23rd March 2021
Taking a look at how to keep the numbers ticking over.
With lockdown 3.0 easing (UK) there is a glimmer of hope about businesses getting their teams back together into the office. Perhaps not all teams are necessary for a team/office environment (for those hoping to work from home forever) but one team where it is certainly necessary, is the sales team.
When you work in sales there is no two ways about it, you need to have others around you to go through the highs and lows, someone to talk to and learn from, a manager to encourage and motivate you, a beer at the end of a Thursday to take the edge off the week and ease into the weekend.. Oh, the Thursday beers! You might wonder where I am going with this, perhaps I just wanted to reminisce.
Alongside focusing on employee happiness with all of the yoga and wellness zoom calls, team calls, end of day calls - how can the wider company keep sales ticking over by doing very little? Especially when their sales teams are at home, probably distracted and likely to be quite unmotivated. After all, (most) salespeople have big egos and the need for attention which being in an office helps. It’s okay, for me to say this - been there and done it, frankly, I can say I still am in sales so don’t be too upset. There are also endless excuses at the moment; the economy, they’re not in the office, they’ve furloughed half of their staff, everybody is holding onto the budget, I think I’ve got Corona (don’t recommend this one), etc.
Investing in technology has really stood out for businesses throughout the last year and one way of doing so is through their own sales and ordering app. So how could your own sales/ordering app help improve your numbers?
1. Staying connected with customers.
Staying connected with customers is a constant battle and usually takes up a lot of time and resource, especially in a way that’s going to encourage them to engage. Being able to notify your customers of new products, a flash sale or promotion is a free and easy way to keep customers up to date and keep your business at the front of their mind when it comes to needing something. Allow your customers to carry you around in their pockets 24/7.
2. Selling overstocked products.
There are multiple occasions when big retailers place a huge order only for the last minute to say they only need half of what they originally ordered leaving you with lots of stock left over. The usual process then is for sales reps to call up every other customer/reseller to see if they want it, this again takes time and resources. If you could send a notification to a group of accounts quickly notifying them of this sudden influx of stock (SALE ON 2000kg of ____) wouldn’t that make your life easier? Give your sales reps some time back to be actively selling other products or creating new inroads with new businesses.
3. Simplicity, Simplicity, Simplicity.
Much like my mind, keep it simple. If you are at the forefront of changing an industry and you are really embracing the “customer experience” era then make the whole buying process easy for your customer. Create a simple and user-friendly app for them to see everything that you have to offer. Let your customers order what they want or accept your (pushed) promotion in three clicks or less. Just look at Amazon, their buying process is simple and fast. In a world where convenience and simplicity is key surely this makes sense?! Give your customers some time back.
In conclusion, having your own sales and ordering app is another string to the never-ending bow. It shows that you are innovative, that you’re investing and committed to the future, investing in your customers, and that you are aware of the changing of the guard to the modern millennial at the helm of a family-run business. Of course, I am biased but this comes from a number of years within the technology/software industry and seeing with my own eyes that everything is moving in a digital direction and my main piece of advice would be to get involved early.
