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According to a 2012 report by MarketingSherpa, 73 percent of all B2B leads are not sales-ready, which means only a small percentage of leads from marketing departments are high-quality leads that convert into customers. But these departments don’t always work in harmony. Failure to collaborate between departments: Sales representatives don’t usually start their day by cold-calling random numbers from the phone book they relies heavily on groundwork laid by other departments, like referrals from the customer service department or leads generated by marketing campaigns.This means they’re less prepared to answer questions, quickly offer the best solution, and move from closing conversations to order placement. 1 Without a centralized system for storing product information, contracts, customer documents, etc., salespeople are left fumbling through shared network drives or three-ring binders with 47 tabs. No centralized knowledge management: About one-third of sales representatives say their company’s organizational approach makes it difficult to find the right sales materials when they need them.1 This fear isn’t unrealistic, since there are a lot of inherent problems in the average sales force: A recent study by CSO Insights revealed that 75 percent of CSOs shoot for at least five percent revenue growth during the year, but roughly half of them are worried they will fail. Market OverviewĮvery sales director wants to bring in more revenue and expand their company’s customer base, but they don’t always know how to equip their teams for success. This guide will walk readers through the different kinds of software available to sales departments, examine current industry trends, and provide a case study of a market-leading solution. Instead, they’ve turned to modern sales software solutions that help agents win new relationships more effectively and at a lower cost. Many organizations have already realized that paper-based methods, spreadsheets, and multiple, non-integrated systems are completely inadequate tools for managing sales operations. At a higher level, executive leaders struggle to make data-driven decisions and keep an eye on team performance.
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Sales representatives struggle with finding quality leads, personalizing their pitches, following up with hundreds of prospects per week, and staying on the cutting edge of knowledge about their company’s products and services. Perhaps more than any other department, the sales department is responsible for supporting and growing a company’s bottom line, but there are a number of challenges that make this difficult. TechnologyAdvice Guide to Sales Software Updated: ApIntroduction
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