{"id":49880,"date":"2020-11-23T17:51:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-18T17:51:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=49880"},"modified":"2023-04-05T15:05:48","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T05:05:48","slug":"how-building-trust-and-focusing-on-value-helped-go1s-sales-teams-thrive-through-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/au\/blog\/how-building-trust-and-focusing-on-value-helped-go1s-sales-teams-thrive-through-change\/","title":{"rendered":"What Helped Go1\u2019s Sales Teams Thrive Through Change?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Natasha Burns, Sales Director, Go1<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our business specialises in online learning and training, but travel was an important part of the mix as some customers still relied on face-to-face sales meetings. When COVID hit, we quickly adopted a game plan to ensure our great relationship with them was maintained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keeping our sales teams collaborating and aligned across the business internally, especially during lockdown periods in different jurisdictions, wasn\u2019t as challenging as it was for other organisations. We have always adopted the latest communication and collaboration tools. This meant there was zero learning curve for video and online chat platforms when working from home became the norm.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There’s no doubt that having sales reps physically selling beside each other is valuable \u2013 having fluid and organic conversations are always beneficial. During the pandemic, we replicated these experiences in an online environment. There were times when we probably over-communicated, but that\u2019s better than missing out on something important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With most other organisations working remotely as well, we\u2019ve seen an increase in demand for online learning and training. Technology, especially automation, has helped us stay on top of this rising demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only that, it\u2019s also helped us demonstrate more value to our customers to exceed their expectations. This year we\u2019ve prioritised automating the admin side of sales, and removing routine tasks like data entry so reps can focus on gaining customer insights and learn new skills to provide a better customer experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trust and relationships matter more than ever<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve benefited from rising trends like remote work. We still have our foot on the accelerator, but we\u2019re conscious that our customers and prospects might not be in the same situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, many organisations are tightening budgets, and sometimes this means reducing software licences and subscriptions. Having greater understanding of how, when and why decisions like this are being made<\/a> has become even more critical for us this past year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spending more time gathering as much information as possible about the business challenges our customers face has had huge benefits for us. If we can\u2019t write a job description for a new customer or prospect, then we need to dig deeper. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no shortage of competition, and buyers are looking for someone who can provide insights, discuss trends and tailor the conversation to their needs, rather than sticking to generics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read their quarterly reports, learn about their business strategies, get your hands on financial statements if possible, and pay attention to any upcoming events \u2013 either specific to their business or in the wider world \u2013 that might be triggers for activity on their end. Even something as simple as a daily Google Alert for news on their company can be useful. It takes more work upfront, but having this information helps us see how training or learning initiatives fit into their plans so we\u2019re having a productive conversation from day one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Balance process and autonomy \u2013 and automate as much as possible<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re always trying to improve our processes and give leaders and reps greater oversight, but everyone working remotely this year has really hammered home the importance of visibility. After all, great outputs depend on accurate inputs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Automation has really helped us make sure that we\u2019re getting good quality data and consistent data entry. In particular, we\u2019ve encouraged top-of-funnel automation as much as possible. We were also able to set up a process within our Salesforce platform that doesn\u2019t allow reps to progress a lead if certain information is left blank. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have also implemented data and automation tools to boost our leads-nurture process<\/a> and remove some manual admin so sales reps can focus on building relationships. For example, the systems we have implemented will send automatic emails after meetings using several templates depending on a pulse check of how the meeting went.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because everyone isn\u2019t working from one place, implementing these streamlined processes means everyone\u2019s on the same page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, it helps to go with the flow<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Our sales rhythm and processes have and will continue to change to adapt to client requirements. We\u2019re starting to bring product demos into the conversation earlier than in the past as more buyers are empowered and coming in with some knowledge of the products beforehand\u2013 they\u2019ve either engaged with a free trial or through content on our website. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there\u2019s some art and science involved in knowing when and how to do this. Is the right time to show a product during the first call? If they already know something about our product, how does that dictate discovery? There\u2019s some skill in reading the situation and just being comfortable with a more dynamic first call. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Qualifying leads faster has also become more important. This year sales reps have a lot more responsibility and accountability to manage their pipeline. Budgets are tight and there\u2019s more oversight of how much time we\u2019re spending at various stages of the sales cycle, so we want to make sure that we\u2019re directing our time and effort where it\u2019s going to make the most difference. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Find out how other sales leaders are driving business resilience and growth by downloading the fourth edition of the State of Sales report<\/a>.  <\/p>\n\n\n