If you ask a sales professional what their top goals are, there’s a high chance they would say increasing revenue. Yet, many of today’s core sales tactics and strategies are outdated, and may be considered spammy and old-school. The truth is, buyers want to buy. However, in many cases, the process leaves buyers frustrated and opting for an easier way.
At HubSpot’s 2023 INBOUND event, there was no shortage of sales, marketing, and service professionals talking about revolutionizing revenue. There was even an entire panel discussion dedicated to revenue growth. The panel featured:
- Channing Ferrer, Chief Sales Officer at Semrush
- Liz Cristo, Partner at Stage 2 Capital
- Maha Pula, VP and Global Head of Pre-Sales Solutions Engineering at Cloudflare
- Richard J. SGRO, Vice President of Sales and Customer Success at Insight Partners
- Toby Carrington, Chief Business Officer at Seismic Software, Inc.
The session provided a plethora of actionable insights into how the modern salesforce can take advantage of the new trends and tools, while maintaining the core qualities that drive success.
Here are the 4 top takeaways from the panel:
- The B2B Sales Motion is Mirroring B2C: The tools and data that B2B sellers have access to today is far more advanced than it was just a few years ago. While the current economic climate continues to ebb and flow, the lead intelligence, prospecting and sales engagement software are still being purchased at record rates. The way we buy and sell today is different, and much of the change was influenced by the growth of remote selling during the covid-19 pandemic. The B2B buying motion looks a lot like B2C. The panel compared this to buying toothpaste. If you’re looking for a new tube, there are so many choices. Not only is there whitening, but there’s charcoal. And there’s dozens of brands to pick from too. The B2B buyer understands how simple making a purchase should be, just like it is for a consumer product. B2B buyers want to remove as much friction from the process as possible and people want to be met where they are. That’s why it’s crucial for today’s modern sales professionals to take note of this shift.
- Research is a Buyer’s Best Friend: Today, a buyer can quickly and easily find out more about your company online, from a quick Google or social search, without ever engaging with a person from your company. Just think: before you book a reservation at a new restaurant, what’s the first thing you do? Often, it’s Yelp reviews. At a minimum, you’re checking out the menu. The same goes for software. There’s G2 reviews, Glassdoor and often hundreds of articles and forum discussions about the SaaS software you’re browsing. Sellers must pay attention and remember how accessible information is. An important piece of this puzzle is your current customers. They are your best advocates, and they are the ones writing favorable reviews that are going to move the needle for a prospect. This new era of selling is all about putting the buyer at the center of the process and understanding that it is likely they already have some idea about your company. Thus, it is crucial for an organization to invest in digital materials that not only provide value to prospects but also provide the answers they seek.
- Sales is Evolving: So ShouldYour Enablement: It’s easy to teach a sales rep step 1, step 2 and step 3 of the buyer's journey. But as we just discussed, today’s buyer has more information at their fingertips and starts the journey more educated about your company than in previous decades. The buyer is likely less interested in baseline information, too. The easy-to-look-up, top level information they likely already found themselves. Technical sellers are often considered the most trustworthy because they can answer the questions that do not have answers online. Technical sellers can also describe the product in great detail and show prospects how it can be used for their workforce. Taking it a step further, it’s key for sales professionals to answer questions about integrations. Provide detail on how their product can integrate with tools the prospect already knows and loves. Today, enablement for sales professionals should include a profound and detailed understanding and appreciation for the current business environment and how the product applies within it.
- Artificial Intelligence is More than a Buzzword: For years, there has been a need and desire for automation in sales. Automation tools are like a co-pilot to the sales professionals pilot. These tools allow teams to do more with less when implemented properly. Although it seems like a new headline pertaining to AI pops up daily, the truth is, it is only beginning. AI advancements are here to stay. In fact, 85% of salespeople using AI say it makes their prospecting efforts more effective, allows them to spend more time selling (79%), and helps build rapport faster (72%). AI tools not only help sales professionals develop email outreach faster. AI tools can make an immense impact by helping with account identification, prospecting, data analysis and more.
As the panel concluded, the participants were asked to leave a piece of advice. Maha Pula of Cloudflare shared that it is vital not to get caught up in the role you are in. For sales professionals, the tendency is to fixate on your quota, but it is essential to consider the other skills and roles that can propel your career. Especially as the industry continues to evolve, staying committed to upskilling is key. Additional skills will also help you keep the customer at the center and enhance your capabilities as a sales professional.