Tech sales are more competitive than ever. Apps and smart devices have become a part of daily life at home, in the workplace, and just about everywhere else. Countless innovative products and services have already flooded the market, and each month seems to bring more.
It’s easy for tech businesses to feel lost in this milieu, as they don’t know how to rise above the crowded field or build sustainable growth. But there’s something the most successful tech sales professionals know: prioritising customer experience (CX) is the key to standing out in a competitive market.
Over the past few years, CX has proven to be more than just a buzzword. By elevating CX, tech sales professionals can attract more customers, close more deals, and build long-lasting relationships.
Why Customer Experience is Becoming Central in Tech Sales
Customer experience has become an important concept across nearly every industry, but it’s even more critical in the world of tech sales. The typical technology customer is savvy. They have resources and know how to do research before making a purchase. Online, educated consumers can find written reviews, reaction videos, and product comparisons. Evaluating features and calculating cost-benefit ratios are almost second nature to this new breed of customer.
At the same time, the modern consumer has an almost instinctive tendency toward brand loyalty. A study of millennials and brand loyalty found that 62% of consumers are likelier to buy a product if they feel engaged with the brand on social media. Just as sports fans find and stick with their teams, customers want to be part of a tribe. But how do they choose which team is theirs? There’s no one answer, but brands offering the best customer experience have an advantage.
When customers feel valued, understood, and supported, they are much more likely to become loyal brand advocates. This brand loyalty is a powerful differentiator in a crowded marketplace like tech sales.
The Shift From Product-Focused to Customer-Centric Sales Approaches
Savvy tech sales professionals have noted the power of loyalty and its key role in customer experience. This has led to a shift from the traditional, product-focused sales approach, where products or services are pushed onto customers regardless of their actual wants and needs. When customers have so many options available to them, sales strategies that don’t take their satisfaction into account can lead to dissatisfaction, a negative brand reputation, and churn.
The new customer-centric sales approach shifts the focus from product features to overall customer outcomes. Instead of simply selling a product, consider how a tech product fits into a consumer’s daily life. By tailoring solutions to address specific needs, you can build trust and credibility in customers’ minds.
Research from the Harvard Business Review shows the customer-centric approach works. At the same time, their study found that only 15% of companies are truly customer-centric today. That means there’s a real opportunity for tech companies and their sales teams to jump ahead of their competition — if they learn to prioritise customer experience.
Investing in Understanding and Enhancing the Customer Journey
Learning that CX is critical today is one thing. Knowing how to shift your tech sales toward this new consumer end game is another. How does a company transform away from traditional sales and marketing approaches to this new world?
Fortunately, many organizations will already have some of the tools available to them. If, for example, your organization has embraced data analytics, you already have valuable insights into customer behaviour. The insights gained from analytics can provide a solid foundation for a customer-centric strategy. Leveraging what you know about consumer pain points, bottlenecks, and opportunities can help you see CX from the customer perspective. Investing time and money in an analytics platform can pay off in brand loyalty.
Incorporating Customer Feedback Loops for Continuous Improvement
Even if you don’t have a robust analytics platform quite yet, your organization likely has some way to collect customer feedback. Directly engaging with customers is a great way to understand their wants and needs. Social media can keep the conversation going and build customer feedback loops. Adopting a continuous improvement mindset and continuously building on the feedback you receive will help you create a CX strategy.
The CX-Focused Sales Team: Skills and Tools for Success
You’ll also need teams that understand the mindset to implement a successful customer-centric sales strategy. Tech talent should look for sales professionals with empathy and adaptability. Empathy helps professionals connect with customers on a human level, a pivotal point in prioritising CX. Adaptability is critical in such a fast-paced, always-evolving market like tech. Sales teams must be able to adjust to rapidly shifting market trends and new customer needs.
The ideal CX sales pros will also be familiar with modern tools, such as customer relationship management (CRM) applications and data analytics. With these tools, the modern salesperson can identify emerging trends and find new opportunities that align with the customer experience.
Takeawy: CX Can Provide a Real Competitive Advantage
The role of tech sales professionals evolves nearly as fast as the industry itself. Yesterday’s innovations are commonplace today. Similarly, yesterday’s sales strategies are old news. CX is the new way to nurture customer relationships, build brand loyalty, and drive repeat business. HR teams should also adjust their recruiting practices to ensure sales teams understand the importance of customer experience in today’s world. For more insights into market trends across a wide range of industries, follow MRINetwork.