Many purchasing decision makers are now digital natives and that number continues to grow. This makes the excellence of your digital capabilities critical to sales success in 2024. Here are some key technologies that your team needs to operate effectively in the digital marketplace.
Streamline with ERP
Enterprise selling requires a centralized software system known as an Enterprise Resource Program (ERP). This program helps streamline your company’s essential processes, such as inventory control, asset and rental management, customer sales records, accounting, and business intelligence. Integrating ERP data with your Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system unifies your internal processes. It also enables your customers to make purchases, review orders, search inventory, check delivery status, and review accounts payable online. As a result, field salespeople can focus on relationship building and value-added selling instead of the traditional tasks of quoting, pricing, and chasing backorders and deliveries.
The convenience of E-commerce
E-commerce software offers consumers the ability to order 24/7. It integrates your ERP with your website and mobile apps. Additionally, ongoing innovations in multichannel marketplaces allow your customers the convenience of purchasing from third parties through your website.
E-commerce also offers the opportunity to develop deeper relationships with customers as it tracks their purchasing behavior over time. In fact, that data leads you to a better understanding of your customer’s needs and requirements and helps project future demand.
Artificial Intelligence transforms business
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly infiltrating the sales cycle and offers exciting possibilities for transforming how business is done. Moreover, distributors collect a myriad of valuable internal, customer, and vendor information in the process of doing business. AI can generate outputs based on that data.
Furthermore, AI outputs are only as good as the data you input. It must be properly managed. In a recent Forbes article on this topic, Simon Jelley points out that only 23% of your collected data will probably be “good” data. According to Jelley, there is a lot of data to clean to get to the good stuff. Also, make sure your team does this.
Sales reps bring knowledge and experience to the deal. With the right AI applications, your best salespeople become even better. AI is most effective in sales when it’s treated like an aid, as opposed to a replacement for key human practices.
Get Capable
Lastly, be sure your sales team has the digital capabilities they need to succeed. Use ERP, E-commerce, and AI applications to build a robust digital platform for your business.
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