Do you Need a Partner When Buying and Implementing Sales Technology?

As more businesses compete to stay relevant and ahead of the curve in terms of their markets, sales teams are more than ever utilizing the latest sales technology to gain a competitive edge. Responding to an inquiry long after it has been submitted, waiting for customers to find you, and relying on marketing to generate leads are slowly fading away. Now teams are utilizing dialers to automatically respond to an online inquiry, A.I. backed platforms to score and prioritize leads, and content systems that provide insights.

In our “Guide to Buying Sales Technology“, we discussed how the process to identify and procure software can be timely and labor-intensive, not to mention difficult to navigate. Difficult, because it requires a level of knowledge about platforms, system interactions, and the buying processes that most buyers don’t have, creating a challenge for many organizations. They have to find the right product or platform, ensure it works well with other solutions in use, and be able to successfully navigate their internal buying process. It’s easy to see why some organizations simply don’t undertake the investment.

Because of these challenges, buyers should consider a partner when entering into the Sales Tech space. A partner to help source the right platform, ensure a good fit for your organization, and help you navigate your internal processes as well to get the technology approved, installed, and live. Need further proof? Here’s why you should consider bringing on a partner when venturing into selecting and buying Sales Technology:

Chances are you’ve never made a purchase like this before

If you’ve gone as far as identifying a solution and vendor who meets your criteria, you may have a “now what” moment. You know you want or need a specific solution, but beyond that, you are unsure of the next steps. “How do I get approval, buy-in, or even budget,” you may begin to ask yourself.

Chances are you don’t know your internal process when it comes to purchasing, which is common, as often noted, the buying committee for an enterprise purchase is 6-8 people. One stakeholder may need to know InfoSec and IT requirements; another may need a clear idea of ROI; others may just need the cost. Having a 3rd party on your side to present the benefits and challenges of a solution and who has experience in this area can be extremely beneficial, not only presenting relevant information but presenting the benefits to stakeholders in a way that may be more likely to resonate with them. Our stakeholder analysis can help avoid these issues.

You need assistance with system integrations

Not all sales technology comes nicely packaged, easy to install, and ready to use, like the apps on our phones. Most enterprise and sales tech requires a level of technical proficiency and knowledge, and many companies employ professionals to support new technology. Depending on the size of your organization, you may have a singular person or a whole department dedicated to IT. Regardless of the size, or available bodies, there may not be enough resources or time to allocate to the integration depending on the department and their priorities. In the event you do not have the necessary IT or technical resources, then it’s strongly recommended that you enlist a 3rd party to help complete your purchase and installation.