Marketing tools scale well
There is abundance of tools and solutions for Marketing.
This is probably because information technologies is very efficient when a process:
- Can be automated
- Replicated over an over again
- Large numbers are available making automation profitable
- Large numbers enable to generate statistical data
The large numbers and the replicative feature comply with the one to many communications character of Marketing.
Marketing has a whole range of applications and web services available for:
- Email campaigns
- Direct mail
- Website analytic
- Inquiry forms
- SEO analysis
- Webinar
- Presentation software
- Lead management software
- Competitor analysis systems
All these tools scale very well as a relatively small effort can generate a huge amount of communication messages send out.
Sales tools don't scale well
The salesman is into one to one communications: there for he has a range of personal communication media at his disposal:
- Landline telephone
- Mobile phone
- Email
- Instant Messaging
Besides these communication tools, there are several sales supporting or useful information technologies available:
- Contact managers
- Appointment / agenda solutions
- Contract manager
- Proposal managers
- Collaboration solutions
- CRM
The problem with all or most of these solutions is that they all require data entry.
Thus they do not scale well for the users as for every use it requires time, dedication and quality persistency (obstinacy?) of the user.
Information generation instead of data entry
In most cases there is not any data generated or captured from other sources in these solutions.
Thus these are time demanding solutions for the salesman.
However useful and time saving information could be collected and aggregated within the CRM or sales tools:
- Email collecting by customer: several CRM solution already provide this
- Internet information: many sources can provide information about the customer: company and people
- Website visit data collection by company: only a few solutions exist, but hardly any has a seamless integration without the need of data upload.
Thus instead of data entry, solutions for the sales rep could capture, aggregate and generate useful and interesting information that would make the applications much more interesting.
This automatic data collection and aggregation would help the sales tools scale better as they would save time.
Computer assisted selling
The future of sales supporting or sales assisting applications and solutions, should be assisting the salesman in his nurturing and selling.
Moreover the salesman should obtain direct results, have useful features and reap the benefits of such a Computer Assisting System, bringing effortless together all the information on the lead and customer. Not having the salesman to enter all the data himself as this is less beneficial for him.
In the end it is the salesman, who close the deal and makes the company operate, thus the sales tools should serve the salesmen.
How much do the software sales tools help you or do they require more time than they bring?
This blog is supporting LEADSExplorer, the web service that allows to reach your potential customers early in their buying cycle: when they visit your website by revealing the company name and provides follow-up in the seamless integrated CRM: website visit data in real time available for every lead or customer in the CRM.
The blog is about questions, solutions and methods for people in Sales, Marketing and Management in order to get more leads, better nurturing, and more sales by using the Internet or making the trade off between Internet solutions and Off-line methods.