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The game for brands is shifting thanks to discovery commerce.

Tue, 29 Nov 2022 20:28:46 -0600

The e-commerce revolution is still ongoing, and it is altering the game for brands! Thanks to social media, consumers can now buy whatever they want, whenever they want. The interesting thing is that the majority of online shoppers claim they had no intention of purchasing the products and experiences they see online. This is known as discovery commerce.

The driving force behind discovery commerce is social media. While customers believe that the products and services they desire appear magically on their screens, their appearance is the result of careful brand strategy guided by social media algorithms.

According to a recent Fast Magazine article, three out of every five online shoppers polled say they buy products after chance discovery on their social media feeds. This gives businesses a better chance of selling to individuals and businesses who have never heard of their brand before.

Businesses have a huge opportunity to reach out to people online at the right time to make a sale. The challenge is to ensure that your social media content drives your call to action effectively. "When brands present their content to the right customers at the right time," the same article says, "it can feel like serendipity for those who see the ads."

Discovery commerce is changing the game for brands as people constantly discover new solutions in the digital age. It is now your responsibility to create content that grabs people's attention, conveys the right message, and motivates them to act.

You should be able to reach a larger audience online if you use the following strategies:
Your content should be interesting and memorable.
Your content should be emotionally charged and relatable.
Your content should elicit feelings similar to those felt while shopping.
Your content should be relevant to the interests and pain points of your target audience.
To encourage immediate calls to action, use the power of "now" and the fear of missing out.

Incorporate these top five suggestions into your next content strategy and watch how many new people interact with your social media posts.

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3 ways to kickstart your sales force

Sat, 02 Jun 2018 13:15:53 -0500

Below is a guest blog by Gene Marks, a CPA, author, columnist, and owner of The Marks Group. Gene writes every day on small business for The Washington Post; twice a week for Forbes, and weekly for Inc, & Entrepreneur.

Because my firm sells customer relationship management systems, we naturally deal with lots and lots of salespeople. Although I run my own business and I’m a certified public accountant, I consider myself a salesperson at heart. And we salespeople are an interesting lot.

Some of us like technology, others don’t. Some can sell just about anything; others are more specific in what they sell. Some I know are super-technical, while others are just more instinctive about their products. I’ve met great salespeople who are affable and irritable. Sociable and unsociable. Hardworking and lazy. Positive and negative. There is no one recipe for being a great salesperson. So for a manager, how do you manage this crazy group? How do you kickstart them to maximize their potential? How do you get them to sell as much as they’re able?

To me, it comes down to three important tactics.

Share information

Today’s most successful business people know that the data is the driver behind their decisions. The more data, the better – as long it’s relevant. The same goes for salespeople. Before meeting with a prospect or calling up a lead we need information. Has this person ever contacted us before? Has this person been on our website and where? What products would be of interest? Who is our competition? What are the issues? Where are they located? Who am I speaking to? Of course, there’s more. You can never have enough information.

Which is why smart managers are not afraid to share information with their sales teams. They usually do this through their CRM systems. They are committed to collecting as much data as possible – and keeping it up to date and accurate. They’re focused on providing their salespeople with as much information as possible – and wherever possible – to make their jobs easier. They invest in systems that send reminders, alerts, and messages to their groups so that nothing falls through the cracks. They build workflows to help them build relationships and close deals faster. They ensure that information can be shared between sales, customer service, and marketing because they know that a salesperson needs to know what they know.

Having the best information – and then sharing it – is critical for kickstarting your sales team. It’s a continuous job because the information is always changing. So building the right processes to ensure that your data remains up to date and reliable will contribute to your team’s success. The next thing is creating an atmosphere of competition.

Create an atmosphere of competition.

Good salespeople are competitors. They’re always hungry. They’re never satisfied. They hate to be beat – whether by their competition or by another salesperson at the company. Competition can be fun. But more importantly it can be an extremely productive way to kickstart a salesperson.

I’ve worked with dozens of clients who know this. Their sales managers pit their salespeople against each other. They set quotas and goals that everyone is tasked with meeting. They publicly display each person’s numbers – month and year to date. They reward the ones with the most sales, the highest average sale, the most improvement, the most activity. They never call out or punish those that don’t perform – the numbers speak for themselves. They offer prizes – cash bonuses, dinners, gift cards, vacations – to the ones performing the best. These prizes are a nominal cost to their companies. But the paybacks are usually significant.

This isn’t new. In the 20 years that I’ve been running my company, I’ve seen this practice over and over. Which means that it works. Competition, particularly among salespeople who value it, works. Creating this atmosphere will work for you too, particularly if you include lots and lots of mentoring.

Be a mentor.

The days of annual employee evaluations are starting to wane. Growing organizations are realizing that their employees – particularly the 50 percent of them who are from the millennial generation – are asking for more continuous feedback about their work. It only makes sense. People want to know how they’re doing. They want to make sure that what they’re doing is appreciated. And they certainly want to make sure that if what they’re doing isn’t good there’s time to adjust.

That’s your job. As a manager, sharing great information and creating an atmosphere of competition will produce better results from your sales team. But the best way to maximize those results is for you to be closely involved. Sure, there are always going to be the superstars who can sell ice to an Eskimo in January. But they need feedback like everyone else. Everyone needs mentoring.

You are the coach and cheerleader. You’re the leader and the guide. You’re the muse and the mentor. You need to take those numbers, along with the sales person’s attitude and work ethic, and together create personalized goals. You should be there to answer questions and check in proactively. You can do this by email or text but it will always require a little face to face. The best executives I know are constantly mentoring their teams – both as a group and individually. All the data in the world can’t make up for this.

***
There is no such thing as the perfect salesperson, just like there’s no silver bullet for getting the most out of your sales group. But there are some tried and true methodologies that have worked for years. Sharing data, creating an atmosphere or competition, and being a mentor are – when combined – one of those. I’ve seen it work again and again. There are some things that time just cannot change.

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How to choose the ultimate sales and support tool for your business

Wed, 31 Jan 2018 18:50:25 -0600

The problem: Every customer wants personalised engagement, while every business wants a cost-effective means of engagement. How do you find the middle ground?

Live chat is the easiest, least expensive way to bring a personal touch to your customer interactions. Every week, more people are using live chat as their preferred communications channel. The fact is, any business who wants to stay in the game has only one choice: adapt.

We’ve heard it all before—

I bet it’s expensive.

Isn’t my business too small for that?

Well, I think we’re doing fine the way we are…

Live chat is for support, not sales.

If you have these concerns, we have something to show you. We’ve conducted a series of surveys across over 140 live chat users from more than 10 industries. This study has revealed some very surprising numbers about live chat. To learn more about our research methods, results, and data points, give our ebook a read. It will help you understand how businesses like your can benefit from live chat for online sales and support.

You can find the free ebook here: https://www.zoho.com/salesiq/live-chat-software-buyer-guide.html

Support us on Product Hunt: https://www.producthunt.com/posts/how-to-pick-the-best-live-chat-software

Happy selling!

7 ways Zoho CRM can help you become a successful salesperson by Laura Burrus

Mon, 07 Dec 2015 21:43:03 -0600

How do you define success as a salesperson? Many people relate success in terms of dollars and cents, or closing half a million in sales each month. But truly successful salespeople know that monetary success is just the result of being awesome at what they do.

If you’re just starting your journey as a sales rep, one of the first things to understand is that successful salespeople earn their customers’ trust, which in turn results in earning their customers’ business.

Here are seven traits of a successful salesperson and how your CRM can help you along the journey:

1. Look on the bright side.

Salespeople have to be mentally tough. If someone tells you “no,” try to understand why and use it to help you in the future. Learn to find the positive in all situations, and don’t let a few lost sales get you down. In the end, you have to believe you’re going to close the sale, even if the person on the other end of the line keeps telling you no.

CRM sales tip: Look at the three most recent deals you closed and think about why they said yes. What are the takeaways or trends you found that could help you close the next deal?

2. Be empathetic.

When you’re on the phone or sitting across from someone in a meeting, try putting yourself in his or her shoes and really understand the person’s needs and wants. Don’t go into the meeting assuming you already have the answer.

CRM sales tip: Make notes on your customer account about your conversation and use these notes as a conversation topic the next time you call. For example, if your customer mentions she’s planning a birthday party for her son, make a note in your CRM record so next time you call you can ask her about the birthday party. This will go a long way in establishing trust and credibility.

3. Don’t throw in the towel.

We all have hard days or times when we want to quit. When those days come, keep in mind the reason you became a salesperson in the first place: you’re driven; you’re focused; you’re good with people; you’re outgoing. Find what motivates you and keeps you focused, and tap into that. Everyone is unique, so what works for one person might not work for others.

CRM sales tip: Schedule “you time” on your CRM calendar. Try blocking out 30 minutes each morning to read motivational quotes, or take a walk around your office to think through your daily schedule. Whatever you choose to do during this time, focus on motivating yourself. Since Zoho CRM’s calendar integrates with Google Calendar, Outlook and CalDav, you can always stay on top of your schedule.

4. Go ahead and mess up.

It’s easy to play the blame game, but being a successful salesperson means taking responsibility for your actions, for meeting your goals, and for things that go wrong. Being responsible means your potential customer are going to trust you. Start taking responsibility and you’ll quickly gain trust from your customer.

CRM sales tip : Be proactive in communicating with your potential customers. If you forgot to call a customer or missed an appointment, go ahead an send an apology to your customer letting them know you recognize your mistake. Being transparent with your customer will also build trust. Use your CRM to keep records of all interactions you have with a potential customer.

5. Don’t be a lame date.

When you meet with a prospect, think of it as a first date. OK, not literally. What I mean is, be curious about your prospect and ask questions. In fact, try selling with questions instead of telling them what they need. Get into the habit of asking engaging questions. In other words, become a good interviewer.

CRM sales tip: In your potential’s CRM record, create a custom text field where you can enter a list of questions that you plan on asking your potential customer. You can quickly update each question with the answer and use it as a reference for the next conversation you have with them.

6. Own your meetings.

Being confident doesn’t mean being egotistical. It means knowing what you’re selling and knowing you’re good at it. The more you know your prospect, your product and/or service, and yourself, the more confident you’ll be.

CRM sales tip: Remember, confidence starts with knowledge. Spend time preparing before you meet with a prospect. Do research beforehand to find out what industry-related associations your prospect might be involved in or what they do for fun. Enter this information into the potential’s CRM record, so you have it handy before going to a meeting with your potential customer.

7. Post away.

Social media is a fantastic way to have a touch point with potential customers, so use it to your advantage. Plus, if you do enough research before meeting a potential customer, you might find something you have in common. This can be a great way to break the ice and keep the conversation moving during your meeting.

CRM sales tip: Use your preferred social media platform as a way to interact in your industry. Post blogs, reply to tweets, and share important facts that your customers and future customers are going to find valuable. Integrate your social media accounts with your CRM so you can keep all of the interactions you have with your customer in one place.

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What do you use Zoho CRM for?

Zoho CRM is used to manage customer relationships, track sales, and streamline business processes. It helps businesses automate and streamline their sales, marketing, customer support, and inventory management processes.

Is Zoho owned by Google?

No, Zoho is not owned by Google. Zoho is a privately held company based in Chennai, India.

Who is Zoho CRM best for?

Zoho CRM is best for small to medium-sized businesses looking for a cost-effective and customizable CRM solution. It's also suitable for businesses in a variety of industries, including sales, marketing, customer support, and inventory management.

What are the disadvantages of Zoho CRM?

Some of the disadvantages of Zoho CRM include limited scalability for larger enterprises, limited integration options with other business tools, and a learning curve for some users.

What are the 3 types of CRM?

The 3 types of CRM are operational CRM, analytical CRM, and collaborative CRM. Operational CRM focuses on automating and streamlining business processes, analytical CRM provides insights into customer behavior and preferences, and collaborative CRM facilitates communication and collaboration between teams and customers.

Is Zoho using SAP?

No, Zoho is not using SAP. Zoho is an independent company that develops its own suite of business and productivity tools, including Zoho CRM.

Is Zoho completely free?

No, Zoho CRM is not completely free. While Zoho offers a free basic plan, more advanced features and higher user limits are available with paid plans.

Does Zoho use SQL?

Yes, Zoho uses SQL (Structured Query Language) to store and manage its data in the database. SQL is a standard language for managing and manipulating relational databases.

Important Aspects To Generate Sales, Not Work…

Thu, 14 May 2015 11:21:32 -0500

Sales and Customer Services helps businesses stay focused on their customers by combining revenue growth and cost/investments optimization. With our innovative and effective approaches towards online Customer Relationship Management (CRM), it’s easy for a company to organize, automate, and synchronize sales, marketing & interactive customer services.

Our Online Sales & Marketing tools including CRM can help your company in generating more sales, acquire, develop and retain more profitable customer relationships through our broad range of capabilities that address every aspect of the customer experience. We help companies improve sales strategies, sales productivity, customer experience management, and customer service operations to increase customer retention and enhance their organization’s economic value.

Must consider these 5 key benefits of using CRM for your business:

1. Make Strategic Decisions, Sell Smarter.

No need of spending more time juggling between sales activities. There is a better way to follow up your routine sales tasks, appointments and calls. With CRM View for Activities, you can now sell faster by focusing on the prospects that are most important for you today. The CRM View also helps prioritize your work while interacting with customers from Social and Visits tab.

2. Achieving Growth Targets.

Our online CRM revitalizes Financial Processes with Automation and gives you a current, comprehensive view of all your sales activities. Know where every customer is in the sales cycle, deal size, contact history, even competitor information to help craft more effective messaging. Dynamic Reports & Dashboards provide an easy, accurate read of everything going on.

3. Socialize & Engage.

Run Multiple Channels.Consider social networking as a platform for online businesses or individuals and effective tool, because it is free and easy to use. Therefore, it is possible for companies to adopt through effective communication and social interaction provides the company's vision, from the advantages of this platform.You can easily link your customer’s Facebook and Twitter profiles into the CRM system. Associate profiles to contacts or leads, send invitations to connect, view updates and share your comments.

4. Improves Business Efficiency, Drives Productivity & Sales.

Identify latest trends, spot opportunities in running market, increase your business efficiency, reduce costs and guaranteed increase in Sales & Productivity through our workflow automation.

5. Track Your Sales Activities.

You can easily track and measure marketing campaigns over multiple networks. Our online CRM tools can track customer analysis by customer clicks and sales. Gain complete visibility of your sales cycle. Align your sales efforts with business strategies and objectives.

Apart from these key benefits, our online tools provide you advanced features that will reduce your To-Do list and daily repeated tasks. We believe in building apps that help you increase sales!

Here are the services & advantages you will get with our Online CRM:

Sales force automation.
One-to-one solutions to customers’ requirements.
Direct online communications with customer.
Integrate productivity apps like Google apps, webmerge, creator & projects.
Capture leads from your website.
Data-driven marketing activities, such as campaigns, mass emails, ad performance within CRM.
Visitor tracking and improve the sales conversion rates.
Gain instant insight feeds & forecasting to effectively set sales targets, track progress, and allocate resources to achieve your goals.
Engage customers with Email, Phone Calls & Live Chat within CRM.
CRM On-the-go, with mobile edition, you’ll get instant access to customer info and sales activity on your iPad, iPhone and Android devices.
Increased customer loyalty with reliable reporting systems.
Business expansions and revenue growth with increased sales & productivity.

Finally, our Online CRM tools focus on how to Attract, Retain and Delight More Customers.Grow your company into a customer-focused organization & generate more sales!