How to Close your Sales Execution Gap Using Automation Software

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February 2, 2022 Marketing

In many aspects, the world of sales was badly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Sure, the e-commerce and delivery services had a boost but that was to be expected considering the lockdowns and other restrictions put in place.

Yet, the situation was not as happy in other segments such as events, accommodation, or various industry areas. True, there are other factors involved, like the supply chain crisis, but the pandemic shed light on a different problem that put many sales departments down: the execution gap.

In reality, sales managers didn’t need the pandemic to tell them there is such a problem. Almost all sales and marketing leaders are frustrated by the fact that their clever and clear strategies don’t become reality because of poor execution. This happens because there is a miscommunication between managers and their sales reps teams.

The reasons behind this miscommunication are usually rooted in a lack of quality guidance and coaching and maybe a lack of motivation from the reps. After all, sales (in person or otherwise) is a tough job that requires creativity and ingenuity.

Luckily, sales and marketing managers no longer have to rely on intuition and observation skills to identify underachievers and their reasons. Nowadays, you can use data and sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) systems to identify problems and find solutions.

Better Connection and Monitoring Tools

When done manually, this type of work requires hours of data collection and processing and you usually have both the sales and marketing teams working on lead generation and customer relations.

The effort is monumental and the work is definitely not satisfying since you don’t actually get to work with the customer until the later stages of the project. Plus, when you manage larger teams, it’s difficult to keep track of who is spending their time on admin tasks and who is actually using the data to improve their sales technique.

However, if you introduce automation into the equation, things change. For instance, a LinkedIn sales tool can help keep up B2B sales by taking over the collection and data processing part of the job. Even more, you will only need one or two people to set everything up and get the tool sending out messages and emails that don’t look spammy and manage to catch the receiver’s attention.

This type of tool will use the collected data to customize each message and initiate the conversation with other B2B representatives. By doing so, you will manage to improve your outreach programs and catch the attention of today’s educated and less predictable customers.

Better Sales Training

We mentioned at the beginning of the article that a lack of proper training is one of the reasons why the execution gap is a problem. Yet, the world is not filled with ill-intentioned sales reps who just want to see the world burn instead of going through their training.

As it turns out, the current CRM and Analytics systems used in most sales departments are not designed to help beginners. They do offer some monitoring options but they are not that good when it comes to guiding rookies.

Here is why intelligent tools, that use AI-driven algorithms, are a must! Instead of crowding your reps with tons of dusty materials that no one wants to read, an AI coach can offer guidance and even relatable examples on the job. It can also tell beginners who are in the company to ask for help in a certain situation, provide them with real-life performance analysis, and more.

Plus, intelligent tools offer recommendations on which opportunities are worthy of a rep’s attention and why. In fact, this type of tool can be useful for experienced reps as well, as a form of retraining if their performance drops.

Better Forecast Accuracy

Following the example set by online marketing departments everywhere, data is the lifeblood of good campaigns. Sure, you don’t always get it right from the first try, but the fact that you have access to data in real-time allows you to make changes on the go.

The same is true for sales. Traditional sales forecasts and analysis are often based on guesswork and business politics, which means the results can be wildly inaccurate. Luckily, with the use of Big Data and automation software, sales forecasting will cease being a fortune teller’s guess and will get a lot closer to what happens in the market.

Wrap Up

Overall, automation software is the tool of the future for companies that want to stay relevant and competitive. Of course, there are other tools a business can use to increase productivity, but automation powered by AI and ML systems should be a priority.