Death of a Door-to-door Salesman
Door-to-door salesmen are a dying breed, and for good reason. It's reckless to knock on random peoples’ doors uninvited. Door-to-door sales reps play the number game. The more doors they knock on, the more likely they are to land a sale. But they don't understand their customers. They don't tap into their wants or needs.
Today, modern technology allows us to reach customers through deeper engagement. We have more mediums of communication better suited for business. Consequently, the door-to-door salesman has been replaced by the inside sales professional.
The key to inside sales is getting “inside.” And the modern rep does this by trying many channels instead of doors (emails, phone calls, web chats, social media engagements, etc.).
Securing a sale is a tiered process that goes beyond the initial point of contact. There are steps along the way that lead customers to make their purchase. An inside sales rep must tap into the customer’s journey so that they can better peddle their wares.
Productivity and enablement tools serve as a way to consolidate the customer journey. Inside sales professionals use technology, such as a CRM, to keep track of customers or leads. Then, they can use strategic marketing to deliver appropriate materials for prospects at key milestones.
New data has fueled this new “smart sales” approach to market. With the right tools, sales representatives can easily recognize potential customers. They can research their companies and background instantly. This allows them to speak to each individual's specific and unique needs.
Customers benefit because their sales experience is much more targeted. They feel that inside sales reps respect and understand them. And inside salespeople are able to deliver a better customer experiences, which increase their likelihood of success.
Calls, emails, internet interactions, chats and social engagements are all chalked full of valuable data that sales reps can prospect. With modern technology, inside sales reps can combine these channels in single dashboards. They can cloud their data together in the CRM and analyze their pipeline. Managers can look at the performance of market systems and individuals to optimize performance. They can also look at customers and track behaviors at both the micro and macro level.
It’s a far more fluid and dynamic approach, and it makes for far more effective selling.