Every year millions of people create new year resolutions as they strive to set out and achieve a range of goals. As 2019 closed out, we wanted to take a look at a few of the ways we can all enjoy a healthier 2020. These seven employee wellness tips just might be the antidote to workplace stress, healthier lives, and a more productive year.
Did you make 2019 the year that you coached up or coached out? Perhaps 2019 was the year that your CEO realized he or she wasn't a sales manager? No matter what strategies you implemented, or lessons you learned, we want to help you make the most out of sales coaching in 2020, which is why we want to end this year with a recap of all that we learned.
2019 is coming to a close, and with it the dawning of new marketing automation trends. Throughout 2019, the marketing automation sector experienced an 8.55 percent growth that shows no signs of slowing down. Market capitalization is set to reach an impressive $6.4 billion
by 2024, which is why 2020 will be focused on creating unique and engaging experiences that help organizations more successfully retain their users, attract new prospects, and effectively grow. Thealways-online consumer demands marketing automation, and in 2020 the following trends are ready to begin as soon as the bell rings in the new year.
The moment the candy is handed out to the trick or treaters the world seems to shift focus. We turn our sights to the final end-of-year push and with it the holidays. Regardless of religion or political affiliations, it is easy to become caught up in the consumerism of the holidays. However, before we become lemmings following the leads of our sales focused competitors, we must ask if it is the right content strategy for our brand?
Trust. It isn't something that goes hand-in-hand with social media. From the way that photos are altered, to the content showing people "living their best lives," to the shade that is casually tossed around like a beach volleyball in the comments section, social media is a distant cousin to trust. Yet, the influencer market continues to exist.
The customer journey has changed. In days long gone by, it used to be a linear process. A customer would find a company, conduct a little research, connect with a sales associate, and make a decision. However, the digital age has changed the way that customers complete their buying journey. There are now a multitude of choices that customers must navigate as they begin, pause, change, restart, and complete their buyer journeys.
Cold Calling. The phrase elicits the same shudder as the now infamous TPS quote from Office Space. We all got the memo. Cold calling has changed; it's no longer the same fanatical rite of passage for unpaid interns who are hoping to get the coveted slot on the paid sales team. However, for as much as cold calling has changed, it is important to note that it is not gone, nor is it demand generation.
If you're reading this post, then you might feel a little like the kid with his hand caught in the cookie jar. You've done your homework, you know that you aren't supposed to have dessert before dinner, and yet you can't help yourself ... you reached for the cookie, without realizing that if you had just done a little bit of research you could have had a cookie on top of an ice cream sundae. In other words, perhaps you have a "fake CRM" (the cookie) and have now sheepishly realized that it isn't a "real" CRM. One might say that's the way the cookie crumbles, but all food references aside, you've come to the right place if you want to a) confirm that your CRM isn't cutting it, and b) discover what you should be looking for in your CRM.
Picture this scenario
Your sales team manually inputting leads and notes into Microsoft Excel or Outlook, keeping them off the phone. Microsoft Excel excels at everything related to spreadsheets, from calculations to graphing tools. Outlook not only serves as an email communications system, but also has built-in features that help users organize tasks, meetings, and notes. So it seems like it would make sense to use these as your sales tools of choice, right?
In 2016, the use of these systems for sales-oriented tasks were more common, as 40% of salespeople reported using these means to store leads and customer data.
And now picture this scenario:
Having an automated system that tracks leads, stores customer data, creates detailed sales and marketing reports, and manages all email, phone, and meeting communications. That’s not even all of it. A system like this exists, and it’s an acronym you may have seen - CRM. CRM stands for customer relationship management and is commonly followed up with the word “system” after it. Between 2016 and now, CRM adoption by businesses has grown by 113%, with 64% of sales professionals reporting that they use CRM tools.
