Here at Excelerate360, we have worked tirelessly to successfully implement a sophisticated sales tech stack that helps our clients throughout their sales cycle, from lead generation, through to closing new business.
It’s not easy to achieve, and involves a big commitment in time and money, but the benefits of sales technology can be enormous.
Here, we will use the expert advice of our Sales Operations Manager Hollie Dollimore, to help you understand the stages required to implement technology into your own sales processes.
Step One: Define your needs
Assessing your organisation’s needs before implementing technology in the sales cycle is crucial. This includes identifying pain points in your current sales process and determining what you hope to achieve by implementing new technology.
The most important part of the process is mapping out what you need, not trying to replicate what you already have.
Don’t be stuck with how you’ve always done it, get creative and really think about how you would like your business to operate, and then research the technology available to create a stack that works for you.
You want to consider the value you wish to extract from this process. For example, implementing sales technology can save you time. You want sales people on the phone, not spending time with tasks that can be automated. You also want to give your staff the sales enablement tools to work with them to deliver better results.
Step Two: Do your research
Start by creating a document and listing all of the tools you could potentially use. Research what they do, what systems they integrate with, and what they could potentially bring to the table for your company.
This process, again, needs to be designed around the needs of your business you have already defined in step one.
For example, at Excelerate360, we needed a sales tech stack that is adaptable, giving us the ability to scale up and scale down quickly to suit our clients’ needs. Some companies offered that, but others wouldn’t have been able to scale quickly enough, so we had to stay firm to our requirements.
In your document, also list all the unique selling points (USPs) of each technology, mapping it against what you need. For example, if you wish to run bulk email campaigns, with A/B testing, you can implement a process of elimination to identify which tech can provide this, and which can’t.
As you build this database of potential sales technology, go through each one, and ask yourself:
‘What is an absolute necessity, what should we have, and what would be nice to have?’
During this research phase, you will find you are spending lots of time on sales calls, speaking with salespeople who, naturally, will be trying to persuade you to buy. Don’t be afraid to cut to the chase, and ask the questions to determine if they will really be able to provide what your company needs.
You can ask for product demos so you can see the technology in action, and, to get an idea of user experience, it’s also a good idea to visit G2. There, you can see people’s reviews and a rating out of 5, with anecdotal feedback which can be vital in your decision making process.
Step Three: Map out your process flow
When we were talking to SFDC, they said to us, ‘For us to understand what you need from us, we need to understand your process flow from start to finish, including all the tools you currently use.’
To map your complete internal processes, use tools such as Draw IO. This way you can visually detail your business development, data storage, inbound and outbound processes, and the different applications you use; from initial query right the way through to closing the sale.
For example, if you’ve had a conversation with a prospect it becomes an active opportunity, then it may be a proposal, final presentation, negotiation, contract, contract deadlines, close.
Not only will this help ensure you have a detailed understanding of your own business processes, but will provide your new supplier with a great visual aid, and give you the starting point for breaking down each stage of the process individually, which brings us to step number four.
Step Four: Plan which data fields you want to capture
It’s important to have a clear understanding of what your products are and their pricing, as you can build this into your system.
Then, you will want to identify basic data fields you wish to capture at each stage of your sales process. For example, if you were adding a new lead, you want to know what the source of this lead was, so you have trackability of data to ensure you can accurately audit and ensure your business is complying with GDPR requirements.
Do you want to integrate telephony, emails and LinkedIn, all in one place? Are you planning on segmenting your lead generation approach? If so, you may also want to create pick lists which allow you to segment values.
For example, if you want to segment by company size, you can implement this segmentation into your data capturing process, meaning all of this is filtered for you automatically.
Our sales tech stack does exactly that, allowing us to build out our clients’ ICP using a data sheet, which we segment into lists. So, if they want to target marketing managers, for example, that will be a list of its own.
The data is pulled in from the client information, and then we create lead lists. We then have the ability to roll these lead lists into cadences, which can include automated emails. Emails are segmented depending on the territory our clients are going after, to again comply with individual laws and GDPR regulations.
Step Five: Work with an implementer
When we signed up with Salesforce, they recommended using an implementer, who will configure the system for you.
They can see what your process was, as mapped out before. We also mapped out all the data fields we would need, and they went through it step by step.
You will need to determine what you want to achieve, what integrations you want, and what data fields you want to capture. Then, it comes down to data migration.
What kind of data do you want to transfer from your existing system? Is the data clean? Please note, you don’t want to bring existing problems such as duplicate data into a brand new system.
That’s why the more time you spend making sure the data you’re pulling across is clean, the better things will be moving forward. As a warning, cleaning existing data can be a long, arduous process.
The implementer will also need you to provide a hierarchy of access map, detailing users and permission of each technology.
Step Six: Get your sales team onboard
Another thing an implementer may offer is to provide training for your sales team. Ask that these sessions be recorded so your sales team have a reference moving forward.
Despite this reference, however, it’s also important to continuously refresh this information for your team. It’s important to get your team to ‘buy in’ to this technology, where instead of seeing it as a hurdle, they see it as a tool to streamline their outreach.
For example, your sales team can save a lot of time by automating their lower value prospects into a completely automated cadence, giving them more time to create a personalised, tailored approach for their most important targets.
For 6 months after training completion, we provided an hour of mandatory training every week to ensure each staff member is on top of the technology and using it in a way that is beneficial to their performance.
Step Seven: Keep up the good work
Once you have implemented your sales tech stack, you would be forgiven for feeling like all your work is done. After all, this is a huge investment of time and money, so you will feel a sense of accomplishment once your sales process is running smoothly just as you have envisaged.
However, this is now only the start. With technology firms around the world continuously emerging and growing , it is important your operations team keep hold of your research document, and continuously add to it.
This way, you’ll always be on the pulse and ready to adapt to changes in the market, staying one step ahead of your competitors.
The Challenges (and Solutions) of Building a Sales Tech Stack
While implementing technology in your sales process is so impactful for your business, the process can also present some challenges.
Below are some common challenges you may face and solutions to help you overcome them.
Resistance to Change
Some sales teams may be hesitant to adopt new technology, especially if they are comfortable with their existing processes.
This can be a difficult process getting them to buy-in as, for example, having complete visibility may make salespeople feel under the spotlight, when in fact the technology is there to help them perform better and increase the likelihood of hitting their targets.
To overcome this challenge, communicate the benefits of the new technology and involve your sales team in the decision-making process.
Encourage them to share their concerns and provide feedback on the latest technology. Training and support can also ease the transition and increase the pace of implementation.
Of course, technology can be overwhelming for some, which is why we recommend implementing bite size training, recording it, and saving it somewhere they can go back to view as and when they need.
If you still experience a reluctance to adopt the technology (particularly from salespeople) – you can always revert to “If it’s not in the CRM, it hasn’t happened. If it hasn’t happened, then no commission!”
Integration
Integrating new technology with existing systems may present another challenge to your sales tech stack implementation. Incompatibility issues can cause delays and disruptions, and data migration can be time-consuming and complex.
For example, our initial estimate of 3-4 months integration was hit with delays that took over one year in total to finish.
However, we are a slightly unique use case, in that we not only had to cater for our internal systems, but for our 30+ clients simultaneously, so your needs may not necessarily be as complex.
As mentioned, the best solution is to research beforehand and ensure the technology integrates with your existing systems. Consider working with a vendor that provides integration support and services.
Also, plan for data migration and create a comprehensive plan to minimise disruption.
Cost Considerations
The expense of implementing a comprehensive sales tech stack can be eye-watering, especially for start-ups and medium-sized businesses. These costs can include software licensing, hardware upgrades, and IT support.
To manage costs, remember to assess your needs and only select the technology solutions that align with your company goals. Consider a cloud-based solution that requires minimal hardware and IT support.
Access to a Sales Tech Stack, Without the Commitment
If you’re looking to optimise your sales process, then implementing a sophisticated sales tech stack will take your business to a new level.
From increased efficiency and productivity to real-time insights and analytics, this technology solution can provide a competitive edge in today’s fast-paced business environment.
However, be sure to understand that this is a huge investment, both in terms of time and resources.
If you’re not sure whether you can afford to invest this time, energy and money into revamping your sales tech stack, then why not consider outsourcing your sales activity to an agency that is already equipped with a comprehensive sales tech stack?
That way, you reap the benefits of sales technology, without the long term commitment to the software.
To learn more, get in touch today and a friendly member of our team will guide you through your options.