Latest trends to boost your sales

See what the future of sales holds (no need for a crystal ball)! Enreach’s Commercial Director Juhamatti Muuraiskangas lists the latest trends in sales and explains how you can utilise them in your work.

1. Quantity is no longer overlooked as an indicator for sales

Quantity, quality and direction are driving the sales of many companies. Hidden in this trinity, lies the true cornerstone: quantity, or volume, which forms the starting point for all sales. 

Quantity is a metric as straightforward as a mathematical equation: the more customers you meet, the more offers you can make and the more opportunities you have to win a deal.

In addition to investing in volume, a successful sales process requires finding a balance between the other metrics in use. Sales representatives must make use of data to better interpret sales situations and the behaviour of their customers.

Tip: This year is bound to be financially tough for many companies, which is sure to reduce the success rate of sales. If you invest in the number of sales activities while targeting activities carefully, you are more likely to maintain the number of closed deals. Data is a useful tool that can improve and direct operations on a case-by-case basis.

2. Focus on data-driven learning instead of micromanaging

Measuring and managing sales with data does not necessarily mean monitoring, controlling or punishing – or even rewarding – the employees.

Data shows you the ratio between quantity, direction and quality in your company’s sales and provides ways to develop these factors as a whole. Automated CRM solutions even transform accumulated datasets into sensible, easily usable information.

Tip: The more data points we use, the more we can learn. That, on the other hand, not only streamlines the work of salespersons, but also helps managers lead them better, as they can support the employees in their day-to-day work based on the number of activities and deals closed.

3. Call measurement is easier than we think

When I ask sales organisations how much contact they have had with customers lately, the reply is uniform: “We’ve... Made some calls.”

In addition to traditional face-to-face meetings, a large part of sales activities take place over the phone. Despite that, organisations often either do not know how to measure calls, simply don’t want to, or the thought of measuring them hasn’t even crossed their mind.

If no one has any idea how many customer calls take place each day and what is discussed, the organisation won't know what stage of the sales funnel the customer is currently at. For this reason, it’s essential to integrate calls into the sales metrics. With the right tools, it’s surprisingly easy.

Tip: Organisations often don’t measure calls, because they think it’s too difficult or burdensome. Call measurement can, however, be easy. Not every call needs to be recorded manually. Combined with a CRM system, Enreach voice solution allows you to integrate calls into your activity tracking process.

4. Scattered automation and CRM silos will become a thing of the past

Even when automation’s value is intrinsic to the company, the tools used in sales operations may still be managed by many different parties. CRM systems, mobile subscriptions, as well as sales tools, may all be provided by different technology partners. When dealing with multiple partners, it’s easy to miss essential crumbs of information.

When these silos are broken down, we can get to what is important: identifying potential customers and contacting them in an effective way.

Tip: Solutions such as Enreach Voice for Dynamics prevent the creation of silos and gather all relevant information in one place. They allow you to build different reports and KPIs, as well as find new ways to learn, understand and improve your operations – with just one simple solution.

5. Personalisation will become a competitive advantage among all the AI solutions

How to excel in a market where there is no shortage of new partners or AI and automation solutions? New technologies and functions cannot be the only competitive advantage a company has. After all, there can only be one pioneer at a time. In the long run, price is not a viable competitive factor, either.

That’s why the best way to stand out is to provide a unique customer experience. When data-driven customer insight is utilised in customer encounters, the salesperson can create positive customer experiences and make the sale a meaningful event for the customer, as well.

Tip: A personal approach is the key to winning a sale. Customer needs, previous contacts and conversation history are indicated by data that is collected and analysed systematically over a long period of time. All the past dialogue can be used to create touchpoints that help you personalise the customer encounters. This type of customer insight is an integral part of our story.

Read more about identifying customer needs with the help of voice and data. 

JUHAMATTI MUURAISKANGAS, Head of business unit