2020 is now behind us, and 2021 has begun, and there have been big shifts in buyer behavior and the selling environment over the past year. Yet these shifts have ongoing repercussions (but also possibilities) going forward as well. Looking ahead at the sales trends you\u2019re most likely to see in 2021 will help you and your sales team prepare for what\u2019s coming. To help you hit the ground running, we’ll discuss some of these trends today.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t exactly one of the brand-new trends of 2021. The shift to Zoom presentations and remote meetings and work took off as businesses shut down offices and travel during the global pandemic.<\/p>\n
But even as the world begins to return to normal, sales organizations have already adapted to this new way of doing business. Many companies may still allow or encourage sales reps to work from home<\/a> at least some of the time, changing the atmosphere of the office.<\/strong> And business travel likely won\u2019t recover to pre-pandemic levels quickly \u2013 or maybe ever.<\/p>\n While face-to-face meetings will always have an important place in the sales process, teams will certainly continue to conduct some parts of business remotely in 2021.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What buyers expect from sales teams has changed over the last year, and those changes look likely to hold true in 2021 as well. This is partly a result of changes in the customer experience. B2B sales isn\u2019t operating quite the same as it used to. As such, businesses are getting accustomed to buying like consumers, who have more and more low-to-no-touch sales experiences.<\/strong><\/p>\n And this means making the buying process shorter and simpler for your customers is going to be<\/strong> important. Customers don\u2019t have a lot of patience anymore for a long sales cycle<\/a> with endless meetings and touchpoints in most industries.<\/p>\n Increasing the productivity of your sales reps<\/a> and refining your sales playbook<\/a> to the essentials will be vital this year.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Working remotely brings plenty of benefits \u2013 but it brings challenges as well. Keeping all your sales reps aligned and on the same page is essential. Luckily, it\u2019s easier with the new wave of advanced sales tools out there.<\/p>\n Increasingly sophisticated CRM systems<\/a> help you track customer data and prospect progress. This way, your sales teams can focus on what really matters and have the right data to make sales decisions. Chatbots and live chat options on websites are also highly popular with customers.<\/strong> This offers them a way to get basic assistance and answers to questions without waiting to talk to a person.<\/p>\n This is an area where business owners should certainly be investing. The money spent will be well worth it in sales ROI in 2021.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n You already know that marketing is an essential partner of any sales team. This is even more true this year \u2013 both teams need to be highly aligned to succeed. This can mean working together to create new forms of lead generation<\/a> like webinars, which are set to be a big trend in 2021 as well.<\/strong><\/p>\n It can also mean consulting with your marketing team to look at any new needs and desires of your customers. They spend a lot of time paying attention to the latest marketing trends<\/a> and creating relevant content as well. Hence, your sales team would do well to check in with them often.<\/p>\n Sales and marketing teams working together will be critical to your success this year. So, make sure you have a plan on hand to help that happen.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Prospects don\u2019t need a sales rep to guide them through the buyer journey from start to finish anymore. In fact, you probably don\u2019t even have one single customer journey any longer. Potential buyers can choose from a whole variety of channels to engage with your business<\/strong>, from social media to your website to advertising.<\/p>\n This is because prospects can now typically conduct extensive research on your industry and your products or services before they ever make contact with a salesperson. Therefore, you need to pay attention to a whole variety of channels and buyer journeys so that each prospect gets what they need.<\/strong><\/p>\n And personalizing your product offer to what each unique customer needs is now a given. By this we mean the end of the ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach in 2021.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In a marketing and sales-saturated world, it\u2019s getting even harder every year to break through your prospects. There\u2019s just so much noise out there, and your competitors are all likely taking pretty similar approaches. That\u2019s why you need to get at least a little bit creative with your sales approach.<\/p>\n Yet creativity will look different for every sales organization.<\/strong> (After all, if we told you exactly what to do, it wouldn\u2019t be very creative.)<\/p>\n It can mean:<\/p>\n Fortunately, sales teams have already had plenty of experience getting flexible and adaptable in 2020. We can thank the fast-shifting economic climate and restrictions from COVID-19, which forced changes to happen with lightning speed.<\/p>\n And with plenty of research to back up creative ideas, your sales team could really stand out from the pack in 2021.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This trend might seem like it\u2019s the opposite of creativity, but in fact these are complementary focus areas. In order to let your sales team\u2019s creativity flow, you also need to start from a solid foundation of basic sales processes<\/a> and a clear sales playbook that provide a roadmap for your sales team to follow.<\/p>\n These items don\u2019t need to be restrictive, but they will help align your whole team and outline what you truly need to focus on for success.<\/strong> Then your sales reps are free to be creative with clear guidelines in place, closing deals instead of creating chaos.<\/p>\n Integrating plenty of customer data from your CRM into how you create and use sales reports<\/a> and using all of this to create a smart, data-driven sales strategy for 2021<\/a> will<\/strong> provide the backbone that lets your creative efforts really shine.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Making sure your customers have great support when something goes wrong isn\u2019t enough to succeed in 2021. You should be shifting instead to convincing prospects you\u2019re genuinely interested in helping their business succeed, not just in selling a product.<\/p>\n Instead of focusing on how you help them when something goes wrong, ensure they know you\u2019re here to help things go right for their business and providing a positive customer experience<\/a> from the first day they become a customer.<\/strong><\/p>\n Customers are highly demanding these days, especially in the B2B world, so make sure they know you\u2019re up to the task. And they\u2019re also quick to jump to a competitor when they aren\u2019t getting what they want, so ensure your other teams are truly delivering what your sales team is promising to reduce turn-over.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Looking for ways to stand out and hit new revenue heights in 2021? You\u2019re not alone \u2013 your competition is looking at the same trends. If you want help getting ahead of everyone else and all the latest sales trends for 2021 as well, you need a customized solution and expert advice to stand out.<\/strong><\/p>\n That\u2019s what we offer here at 360 Consulting \u2013 deep sales expertise driven by decades of experience as well as a constant view of the latest trends and developments.<\/p>\nA Change in the Customer Journey <\/strong><\/h3>\n
More Sophisticated Sales Tools <\/strong><\/h3>\n
Sales and Marketing Working Together <\/strong><\/h3>\n
Customized Customer Experiences <\/strong><\/h3>\n
Channeling Creativity <\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
Fine-Tuning Your Sales Process <\/strong><\/h3>\n
Prioritize Customer Success <\/strong><\/h3>\n
Keeping Up with Sales Trends for 2021<\/strong><\/h2>\n