportunities 

• Integration with CRM and other sales tools   

• Lower turnover costs with targeted training and data-driven assessments

Who is it for?  

Functional heads of businesses who want to maximize the value of outsourced teams

Pitch intelligence: Know what works and what doesn’t with Nytro.ai’s Pitch Intelligence program which can help

Upgrade your sales pitches through a personalized or storytelling approach to engage prospects

Resonate with potential customers and close more deals

Automate onboarding, retention and rep readiness

Allow machine learning to automate the process at a higher accuracy rate 

Who is it for?  

Mid to Large B2B companies with a sales team > 10

Bottom Line

Sales enablement platforms like Nytro.ai guarantee better collaboration between AI-powered tools and sales representatives. At a current adoption rate of 35%, AI-powered tools like Nytro.ai can fuel lead generation in sales, thereby driving business growth.   

Are you still wondering whether Nytro.ai can help your sales teams stay ahead of the competition?  

Contact us today!

Key Takeaways

• Over 90% of CFOs believe an economic crisis is inevitable, with around 35% predicting a recession in the next few months.

• During a recession, businesses typically cut costs, reduce prices, and postpone new investments, which is a mistake.

• Centre your plans around high-ROI activities by making data-driven decisions. 

• Conduct a content strategy gap analysis and update your content plans based on your learning.

In 2008, the world economy worsened, and many businesses were left scrambling. Marketing budgets were slashed, and everybody looked for ways to do more with less. 

Some companies adapted and thrived, while others withered away. But what separated the two? The answer lies in their marketing strategy – or lack thereof. 

The companies that continued to invest in marketing and sales initiatives were the ones that came out on top when the recession finally ended in 2009. And the companies that put all their eggs in one basket (i.e. focused on a single channel or tactic) were the ones that suffered the most. 

The lesson learned here is that a diversified marketing strategy is key to surviving a recession. This article will discuss five key marketing strategies to help drive your sales pipeline and maintain growth during tough economic times. 

The Importance of an Effective Marketing Strategy During a Recession

A recession can be a difficult time for businesses.

Sales may decline, and budgets may be tight. But despite the challenges, it’s important to maintain a strong marketing strategy during a recession.

Why is marketing so important during a recession? It can help you overcome challenges by keeping your business in the mind of your customers and prospects, and a well-planned marketing strategy can help you identify new opportunities and target new markets.

Additionally, a recession can be a great time to invest in marketing, as your competition may be cutting back on their efforts.

So, if you’re feeling the effects of a recession, don’t panic. With a right marketing and sales growth strategy, your business can come out of the recession successfully. 

5 Key Marketing Strategies to Drive Sales Pipeline

Companies need to get creative when it comes to marketing during a recession.

Traditional marketing methods may not be as effective during an economic downturn, so it’s important to think outside the box and develop new and creative ways to reach your target audience.

Here are the top five marketing strategies that can help you drive pipeline and keep your business afloat during a recession:  

1. Use Data to Your Advantage

Use data and analytics to understand your target market and what they’re looking for. This will help you create more targeted and effective marketing campaigns.

About 56% of all websites use Google Analytics, which can provide helpful information about your customers.

There are several ways to use data to your advantage during a recession.

For example, you can monitor consumer spending patterns and utilize marketing strategies targeting value-conscious customers.

You can also use data to improve your forecasting and budgeting processes, which can help you make more informed decisions about where to allocate your resources.

2. Consider New Channels

During a recession, businesses need to be strategic about where they allocate their marketing budget.

Many companies will automatically cut their marketing spend, but this can be a mistake. Instead, businesses should consider allocating their marketing budget to new channels that can be more effective during a recession.

For example, look at social media platforms you haven’t used before or try out a new type of advertising. You might be surprised at how well these new channels work for your business.

Of course, you should also continue using the channels that have worked well for you in the past. But feel free to experiment with new marketing channels during a recession.

You might find a new way to reach your target market. Some channels to consider include content marketing, PR, and email marketing. These channels can effectively drive high-quality leads and sales during a recession.

3. Use Your Marketing Budget Wisely

It has yet to be determined when the next recession will hit. But when it does, businesses will need to be more creative with their budgets to stay afloat. There are a few ways to do this.  

Focus on ROI: During a recession, you must be extra careful with your marketing spending. Make sure you invest in marketing strategies that will give you a good return on your investment.

• Be creative: A recession is the perfect time to get creative with your marketing. Consumers will be looking for deals and discounts, so try to think of unique ways to market your products or services. 

• Focus on existing customers: Focus on your most loyal customers. During a recession, it’s especially important to focus on retaining your existing customers.

• Cost cutting: Cut costs where you can. If you need to save money, look for ways to cut costs in your marketing budget without sacrificing quality.

• Generate additional revenue: You can also generate additional revenue during a recession by diversifying your product offerings or finding new ways to sell your existing products. 

4. Have a Fresh Content Strategy

A recession can be the perfect time to revisit and refresh your content strategy. 

With people spending more time at home and online, there is a chance to connect with them in new and meaningful ways. 

But how do you develop a content strategy that is both informative and inspiring during a time of economic hardship? 

Here are a few tips:

• Keep your audience in mind. Who are they, and what do they need from you?

• Be empathetic. Your audience is likely going through a tough time, so ensure your content is respectful and understanding.

• Be helpful. Your content should provide value and help your audience in some way.

• Keep it fresh. People are looking for new and innovative ideas in a recession. If your content is stale, they will move on. 

5. Redefine Lead Nurture

It is more important than ever to consider how we can best nurture our leads during a recession. What worked in the past may be less effective now, so it’s important to re-examine and redefine what lead nurturing means for your business. 

Here are three ways to redefine your lead nurture strategy during a recession:

• Shift your focus from quantity to quality: Instead of attracting as many leads as possible, focus on attracting high-quality leads that are a good fit for your business. Once you have those leads, work on developing relationships with them and providing value. This will nurture those leads and turn them into sales-ready prospects.

• Increase your touchpoints: The more touchpoints you have, the more likely it is that a lead will eventually convert into a customer. You can increase your touchpoints by sending more emails, making more phone calls, or creating more content. The key is to find the right mix of touchpoints that works for your business and your target market.

• Consider your customers’ needs and personalize your approach: Not all leads are created equal. You can have the best product in the world, but you need to personalize your approach to lead nurturing to close the sale. By getting to know your leads and understanding their pain points and needs, you can create a customized plan that ultimately leads to a sale. 

By redefining lead nurturing for your business, you can ensure that you’re making the most of your marketing budget and making the most impactful use of your time. 

Keep Your Business Running

Recessions have significantly impacted the marketing strategies of businesses across industries in the past. 

However, there are still a few key strategies and best practices that companies can use to drive sales pipelines and keep their business running during a recession. If your company is interested in implementing any of these strategies, please get in touch with our experts by filling out the form here.