CROs, You Can’t Live without the Modern Sales Stack

The sales world has undergone a dramatic shift. Buyers are in control, and they are using online channels to interact with brands. As a result, traditional “smile and dial” tactics are dying.

To engage the modern buyer, sales organizations have become increasingly more digitally minded. And to become more digitally minded, sales organizations have become more reliant on technology.

The rise of the digital buyer has led to the explosion of sales applications and platforms. And with that explosion comes a slew of data. Whereas yesterday’s CROs and VPs of Sales relied heavily on anecdotal evidence, today’s sales leaders can supplement anecdotes with data, making it possible for sales leader to make more accurate decisions.

But how do you do that? How do you make better decisions that will help your sales team engage the digital buyer? The answer: Develop a collection of complementary sales software applications – commonly called the “Sales Technology Stack.”

The 6 Pillars of the Modern Sales Stack

Salespeople have a lot on their plate. They need to attract buyers, engage them, nurture those relationships, close deals, retain customers, and grow lifetime value. To be successful, you need the right technology in place.

Below, you’ll find the six key pillars of a modern sales stack. Spoiler: You won’t find headsets and call center technology on the list.

1. Data and Analytics

Adapting to the modern buyer has been beneficial for sales leaders. It has forced them to build sales stacks that provide plenty of data. With numbers and analytics at their finger tips, sales leaders can determine which strategies are successful and which ones aren’t.

2. CRM

Most companies already have a CRM in place. As you build your sales stack, use your CRM as your home base. Ensure that your tools integrate with your customer relationship management software. This will reduce the number of applications that your sales reps need to open, making it easier for your sales team to adopt new technologies.

3. Email

Do you know any buyers without an email address? I don’t. As you can imagine, email, like CRM, is a given for many companies that want to interact with digitally savvy buyers. Sales leaders have invested in ways to track emails, measure their effectiveness, and establish the right cadence of messages.

4. Social Selling

To be sure, email is just one way to reach buyers. Social networks are another way. In fact, sites like LinkedIn and Twitter have proven to be extremely effective in the sales process. Sales reps who use social are 79% more likely to attain their quota (Aberdeen Group).

The native tools that LinkedIn and Twitter provide are a good starting point. But to standardize best practices across your team and have actionable data at your finger tips, you’ll want to invest in a social selling platform.

5. Content

For salespeople to be effective in the digital world, they need content, and by content, I don’t mean product brochures and order forms. They need blog posts, infographics, industry news, and videos that will capture the buyer’s attention, challenge the buyer’s status quo, and spark conversations.

Content needs to be organized, readily available to salespeople, and easily passed from marketing teams to sales teams. Look for these capabilities in your social selling and sales enablement tools.

6. Mobile

The average American spends 4.7 hours a day on his or her mobile phone. As you can imagine, your sales team is no exception. To ensure that your sales team adopts your sales stack, make sure that your sales software offers mobile applications.

Out-Perform Your Competition

It is imperative to develop a technology ecosystem that focuses on the modern buyer and adheres to the six key pillars. Without a doubt, sales leaders who harness the power of a well-considered sales stack will out-perform their competition.

Why’s that? Armed with data and insights, these leaders will better understand how prospects and customers act online, and they can create strategies that adapt to their customers in the digital world.

Today’s CROs need people within the sales organization who can identify and implement new technology solutions. They need a sales team that is willing to adapt to the modern buyer and to the new technologies. And they need people who can interpret the data and improve results.

Those organizations will be the cutting edge organizations. They will be the ones who have a better chance of engaging their buyers and building relationships with them. They will be the ones who close more deals and drive more revenue.

Bottom line: The better your sales technology stack, the more it will help you acquire, engage, and retain your customer. Good luck!

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