Maximize the ROI of the digital sales tool stack

Gartner’s 2023 survey reveals that global digital sales teams utilize only 33% of their total tech stack capabilities wasting a lot of resources on underutilized technology.

This blog post explores the challenges of underused and overlapping digital sales tools, and how to select and efficiently use the right tech stack for your organization.

 

Overlapping digital sales technologies: too many systems in use

The digital marketplace offers hundreds of tools that sales and marketing teams can leverage for their in-house operations. While these tools are designed to enhance efficiency and drive the customer journey, an overabundance of internal tools can paradoxically hinder sales performance and company growth.

To gain the best ROI from a digital sales budget, businesses must drive the customer journey at every step but many organizations are still struggling to find the correct approach. Companies are falling short because of the wide tool stack available to them, and the lack of good digital sales processes. According to the McKinsey survey 2022, as much as 81% of companies report not having an integrated tech stack across the customer journey.

 

Too many sales tools can lead to nonoptimal ROI

Below we have listed some of the most common problems of too many or overlapping sales-marketing tools and platforms used by internal teams in companies:

#1 Data syncing: 

• System integration issues can create significant data gaps, disrupting the flow and accuracy of information across the customer journey.

#2 Lack of unified decision-making: 

• Without a centralized source of truth, assessing the success or failure of sales and marketing efforts becomes a challenge.

#3 Goal misalignment: 

• Disparate goals between marketing and sales can emerge, further complicating coordinated efforts and sales performance.

#4 Customer journey gaps: 

• Cross-functional teams struggle to make decisions because individuals do not know what is happening in other channels or phases of the customer journey. 

#5 Misaligned handoffs: 

• Inconsistencies in handoff procedures and scoring criteria between teams can lead to inefficiencies and missed sales opportunities.

#6 Time drain: 

• Navigating through various tools on a daily or weekly basis consumes valuable time, often leading to reduced productivity.

#7 Increased security risks: 

• The use of multiple digital sales tools amplifies concerns over security and the risk of data loss.

#8 Increased spend, bad ROI: 

• As stated by the Gartner 2023 report above, there are documented issues in digital sales technology use: it is globally underused and costly to many companies.

 

How to choose the right tool stack for your company?

Building a robust sales and marketing technology infrastructure starts with planning the digital sales roles, responsibilities, and timelines within your company.

It involves aligning technological solutions with business objectives and conducting a thorough audit of the existing tech stack. The final phase is an ongoing process of regularly monitoring and updating the technology roadmap to reflect evolving technologies and needs.

It is crucial to align tools and technologies with your sales strategy to support your sales objectives, processes, and metrics. Importantly, tools should also enhance key digital sales skills, including demand generation, prospecting, qualifying, negotiating, and closing.

When choosing digital sales tools, consider budget, team size, sales cycle length, and customer preferences. Opt for tools that offer seamless integration with your existing systems, scalability for future growth, and robust security features.

#1 Train and optimize

Effective use of these tools hinges on thorough training for your team. Provide clear guidance on the benefits and functionalities of each tool, along with best practices for their use.

Monitor and measure tool adoption and usage, offering feedback and support to ensure optimal utilization. Encourage team members to share their experiences and insights for collective improvement.

#2 Lead with data

Leverage data and insights from these tools to enhance sales performance. Utilize them for data collection, analysis, and visualization to gain insights into sales activities, results, and trends.

This data-driven approach will inform decisions and actions to boost sales efficiency, effectiveness, and growth.

#3 Maintain, update, and review

Regularly update and maintain your tools and tech. Ensure data backup and protection against loss or damage, troubleshoot any issues, and stay updated with the latest software patches and upgrades.

Periodically assess the performance and value of your tools against your expectations and goals.

#4 Enhance workflows through automation and AI

Smart automation and the integration of generative AI are pivotal in streamlining operations and liberating human resources for tasks requiring unique insight.

This approach significantly boosts operational efficiency, allowing a strategic allocation of human talent where most needed. 

Automation is especially effective for tasks requiring high effort but yielding low returns. Generative AI furthers this by automating content creation, data analysis, and customer interactions, providing sophisticated and personalized outputs.

 

Conclusion

Remember that tools are only one part of a well-defined digital sales process. The digital sales team must carefully plan and agree upon the customer journey and the marketing-to-sales interplay for successful outcomes.

Aligning your processes alongside your tools is crucial for a cohesive and effective digital sales strategy.

Are you struggling to optimize your digital sales and marketing tools? Contact Junko for expert guidance in productivity automation, team digital skills training and selecting the right tools for your business.

Our services are designed to help you achieve more with less, ensuring your technology stack is efficient and aligned with your business goals. Learn more about our services.