How the digital age empowers sales reps to execute more successfully

Today’s digital tools allow sales development professionals to perform their role more efficiently and at a greater scale than ever before.

More and more data is being stored on the internet, and this, combined with the automation tools at our disposal, allows us to investigate potential audiences online and more easily identify companies and individuals primed to make a purchase.

We can make far more data-driven and accurate decisions about which companies are ripe for having a problem solved, or who may require a more advanced tool than their current IT stack.

When I first started out, my prospect engagement strategy was very manual. I didn’t have the benefit of tools like Outreach, Groove or Salesloft, so I had to stay on top of following up on emails sent and voicemails left. I wrote personalised emails one by one, and made direct calls 100% of the time. There was much more of a one-to-one approach to communication.

Today, however, we can be far more time-efficient and productive. It’s more about a one-to-many communication approach with the ability to send out emails en-masse while still retaining a personal touch. We can connect with a much higher number of potential customers and deliver fully or semi-tailored messaging to that large audience, over an extended period. We can also vastly cut down the amount of time it takes to execute long-term outreach campaigns, and maintain strong visibility into sales activity.

Taking advantage of the technology

I encourage sales development professionals to use technology to their advantage and take a multi-channel approach when connecting with prospects for the first time. Every communication channel – email, phone calls, text messaging/WhatsApp, LinkedIn (both directly messaging and commenting on their activity), social media and more – provides a way to connect with each prospect on the platform that best suits their communication style, and keeps you top of mind when they’re in a position to make a buying decision.

That said, while sales automation tools enable personalisation at scale, it’s important not to become lazy or reliant on them. It's easy to deliver a stock messaging template to a very large audience these days, but this approach simply doesn’t work. Recipients can spot an automated message a mile off, so ensure you are taking a humanistic approach to the way you engage, even if you’re contacting huge numbers of people at the same time.

Leverage automation for long-term nurturing

The addressable market of businesses that have an active project and are ready to buy is extremely small. Therefore, aim to engage with prospects over a long period of time, adding value at each interaction (sharing marketing content, inviting the prospect to an event, commenting on LinkedIn activity, etc.) This way, when they’re in a position to make a purchase, you’re front of mind. Sales automation tools allow you to easily execute such long-term nurturing communication sequences for your outbound campaigns.

The volume and depth of data available to sales development professionals is set to increase exponentially in the coming years. This will allow us to continue making even better informed decisions about who to interact with and the messaging that is going to be most impactful. The best sales development professionals will have strong discipline around balancing their research with sales activity and will leverage technology to automate previously manual tasks, personalise their messaging at scale and identify prospects with buying intent. 

Are you a tech-savvy sales professional looking to make your next career move? Explore opportunities at Adobe.