For many years, digital sales tools were seen by front line sales as more trouble than they were worth, especially in the consumer-packaged goods (CPG) sector. Early devices, like PDAs, were cumbersome, with clunky data entry, poor battery life, and connectivity issues. These challenges often added unnecessary time to sales teams’ daily routines. However, these drawbacks have been resolved over time. Coupled with a digital-native sales team, significant improvements can now be made throughout the route to consumer by adopting mature sales tool technology from leading suppliers like Salesforce, SAP, and Oracle. Yet, it’s crucial to avoid certain mistakes to fully leverage these capabilities.
Efficiency & Record Keeping
The initial goal of digital tools was to improve efficiency and record keeping. Older team members might remember using tools like Lotus Notes or early PDAs, which often required manual synchronization. These offline tools were limited in scope, rarely sharing transactional data with billing systems and preventing real-time thinking. In contrast, modern tools have automated much of this data collection, freeing up time for sales teams and enabling real-time insights. This evolution allows the generation of insights that were unimaginable just 15 years ago, paving the way for a forensic approach to sales capability.
The Modern Tool Set
Today’s digital tools, offered by suppliers like Microsoft Dynamics 365, HubSpot, and Ivy, are indispensable for analysing sales data and identifying effective behaviours. Modern dashboards and forensic reporting tools help analysts work backward from outcomes to understand what actions lead to success. For instance, factors like visit time, visit frequency, and funnel conversion rates can be optimized based on top performers’ data. This new approach not only identifies exceptions but also disseminates best practices. Moreover, real-time data from live systems can update visit objectives and provide sales representatives with current customer feedback, eliminating unexpected issues during visits.
Mistakes to Avoid
Despite the advantages, there are potential pitfalls when implementing modern digital sales tools. Implementation can be costly, complex, and disruptive. It’s recommended to use standard systems and interfaces to mitigate these risks. It’s essential to manage vendor relationships and control scope, as unnecessary additions can escalate costs. Comparing the lost benefits due to the increased time to value realization is crucial for success. Finally, a dedicated team should be assembled for any new application or significant deployment.
Conclusion
Aligning digital sales tools with your field sales strategy requires a forensic approach, excellent project management, and effective change management. While these tools are now almost a necessity rather than a competitive advantage, they offer the potential for continuous improvement without the disruption of past capability transformation projects. Digital sales tools are essential, and partnering with experienced experts can maximize their benefits. At Sales Capability Forensics we ensure that your tool aligns with your processes and behaviours and that your reports and KPI’s drive the outcomes that support your long term strategy.