Sales acceleration is a term related to tools that facilitate the ability of salespeople to convert prospects or leads into actual sales. There are several software programs, applications and technologies that can be implemented to speed up the sales process and help sales reps achieve their ultimate goal of increasing conversions. Many companies have found that sales acceleration tools enhance their productivity, expedite company growth and boost efficiency. There are a multitude of forms in which sales accelerators exist and they range from quite simple to the extraordinarily complex. What follows is a description of many notable types of sales acceleration technologies available to sales and marketing teams and how they can be used.
Automated Intelligent Call Dialers
Automatic call dialers reduce the need for sales agents to make cold calls or to decide which lead they should call next. An automatic call dialer is usually initiated by the lead itself when they click on an online button requesting a phone call. The sales rep has the advantage of knowing that the lead is already interested in the product or service for sale and saves them from having to interact with unqualified leads or uninterested customers. Furthermore, the sales rep doesn’t have to decide who to call or even dial the phone. The automated call dialer does that work for them.
Predictive Messaging
Predictive messaging is a tool used to notify the prospective customer that a sales agent is about to get in touch. Predictive messages can be sent through a variety of means such as SMS text messages, emails or recorded phone calls. Predictive messaging is used to let the lead know that their interest has been noted and that someone will be contacting them regarding their query as quickly as possible. For the sales company, predictive messaging allows them to keep the lead engaged while affording them time to assign the proper sales agent to the job.
Automated Call Distribution
An automated call distribution system can simplify the process of directing phone calls from potential customers to the department or sales agent most qualified to take the call. This can be an essential part of businesses who have call volumes that are so high that they cannot be effectively managed without an unreasonable number of human call operators. Automated call distribution systems can be customized to route calls according to the needs of the individual business.
Inbound Call Tracking
Call tracking allows a company to determine where their leads are originating from and what caused them to get in touch with the company in the first place. This is not only important for understanding which marketing and advertising efforts are resulting in interested potential customers, it also allows the company to define future marketing programs based on the effectiveness of past attempts. Call tracking typically assigns a unique phone number to an advertisement or marketing campaign that allows the company to determine where the calls are coming from.
Online Engagement Tracking
Sales acceleration technologies can also track the online journey a lead follows as they become acquainted with a company. Online engagement tracking tools can reveal which emails are opened or ignored, which pages of a company’s website are visited, the time spent on each page, at which point in the sales journey that a purchase was abandoned and more. Engagement tracking tools give more insight into the mindset of the potential customer and allow the company to refine its online presence in the hopes of producing more sales.
Lead Qualification
Although a company may have access to a large number of leads, typically very few will result in an actual sale. Determining the likelihood of whether a lead can be converted into a sale has a large influence on how effective your sales team will be. By focusing on high quality, qualified leads, the chances of a sale are increased. Lead qualification technology can help companies rate their leads and determine how likely a specific lead can be converted into a sale. Qualification factors could include the lead’s budget, demographics, the measure of their need, their online journey towards the company and more. In the past, teasing out this information was a manual process, but tools such as online forms, questionnaires and keyword search tracking allow leads to provide much of this information themselves.
Engagement Widgets
Engagement widgets play a role in allowing customers to help themselves. By giving potential customers a role in the engagement process and allowing them to decide when they are ready and willing to engage, sales teams avoid appearing heavy-handed and overbearing. There’s also much less chance of annoying a potential customer with uninvited cold-calling techniques and unsolicited hardsells. By displaying clickable online widgets that invite potential customers to schedule a phone call, request more information or receive a demonstration, the sales team is much more likely to encounter willing and enthusiastic prospects.
Analytics And Reporting
Computerized analytical and reporting tools allow huge quantities of data to be processed which can accelerate and advance the sales operation in a way that manual manipulation of the data could never hope to achieve. The ability of computer generated reports to analyze the sales process increases the chances of future successes by allowing operations to be refined based on quantitative data rather than hunch-based decision making.
Data Sharing
Sales acceleration tools make sharing data an integrated and seamless practice. Automated data sharing processes allow anyone plugged into the system to get a real-time overview of the entire operation. When information is changed, added or amended, the entire team has immediate access. With shared databases, no longer will a company suffer from the old cliche of the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing.
Personalized Communication
Sales acceleration tools provide sales teams with information that allows them to personalize their communications with potential customers. By being able to track a prospect’s online movements prior to engagement with the sales team, information such as their demographics, location and preferences can be collected and utilized to create a customized sales presentation.