Why Implementing Automation is Key for Sales Acceleration Today Sales acceleration process helps increase sales velocity, reduce the time needed to close a sale, and bring in more revenue

The pandemic has not only changed the way we live, but it has also redefined the very way we do business. We can clearly see how and to what extentthe act of buying and selling has evolved. In-person sales have given way to a strong preference for online and video call-driven sales processes, as we rediscover and embrace the many benefits of the digital medium.To drive efficiency and effectiveness in this fast-emerging new format of selling,sales productivity tools, customer engagement tools, and sales automation tools,have becomethe holy trinity for almost all businesses.

What is sales acceleration?

Sales acceleration process helps increase sales velocity, reducethe time needed to close a sale, and bring in more revenue. These can be achieved by removing the guesswork involved inexecutingday-to-dayobjectives and tasksand givingsales professionals actionable insights to deliver a high-quality customer experience. This also helps themprioritizetheir work efficiently, ensuring they canclose deals faster, and eliminatesmanual work via automation to drive sales productivity.

Here's how automation plays a key role in sales acceleration

Sales CRM (Customer Relationship Management) for sales efficiency

Sales CRM tools help organize the process of lead capturing whilealso preventing lead leakage,and the integrated data enrichment platform provides all essential information about a potential customer to salespersons, whenever needed. Real-time insights about the prospect'sbehaviourmake it significantly easier to prioritise and act on the right targets at the right time. As a result, modern CRM tools empower marketing, sales,and other customer-facing teams by giving them the necessary tools to drive real-time communication and engage prospective customers throughout the entire lifecycle, from capture to conversion.

Modern Sales CRM tools are especially beneficial for teams with a significant lead volume and complex multi-touch customer lifecycles, as they act as a force multiplier,coveringseveral aspects – complete lead capture, instant distribution, personalized engagement at scale, qualification, sales notifications, reporting and more. This can drive efficiency at every single step.

Process automation for improving sales operations

As we complete the first quarter of 2022, it is increasingly evident that sales process automation is no longer just an option; it is a burning need of sales organizations of all sizes, from smaller firms to the largest organizations.With more and more customers going the online way, the competition has intensified for everyone in the digital world. The turnaround time for addressing any customer queryor concern is a key aspect of customer experience.And hence, it is the first thing that automation addresses, criticallyimprovingthe lead-to-conversion ratio.

As and when the volume of leads increases, the complexities of lead distributionalso increase,especially when new products or services are launched, or internal business processes change.This is why sales automation is key to driving efficiency at scale while minimizing expenditure.

Artificial Intelligence in Sales

Artificial intelligence helps sales professionals eliminate the need for manual intervention in several tasks and processes. They can make use of available (and underutilized) data to improve their performance in two ways:

AI for Lead Prioritization and Scoring - Large data sets from numerous sources can be analyzedactively and regularly using Artificial Intelligenceto derive actionable inputs, automate lead prioritization based, and optimizefocus on high-potential leads that need attention. This can boost sales productivity significantly,while also shorteningthe sales cycle.

AI for Sales forecasting- Lead scoring identifies which leadsare most likely to convert, after which, they must be assignedto the right salespeople. Using the power of AI, prospective leads can then be matched withthe most appropriate salespersons, based on past conversion patterns.

Sales automation – A need of the hour

Based on the above, it is now obvious why there is no time like the present for the implementation of sales automation to drive acceleration and growth for businesses. Not only does it help enable faster sales by streamlining processes, but italso helps create a transparent system for everyone involved,at all levels, within the sales lifecycle.