
Does your 2019 sales plan include an inbound sales strategy? Currently, sales is at point of its own revolution. We can say that inbound sales is a strategy that focuses on attracting customers, or leads using all the SEO techniques, including social media, email, content marketing. With internet penetration, the buyer can make an informed decision with all of the options and information that is available which leads to more competition, more noise, and ultimately more control in the buyer’s hands.
This new era of empowered buyers has forced a change within sales. Enters Inbound Sales – a sales approach that better aligns with the preferences and behaviors of modern buyers. The secret ingredient to inbound sales is creating valuable, relevant and helpful content to create a positive impression in a future customer’s mind. With this in mind, we have identified 7 critical must-haves in your inbound sales plan, regardless of your company’s size or structure:
Invest in social selling
Social media continues to be a way to reach B2B buyers. According to IBM, 55% of buyers do all their research using social networks. Search helps when people are looking for information. Social helps put your message in front of people that may not be searching, but still need what you have. Teams should not only consider, but dive into social selling as an everyday action to build long-term relationships with prospects and contacts.
Determine how buyers want to communicate
When prospecting or communicating with leads, do you dictate the method of communication, or do they? In 2019 it will be important to heed shifts in buyer preferences and instead of always calling or emailing, adapt to reach buyers in the environments they prefer, at the right times. Social channels, video and webinars, messenger apps; channel diversity is ever increasing. Familiarise yourself with the channels your buyers prefer, to communicate effectively.
Connect with context
From the sales side, the goal of connecting with a prospect is a open two-way dialogue that uncovers enough information to convert a lead to a qualified lead. To do that, you have to connect with a lead based on the context of their actions as it relates to their buyer journey. The type of content you decide to share will depend on the company they work for and their role in the company. If that prospect is already in the consideration stage, however, you could offer a free consultation or webinar, which again aligns with their specific needs at that specific time.
Explore new content mediums
Buyers and researchers all have preferences about where to get their information. We live in a content creation world that has more publishing mediums every year. If you are looking to expand your digital marketing reach, adding one new platform next year could be a great way to do it. Start by asking your current customers where they already spend their time and look for opportunities to expand on those channels and platforms.
Automate website communication with chatbots
Live chat and chatbots can be a great way to connect with your users when they are ready to talk to you. With many platforms to choose from, many companies have made the switch to this type of engagement platform on their website. Instead of relying on their team’s bandwidth, many companies have made the switch to automated chatbots that help screen visitors and answer their initial questions before sending them through to a salesperson.
Focus on customer success
Although 63% of marketers claim that generating traffic and leads is their main priority right now, inbound success in 2019 relies on shifting focus towards the customer. This means giving priority to customer success, customer service, keeping them engaged, happy and providing them with useful resources to empower them. This is key to upselling and growing from your business’ growth point of view, rather than just focusing on bringing in new leads all the time.
Increase Your Video Marketing Budgets
According to Cisco, 82% of all web traffic will be video by 2021. Video has become more affordable, targeted and measurable than ever before. Experiment with video throughout your sales and marketing process – lead introduction, prospecting, follow-up, referrals, nurturing. With an increased demand for video content, it’s important you put an emphasis on quality content creation heading into 2019 to boost your inbound marketing efforts.
The points above are all integral to inbound sales. Whatever sales strategies you’re currently using, there’s no denying that inbound sales is on the verge of exploding. Those who make that switch are set to gain the advantage in 2019. Boost your sales tactics with VSynergize and significantly reduce your time, efforts, and expenses. We can get you started in 24-48 hrs, if you have any questions shoot us an email at info@vsynergize.com or call on 855-203-8196.
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