MarketStar Blog

Besides allowing enterprises to maximize their operational efficiency, the Internet of Things also opens up a whole new world of interfaces across which enterprises can connect with their customers. The shift embodied by the IoT isn’t merely an opening up of new channels of marketing. Rather, it fundamentally restructures the entire relationship chain between the enterprise, its products and its customers.

Customer success has evolved from a SaaS-focused initiative into a critical business strategy across industries. Initially adopted to reduce churn and drive product adoption, it has now become a key revenue driver. According to one of our earlier reports, 72% of technology companies already have a customer success strategy in place¹.

Key Takeaways

Sales is vital to a company’s survival and growth. 

One of the great things about selling in the digital age is business intelligence. Organizations are drowning in data generated by CRM systems, ERP platforms, online marketing, customer support, and a host of other sources. Thanks to data analytics, we know more about our customers, target markets, and SMB sales opportunities than ever before. Additional assistance from predictive analytics also helps sales teams be more productive and maximize their success more effectively than they could through their efforts alone.

In the world of B2B sales there are different types of distribution partners, and each one plays a distinct role in reaching and servicing customers. Value-added resellers, for example, are high-touch partners that sell goods and services as part of a complete solution. At the other end of the spectrum are direct market resellers (DMRs), distributors that sell directly to businesses online or via telephone orders. DMRs maintain catalogs of goods to sell through online storefronts or by taking phone orders. DMRs can be an important part of any vendor’s value chain if you know how to provide the right support.

With customer experience (CX) becoming a key differentiator for businesses, the role of the contact center is evolving rapidly. Emerging technologies and shifting consumer behaviors are reshaping how organizations provide customer support and engagement. 

You have no doubt heard the phrase, “People are your most valuable resource.” Nowhere is that more true than in the world of B2B sales. Experienced, committed, savvy sales professionals are your most valuable asset, especially if you empower them to be valuable. Good sales reps are not service bots or order takers simply tasked with achieving quotas; they are skilled professionals who understand the value of what they are selling, how that value proposition meets customer needs, and the lifeblood of your revenue generation engine. When it comes to managing sales reps effectively, empowering them to succeed always yields better results.

Rapid market changes paired with new and increasingly complex product and service offers means one thing for sales: Adapt and evolve if you want to succeed. So, when it comes to the decision to overhaul your sales team for agility and scale, you have two options: Expand internally or partner up with an outsourced inside sales provider.

Your expertise is in selling B2B technology to companies that are seeking to improve operations, smooth out their workflows, and generally power new strategies for success. But how do you use technology as part of your SMB sales strategy? Does your sales tech stack stack up and give you access to the data, insights, and analytics you need to unlock efficiencies and increase sales volume?

Numbers don’t lie, but they can inspire. If you know where to look, you can find thousands of statistics on the web related to sales and selling. Although these statistics can be interesting, they don’t mean much when taken strictly at face value. However, when you start to assimilate data and compare numbers from various sources, you start to see patterns emerge. Then, if you correlate these numbers, some of your findings might make you a much smarter sales rep.