Sales is an age-old profession that relies on effective communication and the ability to promote a product to a potential customer. Though the âgift of the gabâ still remains the crucial tool that anyone in the sales profession relies on, technology has caused something of a transformation in this industry.
The changes occurring in the sales department reflect the transformation of customer behaviour and anindustry shift towards more innovative ways of sourcing business. Hereâs how the sales environment has changed from the days of knocking on doors and cold calling!
Social Media
The days when the salesmanâs biggest tool was the phone are long gone. Nowadays, itâs increasingly difficult to get a hold of someone on the phone and emailssimilarly go ignored.
In his stimulating article, Corey Eridon suggests that sales has taken on a more invitational stance, as opposed to more traditional, aggressive tactics. His article is well worth a read, if youâre interested in learning more about the transformation of the sales industry.
In the increasingly strong relationship between sales and marketing, sales professionals are relying more on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and even LinkedIn as a method of outreaching to their customers. Through this method of communication, customers are attracted by products and invited to purchase, as opposed to being pursued.
CRM Software
Itâs not just the methods by which sales professionals initially contact their potential customers that has changed. These days, advanced software solutions place an even heavier emphasis on how businesses interact with their customers in the long-term. Whatâs more, these solutions are also an effective tool for providing information on customer trends and behaviour.
TSG is a leading supplier of business software systems, including CRM software which is designed to make business/customer communication as efficient as possible. Software like this has somewhat revolutionised the business world and transformed how sales departments create strategies and interact with their customer base.
Online Sales
While the salesperson is by no means a redundant middle man, itâs important that anyone in the industry recognises that consumer patterns are changing. More and more purchases are made on e-commerce sites, without the assistance of a sales rep.
For this reason, company websites now have to be designed with the customer in mind, offering all of the information that traditionally would only have been accessible from the sales department. Whatâs more, the option to buy has to be quick and straightforward; the reason many people are critical of the latest HMV website is the obscurity of pages where users can actually make a purchase.
Take a look at it here and experiment with it as a customer. Putting a company website, including your own, to the test is the most effective way of seeing whether itâs contributing to the business.
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