Dual approach to digital sales
A survey conducted by the consulting firm McKinsey with sales executives from both North America and Europe revealed that the success of companies with the greatest growth in their digital sales lies in a dual approach in various areas.
Dynamic consumer experiences, combined with the use of digital tools and data to support decisions and operations
On the one hand, and according to the book “ Sales Growth: Five Proven Strategies from the World's Sales Leaders” by the consulting firm McKinsey itself, the digital sales system must begin with a deep understanding of what the customer thinks and expects throughout the entire purchasing process.
Their expectations must be analyzed and met, through an optimal digital experience, with the appropriate diversity of options.
Navigating digital devices is probably the most important step in the process. However, there are many other aspects to test, which must also be optimized through continuous testing. On the other hand, this entire customer experience must be supported by the use of digital tools and analytical capacity. It is essential to leave behind inefficient intuitive decisions and adopt an analytical approach, free of prejudices.
In this way, the following can be identified:
The best sales opportunities.
Market trends and customer consumption patterns.
I have previously referred to the importance of data analytics as a key tool for sales growth. You can read other articles on the subject here:
Recommended reading:
How to take advantage of Big Data
Best practices for developing Data Science on Salesforce
Why you need to implement Data Driven Marketing immediately
Global involvement from sales leaders to commercial managers
Leaders of any organization must be fully committed to and knowledgeable about the digital transformation of their sales system. This means evangelizing, supporting, and efficiently communicating the business’s digital strategy and vision to all marketing and sales managers.
In fact, marketing, sales and IT managers must begin to work in an integrated and coordinated manner, given the indivisible nature of their functions in the digital field. Company leadership must eliminate traditional silos and provide the necessary resources to ensure this new collaborative environment.
Of course, the marketing and sales strategy itself, as well as the sales managers, must be familiar with the new tools, and guarantee a homogeneous experience for customers, through omnichannel marketing. You can read more about this in this other article: How to develop an effective omnichannel marketing strategy?
Understanding the Digital Sales Funnel
The traditional sales funnel is still fully valid in today's digital economy. However, you need to know how to adapt to this new environment.
Discovery
Currently, the discovery phase of products and services takes place primarily through digital advertising and inbound marketing.
The first is articulated through a set of advertising platforms provided by the main search engines – such as Google and Bing – as well as social networks – such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest or Snapchat. Even giants such as Amazon already have their own advertising platforms such as AMS (Amazon Marketing Services).
Inbound marketing, on the other hand, consists of a carefully crafted content marketing strategy, supported by marketing automation tools.
Interest
Generating greater interest from potential customers is based on:
Providing quality content, through emails and articles on business blogs.
Developing a long-term relationship with subscribers and followers of the brand, either through email nurturing or a carefully crafted social media interaction strategy.
Decision
The decision phase, on the other hand, requires
multiple resources to support the customer's decision.Digital conversion funnels include, among other things:
Elaborate sales pages.
Personalized email marketing sequences.
Product descriptions.
Retargeting advertising.
Action
The action phase is articulated through digital shopping carts, online gateways with multiple payment methods and, of course, analytical tools that allow monitoring the evolution of conversions.
Loyalty
Finally, the post-sale experience and the LTV (Life Time Value) of the customer is the key to achieving the highest possible ROI on the investment in Digital Sales.
Achieving recurring sales and, in general, customer loyalty requires:
Digital ticketing and customer service platforms.
Fluid communication through social networks.
And even the recent use of artificial intelligence chatbots, which can also intervene during the interest and decision phases.
In conclusion, digital sales are a natural step for your business or your role as a sales manager for a company. Knowing each of these factors is essential to navigate safely in this new digital economy and make the most appropriate transformation decisions.
