With the myriad sales technologies available on the market today, it can be hard to know which one is right for your business. A very real possibility is finding one that is “too much” for your business: too much automation, too hard to use, or too difficult to integrate with your other software solutions.
Let’s take a look at three of the biggest mistakes businesses make when buying sales technology.
Problem 1: Excessive Automation
People still buy from people.
Although automation technologies can simplify sales processes and make them more cost-effective at scale, how you interact with prospects and customers is still key if you want to stand out in a crowded market. People respond better to personalized messages and real conversations with live agents when making buying decisions.
Automation can help make processes more efficient and reduce the manual labor employees must endure, but companies should be aware of the side effects of too much business automation. Automating too many tasks can slow down your workflow if it results in many specialized systems that don’t necessarily work well together.
An over-reliance on automation introduces risk into any process since machines lack human judgment when making decisions. To keep your business running smoothly without introducing too much risk or missing out on potentially valuable employee contributions, aim for a balance between sophisticated automated frameworks and the judgment and skill of individual workers.
Developing real relationships with buyers, especially B2B buyers, is just as important as leveraging technology to support customer experience initiatives, enable better client segmentation, foster baseline qualification processes, and scale communications.
Customers can tell when they’re being worked entirely through an automated process. Show your customers that you care about their needs and preferences, and you’ll find that the phrase “people still buy from people” will bring you more wins than simply contacting more leads.
Problem 2: Point Solutions
As we mentioned earlier, every potential problem has a technology solution, from prospecting to onboarding to retention and advocating.
As leaders look to craft the best buying experience for their customers, investing in a tech stack with cohesive integration is crucial for success. This ensures that buyers and sellers can move through each sales motion quickly, easily, and enjoyably – leading to more successful transactions overall. By understanding how we can improve these processes through technology, not necessarily replacing them with technology, businesses are sure to reap the rewards of an almost frictionless sales journey.
Finding the right problem-solving solution can be tricky. Studies have shown that the average number of useful tools in a sales rep’s arsenal is five. When you try to add too many, you’re left with a handful of under-utilized tools sitting on the proverbial shelf with forgotten passwords. While there are numerous possibilities, it’s important to ensure that you choose one designed specifically for the issue at hand.
This is where point solutions come in. Point solutions can be tailored to the particular problem and offer a range of benefits.
Unique to each situation, these solutions help businesses and organizations focus their energy on developing something appropriate and effective for solving a specific issue. Point solutions guarantee results with more accuracy, so they’re often invaluable when tackling certain problems efficiently and effectively.
Problem 3: Integrations and Data
Technology silos often keep critical pieces of data from connecting. The result can create many costly issues for businesses – sales and marketing teams spending time debating the “correct” numbers, customers struggling to manage communications with multiple reps, processes becoming disrupted by incomplete handoffs, unreliable forecasting, and pipeline figures, and overall lacking visibility into essential opportunities.
Common occurrences of too many systems include:
- Sales and marketing wasting time over whose data is actually correct
- Confusion with multiple reps working on the same account
- Poor and incomplete handoffs between stages in the sales process
- Low visibility into upselling or retention opportunities
- Unreliable forecasts and pipeline
It can be daunting to think of breaking down all these silos but luckily, there are solutions that can help bridge the gap without overly taxing finances or precious resources. A technology-enabled strategy to help orchestrate all of your information in one clear direction is key to maximizing progress.
Conclusion
Technology has revolutionized how businesses operate and sell their goods and services, allowing them to scale like never before. Getting it right, though, is key – it’s not a case of throwing technology at the problem and expecting success. The best companies start by looking at the customer journey, from introductions to advocacy. Understanding this, they build a tech stack that turns that journey into reality, creating great experiences and delivering excellent ROI. If you get this right using technology, anything is possible!
If your organization is facing any of these issues, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We understand! This is why Centrae offers an easy business assessment tool to find out how to get the most out of your sales technology investments. With our help, your organization can get back on track and start seeing results again. Check it out today!
