The 3 Reasons Most Sales Technology Platforms Fail

Sales Technology

Sales technology platforms are often purchased based on a series of promises. The platform will help you generate more and better qualified leads. It will help salespeople manage customer relationships and convert sales. It will provide you with extensive data that you can use to improve your sales process. Most of the time, the platform is capable of delivering on those promises. Why, then, do so many sales tech platforms fail in practice?

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Salespeople Not Using the Platform

Sales technology can’t do its job if your salespeople don’t embrace the platform. It’s a common challenge, and the reasons for it differ depending on the salesperson. Most of the time, though, late adapters will fall into one of a few categories.

• First, you’ve got the old pros. These salespeople have years or even decades of experience, and an established, successful way of doing their job. They believe the time required to learn new technology would be better invested by doubling down on traditional sales tools.

• You’ll also run into those who are intimidated by technology, regardless of their experience level in sales. They’re afraid to “get it wrong,” or they simply believe that sales technology is too complicated to learn.

• Finally, you have the uninformed. They don’t have an opinion on new technology because they haven’t taken the time to research it, or they haven’t been provided with the resources needed to do so. This leads to indifference, which leads to your sales tech platform collecting dust.

No matter the reason your salespeople are not using a platform, the solution is usually the same. You’ve got to show them the value of sales technology in a clear way that speaks to their bottom line. Teach them how sales tech will boost their production, and streamline the more tedious aspects of the job. Offer the resources and training needed for your team to use the platform effectively, and it won’t take long form them to warm up to the concept.

Ignoring Analytics

Streamlining the sales process and managing relationships is only half the value offered by sales technology. The other half is comprised of the data and analytics that it produces. If management isn’t using that data to adapt and improve your sales process, then you’re not getting all of the value you could be out of your technology platform.

• You don’t need a degree in statistics to decipher the data collected by sales tech. Most platforms offer a way to view analytic data in easy-to-read graphs, charts, and presentations. As more data enters the system, the accuracy and relevance of your analytics will improve.

• Analytics are useful because they highlight areas in need of improvement, but the news won’t all be negative. The data collected by your sales technology will also show you what you’re doing right. Finding what drives success and devoting resources to those practices is just as important as identifying where your process needs improvement.

• When it’s time to look at what you could be doing better, don’t be afraid to embrace the process. Compare your marketing and sales plan targets to the data from your analytics. Are your big-budget investments generating appropriate ROI, or are your leads and conversions coming from unexpected places?