Nearly two thirds (65%) of sales and marketing professionals believe the key challenges they face in closing sales are lack of time, resources and ready access to the right content, according to a new survey.
The study conducted by Data Dwell, a leading global provider of sales and marketing software, found that 45% of UK sales managers frequently lose leads due to lack of traction with the resources available.
Key findings:
• 65% of sales and marketing professionals believe that a lack of content, resources and time are the biggest obstacles stopping them from closing more sales
• 1 in 5 said they didn’t have enough resources to help with their sales processes
• 81% don’t frequently audit their sales processes
According to the data, this is either due to not having easy access to the collateral required (26%) or not having the necessary resources to begin with (20%).
Relevant content, sent at the right stage of the sales funnel is integral to turning a lead into an engaged prospect. This data highlights that sales has limited access to the content marketing is creating, and delays in these processes lead to losing revenue.
Failure to Analyse
Access isn’t the primary issue in all cases. A staggering 81% of sales and marketing teams don’t frequently audit their sales processes.
Failure to review these processes can result in old and irrelevant materials being sent out, setting teams up for a loss of interest and, potentially, trust in the brand as a whole.
Adam Little, Chief Marketing Officer at Data Dwell, said: “The results are typical of what we have seen historically in businesses using outdated sales strategies and tactics. But given that the sales enablement industry has evolved over the last five years to incorporate solutions and technologies that empower sales reps do their jobs better, it’s surprising that UK businesses are still losing leads due to easily rectifiable issues.
We’ve seen an increase in UK companies wanting to optimise the sales process with a focus on delivering a tailored, high value customer experience. Well integrated sales enablement solutions allow the positioning of marketing content dynamically, using customer data within the CRM. Basing recommendations on the characteristics, persona and progress of each prospect. Being able to then see, first-hand what content is gaining significant traction, means you can easily measure your returns and further optimise your processes”.
Methodology
Data Dwell surveyed over 300 UK based organisations to determine the shape of the UK sales landscape. Those polled were asked 10 questions regarding their annual turnover, the challenges they face and whether they had the required resources, time, training and time to complete the tasks they were set.