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India's semiconductor prowess Chips run the world. As the world’s fourth most-traded product after crude oil, refined oil, and cars, their shortage since late 2020 has sent waves of geopolitical and technological distress the world over. The global semiconductor market is racing towards USD 1 trillion  by 2030, growing at 9% annually. Asia Pacific leads the domain, fuelling more than 50% of the global product sales, followed by North America and Europe. Different nations play varied roles in fulfilling the supply of semiconductor chips. The US leads  in electronic design automation (EDA), chip design, core intellectual property, and advanced manufacturing equipment. East Asia is the market leader in wafer fabrication, supported by government incentives and a skilled workforce. China has been leading in assembly, packaging and testing, which is less labour and capital intensive. So, where does India stand? BCG says that over 19% of the world’s semiconductor engineers are in India. The country’s semiconductor market is valued at USD41.2 billion in 2025, expected to reach USD 115.6 billion  by 2030, snowballing at 18.8% annually. The fourth-largest economy in the world is leaving no stone unturned to fuel this growth momentum. Here are some key facts: Made-in-India chip production : India is ready to launch its first indigenously manufactured semiconductor chip this year. It will be developed by Tata Group’s ₹27,000 crore facility in Assam, which is expected to produce 15 billion chips annually. Tata has signed deals with global conglomerates Renesas Electronics Corporation and PSMC to set up a semiconductor packaging unit in Sanand and India’s first semiconductor fab facility in Dholera, Gujarat. Another flagbearer, Kaynes Semicon, is set to launch its first Made-in-India chip in the 28-90 nm range this year, a segment that accounts for 60% of the global demand for chips. Kaynes Semicon is also developing a ₹3,307 crore OSAT (Outsourced Semiconductor Assembly and Test) facility in Sanand, Gujarat, with a daily production capacity of 6.3 million chips. Commercial operations of this facility are expected to begin by the end of July. It will be among India's largest and strengthen the country’s position as a self-reliant semiconductor producer and exporter. Strong R&D : India ranks third  in global semiconductor research. Chip design expertise: India leads the world in auto-component manufacturing. Electronics integration and EV adoption are witnessing extensive expansion and propelling the growth of semiconductor manufacturing in the country. Kaynes Semicon leads the Original Design Manufacturer (ODM) space with its own IP and digital tech expertise. Dixon Technologies, Syrma SGS Technology, and VVDN Technologies are the other major players in the segment. Digital Twin Technology Advancements: This tech creates a physical object’s virtual replica, thus allowing real-time monitoring and simulation. Considered the future of the semiconductor industry, the Digital Twin technology is expected to develop virtual representations for the semiconductor value chain. Firms are integrating this solution to boost their predictive maintenance, real-time monitoring, and operational optimisation. Indian startups and enterprises, Falcon Labs, Paninian, and Pratiti Technologies, are developing Digital Twin tools for renewable and sustainable solutions, aerospace, and industrial automation. Emerging hub in Northeast : Northeast India is emerging as a hub for the semiconductor and energy industries, especially with Assam at the helm of affairs. IIT Guwahati is actively furthering semiconductor research, utilising the government’s Production and Design-Linked Incentive schemes. Competition : India boasts over 19% of the world's semiconductor design talent, concentrated in Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Pune, positioning it as a strong competitor to China, the global leader in semiconductor manufacturing. Government Initiatives : The Telecom Department’s Sangam Initiative  aims to revolutionise infrastructure planning through Digital Twin solutions. It will utilise unified data and collective intelligence for intelligent infrastructure development. The South Asian giant is pushing pedals with a single-minded determination to become a global hub. The government’s initiatives – India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) and Semicon India, the annual conference that ISM organises every year – are the twin torchbearers of this goal. How do these impact the Indian semiconductor players? Let’s take a look. India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) The goal is simple. To establish an unhindered semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem in India. To do that, the Digital India Corporation created the India Semiconductor Mission in 2021 as an independent division and allocated ₹76,000 crore to support companies in this domain. ISM offers: Financial support for companies establishing semiconductor wafer fabrication facilities. The incentives range from 30-50% of the project costs. Up to 50% financial aid, limited at ₹12,000 crore per fab facility for TFT, LCD, and AMOLED display manufacturing. The Design Linked Incentive (DLI) Scheme provides up to 50% fiscal aid for chip design projects and net sales turnover-based incentives. 30% capital expenditure support for companies investing in compound semiconductors, sensors, silicon photonics, and semiconductor packaging. With semiconductor manufacturing still nascent, India focused on assembly, testing, marking and packaging (ATMP) rather than advanced fabrication, which is now set to change.   Geopolitics of the Semiconductor Battleground The ₹76,000 crore (approximately USD 10 billion) set aside for honing India’s semiconductor prowess is just the beginning compared to the American CHIPS Act, which offers subsidies worth USD 52 billion to polish domestic capabilities. China, too, has invested over USD 150 billion in the domain since 2014, and Taiwan and South Korea are global leaders with companies like TSMC and Samsung at the helm. Geopolitical dynamics oil the cogs of the global semiconductor industry. Although Intel and Nvidia may strengthen American design capabilities, the US still relies on TSMC and Samsung for advanced chip manufacturing and India for talent. Several Indian engineers are employed in American firms’ Global Capability Centres (GCCs). The US CHIPS Act encourages Indo-American partnerships to leverage Indian design and EDA capabilities. Moreover, due to the ongoing challenges with the US, Europe, and Taiwan, China has its wings wound tight. The proposed amendment to Section 5949 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) would ban the US government from procuring electronics and devices built with Chinese semiconductors starting December 23rd, 2027 . This offers an unprecedented opportunity for India to shine in the domain. What India currently lacks in fabrication expertise, it makes up for in chip design talent.   The computer and communications devices industry dominates the demand for semiconductor chips worldwide at 57% , followed by automotive and industrial at 17% and 14%, consumer electronics at 11% and government or military usage at 1%. When it comes to the auto-component manufacturing, India takes the centre stage. The nation’s exports surge by over 25% annually. The EV market alone is growing at 66.52%, expected to reach USD113.99 billion by 2029. India has its vision set on 2030 - to achieve USD 80 billion in semiconductor exports and secure 10% of the global chip production. Industry dynamics may be unpredictable, but we can be sure of one thing - by the end of this decade, the world will have a new chip superpower to rely on.   *** Have any thoughts? Share in comments below! And don't forget to hit ❤ before you go!

The sound of keyboards clicking fills the space. Your agents speak rapidly and confidently with clients. The customer satisfaction score is through the roof. Everything is going as planned. Isn’t that every contact center manager’s dream? You wish everything would go smoothly every day. And while that may be wishful thinking, you can improve how your agents perform at work through effective contact center training. So, what does this training do? Let’s take a look. What is contact center training? As it sounds, contact center training is a program to help your agents develop skills and aptitude to handle daily customer interactions. There is a training module for all contact center staff, from frontline employees to backend executives. You can pick from a variety of techniques, like: Culture training: To teach your agents about the company culture and how it influences every customer interaction. Personality tests: Your agents have to deal with all types of customers daily. These tools help them understand the different personality types and how to best deal with them. Social media training: It is needed because your customers often contact your agents through a social media platform. Preparing them to handle customer interactions publicly can help avoid mistakes that can go viral and adversely impact the company's image. Contact center training is inevitable for your center’s success. And not just because handling customers can get challenging for your agents. Let’s see what makes this a crucial activity. Why is contact center training important? Here’s why it is essential to train your contact center agents. It promotes professional advancement. Your employees want to be upskilled as it makes them more desirable within your organization and as a professional. It uplifts their morale and keeps them motivated. Training polishes them into professionals who can handle difficult situations. In fact, three of the top five reasons for your agents to look for job opportunities outside are linked to the pursuit of new skills. It lowers the turnover rate. Contact center training is not confined to agents needing performance improvement measures. Your star performers also need training. It shows them you care enough to upgrade their knowledge and skill level and keeps them from looking outside your organization to advance their career. Profit margins rise. Trained agents can do their jobs better and lower maintenance and corrective costs. They can handle customers well and forge stronger relationships, thus enhancing customer satisfaction scores. Briefly put, well trained agents offer your customers a better experience and ultimately, profits follow. To prepare a training program, you need a method best suited to your organization. There are five types of contact center training. Let’s take a look. Types of contact center training You can choose one or more of these five training types depending on what suits your agents. Keep in mind that offering a bouquet of training modules can be more engaging to a variety of employees. Classroom Training Did you picture a room full of students facing a teacher and a board? You can choose to have that setup or go for a more relaxed ambiance that instructor-led sessions, workshops and group activities provide. This traditional training method can prove highly effective due to its simplicity of approach and execution. Live Call Training It is like training on the job and shows the true mettle of your staff. Teaching your agents how to swim by throwing them in the river can bring to your knowledge who can survive on their own and who will need a float. Coaching during live calls shows how well your agents can apply their training to actual job scenarios and handle customer interactions under pressure. Online Training The pandemic taught organizations to always be prepared to take their daily activities online. Many agents now prefer handling customer calls from their homes through cloud contact centers. You can set up online modules or webinars to ensure every agent can access training sessions. One-On-One Yes, it means sitting individually with each agent and training them personally. Sounds hard? It is. But if done well, it proves to be highly effective, especially for new agents at the time of onboarding. That is when you can glimpse the fresh hire’s strengths and weaknesses and chart an improvement plan. Mentoring Don’t confuse it with one-on-one sessions, as mentoring doesn’t end after a session or two; it continues for the complete employment tenure of your agent. The mentor needs to forge a strong bond with the mentees. It can be difficult and time consuming but proves to be highly productive for the agents as it helps them grow professionally. If time constraint is your main concern, you can encourage your agents to find a suitable mentor or coach, apply for external mentoring programs, or nudge experienced executives to help out their fellow agents. If training your contact center staff well seems like rocket science to you, here are a few tricks that can come in handy. 8 hacks for contact center training every manager should know These eight tips will help you train your agents well. #1 Convey goals clearly Ever had goals you thought were unachievable or vague but didn’t have the courage to speak up about? Letting all agents know what is expected of them and why is important. But above all, ensure everyone knows their goals well. Set clear and achievable goals, and don’t leave any room for doubts. Make your agents comfortable enough to ask questions so they can remove uncertainties. #2 Utilize analytics and data If you think accurate data analysis is challenging, try accessing files from a software tool that doesn’t support your operations well enough. First, switch to a platform that gives a holistic view of all contact center processes and offers easy access to in-depth analysis. #3 Offer in-depth technical training during onboarding To make your agents hit the ground running and get comfortable with different software tools, start training them technically from day one on the job. Prepare them for what lies ahead. They would know what to expect and will grow better at it sooner. #4 Emphasize continuous (and customized) training You may want to sit with every agent and coach them in real time while on the job. But, time constraints and hybrid or remote working models may get in the way. Moreover, there are several skills you would want your agents trained in: customer interaction, handling a crisis, comforting an irate client, and technical and soft skills. You can't hold their hands all the time. To ensure their continuous training, you can instead rely on technology like online meetings and coaching tools. They will act in your stead and ensure your staff acquires the skills they need to do their job well. #5 Develop a buddy ecosystem Rely on your agents’ fellow and senior colleagues who have seen it all and been with your organization for a while. They qualify as good trainers. It also gives the manager a break from the constant hand holding needed by some agents, especially the freshly onboarded ones. You can pair them up in a buddy system where each agent has a senior colleague to turn to for doubts and queries. #6 Develop a knowledge base This can include materials on training, brand equity, and products and services. It can be the Bible for your agents to turn to when they have questions. Make it readily accessible to all. Ask your agents what information to include in the knowledge base. Include FAQs and quick references for common queries. #7 Reward milestone achievements Everyone loves a reward. Ensure your agents receive one whenever they achieve a milestone, perform well, outdo their peers, or for team efforts. These rewards could be tokens of appreciation like a gift card or public shoutouts. It boosts your agents' engagement and productivity and motivates them to do better at the workplace. #8 Upgrade your training regularly Like your agents’ skillsets and the software tools you employ, your training programs also need a regular upgrade. Not doing this can lead to recurring challenges and service gaps. While you can count on these tricks for effective contact center training, choosing the right software does half your job. How to pick the right tool, you ask? Here’s what you can do. How to choose the right contact center training tool? Look for these top qualities to pick the best suited contact center training software. Accessibility In a hybrid working model, your agents work from within the office and outside. The training tool should be accessible remotely, via website and app, to make it available where your staff is. The tool should display training modules, their scores, and other data related to the agent’s training progress. Customization The tool should be customizable as per your center’s needs. You should be able to pick and create the modules, select the skills you want to train your agents in, schedule personalized training sessions, and closely monitor the agent’s training progress in real time. Automation Robust AI-powered tools offer features like automated scoring of your agents’ daily customer interactions on several parameters, including active listening, the quality of opening and closing statements, and introduction and empathy level, among others. Proper training can make your agents shine in the workplace. They develop the skills needed to do their daily job and grow in their careers. Wondering what skills they develop through proper training? Below listed are a few. Contact center training: An agent’s armor An untrained agent is like a soldier without armor in a battle. And their defenses need a refill or an upgrade every now and then. Today, employees know what they want from their jobs and what they need to improve. That’s why businesses in the US spent $101.8 billion on corporate training this year. Managers realize how critical contact center training is to retain agents willing to quit if not offered adequate learning opportunities. FAQs How often should contact center agents undergo training? It depends on job complexity, agents’ skill and experience level, industry practices and the company’s budget. But, ideally, your agents should undergo training every 3-6 months. What role does leadership play in contact center training? Leaders foresee customer expectations and agents’ requirements. They equip their teams to better serve the customers and optimally utilize technology to improve business results. How can contact centers balance legal and ethical considerations in training? One way is to provide experiential training in legal and ethical dilemmas. This can be done through case studies, role plays, and live training during an ongoing call.

In August 2023, a former National Basketball Association (NBA) social media manager posted on X from the NBA’s account. Source The manager could tweet because he still could access the NBA’s account. When he could no longer take it, he went ballistic on the iconic basketball brand from its own X handle. While his rampage might ring true with many of you, it sent shockwaves across industries, especially because the NBA has a separate team of social media experts. The load is expected to be lesser for large enterprises. But his one tweet went viral, thus tarnishing the brand’s image as an employer. The constant pings announcing the arrival of new followers. A skipped heartbeat when the traffic dips during peak hours. Or sleepless nights if a customer leaves a rude comment on your brand’s social media account. That’s a typical day in the life of a social media manager. No wonder you often suffer from social media burnout. It is a syndrome recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO). Let’s see what it means. What is social media burnout? WHO defines it as “a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” Social media burnout has four main symptoms: 1. Lower energy or exhaustion. 2. Losing interest in work or harboring negative feelings towards one’s job. 3. Reduced professional efficiency. 4. Cynicism. However, this does not allow you to buy over-the-counter medication because WHO does not recognize social media burnout as a disease or a medical condition. To prevent it, you need to know its causes. Let’s see what causes social media burnout. What causes social media burnout? 1. Social omnipresence Managing a brand’s online presence 24x7 across all platforms can be taxing. Daily posts to keep the audience engaged, your ranking intact, staying updated on dynamic social media trends, and addressing the negative comments that need an urgent nip-it-in-the-bud response after working hours add to burnout. 2. Never-ending tasks Posting content like videos or podcasts daily and their making and editing can be very demanding. Your job continues even after you post and as the audience begins to react. 3. Financial limitations Budgetary constraints often force brands to recruit less than necessary or offer unattractive salaries. This is usually a reason behind overworked social media managers. Wondering how you can prevent reaching the tipping point? Start by detecting it early. Here’s how you can do that. 5 signs of social media burnout 1. You feel tired but cannot sleep. This involves physical exhaustion triggered by long working hours and the inability to switch off due to constant notifications. And yet, you suffer from insomnia or disturbed sleep. 2. You feel uninterested in most tasks. You feel bored at work and uninterested in tasks that once used to drive you. For example, the post on X by an Entertainment Weekly staff speaks volumes about losing interest in one’s job. Source 3. You suffer from FOMO. “How many likes did the post get?” “Is there a new comment on the video yet?” Such thoughts running in your head after working hours signal burnout. 4. You feel emotionally drained. This includes frustration, irritation, and being overwhelmed. If you feel pessimistic and hopeless most of the time, you could be suffering from burnout. 5. You cannot concentrate well. It is the inability to focus or pay attention to anything happening around you, what others are saying, or what you are doing now. It indicates exhaustion. Not every social media manager suffers from burnout. While an occupational hazard, it can be prevented. Here’s what you can do to avoid social media burnout. 9 hacks to avoid social media burnout 1. Take regular breaks. Even if your breaks are brief and scattered. Time off could mean a 10-minute break or a week-long vacation; take your pick. See what suits you and helps you avoid falling into the pit. Avoid gadgets as much as you can while on a break. 2. Learn to say no. When you are too invested in your job, it becomes difficult to say no to additional responsibilities or when people call for an update. Or, you could be saying yes to avoid disappointing the other person. Avoid saying yes when it can upset your schedule, hog into your time off, or lead to burnout. 3. Set priorities and communicate them. Set social media marketing priorities, convey them to the team and your bosses, and revisit the strategy regularly. This helps set expectations right for everyone. It also prompts you to know what and how much to do and when. 4. Prepare a social media calendar and stick to it. Priorities can help you distinguish tasks into mission critical, essential, or can wait categories. This also includes blocking the schedule to create new content, responding to the audience, and indulging in analytics. You can also create an idea bank to prompt you when needed or create content in advance and schedule the post for when the time is right. 5. Cultivate hobbies for non-working hours. Have something to look forward to at the end of the day or over the weekend. Read a book, go swimming or sparring, or simply volunteer for a cause you believe in. 6. Seek support if needed. Know that you are not alone in feeling a burn. Speak to someone on your team, a senior or a professional, or reach out to other social media managers for support. 7. Set a response protocol. Juggling responses to post comments is part of your job. If the fear of sending a wrong or rude message to a comment received at 3 am can give you sleepless nights, you should set a response protocol. These are templatized responses to common comments. Have one ready to shoot in case of need to save time. 8. Don’t create, curate. Curating means compiling the content best suited to your audience’s taste. It is content you post online that you haven’t developed yourself. It is easier to compile than designing a complete post, is less exhausting, and works as well as content creation. A few examples of curated content are photos, blog posts, news items, client testimonials, or an engaging social media post from another user that would grab your audience’s attention. Below is an example of a curated post. Source 9. Do something that helps you keep going. When you feel exhausted, but the work demands your urgent attention, do something that enables you to concentrate and stay the course. For example, you could work from your favorite spot at home or take a ten-minute power nap before jumping back in. Here’s some advice from a fellow social media manager. Source Social media is hard work. They say you must go offline at times to pull your life back on track. Acknowledge your job responsibilities, identify the triggers of burnout, and take steps to avoid them.

Salestors rely on different tools to make their job easy. CRMs, tech products for lead generation, sales engagement, meeting scheduling, and video conferencing rule the sales domain. We have seen advanced tech revolutionize the complete sales cycle. Here’s a list of the tech that dominated the lead generation market. Lead Generation The days when you had to mentally note company names while driving or talking to someone are behind us. Lead generation tools made that activity redundant. Lead generation is the activity that attracts potential customers to your business product and encourages them to share their information with you. It is the series of steps before Salestors sit across the decision maker and pitch their product. There are six features you must look for in a lead generation tool. How to find your ideal Lead Generation tool? Easy-to-use interface A lead gen tool must have an intuitive interface that anyone in your team can use. It shouldn’t induce technical hiccups. Lead generation is no rocket science; the tool shouldn’t make it one. Integrability The software should be easily integrable with your other tools like the CRM, email apps, and other business-related software that your sales team uses daily. Data Analytics Lead generation and numbers go hand-in-hand. The software that gets you qualified leads should also offer analytics and reporting features. This helps you make data-driven decisions by identifying the buyer’s life cycle stage, distinguishing hot and warm leads from cold ones, and any improvements required in the approach. Customization The lead gen tool should be easily customizable, thus making tracking easy. It should also allow you to access and streamline the prospects from one interface or dashboard and help approach your target base. Automation It should give the option to automate data collection and analysis. You might not want to automate all the tasks as lead generation needs manual monitoring at some stage, but the tool should offer enough control to monitor the process. Worth the Investment If you invest in paid lead gen tools, they should be your money’s worth and offer great returns. Here are the top 5 lead generation software that will rule the roost this year. 1. Snov.io Who is it for: Anyone in the B2B, B2C, or D2C domain and entrepreneurs looking for leads. A multifunctional tool offering lead generation solutions and chrome extensions. Snov.io lets you find emails from company websites and verify and track them. It also supports complete integration with your CRM to create a one-stop shop. Features Extensive email finder. You can find emails by company domain, name, industry, location, and the contact’s name. Boolean search lets you search for ideal leads and prospective candidates by location, skillset, and position. Ideal for cold outreach. Finds and verifies emails quickly. You can create drip campaigns and warm up your emails for better deliverability. Technology Checker to identify the tools used by your prospect so you can approach and connect with them accordingly. Advantages Free tool offering up to 150 search and prospect credits per month. Easy-to-use. It is practically a no-brainer. Anyone in your sales team can use the tool. Simple integration with your in-house tools, CRM, and even LinkedIn to get you the desired leads. Excellent award-winning customer support. Great reviews! 5 stars on ZeroBounce and GetApp, 4.7 on TrustPilot, and 4.5 on G2. Pricing Starting at $0 for a free subscription with 150 credits up to $999 monthly for a customized plan billed annually. You can check their plans here. Reviews Snov.io scores 4.5 on G2, GetApp, and SoftwareAdvice, and 4.6 on TrustPilot. 2. Leadfeeder Who is it for: Mainly B2B and B2C companies. Leadfeeder identifies all website visitors, including individuals and companies visiting your websites and landing pages. Features Website Visitor Tracking feature captures all website visitors whether or not they fill out forms on your website or engage with the chatbot. Lead Generation tracker can identify the companies visiting your landing pages. Just install their code on your website. They will enrich the employee database, and you will receive qualified leads directly in your CRM and designated email IDs. Account Based Marketing leads. Identify and target your ideal accounts and know when they visit your landing pages. This tool can capture anonymous accounts and allow you to monitor and nurture them. Sales pipeline tracker identifies the hot leads that are interested in your products. It tells you their behavior on your site and what they browse. You can find the right prospects, email addresses, and social profiles like LinkedIn. Complete integration with your CRM Advantages Lead notifications sent directly to your system. Lead scoring based on their behavior. So you can always identify the prospects as hot, warm, and cold. Easy integration with your CRM and B2B tools through plug-and-play connectors or API. Firmographic information on all companies visiting your website and landing pages. Pricing Leadfeeder Lite is free and offers the last 7 days’ data and a maximum of 100 leads. No credit card is needed to sign up! The annual premium plan begins at €139 per month and offers unlimited leads. Reviews Leadfeeder enjoys a rating of 4.3 on G2, 4.2 on GetApp, and 8.3 on 10 on TrustRadius. 3. Datanyze Who is it for: B2B and B2C companies of all sizes Datanyze works via a Chrome extension and captures real-time leads from social media. Features Special ice breakers of your prospects captured from their social media feeds and local news. Capture company and contact information through social media in real-time Tag companies and your prospects to create a customized sales funnel Conduct lead search at scale. For example, if you search for the employees of a company on LinkedIn, the Datanyze Chrome extension can provide their contact information on the same page. Multi-user access for your complete sales team. Advantages Get more than just email addresses without leaving your browser. Datanyze rolls out direct dial and even mobile numbers for your prospects. CCPA and GDPR compliant Verified data and industry-wise leads Generous three-month free trial and no need for credit card details Pricing 90-day free trial without the need for credit card details. Then you can select from their Nyze Pro 1 ($21 per month billed annually) and 2 ($39 per month billed annually) depending on your business requirements. You can check their plans here. Reviews Datanyze enjoys 4.2 stars on G2, and 4 stars on GetApp, Capterra, and SoftwareAdvice. 4. Hunter Who is it for: Anyone looking for a quick email search. Remember when you know the contact and the company and just need to figure out their email address to send the pitch? Well, Hunter gives you just that. Features Company domain search Email finder Email verifier Run email campaigns Integrate with your sales apps and CRM tools Works on browser extension Provides a Google sheets add-on so you can add and verify email addresses in bulk Advantages Works well for solopreneurs and companies Full support for google sheets and a full-fledged CRM Excellent free version Super easy to use Pricing The free version offers up to 25 searches and 50 email verifications monthly. Their plans start from $34 to $279 per month, billed annually. Reviews Hunter boasts 4.6 stars on GetApp, 4.5 on SoftwareAdvice, and a 4.4 rating on G2. 5. Adapt.io Who is it for: B2B and B2C companies Don’t you hate dialing a number and realizing it is no longer valid? Adapt is a lead generation tool that enriches the data weekly, so you don’t have to worry about updating. Features 2M+ weekly data updates Provides actionable insights like company profile and firmographics, market intelligence, demographics, lead information, contact details All data sent directly to your CRM or sales platforms 25+ filters cover industries, departments, staff count, revenue and profit details, and geographies. Works with a Chrome plug-in, web platform API integration available Advantages Excellent customer support Ability to browse companies by industry or name Easy-to-use platform Highly convenient. You receive all insights at your CRM dashboard Pricing A 3-day free trial is available without credit card details. Rest you can get a quote or contact their sales team. Reviews Adapt boasts a 4.6 rating on G2 and 4.4 on GetApp and Capterra. 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A virus taught that the world can survive and thrive digitally as well. From simple grocery shopping to life-transforming online degrees from an overseas university, a parallel universe emerged behind the screen. Many people, young and old, took to the digital foray as fish takes to water. Everyone embraced digital payments to maintain social distancing. Many eCommerce companies took advantage of the situation and started targeting D2C customers via paid channels. A recent McKinsey study noted that four out of five Americans used a digital payment mode in 2021. Plus, there was a sudden upsurge in the use of cryptocurrency and Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) mode. By 2021, 76% of adults worldwide had an account with a bank, financial institution, or a mobile transaction facilitator app, compared to 68% in 2017. The Changed Dynamics Heightened CAC Lower demand for the paid channels meant higher customer acquisition costs. With the surge in eCommerce, the global players started fighting to grab a larger share of the customer base. Consumers had spent almost $65 billion by mid-2021 on eCommerce mobile app shopping, up by approximately 25% in 2020. The revolutionary privacy policy changes brought in by Apple Inc, made the Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA) collection optional. This meant customer activities could not be tracked by apps like Facebook and Instagram. As users became more privacy conscious, the share of tracked customers declined from 73% in early 2021 to 32% by June end. That’s not all. CAC skyrocketed by 200% for tracked and 155% for untracked users. As a result, 65% of marketers started believing that the rising CAC is a priority that needs to be dealt with immediately. Since creating unforgettable customer experiences is the solution, here’s what eCommerce companies can do about it. Creating Engaging Customer Experiences Retain the Customers Marketing enthusiasts abide by the principle that a 5% boost in customer retention can raise the bottom line by up to 95%. Plus, acquiring a new buyer can cost up to 25 times more than retaining one. Still, only 18% of companies invest in customer retention. To get more out of the current user base, you can design loyalty and membership programs that keep them hooked to your brand. Personalized Experience “Dear Customer, please share your feedback.” Or, “Hi Paul, Did you get complimented for that red t-shirt you bought from us a week ago?” Clearly, the latter is more personalized. Customization is vital for retention. As per a McKinsey report, 71% of customers expect brands to target them with personalized tools. More importantly, 76% of customers dislike being targeted with a generic approach. You can draw up to 40% more revenue with customized targeting. That’s why tailored emails and notifications draw immediate attention compared to generic ones. Saving customer preferences from previous purchases and using that data to send notifications about new arrivals, discounts and offers are regular tricks that work wonders. Ultimately, 78% of customers are more likely to make repeat purchases and spread the word about a brand that offers a personalized experience. And customization of the mobile experience seems critical since everyone spends more time on their handheld devices than laptops. A Platform for Customer Opinion Your customers like to talk about their purchases, so you might as well give them a platform to voice their opinions freely. Although this could go either way for your brand, users highly appreciate it. Building a safe community for addressing their concerns can gain you brownie points. It ensures customers come to your platform to voice their thoughts instead of bad-mouthing your brand on social media. And then, these online communities can generate 6469% ROI on your marketing efforts! Above all, the smaller mobile screen does wonders for these customer experience tricks. The Mobile Difference When you need to shop online, do you turn on your laptop or just open the app or website on your mobile? By January 2021, over 5.22 billion people were mobile phone users spending more than four hours daily on the device. Most eCommerce companies adopt the mobile-first route because they generate around 61% of the website traffic. An Insider Intelligence report predicts that mCommerce retail sales will double by 2025. The mobile experience creates loyalty and stickiness for customers to return to your brand. Here’s what you can expect from a mobile app. Retain Customers MCommerce mobile apps can drive loyalty and membership programs with easy access and rapid resolution capacity. The easier your app is to use, the better the customer experience and, thus, the higher the chances of retention and repeat sales. On the other hand, 32% of customers uninstall a difficult-to-use app. An app is known to generate 157% more conversions as compared to a mobile website. With well-timed notifications, you can prompt your customers to check in the app at least one of the many times they fiddle with their phones every hour. Moreover, a mobile app gives users the comfort of ordering something at the last minute or adding it to the cart again when they forget an item. Access to the mobile is more potent than opening a laptop to do the same. Higher the comfort, the deeper the customer loyalty. A Personal Channel There are many instances of creative personalization via a mobile app. For example, do you listen to playlists customized by music apps, especially for you? Naturally, that experience flows more smoothly in a mobile app than on a desktop website. But of course, many music service providers operate via only an app. For online shopping, when your customers relocate, the app picks up a change in location of order placement and prompts services accordingly. A 24x7 access to the mobile app ensures that you don’t lose the customer due to a geographical change in their base. Build Brands An average adult in the US spends nearly four hours on mobile phones daily. The mobile world is clearly more immersive than TV and laptops. That’s why mobile ads promote your brand better. You can create personalized emails, notifications, in-app text, and video ads to connect with your audience. Above all, attractive social media content draws the maximum crowd, and only the mobile can empower that. Monitor Buyer Behavior Around 50% of the European shoppers in the Netherlands, UK, Denmark, Italy or Norway buy from mobile apps. These apps can store and pick your customers' data from previous orders and offer them a single-click purchase mechanism, thus saving time. But more importantly, it gives you complete visibility of buyer behavior. A mobile-focused marketing strategy can shrink the CAC and increase the Average Order Value. Besides, transactions are easier done through a mobile app with access to different payment modes like online wallets, net banking, credit/debit cards, and loyalty points through a single gateway. So where were you reading this blog? On you mobile, we bet!

While I mentioned previously that cold calling is only a part of prospecting and not an equal, I thought it may be relevant to delve into how cold calling will help you become a better sales professional and how you can gain from it. Yes, I also never liked the idea of cold calling, but I was told every day to learn the art and practice of cold calling if you have to be a successful Sales Leader. So, while I despised even the idea of cold calling, I decided to get over the apathy towards it and give it a shot. Here are some hacks and facts about what cold calling taught me, hence the title of this blog- Cold calling is a good teacher. Communication Skills: May seem obvious, but if you have to master it, you need to understand the actual meaning of communication and not just the colloquial meaning. True communication includes the inter-connected skills of Speaking, Listening and Thinking. Good communication entails questioning and communicating, both clearly and precisely. Building Rapport: especially with complete strangers. Rehearsing the right words and tone leaves the conversation with open-ended statements that make the prospect want more from you. This will build your confidence to approach anyone. Choosing Words Appropriately: While cold calling, we need to choose our words more carefully and speak with clarity and confidence. Stay humble, even soft, without the need to be aggressive and "drive" the words right at the person we speak with. Identifying and Qualifying Decision Makers: We learn to identify the real decision-makers early in the sales process and may also identify people who are the road blockers. Developing Openings that Command Attention: One of the most difficult tasks in any sales situation is moving the conversation to a "sales conversation", with an appropriate opening, but without alienating the person we are speaking with. Segueing naturally, in a gentle and commanding way, is a very important skill. Moving the conversation in a specific direction while continuing to command respect and attention of the prospect. Gaining the Prospect's Interest: you can have the best product or service in any category or industry, but if your presentation is weak, your sale will not go far. So your presentation will need to command the prospect's interest. And through continuous cold calling, you will build a pattern that succeeds more than it fails. So that when you get to the other engagements in your sales process, you will keep the prospect interested. Learning the Art of Effective Questioning: Asking the right question and asking them at the right time is a great skill that cold calling can teach you. The absence of that skill can not only alienate the person you are speaking to but also result in a loss of goodwill and most certainly kill the possible sale. Learning the Art of Effective Listening: This, in my view, is the most critical skill a seller has to learn. Listening is also a key element in learning and continuing to enjoy the prospect's respect and regard. Not listening is a good path to closing all doors. Try and Build a "Structured Prospecting Process": Ask the right questions such that you can understand the client's situation accurately and completely. The right questions and listening effectively goes a long way in building trust with the prospect, which is key to the entire sales process. In addition, a structured approach will help you early in the prospecting and qualifying the prospect. A key gem of cold calling is even if you have a large customer base, you should never stop cold calling. Simply because the unexplored market is always much larger than the market known to you. The experience we gain from talking with people we do not know – gives us better and honest insights as to why our prospects are saying no to our products. Thus to conclude, keep working on your cold calling skills, meeting new people and expanding your network, your knowledge of your customers and the many professions and industries they work in. "Be so good they can't ignore you", Steve Martin. Aalok Bhan is a seasoned business professional with three decades of experience across the BFSI and education sectors. In his career, he has worked in full capacity with Standard Chartered, ABN AMRO, Max Life, and as a consultant with the Rain Group. An SRCC and IIM-C graduate, Aalok now runs his Thought Leadership and Consultancy, Scaling Up. Have some thoughts on Cold Calling? Share your comments below.

Prospecting is the only Silver Bullet to building a successful sales career. Sales as a profession is a journey that is open to anyone willing to give it time, effort and commitment to go the entire distance. But as they say, any journey begins with taking the first step. In the case of Sales professionals, it starts with PROSPECTING. You must start to fall in love with the whole process of Prospecting to become a successful Sales Professional. Prospecting is not equal to COLD CALLING. It is more evolved than cold calling, and read on as I progress. Selling is about Learning, and learning is a full-time continuous journey. A key aspect if you choose a sales career, be in it for the long term. For sales success, every seller needs to be a continuous Learner. The learning process is an ongoing one, regardless of how many years a "sales professional" may have under his belt. Please note I am talking about a Sales Professional vs a seller. There is a very distinctive difference. If you want to succeed in sales, you have to adopt the practice and constantly be on the journey of becoming a professional vs just being a seller. True sales is a continuous learning journey. "Knowledge is power". The more knowledge you have, and the more you accumulate, the better it will be for you. Knowledge can be of two types, general knowledge and specialised knowledge or what we more know as Domain or Functional knowledge. People generally think that having specialised knowledge is more critical, but in my 30 years of experience in sales, you are likely to make more money in your lifetime from the general knowledge that you acquire. Focus "Sales is not hocus-pocus; it is all about Focus". Just focus on 3 things: Time, Effort and Commitment (TEC). There are no shortcuts to success and most certainly as a Sales Professional. As I start to dwell on the first step on the success ladder of Sales – Prospecting, one theme resonates with me "To make all your sales problems go away, all you have to do is go talk to more people. Ignore the negative ones, and stay focused on your goals. Just call more people. The more people you call on, the better your results will be. Just see more people." Early in my sales career, the best advice I received from some of my managers was to ignore the voices of doom and gloom, focus on your goals and recognise the opportunities swirling around you. Use extra TEC to make a difference in this world. Don't just dream; you have to build on your dreams effort-by-effort, one step at a time. Everyone you meet has something to contribute to your growth. You will never run into anybody from whom you cannot learn something. Thus summarising one hack to becoming a successful sales professional could be summarised to say Hack #1: "The best way to master the entire sales process, especially prospecting, is to focus on meeting more people every day". So the more you Prospect, the more you leant, and the more you grow." Before and during your sales career, I would suggest asking yourself, "Why be a sales professional?" Therefore, I am making that we have to daily sell ourselves the Sales career. Hack #2: "If you have the right answer to the ubiquitous question – WHY, it will not only change your attitude towards the profession but will also change your attitude and others' perception towards you and your job." PROSPECTING- The Keyword for Sales Performance Prospect as a noun figuratively describes any person who may actually buy the offered product. Prospecting, as a verb, describes the act and or the activity of looking for potential candidates who may be a Prospect. Many of us are motivated by the feeling that my product when I present to the Prospect, will result in an instant conversion. We at least get into the act of prospecting in the hope of getting instant gratification or instant success. But at best, it is just hope, and hope can never be your strategy in any endeavour, let alone sales. The truth is that instant success rarely occurs instantly. A lot of hard work and digging gets into getting that "pot of gold". In a way, this is why figuratively, the pot of gold is only available at the one end of the imaginary rainbow. Let's define Prospecting: "It ideally is a very organised, systematic effort to identify, reach, establish a degree of rapport, and qualify people as possible new customers and clients". Yes, it's not instant nor easy. But the good part is there is a process to become successful, which means if we stick to the outlined process of Prospecting, we can succeed every time. TIME as a Resource In a general sense, time is not really limited. However, in the literal sense, it is limited. Hence we must focus on the 'Enriched Time'. In this context, prospecting effectively and efficiently revolves around using time most productively. Some hacks for that could be: Knowing what to search for (in terms of the right segment for your offer); Knowing where to look for; and Knowing what to do, how to proceed, what to say and how to leave prospects genuinely smiling. Hack #3: "Use your TIME enrichingly." Prospecting is a Numbers game Failure to prospect effectively can mean the rest of all your skills may never be used. In my experience, few salespeople have developed a well-defined prospecting plan. The probability of your success in sales increases with the no of "qualified prospects" in your database and the range of prospecting methods you adopt in your sales practice, e.g. cold calling, webinars and seminars, corporate presentations etc. And hence at a very basic level, "Prospecting is a numbers game". In a sense, to put it simply, the number of qualified leads is directly proportional to the no of successful sales. Hack #4: “Thus, a sales professional should know his ratio of sales to the number of qualified leads and therefore have a daily plan to how many new qualified people he must meet every day to deliver his plan. It's like a farmer planting seeds.” A few realisations I have had in my sales experience of 30 years- just treat them as pointers as the last part of this blog. Prospecting is the most essential of the daily activities for a sales professional. So keep at it. Just see more people every day. Prospecting activities are NOT cold-calling; cold calling is just a tool to collect data. The only objective can be to build rapport and, at best, seek a second meeting. So it is a key part of prospecting but is not equal to prospecting. In fact, cold-calling is neither the most efficient nor the most effective way to generate leads. Cold calling is labour-intensive, time-consuming, and emotionally draining for the sales professional. And hence many individuals in sales really dislike making cold calls and, by extension, dislike prospecting. Hack #5: As against cold calling, prospecting is a "targeted activity". We must create a profile or a straw man of our "Ideal prospect". This also includes research to identify who fits our profile before we start reaching out to our potential clients. Prospecting is not Selling. Prospecting does not involve selling. Prospecting is a process of combining research ( at times including cold calls) regarding our "ideal client" with the idea of starting a selling conversation, and hence prospecting is not selling. Hack #6: Don't feel unhappy or unfulfilled if you don't close the sale in the prospecting stage. As I said, Prospecting is not selling. Closing a sale every day is a myth. But enjoying meeting people every day is not. So keep enjoying prospecting every day, and sales closures will become more efficient. The numbers won’t bother you if your focus and enjoyment are restricted to meeting more people every day. Hack #7: If we focus on closing a sale every day, we are more likely to feel disillusioned. Just follow the process of daily prospecting. Stay in the game. For success in sales, other than Prospecting skills, mastering communication skills is key. And communication skills are not about being a great smooth talker. Instead, it is a unique combination of speaking, listening and thinking together, questioning clearly and precisely. So building rapport as a critical purpose of prospecting and rehearsing is a crucial component of preparing for anything you are going to do. Because if we do not prepare, we are preparing to fail. Hack #8: So rehearse the process of asking the right questions, listen well, acknowledge and provide the next steps to meet at the best post or during a cold call. Choose your vocabulary well and your tone of voice too. The wrong choice of words and an inappropriate tone can offend your prospect, which is the end of converting them into a client. Hack #9: Try and identify the key decision-makers within the prospecting process as early as possible in the cold calling process to save time converting into a sale. Plus, it also helps you to decide when to drop following up. Segueing well into a sales conversation from cold calling is a skill we need to develop. In the sales process, we need to transition into moving the conversation in a specific direction while continuing to command the prospect's attention and giving the prospect the respect they deserve. We have to get the Prospect's interest and attention: If we present our product ineffectively, we will not command the prospect's interest or attention for long. Hack #10: Learn the art of questioning – Ask the right questions and, more importantly, at the right time. More importantly, learning the art of effective listening is probably more if not equal to the art of asking questions. As I believe, Selling is not telling; it is listening. Not Listening is a quick path to "Goodbye". Prepare about your prospect's areas of work, their industry, his family and some personal stuff to get him to converse with you during the stage of prospecting where both of you are trying to get comfortable. Don't think that the job of building rapport is only yours. The other side is as uncomfortable as you are because it is a new experience for them as well. Hence, knowing the prospect well before getting into a meeting or conversation will help you break the ice, make them more comfortable, and increase your chances for a second meeting where you can progress closer to a sale. Lastly, I will end this first of a 5-series of blogs on Prospecting by saying you can never stop prospecting as the market you don't know about is much larger than the market you know. If you get to master the skills for the market you don't know, it will be much easier for you to sell to the market you know. Thanks Watch this space for the next article in this five-post series! Coming out soon. Aalok Bhan is a seasoned business professional with three decades of experience across the BFSI and education sectors. In his career, he has worked in full capacity with Standard Chartered, ABN AMRO, Max Life, and as a consultant with the Rain Group. An SRCC and IIM-C graduate, Aalok now runs his Thought Leadership and Consultancy, Scaling Up. Share your thoughts on his blog post in the comments below.

Every Salestor is an army in themselves. And every army needs assistance decking up for the war. We have seen how Salestors can forge a better relationship with legal, operations and finance. Now let’s take a look at our relationship with the procurement department. While Sales is the force of the revenue generators, Procurement’s primary role is to quickly get the best solutions to the organisation at the lowest possible price. It can be challenging for Salestors to connect with the Procurement in-house or on the client’s side to close a deal. A few things can help resolve any impending conflict between Sales and Procurement. Let’s take a look. 1. Analyse Procurement’s Stand Imagine this. Your client assures you of closure within a week, and on the evening of the sixth day, you get to know that the ball is in Procurement’s court. The idea is not to sulk at their wild card entry but make the most of the situation. Although Procurement is seldom the final decision maker, it could be an influencer in the client’s system. Therefore, it is crucial to analyse their stand in the deal. Both Sales and Procurement’s underlying goals involve a product sale at the best price. Two things matter: The person you are interacting with, their designation, background, and any personal history of slamming most products that come at their doorstep. Your ability to prove the worth of your product in their business model. 2. Evaluate the Deal’s DNA Tom Kinnaird and Hal Movius in Harvard Business Review suggest evaluating a deal’s three qualities for a better outcome: Decision Makers: Who has the power to roll out the final word. Negotiators: Who sits at the other end of the table for negotiation and their perspective. Advocates: Who will be affected by the outcome of the discussion and can affect the decision making. 3. Give Complete Information Ensure everyone concerned in the client’s company knows your product/service well and can assist their organisation. Try giving them a feel of the product through demos or free trials and ensure you have scored brownie points with the decision-makers who can push your product higher up in the client’s system. 4. Strategise with the Frenemy If the deal you are working on will involve RFP or other such lengthy procedures, Mercuri International suggests involving your Procurement team at an early stage. The Procurement people have a more profound knowledge of such processes, and their involvement might help you close the deal sooner. 5. Do Not Submit to Pressure Procurement’s main aim is to negotiate the best buy amongst all the vendors and not focus on the best pitch. So don’t freeze if you don’t hear applause on the USPs of your product from them. A good purchase at a great price matters more to them than your value proposition. Have more anecdotes from your experience? Share in the comments below!

Salestors, picture this. You have been able to schedule the first meeting with a new client. The session begins, and they don’t turn on their video. Instead, you receive a bland “Hello” from the black screen. You want to get to know them more to formulate the best pitch in your head, but how do you begin? Story of every Salestor out there! In this final piece of the Virtual Selling series, we drift over seven hacks for Salestors to host successful Virtual Meetings with clients. 1. Prepare Well in Advance: Yes, the same old advice that never gets old! Know the client’s business, product needs and where your product can fit in. Gain some knowledge about their background through the company website, LinkedIn, or your peers in the industry. It will give you some good conversation starters besides the blatant sales pitch. 2. Make Client Comfortable: As I said in the first article in the series, use the tools that a client is comfortable with and get familiarised. For instance, amongst platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, Skype, or even a WhatsApp video call, understand which one the client prefers and devour the tool so you can utilise it well. There are times when we use a pen and paper to explain the product to the client. The Whiteboard tool, also available in Zoom or Google Meet, can help you do that in an online meeting. 3. The First Few Responses: The way they say hello tells a lot. A prolonged hello combined with ‘Good morning! How are you doing today?’ says they are open to conversation so go for it. They will talk with you and listen to you. On the other hand, a point-blank, monosyllabic response confirms your fears and calls for a refined pitch. You can try beating around the bush by talking about something that concerns them (which you would know based on your research!) and see if it draws any response. We Salestors need to know the client's pulse from the first few words spoken. That’s why we need to be all-rounders. 4. Check Your Reactions: Remember Robert Kelly interview with BBC wherein his kids strolled in followed by his flabbergasted wife? While Robert was mighty embarrassed, the host acknowledged his daughter’s presence and handled the rest well, normally carrying on with the meeting. It is crucial to know how to react when your client’s child wanders in the room or a cat meanders. Keep a few things in mind when such a thing happens during your first meeting: It gives you a glimpse into the life of the client. So don’t go silent and awkward. Instead, use the situation to strike a conversation, know your client well and build trust. You and the client are attending the meeting from, probably, the comfort of your homes. There are bound to be disturbances, including gatecrashing kids, pressure cooker whistles, or just a power cut causing a temporary interruption to the call. Utilise the breaks to think about your next move. In case of an interrupted call, try and utilise another means of communication to get the conversation going. 5. Customise your ways: It is critical to know the online meeting tool and the other communication tools preferred by the clients. For example, are they a WhatsApp person who keeps read receipts activated and responds timely? Do they respond better on LinkedIn chat or email? Or are they someone who likes to receive a phone call to gossip around before getting to the main agenda? Know their elixir and use it to forge a relationship. 6. Have Stricter SLAs: Every client wants quick responses to their queries and concerns, irrespective of how long they take to make a decision. So set timelines for yourself to send that first follow-up email after the first call, know if they received the invoice timely, get their feedback when they have bought the product, or check on them once a month if they are staying safe in the current vulnerable times. 7. Build Trust First: Because closures will follow. Deals go sour in the absence of trust, so be patient and honest (well, as much as you can). Open up to them so they can open up to you. If it doesn’t turn out to be your lucky day, here’s what you can do when sweet sales deals go sour despite all your efforts. Like the article? Hit ❤️

If selling in person is a tough task, selling virtually or online is another level altogether. Picture this, Salestors. You prepare well for the first meeting with a new buyer. You have gained in-depth knowledge of the buyer’s needs and business and have got many tricks up your sleeve to make the sale. The meeting begins, but the buyer doesn’t turn on his video. You end up selling to a voice, and without eye contact or visual body language, you feel inadequate at the end of the meeting. As selling has donned a new robe in the post-pandemic era, the challenges associated with it have too. The previous article talked about the what, why and how of virtual selling. In this piece, we talk about the challenges faced by Salestors in selling virtually and the solutions. The Challenges and their Solutions Engaging the Buyer The Challenge: From getting the meeting to engaging the buyer, challenges fill our plates. 91% of sellers find it difficult to keep the buyers engaged online because it is so easy to get distracted when they are not sitting in person. Many people admit to checking emails, eating, or doing other tasks during a virtual meeting. So, Salestors, you need to cross the screen barrier with your speech to make a sale! The Solution: Make it as interactive as possible. The idea is to keep the buyer hooked with something new frequently. For instance, if you have included a presentation in your pitch, keep it simple with fewer words written on it. And keep switching back to your face while speaking. Try to include some videos, clips, or the whiteboard feature offered by Google Meet and Zoom, where you can draw while speaking. Convincing the Buyer The Challenge: 89% of sellers face difficulties in gaining the buyers' trust and convincing them that we are listening to them and can solve their problems. Surprisingly, only 16% of buyers feel sellers can explain the return-on-investment point of view in an online meeting, which is the biggest question a buyer has. Salestors, something is wrong in the way we approach virtual selling. The Solution: Before the meeting, it is crucial to learn about the buyer, their business and their needs. But we sellers already know that, don’t we? There are three steps to convincing a buyer. Begin by letting them know how much you know and understand their product and need. Then, display your in-depth knowledge of the problem they are facing. Throw in some fact, statistics or industry practice that captures their attention and helps them relate. Show them how you come in and how your product can solve that problem for them. Entail the benefits and maybe, reviews and why should they buy it. It is the answer to the ‘Why’ that seals the deal. Forging a Relationship The Challenge: The screen poses many challenges in selling. On the other hand, only 26% of buyers feel the sellers listen to them and understand their needs. The Solution: First, use the first few moments to check on the buyer personally. Empathy always goes a long way in forging a bond. Second, a buyer’s level of receptivity depends on the way we sellers ask questions and respond to the buyer. Be open if you cannot understand their requirement and assure them that you are looking for a wholesome solution for them. If you have doubts about their needs, ask them straightforward questions on serving them better. The biggest pro of this method is making a stronger long-term bond with the buyer that will help you close many deals. It is a foolproof foot-in-the-door technique for us Salestors. Plus, if a buyer is not responsive enough, tugging at him incessantly will make him lose interest and close the door on you for good. Tom Stanfill of ASLAN Training suggests the Drop the Rope® technique wherein you release the pressure and drop the rope when the buyer doesn’t respond well. Aim at forging a relationship that lasts, not bombarding the buyer with your pitch. Lack of Preparation The Challenge: Good preparation is paramount to sales success. A seller’s level of preparation is evident from the first email sent out to the buyer. The first impression is ruined if the email is ridden with mistakes, grammatical or conceptual. Then, a lack of effective presentation skills or the ability to ask the right questions to engage the buyer can be the last nail in the coffin. The Solution: As obvious it might be, first avoid grammatical mistakes in your emails! (And here’s how to do that) They are the simplest to control. Later, when you get a response, ask the buyer which video conferencing tool they prefer and set up a meeting. Again, it is essential to make them comfortable in every way possible. Then, don’t be derailed because the client has turned their camera off. You must not turn your video off; the buyer needs to see you to gain confidence. Then, make your pitch interactive, so the buyer doesn’t zone out and use the hacks discussed above to deliver a gate-smashing pitch. Technological Challenges The Challenge: It is not limited to wifi issues or a poor network. Another major setback to virtual selling is when the buyer or the seller won't know how to use the technology well. The Solution: As stated above, fix the meeting on the platform the buyer is comfortable with and familiarise yourself. Ensure you use the medium well to keep the buyer engaged, whether through presenting or using a whiteboard facility to interact. If your wifi is known to cause interruptions, or if you happen to log in to the meeting from a lousy network zone, let the buyer know in advance and keep a backup, like a mobile login option or portable wifi, ready. And stay tuned for the next article in the Virtual Selling series! Faced any other challenges? Share in the comments below!

Salestors, remember the time when you could step out of the office or the house for a sales meeting? Sounds like a long-lost dream now. It’s been two years that all sales meetings went officially online and donned the virtual cap. The era of and after the pandemic welcomed Virtual Selling with open arms. But there are many uncertainties for global businesses around the concept. I begin a series on Virtual Selling with this article, diving deeper into the idea. In this first article, I seek answers to the what, why, and how of virtual selling. Let’s go! What is Virtual Selling? Pitching or selling during an online conversation is called virtual selling. This practice includes sales meetings held entirely online and using video messages to pitch to new or existing clients. But why did it take off so well? Let’s take a look. Why do we need Virtual Selling? The pandemic brought to the fore what was already gaining speed as the undercurrent. Businesses were crossing international boundaries before 2020, and selling virtually was an accepted process, just that the pandemic made it mandatory. But no one complained! In fact, in 2021, 63% of sales leaders believed virtual sales communication is as good or even better than in-person meetings and more than 50% of Salestors who adopted virtual selling observed an increase in their close rates. The internet brought the buyers and sellers closer, and virtual selling took off very well. Today, there are more reasons why people prefer to sell virtually: It narrows distances between global buyers and sellers. Sitting in Indore, you can sell directly to a buyer in Massachusetts and close the deal online too. Buyers want it! 63% of buyers in Asia, and 74% in India, believe virtual selling has made buying more accessible. Selling virtually is more convenient. The time and money spent travelling, planning the logistics, or scheduling is usually taken care of. It also enables bringing together multiple decision-makers from the buyer’s side irrespective of their location and schedule. It facilitates Business Continuity. With quicker decision-making and execution and enhanced flexibility, Virtual Selling ensures the business keeps going. The bigger question is: Is Virtual Selling here to stay? The global verdict is yes! That’s why it is crucial for you to employ Virtual Selling most effectively. And to do that, you need a good Virtual Selling Strategy. How to create an Effective Virtual Selling Strategy? It needs to be a combination of synchronous and asynchronous communication. Synchronous Communication uses tools that let the users connect in real-time. So all your online meetings and webinars that happen simultaneously offer a synchronized virtual selling platform. In fact, 73% of B2B buyers prefer connecting with sellers through synchronous tools as they find it as good or even better. Synchronous Communication usually happens through: Face-to-face meetings the traditional way Online sessions via Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, Skype, or even WhatsApp et al. Audio only phone calls Asynchronous Communication uses tools that allow sellers and buyers to connect at different times. Here are some Asynchronous Virtual Selling tools: Emails Text messages Messenger chats like Slack, Skype or WhatsApp Business Videos sent via emails or messages for pitching to the client Comments on a Blogpost or a video post Virtual Selling turns out to be a success if a robust buyer-seller relationship leads to closed deals. However, while digitally, sellers have wider access to a range of buyers now, it doesn’t hold ground if the relationship is weak. Now let’s tackle the bigger ‘How’. How do we sellers forge strong relationships virtually? Companies need a ‘Buyers First’ policy to grow virtually. Yet, while we sellers try to do the best we can to make the buyers feel special, only 41% of buyers think they are put first by sellers. So what can we sellers do to ensure buyers feel valued? Here’s a list of actions that count as a Buyer-First strategy. Before the Sale Have full knowledge: about the buyer’s business and how your product/service can help them. It is all about creating and specifying the need. Be transparent: About the product reviews and pricing. Offer them product trials and training. If they meet you online, they probably have done a bit of research about your company and product. Don’t try and hide. Be open: If your product doesn’t match their needs, suggest another (even if it hurts!) If you pitch a product that won’t do them as much justice, they will lose interest. So focus on solving their problem, or fulfilling their need, instead of pitching the product. Align: Your goals with the buyer’s, so it is ultimately they who win and end up liking the service you offer. Check the ambience: You need to keep your camera turned on all the time so the buyer can look at you instead of a random voice emitting from the screen. Videos add the personal touch that is needed to build rapport. Plus, if you turn on the camera, the buyer just might too! Here are some tricks to do the on-screen meeting right. After the Sale Stay in Touch: It should go without saying, but the buyers say otherwise. Only 30% of buyers feel sellers stay in touch after the sale. So don’t forget them once you close the deal and receive accolades for it. Stay in touch to know how they like the product or are running into any service. It could open more ways for further sale. An effective Virtual Selling Strategy is crucial for selling success. So watch out for my next article in the series that takes a deeper dive into strategizing right. What do you think of Virtual Selling? 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“Pandemic changed our lives!” “Covid changed our ways!” “2020 and 2021 changed the world!” Yes, it is all true. But it isn’t the only one bringing about changes in how we live and work. Digitalisation has escalated at a higher speed in the past two years, and 2022 will be a game-changer in many ways. So for the first post of the year, I thought of sharing the five things that will shape the sales trends in 2022. So here are the top five changes already happening around us, Salestors. We need to gear up for them. 1. Artificial Intelligence (AI): Artificial Intelligence has spearheaded Sales Automation. CRMs for Sales forecasts and analysis, advanced software for lead generation and chatbots for interactive customer experience, AI has taken over Sales processes. For instance, have you received SMSes triggered by chatbots instead of systems? And how many times have you been lured to interact with it? Chatbot triggered messages are interactive, not mundane announcements of a product launch or festive offers. That’s why they work. AI allows us to get creative in Sales! Research shows that, on average, 50% of Salestors meet their targets. With AI by their side, this number has escalated for many organisations. The better the data Salestors receive about their customers and the market, the better they perform. 2. Use of Multiple channels for Customer Experience: As per Zendesk Sales Report 2021, 50% of global sales leaders feel their customers are better informed than before, so their buying pattern has changed drastically. That’s why focusing their resources on Customer Experience, or CX is the priority for most Sales leaders across the globe. But Customer Experience has evolved from after-sales services to omnichannel servicing. Customers need companies to serve whenever and wherever they are, mainly if the customer base includes millennials and Gen Zers. PWC found that the number of organisations investing in omnichannel customer experience has increased from 20% to 80% between 2010 and 2020. Customers today use a variety of media to connect with the companies, and the list includes Comprehensive mobile website Live chat through chatbots Social media, which includes WhatsApp (Personal or Business accounts) SMSes (Sending a single text to get a Customer Service call or a service still works well with customers. Ask the telecom industry!) Website or app contact forms, FAQs and self-service sections Emails (If you think they are dead, think again!) 3. Customer Self Service: Picture this. Your customer is trying to change their home address in the bank account details. Earlier, the only option they had was to contact the bank’s customer service, furnish a few documents in hard copy and get the address changed. With advanced technology, all they need to do is upload the soft copies of address proof on the website or app and click ‘Save’. Customer self-service has become a necessity than a luxury for companies. A few self-service channels used widely are website/app, IVR, social media, SMS and live chat. Here are some guidelines to keep in mind while designing a self-service portal. Include as many FAQs as possible and update them regularly Keep a tab on the search behaviour of your customers Optimise the self-service platform for mobile users and update regularly Include audio, video and screenshots to guide your customers with a task 4. Augmented Analytics and Machine Learning: We Salestors need forecasting and analytics as much as we deserve incentives, and all these functions require data. However, acquiring data was never enough, and we had learnt that ages ago. We need to process and analyse it. The new realisation is that corporates need more than the ability to analyse data. We need to automate it, i.e. make machines do the analysis. The onset of Machine Learning and AI has enabled data analytics automation, and that branch is called Augmented Analytics. Briefly, Augmented Analytics first segregates and structures the available information. Then it uses machine learning to analyse, draw insights and make it usable by Sales Managers. So our task is further simplified to just asking for the figures we want to see. Be it competition analysis, market dynamics, or the Q3 sales of your branch in another part of the world, augmented analytics makes data analysis more accurate and simple. 5. Webinars and Podcasts for Lead Generation: It sounds very different from the other four topics we discussed, right? There are things besides Sales Automation that need urgent updates: our lead generation techniques. Global communication has gone digital, and so should lead generation. Networking is happening over webinars, and they are proving to be a great technique to generate new leads. Around 73% of marketers believe one webinar can snowball to generate over 500 good quality leads. Sales Podcasts have also caught up the fancy of Sales Managers worldwide. (Remember Salestors on Deb Calvert’s Monday Morning Sales Rally? 😉). You can just log in and listen to fellow Salestors across the world and follow new market trends. They are a great way to expand your network. Even the virus in the air has changed its forms with the times. We need to too! These five trends will change how we Salestors operate. 2022 will be a decisive year for the Sales Automation warriors; let’s be a part of it. Think there will be other trends in Sales besides these? Share in the comments below!