Supporting Your Sales Team Through a Digital Acceleration

Digital transformation is coming at lightning speed. Previously in-person services are being offered virtually. New digital products are coming to the market quickly. The way we do business is forever changing. 

For example, our video platforms and remote work tools have been a beacon of light while working remotely during the coronavirus. They've offered us a chance to see familiar faces, whether those are casual social interactions or facilitated business conversations. These virtual moments keep our days feeling unique and less isolating. 

While accelerating the digital transformation of products and services, it is important to remember that our sales strategy may need to change. Even if we have identified a great consumer need and developed a great product or solution to meet that need, we won't be successful if we haven’t taught our sales teams  how to sell a new digital product.

No matter how fast we are moving, there are some tried and true tactics for preparing sales teams to pivot, adapt to a new product, and deliver results:

Make sure they know what they are selling
. That sounds ridiculously obvious. But, when we quickly develop and launch a new product it’s easy to forget to slow down long enough to explain it to other people. Introducing the sales team to the new product and sales process is important to building trust among the sales team, and for giving them the knowledge they need to sell it.

Salespeople need to understand the “why” of this product. What problem is it solving? What is the true market for it? They must feel good about who will buy the product and how much the customer will pay for it.

And, let’s not forget that the sales team is closest to the voice of the customer and will often have opinions about the success of the product before making their first pitch.

Ask for their feedback along the way. The pace of development might be lightning-fast, but the sooner we engage the sales team, the better. It’s a way to get valuable insights into marketability and likely customer reactions, but it will also make them feel more invested in the product and more equipped to sell it.  

Spend time and money on marketing collateral.
  We are typically thinking of the client when we develop marketing collateral and often forget that marketing collateral also gives our sales team the confidence that we’ve invested in all levels of the product launch. So, don’t skip this step no matter how quickly the product is moving. 

Build a selling toolbox.
 In addition to the marketing collateral, we also need to give our salespeople an arsenal of tools to make their job easy. This includes things like a 30-second elevator pitch, a sales deck, a checklist, and anything else that someone learning about the new product needs to know or that you want them to know. 

Incentivize, incentivize, incentivize
. Last but not least, this isn’t the time to make our sales teams feel financially insecure. It is important to make sure the sales compensation model matches the new product type to get the sales team focused on where you need them. 

Just like everything else when it comes to products, iterate! Evaluate the product, marketing tools, sales pitch, etc. with the team. What’s working? What needs to be revised?  What additional research is needed? Keep the conversations flowing to and from the sales team.

We’d love to hear what you are doing to engage your sales team. Or if you are in sales, what’s working in your organization as it digitally transforms? To help, Vecteris is offering a limited number of free coaching sessions for leaders to advise on your product launch plan and how to set up your sales team for success.  Reach out if you are interested in learning more.