5 sales challenges in 2023
As times have changed with the majority of us working from home, sales has changed with it. There are new challenges coming to play in 2023 for salespeople that they will have to overcome.
Virtual
We’ve entered a new world where most of us are now working from home rather than offices, this means that when it comes to any type of communication, the vast majority of this will be executed virtually over the phone or on a video call.
With sales being such a prominent part of the business and selling world, this could become a challenge for the salespeople out there. Building relationships with clients takes time and effort with trust being a huge factor towards the result of success, prior to this, it was a much smoother process with sales reps meeting in person onsite to build loyalty. So it will be a big challenge to overcome when you bring the component of virtual communication into play.
A way to make this change easier? Personalise the experience, use the technology to your advantage and find ways of communicating virtually in a personal manner, which will build a strong connection between you and the client.
Productivity
Naturally with remote working can come a drop in productivity, which experts are saying is going to be one of the challenges salespeople will be facing. Efficiency can decline which can affect the overall functions of a business, so it’s important that businesses come up with new ways of ensuring their sales teams are working to the best of their ability when working from home.
With buyer habits changing and the way salespeople are working, it’s a tough time which is why productivity is declining, as things are changing all at the same time.
A solution for this challenge coming up? Managers and team leaders will need to step in and provide firm guidance and keep a consistent sales process, this creates clarity for the sales team and will evidently increase productivity.
Less efficiency
AI brings many benefits when it comes to sales, it’s more efficient and makes use of advanced algorithms and analytics tools which will help to improve and automate the overall sales operations. The use of AI within sales can quicken those slow tasks, saving more time and increasing productivity within the workplace.
A way of resolving this challenge is to start implementing AI tehnology into your sales processes, it can allow you to acquire and engage with new customers, and it also means you can stay ahead of your competitors and complete tasks faster.
Competition
One of the biggest challenges salespeople faced in 2022 was competition. It’s such a competitive industry to be in as everyone is all trying to achieve the same objective – gain customers and sell the products and services.
To overcome this challenge, it’s important that your sales team know the business inside and out and know exactly what each product and service offers, so when they do attract a customer, they come across as confident and authentic with personal touches, this can differentiate you from most competitors as sometimes it can comes across as very robotic when a client or customers is being sold a product.
Value customer experience
In 2023, implement more focus on your customers and their experience with your products and services. It’s important to put your expenses into certain aspects of your business like products, hiring new talent or implementing more training, but where you could be going wrong is not putting enough money into customer service.
Customer service is really one of the most important parts of any business, especially sales. As the sales team will be directly communicating with clients/customers, it is vital that customer experience is a priority as this will determine whether they return or even use your services in the first place.
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