Social. Connected. Empowered. A guide to the future of B2B sales and technology

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Table of contents

1. The evolution of sales

2. Meet the Sales team of the future

3. The Sales team of the future is social

4. The Sales team of the future is connected

5. The Sales team of the future is empowered

6. Conclusion

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The evolution of Sales Not too long ago, Sales success was the result of a (rather mystical) combination of networking, people skills, intuition, and good ol’ cold calling.

But the advancement in enterprise technology over the past two decades has changed all that, especially in the B2B environment. Today, networking takes place online, technical skills are becoming more valuable than people skills, data has replaced the ‘hunch’, and automation is threatening to shrink the job market. But while technology seems to have made selling harder, it has certainly made buying easier. Which, when you think about it, is exactly what Sales and Marketing are trying to do. Luckily, Sales professionals are known for their ability to adapt. The Sales department is often the first in a business to embrace new technology, find better ways of doing things, and cut unnecessary tasks. It was Sales, after all, who first embraced cloud technology (CRM was the first viable cloud application for business). And Sales who played a huge role in the consumerization of IT, by insisting on bringing their own devices to work.

The evolution of Sales

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The evolution of Sales

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A radically different Sales function – powered by technology The internet, SEO and ferocious content marketing have put a wealth of information at the buyer’ fingertips. And in many cases, have made Sales all but redundant until the final stages of the buying process. Now, Sales needs to lead the charge once again – accepting the changes that technology brings, and making the most of their new situation. They need to use technology to add greater value to the conversations they have with customers. If they can get this right, we might get to the point where prospects will pay for Sales’ time (as described this great TEDx talk: Sales 2020, Future trends in sales and sales management). This eBook explores how technology has enabled the evolution of Sales to date, discusses what the future is likely to hold, and offers advice for today.

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Meet the Sales team of the future

• They facilitate conversations and relationships

across their networks.

• They see themselves as advisors, consultants and

problem solvers.

• They spend much less time on transactional

activities, data capture, reporting and admin – as

these have all been automated.

• Their prospects follow them on social media, value

their opinions and come to them when they’re

ready to buy.

• They are industry experts with a wealth of online

content to back up their opinions and suggestions

• They are mobile, connected and networked.

• They know more about their customers than ever

before, and use this information to have valuable

conversations with them.

• They focus on what a customer needs, rather than

the product they need to sell.

• They facilitate co-creation .

• Their role continues well after the deal has been

closed, ensuring that projects are delivered as

promised.

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The Sales team of the future is social

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The Sales professional of the future is connected to all the major decision-makers and influencers in his target industry, and he engages with them regularly through social media.

The term ‘social selling’ first became popular in 2006, and has gained real momentum in the last three to five years. It might be a hot topic today, but very few Sales teams seem to be getting it right. It probably doesn’t help that the term is so misleading...

The idea behind social selling isn’t to use social media to sell directly, but to build relationships with influencers and decision-makers. Does it actually work? A number of research companies, including Forrester, have found that buyers, especially B2B buyers, are already the majority of the way through their buying process by the time they engage with a vendor’s Sales team. And many of these buyers are using social media to find out more about products and vendors. They’re reading

reviews and asking questions via Twitter and LinkedIn, sometimes before they even go through your website in any detail. So it makes sense that Sales reps need to find out where their prospects are having these conversations. And that they should contribute to them in a helpful, authentic manner – building trust and encouraging the prospect to learn more about their product or solution. And if 50% of sales go to the first salesperson to contact a prospect (as reported by InsidesSales.com), then social selling becomes a very important channel for engaging with prospects.

The Sales team of the future is social

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“Technology buyers are two-thirds of the way through their buying process before they engage with vendors’ sales teams.” – Forrester

What does the next decade hold?

If the success of LinkedIn is anything to go by, social selling is here to stay. And as younger generations become more established in the workplace, so will the influence of social media, instant messaging, and mobile technology. Social listening tools will become increasingly powerful, and will integrate more tightly with other Sales and Marketing tools to create rich customer profiles and buyer personas. These will guide all content and conversations, enabling Sales to add greater value in a shorter space of time. The challenge lies in working out how to make the most of the opportunities social media presents, without sacrificing too much time. And then there’s the urgency factor – responses to comments posted on social networks need to be made quickly.

The Sales team of the future is social

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“75% of B2B buyers use social media to

make purchasing decisions.” – IDC

What should you be doing now? At the very least, you should take a look at your Sales team’s online profiles and set up some form of social listening. Your team’s LinkedIn profiles are what your prospective clients are most likely to come across first. Are they just half-hearted CVs? Or do they position your Sales team as knowledgeable industry experts who are passionate about helping customers overcome their problems? Would your clients find them interesting? This guide from HubSpot has some great advice: The Sales Professional's Go-To Guide to Social Selling. Google Alerts and social listening tools will let you know when someone mentions a specific term or phrase. Think about common terms that prospective customers might mention when searching for information about products like yours and set up alerts so that you can respond as it happens. You could split the alerts across the team to lighten the burden. Think about how you can encourage your customers to post reviews of your company and its products online. Sites like Google+, Capterra, and trustradius are where you want to be.

The Sales team of the future is social

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“In 10 minutes of social media time, oxytocin levels can rise as much as 13%—a hormonal spike equivalent to some people on their wedding day.” – Fast Company and Claremont Graduate University

“75% of buyers consult online reviews before purchasing business software.” – Software Advice and Research Now

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The Sales team of the future is connected

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Social, mobile, cloud, video. The Sales team of tomorrow is the most connected, networked part of the business. And they’re good at helping their customers make valuable connections too.

Many of today’s Sales teams already work in cloud-based CRM systems, use their own devices for work, and use video conferencing and VoIP to talk to colleagues and clients around the world. Collaboration tools like Google Apps for Work and Qorus Breeze Proposals enable multiple contributors to connect and collaborate on a document at the same time, no matter where they’re working from. Remote and home working are becoming more acceptable, resulting in happier employees, lower costs and less congested roads and public transport. Powerful, cloud-based CRM systems, supplemented by social media monitoring, and integrated with other enterprise platforms such as marketing automation and proposal creation solutions, are helping Sales turn valuable insight into effective communication. But poor integration and customization are still an obstacle. Social, mobile, cloud and video technology will continue to shape the Sales function, becoming more transformative as integration and customization becomes easier.

The Sales team of the future is connected

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“60% of b-to-b organizations report that their biggest barrier to creating relevant content is a lack of insight into and understanding of the buyer. That is both a huge problem and a huge opportunity.” – SiriusDecisions

What does the next decade hold? In the next few years, what Gartner refers to as the Digital Business – a business in which every area is integrated, connected and optimized thanks to technology – will become the norm. CRM, marketing automation, social listening and other tools will become more powerful. These tools will integrate with each other seamlessly, resulting in unique, personal conversations with clients and prospects across social media, email marketing, events, pitches and proposals – giving businesses a wealth of information that will need to be managed and maintained. Video conferencing and virtual events will make the world an even smaller place, driving demand for bilingual, shift-working Sales teams. Home and remote working could become the norm, requiring businesses to reassess their management

techniques and build a sense of accountability and responsibility among staff. The automation of routine tasks will free up the Sales team. They’ll have more time to get deeper into the client relationship, for example by facilitating relationships between clients who have similar interests, guiding technical conversations and guiding co-creation. In short, a connected Sales team will provide greater value than ever before.

The Sales team of the future is connected

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“Working life isn't 9-5 anymore. The world is connected. Companies that do not embrace this are missing a trick.” – Richard Branson

“The process of co-creation brings different parties together in order to jointly produce a mutually beneficial outcome.”

What should you be doing now? As your team becomes more connected and has access to a greater volume of information than ever before, they become a greater data security risk. Sales and Customer Service employees are among the most risky when it comes to the loss of devices or data, and becoming the target of hackers. If you haven’t already got corporate policies on data protection, the use of personal devices, and remote working in place – or if you haven’t made the Sales team aware of them yet, now is the time to do so. Questions that your business should be able to answer include: • How secure is your network? • How does your business ensure that its data is

protected when the Sales team is accessing it on

their personal devices? • How do you deal with stolen devices? • Is it clear that all customer information belongs to

the company and not to individuals? You should also be keeping track of Sales and Marketing technology trends. Your CIO could be a valuable (and realistic) source for this.

The Sales team of the future is connected

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“In UK firms, sales staff are the most exposed to online attacks.” – Intel Security

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The Sales team of the future is empowered

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Instant access to information, the ability to generate tailored content themselves, and a closer, less fractious relationship with Marketing will empower Sales to meet the needs of increasingly demanding buyers.

“B2B organizations with tightly aligned sales and marketing operations achieved 24% faster three-year revenue growth, and 27% faster three-year profit growth.” – SiriusDecisions

Many of today’s Sales teams are still working on how to align with Marketing. And they are making headway, with the help of technology. Cloud-based content storage tools like Dropbox and Box make sales enablement and marketing materials more accessible to Sales reps on the road. And tablets make presentations and pitches more engaging. CRM and Marketing Automation tools are forcing everyone to agree on lead definitions, streamlining the handover process and resulting in a higher conversion of leads to customers. What does the next decade hold? Sales and Marketing will continue to find ways to work together. Some reports, including a recent study by Marketo and The Economist, predict that the two departments will merge in the next three years. The change might not be quite so dramatic for most organizations, but a closer relationship with Marketing is a must, especially as buyers come to expect personalized

communications, proposals and even solutions from their suppliers. Richer, more useful Sales enablement created from fuller, more detailed contact profiles in range of formats including video, audio and visual will empower the Sales team to have more valuable conversations with prospects. Web-based content libraries that are controlled by Marketing and can be accessed instantly by Sales to create tailored pitches and proposals will become the norm, reducing bottlenecks and delays. Sales teams will be able to create content themselves, without giving the Marketing team nightmares. And tight integration with CRM and social media will ensure that the content is highly tailored. This increasing demand for customization will drive the rise of client-focused, problem-solving Sales professionals who can speak to both business and technical aspects. Harnessing and analyzing big data will also become critical, as businesses race to provide unique customer experiences, enhance their products and streamline production and manufacturing.

The Sales team of the future is empowered

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What should you be doing now? You should be having lots of conversations around how to overcome the challenges that Sales and Marketing face. • How can you ensure that the Sales enablement content that

Marketing produces is actually useful to, and used by, Sales? • How can Marketing support prospects who may be looking for

self-help ‘sales enablement’ content online (e.g. decision-making guides, ROI calculators and business case toolkits)?

• How can you empower the Sales team to create high-quality, tailored pitches and proposals without having to wait for content from Marketing?

The Sales team of the future is empowered

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“90% of sales content is never used in selling.”- IDC

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Conclusion

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In many ways the future of Sales is not all that different from its past. Sales teams have always been social, connected and self-sufficient. All that’s really changing is that the ‘art’ of these things is becoming a science – driven by customer demands and enabled by technology. The Sales teams that can see (and seize) the opportunities offered by technology, are the ones who will thrive.

Our technology, Qorus Breeze Proposals, is designed to help Sales teams produce superb content (including proposals, pitches, contracts and statements of work) in a fraction of the time. Microsoft Office add-ins, smart templates, automated allocation and approval workflows, a guided proposal wizard and Google-like search functionality mean that users can generate accurate, beautifully branded first drafts in minutes, and spend more time tailoring each pitch or proposal. About us Qorus Software is a global provider of document automation and proposal management software. We’re passionate about helping our clients simplify their businesses. We go to great lengths to create solutions that are familiar and easy to use. And then we go the extra mile to provide ongoing guidance and support to make sure they work the way they should.

Our Customer Success Managers are certified by the Association of Proposal Management Professionals, and are here to make your journey with us a success. Their help is a big part of what has led to our renewal rate of 97%. Our happy clients span a range of industries, including financial services, legal, staffing solutions, technology and telecommunications. We have offices in the USA, the UK and South Africa. Qorus is a proud Microsoft Partner for Gold Application Development and Silver Cloud Platform Competency.

How Qorus is helping to empower Sales teams for the future

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