To navigate today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, companies must be agile, adaptable, and data driven. In a post-COVID world, sales enablement technology and digital strategy have become crucial for businesses, helping them create better stories and reach more customers by digitizing products and services.

Sales enablement technology refers to tools and processes that help sales teams operate more efficiently and effectively, while a digital strategy focuses on utilizing online channels to reach and engage with customers.

By combining these two elements, companies can create a powerful approach that enables them to dominate their market. Sales enablement technology provides sales teams with the tools they need to effectively communicate with customers, including access to relevant content, data analytics, and sales training. Meanwhile, a strong digital strategy allows companies to reach customers through multiple channels, including social media, email marketing, and targeted advertising.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses have become more preceptive and responsive to customer needs. To survive this new economic climate and the many challenges of post-pandemic marketing, businesses need to evolve their customer acquisition strategies to keep up with the rapidly changing digital landscape.

One of the most immediate challenges is finding new ways to connect with customers in a virtual environment without compromising on personalization and relevance, as it is now vital to understand how to utilize new digital channels such as social media, video ads, email, and virtual events to maintain connections with a target customer base.

By leveraging a suite of digital tools and resources designed to optimize customer interactions, businesses can create engaging experiences that are customized to each buyer’s needs, regardless of their physical location. This not only leads to improved lead generation, but also helps to establish credibility and trust with potential customers, fostering stronger relationships that are more likely to result in long-term loyalty and repeat business.

Continue reading to learn how you can master post-COVID marketing strategies, stay relevant in the ever-changing landscape, and gain a competitive edge over your rivals.

How To Unlock Sales With Advanced Technology

1. Use CRM and Marketing Automation Platforms

Adjusting to new customer behaviors in the digital space is crucial for staying competitive in a fast-changing market.

By 2030, sales enablement platforms are expected to dominate most B2B interactions, underscoring the importance of creating consistent presale experiences and developing compelling content that can be effectively distributed across multiple channels.

By harnessing sales enablement technology, businesses can quickly capitalize on data-driven decision-making, creating new opportunities for lead generation and nurturing while also optimizing internal processes.

This can include tools like customer relationship management software (CRM) and marketing automation platforms.

Some examples include Hubspot, Salesforce, and ZoomInfo, which can help businesses simplify marketing operations and improve customer engagement.

These platforms offer a range of features including analytics, automation, and personalization tools, using artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data analytics to optimize the buying process. They can also help sales teams identify new leads, manage their pipelines, and close deals more efficiently.

2. Use Digital Touchpoints

To keep up with evolving customer demands and stay ahead in a competitive marketplace, businesses must prioritize creating consistent presale experiences and developing compelling content that can effectively engage customers across multiple channels

For example, digital touchpoints such as live chat, email marketing, social media, and website analytics provide a valuable means of measuring customer engagement, which in turn can help improve sales leads and gather data to identify future sales opportunities.

Marketers can use website analytics, social media metrics, email open and click-through rates, online surveys, customer feedback forms, and even customer service logs. These touchpoints allow marketers to gather valuable insights into customer behavior, preferences, and pain points, which can be used to fine-tune marketing campaigns and customer experience.

3. Use Data Analytics

Marketers can also use customer data analytics tools to aggregate and analyze these touchpoint metrics, helping to identify trends and patterns, and optimize campaigns to maximize the chances of successful lead generation, sales, and customer retention.

Examples of such tools include Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, and Mixpanel.

But how can you develop the best sales enablement strategy that will deepen customer relationships and establish long-term value beyond a single transaction?

Sales Enablement Strategy For The Digital Age

The digital age is reshaping the way companies reach, engage, and sell to their customers, and an effective sales enablement strategy is crucial to keep up with the evolving landscape.

While maintaining a customer-centric strategy is important, it’s equally critical to focus on the customer journey as the main objective. By understanding each stage of the buyer’s journey and providing relevant information and support, businesses can create a seamless experience that enhances customer satisfaction, ultimately leading to greater sales success.

One key strategy is a focus on customer experience by using metrics from sales enablement technology, which can provide valuable insights into customer behavior and preferences, allowing businesses to develop compelling content that resonates with their target customers.

Businesses will not only improve their presale experiences, but also can also use this data to create digital ads that are more like stories for their audience, increasing brand engagement and nurturing leads through the buyer’s journey.

To achieve this, companies must leverage platforms like social media, email, and mobile apps to forge deeper relationships with customers and drive engagement.

For example, implementing strategies that leverage these tools can help companies grow their sales enablement strategy in several ways:

• Increased customer engagement: By using social media platforms, email marketing, and mobile apps, organizations can reach more customers and engage with them in meaningful ways. This increased engagement can lead to higher conversion rates and better customer experience.

• Improved lead quality: By using these channels to target specific audiences, organizations can generate more high-quality leads. With better leads, sales teams are more likely to have successful interactions, leading to increased sales opportunities.

• Streamlined operations: By using these channels, organizations can reduce the time and effort associated with traditional sales and marketing methods. It streamlines the process and improves overall efficiency, allowing sales teams to focus on closing deals and growing the business.

Another key strategy is investing in research and development to create solutions that meet the unique needs of specific customer segments. To succeed, companies can:

• Use customer satisfaction surveys to gather feedback from customers and identify pain points and areas for improvement.

• Implement customer data analytics tools to identify trends and patterns in customer behavior, preferences, and needs.

• Invest in technology, like Hubspot or Marketo, that delivers personalized marketing messages to customers based on their behaviors and preferences.

Lastly, companies must also be willing to experiment with new business models. Some examples include:

1. Subscription-based model: Businesses can drive revenue growth and meet the evolving needs of their customers. For example, instead of selling products outright, companies can offer subscription models where customers can rent or lease products on a monthly basis.

2. Pay-per-lead: Companies can pay influencers for sales leads. For example, a software company that sells a project management tool may partner with a lead generation company that specializes in connecting businesses with project managers. Using this model, businesses can focus their resources on leads that are more likely to covert to sales.

3. Community-driven model: A business approach that emphasizes collaboration with customers and other stakeholders to drive innovation and create a sense of community around the brand, usually using early adopters to share company products to their followers. For example, Medtronic created patient and physician advisory boards, as well as an online community where patients can share their experiences and offer feedback on Medtronic’s products.

Address Operational Problems

Strategy alone is not enough.

Companies must also prioritize operational excellence to ensure they can execute on their plans effectively. This requires investing in automation and robotics to streamline processes and reduce the risk of errors and delays, freeing up resources for more valuable work, such as generating new leads, building customer relationships, and closing deals.

By investing in new technology, companies can operate at a higher scale with greater efficiency, reducing costs and improving profitability.

Examples include:

1. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software: ERP software integrates all aspects of a business’s operations, from accounting and finance to human resources and inventory management. This can help businesses reduce manual data entry and improve accuracy, while providing real-time visibility into key performance indicators.

2. Robotic Process Automation (RPA): RPA uses software robots to automate repetitive tasks, such as data entry or invoice processing. This can help businesses improve efficiency, reduce errors, and free up employees to focus on higher-level tasks.

3. Internet of Things (IoT): IoT devices, such as sensors and wearables, can be used to collect data on everything from equipment performance to customer behavior. This data can be analyzed to identify inefficiencies or areas for improvement, and used to inform business decisions.

Companies that harness the strategies and technology mentioned above will be able to create meaningful marketing campaigns that better meet the values, needs, and behaviors of target customers.

Next, we’ll dive deeper to better understand the tools that help businesses connect with their audience, build leads, and generate sales.

New Technology Trends That Will Transform Everyday Sales Tasks

Sales automation tools can provide metrics on user behavior and give detailed insights on the efficiency of business workflow processes. These tools can solve existing business needs while focusing efforts on customer experiences.

To get the best use of sales enablement technology managers can deploy sales teams in conjunction with marketing strategies to create more meaningful customer experiences that target each stage of the buyer life cycle. Better content is developed when using analytics to identify what drives the customer base and where there are inconsistencies in content touch points.

To create more meaningful relationships, businesses can use platforms, such as Salesforce, which offer features such as lead management, customer relationship management (CRM), sales automation, and training and coaching tools to help sales teams increase productivity and drive revenue growth.

These platforms typically utilize data from customer interactions, such as their purchases or engagement with marketing campaigns, to identify patterns in customer behavior.

This data can then be used to create a customized approach for each individual customer, allowing salespeople to better understand their needs and connect with them in a way that resonates. This can lead to a more empathetic approach to the customer journey, which can create a stronger connection between the customer and the brand.

As a result, businesses can deploy omnichannel strategies that meet customers where they are, providing a seamless experience across various touchpoints. This can include sales channels such as online, mobile, as well as customer service channels such as social media, email, and chatbots.

As such, equipping sales teams with sales enablement platforms is essential for businesses looking to achieve their sales goals. These platforms help businesses align the sales journey to customer values and personalize customer messaging based on purchasing history. This technology has become essential in today’s oversaturated market, making it important for businesses to make a genuine connection with their customers.

Some great sales enablement technology include:

1. Highspot: A sales enablement platform that provides sales teams with access to relevant content and insights, empowering them to engage in more effective sales conversations.

2. Bloomfire: A knowledge management platform that provides sales teams with access to a central library of sales content, enabling them to find the information they need quickly and easily.

3. SalesLoft: A sales enablement platform that uses automation to streamline sales processes, increase the efficiency of sales teams, and improve customer engagement.

4. Marketo: A marketing automation platform that automates the processes of lead generation, qualification, and follow-up while also gaining valuable insights into customer behavior and preferences.

5. Clari: A sales analytics tool that reports online customer behavior including website visits, email opens and clicks, and social media engagement.

Grow Your Strategy With Artificial Intelligence

Finally, companies must leverage emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), to gain a competitive edge. AI can help companies analyze vast amounts of data providing insights into customer behavior, optimizing operations, and improving the overall customer experience.

Businesses can also invest in data analytics and machine learning to gain insights into customer behavior. Through the analysis of data collected from various sources, such as website traffic, social media activity, and purchasing history, businesses can identify patterns and trends in customer behavior that can inform marketing and sales strategies.

Examples include:

1. IBM Watson Campaign Automation: Uses natural language processing, machine learning, and AI to analyze customer data and generate personalized marketing campaigns that are more effective and efficient. It can also help marketers optimize their campaigns in real-time and adjust them based on customer feedback.

2. AI Chatbots: Uses natural language processing and machine learning to understand the intent and context of customer inquiries, providing relevant and timely responses that help to solve problems and address concerns. By using data analytics to understand where customers are focusing their attention, these tools can help marketers identify and target quality leads that are more likely to convert.

3. Email marketing platforms: Many email marketing platforms, such as Mailchimp and Campaign Monitor, now include AI-powered features that allow marketers to personalize their email campaigns based on customer behavior and preferences. Marketers can use AI to recommend products or content based on past purchase history or website interactions.

Overall, AI-based communication tools can help marketers deliver relevant and personalized experiences to their customers, improving engagement, loyalty, and ultimately, driving revenue growth. Sales teams can automate the process of managing leads, identify and target quality leads, and track customer interactions across channels.

The Future Of Sales Is Digital

Sales enablement tools and platforms have become an essential part of any business’s sales and marketing strategy. These technologies provide businesses with the tools to personalize marketing campaigns, create better customer experiences, and streamline the sales journey.

Using insights on buyer behavior and preferences, businesses can send the right message to the right person at the right time.

With the rapid advancement of technology, the future of sales is undoubtedly digital. By implementing effective sales enablement tools and a well-rounded sales strategy, companies can create compelling customer experiences and generate powerful stories that resonate with the target audience, ultimately leading to more lead generation and improved sales performance.