With the COVID-19 crisis upon us and shelter-in-place orders issued around the world, many companies and individuals are learning for the first time how to work remotely and take advantage of digital transformation.
Indeed, in these unprecedented and rapidly changing times, business agility is an imperative. And to keep running smoothly, the most innovative organizations have been digitizing their operations.
Data shows that digitally adept companies better weather disruptions: they’re better prepared to improve efficiency, keep their distributed workforce productive, and stay viable well into the future. According to Sandy Shen, Senior Director Analyst at Gartner: “Businesses that can shift technology capacity and investments to digital platforms will … keep their companies running smoothly now, and over the long term.”
As businesses strive to empower a remote workforce, it’s critical that they supply their sales and marketing teams with the tools needed to drive continued growth. Yet here’s the rub: It’s not just about giving your workforce the technology to work remotely. It’s about redesigning core processes and work efforts so they’re effective when performed virtually.
There’s a tremendous amount to think about as companies work to attract and retain customers in a virtual environment. Which processes should be prioritized, and how must they be adapted? For starters, consider these four virtual sales and marketing programs to help your organization adapt to today’s reality and position for growth:
Most companies are replacing in-person conferences with comprehensive virtual events to promote awareness of their solutions and obtain a steady stream of leads. Yet pulling off these online events can be a challenge. How do you get people to attend? How do you structure these events to keep your online audience engaged? And how do you promote the same opportunities for interaction and sharing that exist at an in-person conference?
To be successful, your sales force and partner channel need the right training programs and materials to effectively sell your company’s solutions—and forward-thinking organizations are virtualizing these efforts. Yet how do you offer the virtual readiness training your sellers and partners need? And how do you provide the digital guidance and social selling approaches they need to keep the sales pipeline flowing?
While a lot of today’s sales leads are generated over the web, B2B sales reps typically meet on-site with prospective customers to discuss the specifics and close the deal. How do you convert the entire sales process—from lead generation to sales transaction—to a virtualized environment? And how do you support an effective sales strategy using digital techniques?
Attracting and retaining high-value customers lies at the heart of business success—and many businesses are virtualizing the customer journey in this time of intensified need. As you take buyers from awareness and consideration to the purchase of your product or service, how do you replace in-person experiences with effective digital strategies? And once your customers have made their purchases, how do you interact with them to ensure they continue to buy from you and promote your brand?
At Bridge Partners, we offer the expertise organizations need to virtualize all four of these core areas and more. For more than a decade we’ve been managing our own distributed workforce. And we’ve completed thousands of engagements with global customers across products and industries—helping them accelerate their competitiveness by virtualizing their operations.
Virtualizing is a lot more than just adopting the right technology or jumping on to the digital transformation bandwagon. It’s about adapting your core processes to future-proof your growth. Working together, Bridge Partners can help get you there.
Need help with a virtualized program for your business? Read more about our solutions or get in touch today.