The sales world was complicated before Covid-19 was even on the global stage. Now it’s even more so with several communication laws and enforced data governance adding ever more layers of complexity to the sales function.
The pressure to perform has never been greater, and with four months left to this calendar year, with the Christmas shutdown period looming, sales teams are under immense pressure to deliver against sales targets.
The markets have never been more competitive – now is the time to be the team making sure that the sale, the bottom line, and the business, go on. The good news is that the electronic act allows for new sales and customer interaction if done correctly.
“With the ever-increasing drive to regulate data, the support offered by marketing within any sales led organisation will play a critical role in helping to steer the sales function,” says Louise Robinson, sales director of CG Consulting. “Sales and marketing professionals need to understand, what they can and can’t do to get the customer from audience participant to lead in the show.
“With just over three months to Christmas there remains an expectation on the sales team to ensure that targets are met, regardless of the challenges; the show must go on, the closing bell must still be rung.”
She says there are fundamental factors that businesses and sales professionals should understand:
* You can in fact buy new data, taking ownership of the acquired data ensures you remain compliant and abide by the POPI act. You can communicate via phone and email with new clients as long as communication is relevant and comes from a reputable email address.
* Should the client not wish to be contacted, they must be removed from the database immediately.
* You can still navigate the unchartered course of acquiring new customers, just ensure that the data you are using to do so has been ethically acquired form a reputable source.
“Sales professionals have approached us to ensure that data-checks and data- cleanses are completed ethically, entrusting that we have acquired the rights to engage with the customer as required,” adds Robinson.
In sales new and updated databases are essential to continuously generate new leads. It makes business sense to have data rich systems that contain people-centric information with accurate, relevant personal details that lead to having the right conversations; empowering the salesforce with the insights they require to ring that closing bell.
Everyone knows sales is a numbers game. There are very few quick wins to be gained in the current sales cycle. Thinking out of the box, hard work, building relationships, in a direct and targeted manner will result in sales in the long run, building pipeline for 2022.