Top-performing companies are actively deploying sales intelligence solutions to identify their buyers and prepare for effective meetings, according to research from Aberdeen Group. By providing valuable insight, these companies are enabling their sales teams to strengthen performance and creating new efficiencies in sales operations.
This all goes to being relevant and a valuable source of information for your prospective clients. They want to know that you are aware of the key issues that are affecting their business – and the business value drivers that are essential to their success. There is no excuse for bring unprepared for an initial meeting with a client. Do your homework and you’ll easily differentiate yourself as someone who can bring new ideas and insights to the table.
Aberdeen defines sales intelligence as “any information used to educate and enable the sales force and enrich the sales pipeline. This includes news on industry trends, consumer generated content, list/database providers, analyst reports, prospecting tools, competitive/market intelligence, and lead augmentation solutions.”
In a survey of 528 organizations, Aberdeen found that Best-in-Class performers exhibited several common characteristics:
- 73% have earned senior management-level buy-in and formal support for use of third party information sources
- 68% deploy a sales-focused, centralized repository of account, contact and sales opportunity information
- 60% integrate sales intelligence content into their Customer Relationship Management system
Clearly, the active use of sales intelligence tends to separate the best from the rest. “The Best-in-Class were nearly three times as likely as Laggards to demand sales intelligence with scheduled appointments or conference calls, and Laggards were more than five times as likely than the top performers to settle for leads unsupported by data regarding the target company, individual or market,” according to the report.
