Easier to find; harder to reach,
There was once a time when the only way to reach someone was by letter, phone, and in person. Today, finding someone has never been easier, you could throw their name into Google and probably get 2 social media hits, contact details, personal characteristics, job competencies, their network, and etc.
But with all the ease of access, it seems harder than ever to actually reach someone. Today’s buyer is significantly more fragmented, operating on several social media platforms, likely using multiple mobile devices with potentially several operating systems.
Oh, and did we forget to mention? They’re also more empowered as buyers! Your trusted sales process is turned inside-out with the abundance of online information, allowing buyers to meet you for the first time yet be half way into your typical funnel. How can you manage this?
A blunt solution,
Well, if you want to make a positive impact on youth unemployment, and support your local technology retailer, you could employ an army of young people with several computers to act as sales content management. Get them to keep track of your lead’s every move and formulate a multichannel plan of attack.
But that would be a little ridiculous, and redundant, seeing as how there are mobile sales enablement programs that do just that! What is sales enablement? Its sales rep software that takes that army of young people and puts them in the palm of your hand, literally.
Reaching the right people, at the right time, with the right content,
The truth is, if you can manage your multichannel engagement, you actually empower your sales process and unlock or enhance three key factors of next generation sales.
1) Single View of the Customer
Sometimes referred to as a 360 degree view. This is a double process of ensuring that your entire organization see’s the same customer at every interaction AND has a more complete view overall, in real time.
Your mobile sales enablement –sales content management army– program can leverage the ease of access available in social media to create a persistent customer view the moment you need it.
2) Buyer Journey
The concept of a buyer’s journey has formed out of a need to address the ever more informed and empowered buyer. It doesn’t work anymore to deliver the same canned sales presentations because in many cases, the buyer already has the information that you’re so keen to share.
Sales analytics software play part of this role (and should be a part of your hand-held army) but the main idea here is that you will have a real-time understanding of how your buyer has interacted with content that has been sent or used by them. This allows your next interaction to represent a value-added step forward in the buyer/sales process, not a recap of things known.
3) Content Mobility
The meat and potatoes of your mobile sales enablement (MSE) program is your ability to meet the buyer where they are.
In person: unlike the days of old, your presentation software is more of an IPad sales app (mobile sales app) that lets you develop a playbook and engage the buyer in their office, down the hall, waiting in line, etc. with full access to your entire library of content.
Digital sales: unlock more meeting times by allowing the buyer to meet you on their time and terms. MSE programs double as a digital sales aids that open the door to screen sharing, digital presentations, etc. Some buyers even feel more comfortable when they aren’t face to face.
Automated sales: this varies from a website to e-Mail communications. Sending content to the buyer for them to self-educate and contact you when they’re ready. Your MSE tracks their interactions and ensures that they can view the content on whatever device they use.
When taken as a whole, multichannel engagement should allow you to power through leads, unlock more engagement and better understand the buyer.
Are you succeeding in multichannel engagement? Share your success stories? Maybe we can be that success story!
