How Your Intranet Can Lead to Better Sales
Sales. The word conjures up images of smug car salesmen or corporate executives cutting deals over golf. But as popular as these views may be in our media, the reality of modern sales is quite different. If the business of sales used to be built on charm and personal appeal in the past, it is quickly becoming a knowledge-based industry. Salespeople today are more likely to win deals on the strength of their knowledge and expertise, than on charming gamesmanship. More than ever before, success in sales revolves around having the right information, at the right time.
This reliance on information makes it imperative that Sales departments are well acquainted with each aspect of the business. Sales departments need to be well versed not only on product lines but also general organizational practices. But departments often do not have the resources available to study each segment of their business. This is where intranets can be invaluable.
Connecting Sales to the Business
Intranets are an excellent resource to connect Sales to other departments. Both social and organizational ties can be cultivated through a company intranet. Team sites or departmental pages allow for information to be better distributed to people outside of the department. Because information distributed through the intranet is often condensed, concise, and digestible, it is easier to use by people without that department’s specialized knowledge. This is beneficial for salespeople who might not have technical backgrounds but need a technical knowledge of products.
Increased Collaboration
Intranets also help Sales departments collaborate with other departments on projects. Documents stored within an intranet can be accessed by anyone within the company.Salespeople communicating with clients can access details on customers, projects, or the organization, in seconds. This easy access to information will greatly help Sales teams in their pitches and meetings with customers. Improved collaboration between departments helps Sales in other ways as well. When Sales has access and coordination with marketing, development, or other departments, they gain better insights into the products and services they are selling.
Intranets and the Affirma Team
At Affirma, the company intranet plays a role in helping sales teams achieve their goals. At Affirma, sales teams work closely with project managers, developers, and project consultants. For this coordination to be successful, documents need to be available across departments. This is made easy with an accessible intranet.
The Affirma intranet allows sales teams to access lists and libraries of past proposals, portfolios, client presentations, case studies, articles, and other cross-departmental sales materials. The materials are available through widely accessible Word, PowerPoint and Excel formats, further enhancing collaboration.
Intranets and the Customer Experience
Intranets are usually only thought of, as internal business devices. Because customers and clients cannot see a business’s internal intranet, it’s assumed they do not affect the customer experience. But intranets can play a large role in customer relations.
Intranets facilitate the easy access and exchange of information. When this information is passed on to customers, customers benefit. Customer service agents who can quickly access purchase histories through the intranet will provide better service. Sales agents who can access project documents through an intranet will be more successful in closing sales. By allowing Sales agents to act upon the best data and information, intranets prove their value to the sales experience.
