Digital Sales- What Does it All Mean & Why Should You Care?
When you think about traditional sales what comes to mind? I’m sure it’s the countless phone calls, face-to-face meetings, and late-night dinners. The world of traditional selling got a big wakeup call when the COVID pandemic struck. Many organizations invested in technology and accelerated their digital sales transformation. Zendesk reporting that around 75% of decision-makers said COVID forced them to increase their investment in digital software.
So, what is digital selling? And why should you leverage a digital sales strategy? Simply put, digital selling is a process of using digital channels to search, find and connect with prospective clients. When a relationship is formed, interactions and vital information can be kept on digital platforms.
The Importance of a Digital Sales Strategy
Today’s digital-first buyers are tech savvy and more informed than ever. Most are looking for a collaborative buying experience. That is why leading organizations are transforming their digital sales strategy to identify potential clients, improve experience, and make it easier for customers to buy from you.
Most importantly, you want your digital tools to enhance the customer journey. According to Salesforce, 84% of customers say the experience a company provides is as important as its products or services. Tailored and personalized engagement across multiple touchpoints is key. 73% of customers say one extraordinary experience raises their expectations of other companies.
Customers Want 3 Things
When it comes to digital sales – businesses still don’t want to lose that human touch. In fact, a McKinsey survey showcases that the majority of B2B customers want both human and digital interactions on their buying journey. “Successful B2B sales teams strike the human-digital balance customers want in three core areas: speed, transparency, and expertise.” (McKinsey)
However, your sales reps need to be able to utilize digital tools and meet customers at different points of their journey which will overall help win their business. A McKinsey report shares that more than 100 B2B sales organizations saw “up to 20% increase in customer leads, 10% growth in first-time customers, and a speedup of as much as 20% in the time that elapses between qualifying a lead and closing a deal.”
Education is Key
In order to have a successful digital sales strategy – your sales reps need to be well educated on the digital sales tools, processes and techniques. Training is important and should not be a one-time thing. With more and more Millennials and GenZ within the workforce, make sure they are also leveraging social media to connect with their prospective clients. LinkedIn shows that top-performing sales executives, who close deals 51% more than others, consider social networking platforms “very important” when it comes to their overall success.
And many organizations are leveraging these digital sales tools to get the insights they need from their data to enhance the customer journey. However, identifying quality data can be a challenge. An IDC survey revealed that 68% of data available to businesses goes unleveraged. So, understanding your customer data and putting them at the center of your strategy is crucial.
Want to discuss your digital sales transformation challenges and see how others are perfecting their digital sales strategies? Join us at the next GDS Group RevGen Digital Summit.
GDS Summits are tailored 3-day virtual event conferences that bring together business leaders and solution providers to accelerate sales cycles, industry conversations and outcomes. Regarding the RevGen Digital Summits 100% of Delegates said the overall experience of Digital Summit they attended was Above Average or Excellent and 100% of Delegates said the Digital Summit provided them with actionable outcomes to support their current initiatives.
For more, click here to hear from attendees on how GDS has helped them to achieve their business outcomes.
Continue the debate at GDS’ RevGen Digital Summits where we bring together senior sales executives who are actively seeking to share, learn, engage, and find the best solutions.
