A truly integrated sales automation platform that connects reps with managers and customers, unifying the sales process across all customer touch-points, be those online or face-to-face is the ultimate sales tool for reps making their job so much easier.
A Sales Force Automation app built for CPG brands and wholesalers is the cornerstone of such a platform, providing reps the means to win in the field and at the shelf. Here is how it can benefit you and your team:
It enables guided selling
Field sales are increasingly complex these days with a growing list of SKUs, different pricing and commercial terms for each customer, multiple promotions being offered at any one time, not to mention the fact that each rep manages dozens of accounts.
Luckily, a sales force automation app can simplify much of the work and guide field reps through the processes they need to complete during each visit. That way they can make the most of their time.
Guided selling streamlines the selling process and minimizes errors, prompts reps to cross-sell and upsell based on flexible business rules, allows discounts to be applied consistently and more.
The ability to keep working even when disconnected from the network is a must for guided selling - offline logic is what enables you to support reps when connectivity is missing, guiding them as if you were right next to them at the meeting.
It enables a personalized customer experience
The more you know about your customers, the better able you are to service them and provide a solution to any problem.
A sales force automation app incorporating mobile CRM can cure many of your business pain points including lack of comprehensive customer knowledge, reduced ability to effectively cross-sell and up-sell, and inability to satisfy customers’ unique needs.
When your solution provides online and offline access to the latest customer data, sales teams can better prepare for visits, and be proactive rather that reactive. They can quickly respond to a potential opportunity or promptly address any issue your customers may throw at them.
Knowledge about your customers drives focus and efficiency to your field sales operations.
It improves merchandising at the point of sale
Regular retail audits are vital to ensure your retailers are compliant with your product placement strategy and there are no product voids. But in-store audits are often lengthy and complicated to execute. And the retail environment is constantly changing and evolving.
When you have retail execution capabilities as part of a sales automation platform, you have the ability to guide merchandisers in the field, for them to take photos of shelves, and help them visually identify items on a store shelf.
Using dynamic store audit surveys, you can help merchandisers check compliance with planograms and promotional agreements, accurately measure current stocks and your share of shelf and even use it for competitive analysis. They can complete tasks faster, with fewer errors, and make the most of every store visit.
It fosters collaboration and data-driven insights
Access to data is vital for any CPG business. It allows you to control what’s going on out in the field and enables smart decision making by managers and reps alike.
But data should not be limited to the reps’ device, nor should it be confined to a certain department or team in your organization. The more the data is shared across your business, the quicker it can turn into actionable insights.
Customer data gathered by sales reps, images captured by your merchandisers, or missing packages noted by your truck drivers, can be immediately shared within your company, to enable proper handling, monitoring and analysis. Managers can then make decisions based on data-driven insights and guide their teams to put those in action.
A B2B sales automation app must do more than just improve the day-to-day work of your field reps. It connects the field – reps and buyers - with your managers and office staff, enables communication both ways, supports better decisions and enables a strategic view of the entire sales operation.
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