These days, sales professionals have some of the best jobs, but some of the biggest challenges. History’s stereotype of the salesman has been erased, and faster, smoother, more agile employee has emerged. It is important for every company with a sales department, no matter how large or small, accepts the importance of the role of technology in their businesses. Digital content management platforms are, without a doubt, the most effective way to groom organized, shrewd and well-informed sales professionals who are able to give their clients the most relevant and current materials they need in order to conduct business well.
A digital content management (DCM) solution is the most effective answer for sales teams that are looking to evolve with today’s businesses. With more sales employees working remotely and in the field, a cloud-based platform that encompasses all of their most up-to-date materials that a client would want, is invaluable for today’s sales employee. By adapting comprehensive sales enablement and digital content management tools that are device- and OS-independent, sales employees possess the mobile flexibility they desire while having the tools they need to satisfy their clients.
Does your sales team use a mobile platform yet? Here are five reasons why you need to take the leap.
1. This is not your grandfather’s sales force.
With millennials infiltrating the workforce these days, business is not as usual. Times are changing and businesses need to adapt the technology accompanying these changes or they will be faced with losing their rising star employees, as well as their customers. A recent study finds that 70 percent of millennials are increasingly leaning towards companies and jobs that allow them to have greater mobile connectivity. The same study finds that 75 percent of millennials want to have the option to work from home or other locations, a staggering jump from the 43 percent of employees who currently work from home.
Sales content management platforms (take Pitcher, for example), gives tech-savvy sales employees a one-stop-shop for all of the materials they could possibly need to be able to work on the go. Sales staffers are able to access their presentations, market analysis and research the latest information from their tablets and mobile devices so they are able to have the answers to their clients’ questions right at their fingertips. Instant gratification is hardly a new desire for all areas at business, but mobile sales platforms are making that desire a reality. For a millennial in a sales position, a convenient hub with all business insights and tools is the super power that employee needs to better serve the customer, the company and ultimately, that sales person’s own career.
2. Client engagement is more important than ever.
Sales is all about connections and you need to make sure that a sales employee connects with his or her client has always been a top priority. However, as today’s technology does enhance, business relationships can fall by the wayside due to a lack of personal attention. Clients are more likely to lose interest in sales presentations given on outdated platforms, causing a lack of feedback and, ultimately, a lack in overall communication. Getting feedback from client has always been one of the most important sales presentation techniques, and losing that unique input leads to suffering sales.
A DCM that allows sales employees to tailor their presentations and documents on the fly is vital to client engagement. A sales person might learn new information in the field that could be the vital hook their client needs to focus on that presentation. Or, they might want to pull up specific documents on the fly and highlight points that are unique to that client’s needs. An all-encompassing platform gives a sales employee all the tools and materials their client might want to see during a presentation, increasing client engagement.
3. Stay on message.
These days, waking up to 100 new emails does not phase most working adults. The problem is, with everyone communicating instantly, there is a lot that gets lost in translation. Approved content and messaging documents can get lost in the email shuffle far too easily, causing a sales employee to lose track of key materials that causes them to miscommunicate the information their clients need. A digital content management system can offer both your sales and marketing departments the ability to create, upload, edit, share, translate and distribute content globally, and all from one platform.
Streamlining a company’s messaging in a single, consolidated hub consisting of marketing-approved materials keeps messaging consistent. DCMs allow marketing teams to approve materials for each user as well as create personalized content. The ability to customize content for each user allows sales reps to perfect collateral without having to ask the marketing team for something specific for each sales conversation.
4. The Bottom Line: Money, money, money.
Cloud-based DCMs not only save time and streamline information, these platforms save businesses money. By increasing user productivity, business productivity across the board excels. Each department, from sales to IT, sees improved results when employees use their time more effectively. A comprehensive sales platform saves time, therefore it saves money.
Changing the day-to-day operations of a sales team can seem like a daunting task. However, mobile sales platforms are making the process less painful for businesses with quick training and operations, making the transition seamless for companies that are ready to take the leap.
The benefits of a mobile platform solution cannot be matched by methods previously used by sales teams. Content, as well as any other customer-facing interactions, such as actionable data, daily tasks and team collaborations, are findable, presentable and trackable—instantly and intuitively, all from one place. To have that much vital information accessible to your sales team in the field is a tool that businesses today simply cannot survive without.
