JP WerlinManufacturing businesses see a lot of demands on their resources. So what is the best technology for them to invest in to keep their business growing? It would have to deliver high ROI, help you meet your business goals and, of course, integrate seamlessly with your organization. One technology can make all these needs a reality. The answer is sales technology.
Unfortunately, if you choose the wrong sales technology, what initially seems like a solid purchase often falls short in the long run. How many times have you used a solution that seemed great at first, but realized it wouldn’t meet your bottom line? Perhaps setup was expensive and time-consuming. Maybe it was too complex for staff to use or caused them to duplicate work.
These complexities are problematic for any company, resulting in wasted time and money. However, it’s a major burden for small and medium-sized manufacturers due to their limited staff and resources. Any new sales technology must provide a clear ROI for both individual sales reps and the business as a whole.
The long-term, account-based nature of the manufacturing business, means companies need a solution without hassle to help them start, build and grow customer relationships that will last. To be successful, the right sales technology must have three essential components. The right solution must be fast and seamless to setup, it should work how your business works and it must be able to drive business success from the factory floor to the boardroom. Choose sales technology with these three core elements and enjoy strong, ongoing ROI for your company.
Success in a Fast Deployment
The key to getting started with any new sales technology is a fast and seamless setup. Implementation of new sales technologies often fail because they take too much time to deploy, require a lot of time to learn, and are confusing for sales reps. If sales teams don’t see immediate benefit from their new software, then chances are you’ve introduced too complicated of a solution.
One example of success is a major manufacturer of resinous flooring systems. Following the deployment of a new customer relationship management system, they saw an immediate improvement in their sales cycle.
Consider this your rule of thumb when considering software — if you can’t understand the basics in minutes, then the new technology won’t deliver the immediate impact that it needs to.
A Solution That Fits
In addition to being quick to setup, you also need to choose a solution that works how you work. This means choosing sales technology with the right combination of features and add-ons to complement your business model. By focusing on sales technology that supports your existing sales process, you can streamline business processes, increase efficiency and speed up the time-to-close new business. With the right sales technology, you should be able to improve your sales cycle 50 percent or more.
Most important, the right sales technology should drive your business success wherever the sale takes you. In the past, sales teams have been hindered by inaccurate spreadsheets, clunky software that can only be accessed while you’re at your desk, or paper records that can easily get misplaced. The right sales software today is accessible from your laptop, desktop, phone, and tablet; in short, the right sales software is available whenever you need it.
Business Alignment
This access not only helps reps to be successful, but it also helps sales teams stay aligned with the rest of the company. Alignment can pay serious dividends for your business. We’ve seen one business cut costs by more than $20,000 since implementing the right solution.
Business alignment has become something of a buzzword, but there’s no denying the impressive results. Sales software plays a huge role in getting the sales team on the same page with marketing, operations and other vital functions. By taking advantage of cloud-based software, everyone can access information in real-time. This provides a level of flexibility that wasn’t previously possible.
Choosing the right sales technology has huge benefits for manufacturers. The right solution makes your rep’s job easier and more engaging to do, it fits within your existing business processes and, most importantly, can grow your business while saving you money at the same time. The piece of mind and ROI that sales technology delivers truly makes it the best technology investment for manufacturers.
JP Werlin is CEO and Co-Founder of PipelineDeals.
