Sales engagement platforms are hot. They’re one of the most desirable things in sales right now, and that’s not surprising.
Sales teams are looking for new ways to engage with customers and prospects and want their digital interactions to be as seamless as possible.
A sales engagement platform helps them do just that: it allows secure, real-time communication between the customer and the salesperson, with an interface tailored to each user’s needs.
Using sales technology is one of the top priorities for at least 30% of sales teams in the coming year. But before you implement one of the platforms, here are five things you need to consider.
1. Technology Fit
The first thing to consider is the fit of your current technology stack.
This might be easier to accomplish if you have an in-house development team than if not. However, assessing whether a platform is a good match for your organisation will require some thought and consideration.
For example, suppose you have a robust CRM system highly integrated into the rest of the business. In that case, you will likely want to find a platform that integrates easily with your existing technology.
Likewise, if you are using another cloud-based CRM solution, it would make sense to look for an engagement platform that integrates with those platforms.
2. Workflow
When it comes to the sales engagement platform, you want to make sure that your workflow is compatible with the platform.
A workflow analysis gives you an overview of how your sales team works, which means you can identify pain points and areas where automation will be most effective.
For example, if your company has traditionally had many manual processes, automation could help streamline those processes.
But suppose most of your sales team already uses automation software like CRMs or email marketing tools. In that case, investing in another platform that would only duplicate what they’re already doing might not make sense.
3. Content
Content is the foundation of a successful sales engagement platform. It’s essential to ensure that your content is high quality and engaging, and relevant to your target audience.
That means knowing what kind of content you want to share and what kind of content your audience is interested in consuming.
Are they looking for product information?
Do they want to hear about new features?
Are they looking for industry news?
Are they going to be using the information to make purchasing decisions?
These things are essential to remember when creating and sharing content on your sales engagement platform. If you do this well, you can expect a high return on investment.
4. Data Quality
The quality of the data you use to make decisions is critical to the success of your sales engagement platform. If the information is not accurate or reliable, it will be difficult for the platform to provide real insights about improving performance.
For example, if you use an engagement platform that relies on a survey asking people how satisfied they are with their most recent interaction with your sales team. However, some people have not had any interactions with your sales team in the last month. This data cannot be used effectively.
It means you will have limited insight into what’s working and what isn’t in your current sales management strategy.
Ensure that your data is high quality before implementing a sales engagement platform.
5. Adoption
Adoption is the most important thing to consider before implementing a sales engagement platform. No matter what platform you use, you must ensure that your team is willing to use it and understands how to use it.
If you have a high-tech or complex product, then you might want to consider using a platform that will allow your sales team members to learn how it works as they use it.
If you have a more specific product and a more experienced sales team, then maybe you could implement something which doesn’t require as much training and support from IT.
Wrapping Up
Although this is an exciting growth opportunity with much potential, we recommend taking a cautious approach when adopting a new sales engagement platform.
Be sure you ask your team these questions before moving forward:
Do you have a sales team? If so, how many people are on the team, and how do they communicate with leads and prospects?
Do they use multiple devices to communicate with the lead and prospect?
What kind of lead gen program do you currently have in place? How effective is it?
Are your opportunities in touch with your brand and products or services?
Are they receiving enough information about your company from outside sources before engaging with your salespeople?
However, the five items mentioned earlier should help you get started on realigning your company and customer expectations for these new systems.
