Building strong relationships is one of the major drivers behind the success of B2B sales. By gaining insightful data, it becomes easier to maximise efficiency and drive the growth that the company has a vision for.
Field sales teams on the front lines meeting clients and closing deals need robust tools to help them navigate their day-to-day tasks and long-term goals. This is where the field sales CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool comes into the picture.
This comprehensive guide will examine the basics of Field Sales CRM for B2B, its benefits, and successful implementation.
Before exploring the benefits and implementation, let us start with the basics. Field Sales CRM is a specialised Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software tailored to meet the needs of sales teams operating outside the office, often called field sales teams.
Unlike the traditional CRM software we know of, Field Sales CRM focuses on features that support remote work, mobility, and real-time data access, enabling sales representatives to perform their tasks efficiently while on the go.
Some of the core features of these software include:
1. Mobile accessibility is vital to allow sales representatives to access customer data and sales information even on the go.
2. Ensure that any updates to the customer’s data or profile activity that relate to the B2B company are updated in real time and instantly reflected across the system.
3. It should come with proper mapping and geolocation so that the field sales team can plan their commutes and routes and even locate the clients without hassle.
4. One of the most crucial aspects of a good field sales CRM for B2B is good offline functionality. In short, the software should work even when internet connectivity isn’t available.
5. The software should give the team real-time insights into sales performance, market trends, and customer behavior without compromise.
Now that you have a better idea of Field Sales CRM's features and overview, let's move on to the benefits.
Field sales teams are constantly on the go, and to maximise their productivity, they need more time selling and less time administering. A good CRM software helps with just that. In most cases, without good CRM software, a field sales representation is usually bogged with administrative tasks like data entry, scheduling meetings, and generating reports. Integration of comprehensive CRM software helps automate these processes, thereby freeing a lot of time that can be channeled into other avenues.
Features like auto-logging interactions, one-click call scheduling, and pre-populated reports streamline workflows and minimise manual effort.
Qualified leads are the cornerstone of B2B sales, and the field sales team needs to prioritise their focus on them. Good field sales CRM software helps the team identify and prioritize high-potential leads based on pre-defined criteria. When you have access to comprehensive customer data, their buying journey insights, and their behavior, it becomes easier for the sales rep to curate and tailor their approach for maximum impact.
One of the highlights of good CRM software is the transparent, real-time, and open communication among the teams. If you want to drive good B2B sales, you can’t operate in isolation. For example, field sales representatives often collaborate with the marketing team to drive strategies that, in turn, drive sales. With unified CRM software, real-time information sharing makes communication seamless among the internal teams. This ensures everyone is on the same page and aware of the progress.
B2B sales should never be based on “simply” hunches. This is usually one of the biggest mistakes that the field sales team might make. The concept of “winging it” doesn’t guarantee long-term success. Instead, the use of field sales CRM provides the team with a mound of sales data, providing the managers and representatives with the insights they need to curate their approach and drive relevant growth for the company. The data can also be utilised to identify areas for improvement and optimise sales pipelines.
B2B sales are about building long-term relationships. This is one of the reasons why there is a boom in the use of good field sales CRM. They help the team maintain constant communication by keeping track of all the real-time conversations with the customer. The team can easily access past call notes, emails, and meeting summaries, allowing them to effectively personalise their approach and address customer needs.
Planning is key when it comes to B2B companies and their sales. So, having an idea about the future of sales for a company is quintessential, to say the least. A good CRM platform provides the field sales representative real-time data on sales pipelines. This, in turn, helps the managers chalk out an overview of future sales. There might be differences in the exact figures, but the estimate of the sales forecasting is a lot more accurate when you are working with a comprehensive CRM software. Having an idea regarding sales forecasting also helps the team make better decisions about resource allocation, inventory management, and budgeting.
With the benefits out of the way, the next most obvious question is, “How do I implement the same in my B2B company?”
Following are a few tips to consider for optimal implementation:
Before you even jump the gun, the key is to assess your business needs and the sales team's requirements. This involves identifying the shortcomings, setting goals and visions for the team, and determining what features you’d benefit from in the CRM software.
Field sales CRM software isn’t a new concept. So, it isn’t surprising that there are quite a few different ones in the market. Always pick one that works with your business needs and goals. If you want to optimise your team’s performance, keep track of data and analytics, and align your sales goals into one software, 1Channel’s Field Sales CRM software is the perfect solution for all your needs.
Successful implementation of CRM software requires comprehensive team training. You can prioritise training sessions, resources, and ongoing support to ensure that the sales team is not only aware of the software's features and usability but also taking full advantage of them to drive B2B sales.
Once the Field Sales CRM system is in place, it is important to monitor its performance and continuously make any necessary adjustments. This is an ongoing process where you can learn about the insights, get feedback from the sales team, and optimize the performance to meet the sales team's requirements.
The B2B sales landscape is constantly evolving and becoming increasingly competitive every day. Using the right CRM software can make all the difference if you want to transform how your Field Sales team operates to drive B2B sales. 1Channel’s comprehensive CRM software provides users with real-time data access and powerful analytics to deliver a superior customer experience. If you are a company looking to gain a competitive edge, choosing 1Channel’s Field Sales CRM software could be a game-changer.
