Ignite a data-driven, high velocity sales process to deliver sales results that thrill your CEO. In our last 2 blogs we focused on how accuracy and timeliness with your CRM data can give your team a competitive edge. Check them out here.
The third part of our series focuses on responsiveness. Your customers want answers and support – and for your product to work for them.
But that isn’t all.
Sales people need to be responsive internally, too - cultivating the right relationship with the Sales Director or VP so there is full visibility into the sales process. Let’s call that accountability.
Both of these relationships are at the core of successful selling. You know that. Your reps know that.
So when you are looking for updated pipeline activity, or trying to run reports for accurate revenue projection and the data isn’t there, frustration mounts. Why is the sales rep unresponsive? Where is the !@#%#%*& data? Maybe your rep is too busy selling.
Or maybe – just maybe – entering all that !@#$%%# data into your CRM is a huge PITA.
Let’s look at responsiveness from the other side. Out in the real world, your sales team is your brand on its feet, on the phone, via social media, online – where and whenever your reps are selling.
So what does it say about your brand if your reps are not responding to potential customer needs? If they aren’t nurturing a lead that has significant potential? Not making the call? Crafting that perfect follow-up email?
It’s a shoulder shrug that says I just don’t care enough to get back to you. In this day online reviews and 5-star ratings, it only takes a few seconds for your company to get the reputation as a less than.
Why? Again, maybe they are too busy selling. Or maybe – just maybe – they were too busy to update the CRM with data from their last interaction to remember. The “a-ha” moment is gone because there are too many other things to do and because it wasn’t properly documented – this one got lost in the shuffle.
Responsiveness is critical. Internally and externally. So what can you do to make sure your sales reps are responsive and accountable?
Have a Process: Recent studies[1] have shown that companies, on average, only follow up on approximately 50% of their sales leads. That’s 50% of your business going to your competitors. Pity. But if your process isn’t well-known, understood and universally implemented by your team - you have a data problem. Remember when we discussed Accuracy? Timeliness? This is where it all begins. Because this is how deals are won. With action on the right data at the right time.
Be Proactive: According to a recent DemandGen Report B2B Buyer Survey, nearly all B2B buyers (94%) report viewing multiple pieces of content from the vendor they ultimately select. You know what that means? Your sales and marketing teams need to be in sync. Always. As soon as a potential customer or current client needs content – whether it’s pricing info, product data or just a simple brochure – your team needs to get to them fast. By documenting interactions with clients, your reps increase the chances that your material is being seen, increasing the chances of closing the deal. And by documenting their follow-up, you have more accurate and yes, timely information about who is doing what – when.
Make it Painless: Put yourself in your reps’ shoes (or car, or home office…you get the idea.) What is easier – data entering into a cumbersome CRM system over the course of an hour or a few hours, or talking into your mobile device? Exactly. We are all human.
“Behavior that feels more natural will always work better and longer than activities that don’t[2].”
Responsiveness is not a natural gift- it is a learned and practiced discipline. All of which require time, effort, and focus. But you can make the process of being responsive easier and less painful for your reps by leveraging technology to reduce the time and effort needed to get you the data you need, and to get the customer the information they want.
You have the responsibility to remove excuses, obstacles and distractions from your peoples’ field of vision so they can focus on selling.
Accuracy. Timeliness. Responsiveness. The Holy Grail of Sales VP’s.
Accuracy. Your CRM is only as valuable as the data entered therein.
Timeliness. Good data, updated in a disciplined and consistent way, prompts the right follow up step, at the right time.
Responsiveness. Your customers want answers and support – and for your product to work for them.
You as a Sales Leader are a greater asset to your team when you have visibility into the accuracy, timeliness, and responsiveness of your folks. Your sales teams also need up-to-the-minute information about your customer to deliver the right experience to them – and this data needs to be accurate and timely in order for them to be fully responsive.
Your CRM holds the answers.
If you aren’t fully invested in the people and processes behind optimizing your CRM – the time is now. Make your sales team more efficient and productive. Increase the time they spend selling and reduce the time they waste on administrative tasks.
Are you wasting too much time managing your CRM? Rollio’s Artificial Intelligence Engine captures data via text message or voice note, and fills out your CRM. It’s that easy! One quick text and an opportunity is automatically logged in seconds, and your sales person is off to their next meeting. Click here to learn more.
[1] https://www.salesforce.com/blog/2013/07/sales-team-underperforming.html
[2] https://www.salesforce.com/blog/2012/10/12-best-practices-that-help-sales-managers-make-their-team-successful.html
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