Denise CourtneyYou only need to think back a few years to appreciate how quickly new technologies are changing our lives. Rewind to the days of no access to email from your phone. 25 years ago, you’d have had to hunt down a hefty desktop computer, and even they weren’t all that common. The first website wasn’t built until 1991 but now it’s impossible to imagine life without the internet.
We live in a digital age, where technology is advancing rapidly. We need to keep up because it’s too good to miss. Constant new developments are improving our ability to do business – if we’re making use of them.
Of course, successful sales remains as much about skilled communication and maintaining relationships as ever, but technology can certainly be a welcome helping hand. Read on for 3 major ways that technology can greatly increase your bottom line.
Tech can do the work, so you don’t have to.
You may have had processes in place for years that have worked wonderfully. But times have changed. There’s a constant stream of new apps, software and systems entering the market, and the odds are that they could help your company immensely. Digital solutions can replace or streamline time-consuming processes, making employees more productive and freeing up their time for more important tasks. For example, nurturing customer relationships, converting leads and ultimately making more sales.
Automated emails can be set up to send to prospects at certain points during the sales process, or online scheduling apps can drastically reduce the time spent managing timetables. A cloud-based expenses system means receipts can be logged on-the-go, avoiding entire days being lost to tedious admin.
The right CRM system maximises sales
A good CRM (or Customer Relationship Management) system is a game changer. And it does what it says on the tin. It’s a one-stop-shop for storing data to help build and maintain the best customer relationships. At its simplest, it’s a cloud-based system, where the information on each customer can be stored, and accessed by all staff as and when they need it. Personal details can be stored alongside purchase history and previous interactions, as well as a record of marketing materials received. This facilitates far better relationships with customers, leading to higher sales.
Targeted marketing campaigns can also be created and sent to only the relevant clients, giving a far greater conversion rate, and making customers feel understood and valued.
There are so many other features available too, including sales forecasting and analytics. You’re then able to predict future sales, as well as identifying key areas for improvement which should result in higher profit in the future.
Your online presence is a huge opportunity
Maximise on your online presence. A contemporary, on-brand, functional website is the first port-of-call. Pay particular attention to SEO – Search Engine Optimisation because even the best website is no use if people can’t find it. Not only should SEO be optimised for text searches, but it’s predicted that voice searches will soon become the norm, so ensure it’s enabled for those too.
Social media is huge. Milk it. Don’t underestimate the power of these platforms, as they’re key to building relationships with people and converting them to customers. People who feel they identify with the content you post or have had a personal interaction are far more likely to spend with you. Simple.
When it comes to ways that technology can help increase sales, the possibilities really are endless, and they’re increasing all the time – there are bound to be options that work for your business! You’re reading this blog, so clearly this is partly preaching to the converted. Keeping up with technology may be a never-ending task, but give it your best shot, and you’ll be rewarded with higher sales (and the pride of knowing that you’re down with the kids – kind of).