Dive Brief:
- According to research from Accenture, 80% of 800 sales professionals surveyed report that they have implemented CRM software, but 60% say they lack confidence in meeting sales targets, despite the technology tools in place.
- In terms of those tech tools: 59% reported having to use too many, 58% said they believed the tools were more for monitoring performance rather than improving performance, and 56% felt the tools were not customized to their needs.
- The research found that companies stand to benefit by designing sales tools that are easy to use and personalized. The challenge for sales teams is to implement tools that are customized to their needs, according to Accenture.
Dive Insight:
It should come as no surprise: Technology alone isn’t enough to maximize sales channels, and bringing personalization into the equation can create success.
Sales teams expect the same ease-of-use and personalization in their sales tools as they do from other technology tools they use in their everyday lives. While there's an abundance of intricate technology available to sales today, the challenge is in choosing the right technology and personalizing it so that it helps sales teams improve their performance.
Accenture recommends that sales teams shed an enterprise-driven, top-down approach in favor of three principles:
1. Follow human-centered design
2. Identify critical data to measurably improve the guided selling experience
3. Leverage the highly flexible technology platforms available
“As companies strive to improve sales effectiveness, they need to fundamentally rethink their approach to digital within their sales organizations,” said Jose Goncalves, MD and global digital sales lead, Accenture Interactive. “Rather than a top-down, enterprise approach, companies need to take a people-first approach that listens to the sales force and marries their needs with tools that deliver data-driven, flexible and personalized omni-channel experiences that help them sell smarter and drive the bottom line.”
Although 75% of those surveyed admitted that technology tools were important to the sales process, the research pointed out that only 13% of salespeople are utilizing the full capabilities of the tech tools available to them.