Beyond selling - how to grow beyond conventional sales

The tasks in sales are becoming increasingly complex. For a long time now, it has no longer simply been a matter of selling products to men and women. Rising customer expectations, more complex networking at all levels of interaction and communication as well as the constant new possibilities and transformations in the course of digitalization require more than just a great product or a low price in order to sell well. Fundamental rethinking, questioning the status quo and the courage to adopt new sales strategies are required today. We are "beyond selling". Find out what this means and how a CRM system can support you.

Beyond Value Based Selling
Beyond selling
Strengthen networking and redefine roles
Beyond CRM

Beyond Value Based Selling

Value-based selling, i.e. customer value-oriented selling, is nothing new anymore. This approach is no longer just about having a good product or offering it at a particularly tempting price, but about customer benefit-oriented arguments that are convincing. The focus is therefore on increasing value for the customer. In order to be able to explicitly formulate added value, extensive knowledge of the customer, their company, processes and plans is required. Only from this can a potential for value enhancement be derived and woven into the sales argumentation.

It is not only the structures and processes on the market and at your customers that have become much more complex in recent decades. Your company has also had to and must continue to evolve. This is where Beyond Selling comes in as a holistic sales philosophy with an integrative approach. Based on aspects of value-based selling and a relentless examination of existing strategies, instruments and responsibilities, the basic requirements for a customer-centered, innovation-promoting and enthusiastic sales culture are created .

Beyond Selling

This holistic sales philosophy is about growing beyond conventional sales. In a close network of customer needs, company management and company structures and processes, a basic attitude is to be implemented , on the basis of which flexible adaptation to changing environmental conditions is possible at any time. But how should such a basic attitude be created?

The first step is to radically analyze the existing status quo, i.e. all key figures from recent years and the previous sales approach. Gaps are then identified and the sales concept is optimized in terms of a customer benefit-oriented approach. The focus here is on the customer journey, customer perception, trigger events and the (digital) customer experience.

Strengthen networking and redefine roles

The interlinking of different departments within a company with the aim of improving customer understanding also plays a major role in this type of optimization. The linking of sales and marketing sounds familiar, but the strict separation of internal and external sales and responsibilities as a whole should be reconsidered.

Today, the sales force has the role of a sparring partner for the customer. In addition to extensive know-how about their own products and processes, sales staff should also know how to dovetail their knowledge with that of the customer. All with the aim of achieving optimum added value for the customer company. Sales thus becomes an integral part of the customer's processes. In addition, only with the experience from sales, product management and the collaboration of both departments with development can truly beneficial products be designed.

In addition, given the variety of communication channels and interaction options, the visit to the customer has become one point of contact among many others on the entire customer journey. It is therefore necessary for all departments in the company to engage with modern technologies in order to then jointly implement the appropriate applications. This makes it possible to offer comprehensive information on products and processes as well as various contact options in the right places.

Beyond CRM

While the advance of digitalized business models and new technologies is the fuel for changes in market conditions and customer expectations, changing customer expectations and markets are also drivers for the development of new or the adaptation of existing technologies. Real-time data, segmentation, personalization - the requirements for CRM systems have also changed. It is no longer just about managing customer data and e-mail histories.

Rather, a CRM system is the linchpin for the tasks described above. The points of contact with customers and the relevant customer data have become so much more extensive in the age of social media and tracking that you need a tool that provides transparent information at all times in order to gain meaningful insights.

Over time, many companies have developed a plethora of small island tools. However, this not only eats up time and resources, but also creates islands of data. Modern CRM systems make it possible to incorporate a large number of tools by means of interfaces and integrations. This means that not only is all interesting data collected in a pool from which it can be evaluated across the board. They also make it possible to access a wide variety of tools from a central point. In addition to a holistic view of key business figures, this also promotes exchange and collaboration between employees and departments as well as between the sales force and customers.

Conclusion: the future lies "beyond selling", but CRM remains at your side 😉

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Beyond selling - how to grow beyond conventional sales

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