MAIN INSIGHT 49
Tom Saunders
SALES DIRECTOR
What can organisations do to better adapt their sales process to the post-pandemic environment?
I believe the notion of putting customers first was happening quite a bit before the pandemic, but the pandemic just brought it into hyperfocus. The pandemic also made it clear that customers have a choice and that they're not tied to partners and suppliers in the same way they've previously been.
Therefore, organisations need to ensure they have sales and post-sales processes in place to demonstrate that they really understand the motivation behind why a customer made a particular purchase and what their outcome expectation is. Once they demonstrate that, they show the customer they’re ready to do everything to help them experience those business outcomes which creates a much stronger long-term bond and brings in recurring revenue.
Given that the digital buyer journey is becoming the norm, is the human role becoming obsolete?
What I'm seeing quite often in our business is that even though we present information to a customer in a digital way, they’ll still pick up the phone and call our account manager–they're still seeking that reassurance from a human being. So, I think the human role is still very much important and far from obsolete, especially when it comes to building trust, building relationships and being that reassuring factor.
I think the human role is still very much important and far from obsolete, especially when it comes to building trust, building relationships and being that reassuring factor.
Even if a customer is transacting completely online, there will almost certainly be a whole build up of pre-sales work and negotiations–and this is where you earn the trust.
How can organisations proactively build trust in a digital world?
Even if a customer is transacting completely online, there will almost certainly be a whole build up of pre-sales work and negotiations–and this is where you earn the trust. A lot of the pre-sales work is free of charge because you're mortgaging the fact that you're going to get the order, and therefore demonstrate your credibility and build trust–particularly with a complicated solution selling where the sales process might last six to nine months.