Sales teams have long relied on contact management systems to store customer information and track sales activity. But in today’s digital age, it is no longer enough. With the growth of social media and the ever-changing buyer’s journey, sales teams need a more sophisticated way to manage their interactions with customers and prospects. That’s where a sales engagement platform comes in.
The global sales force automation software market was valued at $3,872 million in 2016 and is estimated to reach $7,773 million by 2023. It shows the potential and scope of sales engagement platforms, so sales teams must understand how to create a strategy using them.
This article will explain the platform, its benefits, and how to create a strategy using it.
Sales Engagement Platform: What Is It And How Does It Work?
Sales automation software tools help sales teams engage with their customers and prospects more effectively. These platforms typically provide a variety of features, including contact and account management, email and calendar integration, lead scoring and tracking, and activity reports.
A) Contact And Account Management
Establishing a clear understanding of your target market is the first step. It means creating detailed buyer personas and mapping out the decision-making process for each one. Once you know who you’re targeting, you can build out your contact and account lists.
Here’s how it works:
Sales engagement platforms allow you to segment your lists based on job title, location, industry, and more. This way, you can ensure that each contact on your list is a good fit for your products or services.
Once you’ve built out your lists, it’s time to start engaging your contacts. For example, you can set up automated drip campaigns to keep your contacts engaged over time. You can also use the platform to track your contact engagement levels and score them based on their interactions with your brand.
B) Email And Calendar Management
The second step is to establish a clear understanding of your target market. It means creating detailed buyer personas and mapping out the decision-making process for each one. Once you know who you’re targeting, you can build out your email and calendar lists.
C) Lead Scoring And Tracking
Sales engagement platforms provide an automated way of lead scoring and tracking. It is vital because it allows you to see which leads are most engaged and likely to convert and also allows you to score your leads based on their interactions.
Another benefit of using a sales engagement platform is providing sales insights.
D) Increased Productivity
Sales engagement platforms also increase productivity by automating lead scoring and tracking tasks. It is essential because it allows sales reps to focus on selling rather than administrative tasks.
How To Create a Strategy Using Sales Engagement Platforms?
There are five essential steps:
1) Planning Your Approach
The first step is to plan your approach. You need to decide what you want to achieve and how you will achieve it. It will help you concentrate your efforts and ensure that you use the sales engagement platform to its full potential.
You also need to consider your target audience and what they need from you. It will help you create content that is relevant and engaging.
2) Creating Relevant Content
Create relevant content, and this content should be designed to meet the needs of your target audience. It should be informative and engaging. You can use the engagement platform to create this content.
You can also use it to distribute this content to your target audience. It will help reach more people, thus increasing sales.
If you don’t have relevant content, your target audience will quickly lose interest.
3) Measuring Your Results
You should be measuring your results regularly to ensure that your strategy is working as intended. A good sales engagement platform will provide you with the data and analytics you need to track your progress and make necessary adjustments in your strategy to get the desired results.
Some of the things you should be tracking include:
-The number of leads generated -The number of opportunities created -The number and value of deals closed -The number of new customers acquired -The customer retention rate -The average deal size -The average selling price -The sales cycle length
Conclusion
Sales engagement platforms provide many benefits to help your sales team close more deals and increase revenue. By following the tips mentioned in this article, you can create a strategy that will help you take advantage of all that an engagement platform offers.