Why personalisation in sales is a must-have
How can B2B professionals replicate that magic touch? It can be done in three simple steps TREND TRACKER
Highly-personalised experiences are now a part of our daily lives. From Netflix recommendations to our algorithm-led Instagram timeline, we are all accustomed to receiving personalised content, created just for us.
The same goes for people making corporate and business decisions from deciding about the company car fleet to their data center capability. One-to-one experiences, relevant insights, interesting content are all top of the list. But how does this translate into the sales industry? How can B2B sales professionals replicate this level of personalisation? The answer is in three simple steps. Sales professionals can now identify the right people within an organisation and reach them at the right time on the right channel using new technologies. There are other benefits too. According to LinkedIn’s ‘State of Sales’ study, nearly 80 per cent of sales professionals say they are using sales technology to shorten lengthy sales cycles, close bigger deals, and to grow their revenue while nearly 90 per cent of sales professionals’ report that sales technology is either ‘important’ or ‘very important’ for closing deals. The roles of sales and marketing have traditionally been separated. In today’s climate, the two business divisions must work together to achieve common goals. The decisions a marketing department takes has a direct effect on sales; research we did with Edelman in the US found that nearly two-fifths of decision-makers and C-level executives say a company’s thought leadership directly contributed to inviting a previously unconsidered company to RFP. In recent years, we have even seen the lines between the two blurring more which is evident from the emergence of a new job title, the chief revenue officer, who has responsibility over both sales and marketing. According to CSO Insights, only 40 per cent of a salesperson’s time is spent selling. Most of the day is spent doing menial tasks such as updating their CRM or looking for data insights.
With functional sales skills 1.8 times more in demand than transactional sales skills on LinkedIn, sales professionals need to focus more on being strategic business advisors to their clients. Automation and AI will transform the sales function meaning that many of the menial daily tasks will be redundant.
Data also suggests that cold-calling is no longer having an impact. Almost a third (32 per cent) of business decision makers in the UAE would respond to a cold call less than ten percent of the time. When today’s buyer wants information about a product or service, they are looking for material that is useful, relevant and, most of all, not overly ‘salesy’. We are currently in an age of ‘extreme transparency’. This means focusing on the long term, building of solid relationships based on trust and a value exchange. Sales professionals need to concentrate on these types of relationships to engage prospects properly. New technology will enable sales professionals to do this. Make sure you’re one of them. The writer is head of sales solutions at LinkedIn Mena. Views expressed are her own and do not reflect the newspaper’s policy.