5 Ways B2B SFA (Sales Force Automation) Is Streamlining Complex Sales Cycles

According to a published report on Verified Market Research, the SFA market is set to be valued at $24.38 billion by 2031. These numbers explain why B2B industries and enterprises are now leveraging SFA or sales force automation to streamline their complex sales cycles.

With fierce competition and evolving client expectations, the need for a simple sales cycle is ever-increasing for businesses. Beyond simplifying that, SFA tools are also paramount in decision making and increasing overall efficiency and output.

If you are curious about the benefits of B2B SFA and how your business can leverage it to streamline complex sales cycles, this 1Channel guide will explore it all in detail.

4 Challenges in B2B Sales Cycles

Understanding the challenges and shortcomings in the B2B sales cycle makes it easier for you to truly appreciate the functionalities of the SFA software.

Following are the top B2B sales cycle challenges to pay attention to:

1. The biggest issue in B2B sales is that the purchases are rarely impulsive. In fact, businesses involved in making these purchases usually take weeks or months or back and forth to finalise the deals. In fact, this extended decision-making process also involves extensive research and multiple approvals before anything is finalised.
2. B2B transactions aren’t reliant on a single stakeholder. Instead, it requires a buy-in from various departments, further making the sales cycle long and complex.
3. Since the B2B sales involved high amount transactions, every stage in the sales process is sensitive and crucial. Any kind of mishap in any of the stages can cost a business an entire project, leading to significant losses.
4. Sales teams in B2B industries often struggle with handling fragmented data that is usually scattered across different means like emails, spreadsheets, CRM dashboards, etc. So, maintaining a clear picture of the sales pipeline becomes a hassle.

5 Key Features of Sales Force Automation for B2B Sales

When you are focused on finding the best salesforce B2B marketing automation tool, being aware of the features is vital. A clear idea of what features to look out for in the B2B SFA tool ensures that you choose the best software that aligns with your business’ needs and drives maximum sales output.

Following are a few integral features you must not compromise on:

1. Since B2B sales involve high transactions, capturing the best leads from varying sources is crucial. This can be done via web forms, emails, or social media and the SFA tool should be able to streamline the lead management process.
2. B2B sales often involve multiple touchpoints, as we previously highlighted. So, choosing an SFA Tool with visual dashboards come in handy. This offers an overview of the sales pipeline management and track deals across various stages.
3. Automated workflows are the cornerstone of any good SFA tool. So, when picking the best SFA tool to simplify your B2B sales cycle, choose ones that put automation in the forefront.
4. A standalone SFA tool is incomplete if it doesn’t integrate well with the existing sales tools of a business like CRM, ERP, etc. So, picking easy-to-integrate SFA tools like 1Channel comes in handy.
5. Since the B2B sales team is consistently on the move, the need for a mobile SFA software is a must to ensure that the sales team has access to relevant insights anywhere, anytime.

Last but possibly the most important is customisable solutions. This is where SFA solutions from 1Channel come in handy because the customisations are designed to align with the B2B sales process, workflow and organisational goals.

Benefits of Sales Force Automation for B2B Sales Cycle

Now, moving on to the question of the hour, “How will the sales force automation tools help streamline the B2B sales cycle?”

Following are some of the benefits you need to be mindful of:

1. Simplify the Sales Process

With the multi-step sales cycle in the B2B niche, a simplified approach is a need of the hour. The right SFA tool eliminates redundancies and automates routine tasks, which simplifies the process, saves time and allows the sales team to be more productive as well. Not just efficiency, the integration of the B2B SFA tool also reduces the likelihood of errors.

2. Enhanced Customer Experience

At the end of the day, businesses score a successful sale when the customer is satisfied and appeased with the product and the experience. The salesforce sale automation system centralises all the customer data, making them easily accessible to the sales team when they are in the process of lead nurturing and conversion. These tools provide the sales team with an overview of the customer’s pain points and their requirements, enabling them to tailor their sales pitch and strategies based on that.

3. Improved Sales Productivity

Can you imagine a sales representative having to manually update every data, update their sales scores and also keeping a check on all the other admin tasks by themselves? Not only does it eat away the valuable time, it also hampers their productivity. This is where SFA comes into the picture. Since automation is part of the tool, it frees up a lot of time for the sales executives to shift their focus on what’s more important in the sales cycle instead of manually updating individual data.

4. Better Collaboration Across Teams

One of the most underrated benefit of a B2B SFA tool is its ability to foster collaboration across different teams and their members. With a centralised dashboard, the software allows seamless communication between sales, marketing, and customer support teams. This ensures that every individual in the sales cycle is up-to-date with the latest customer information, leaving no room for miscommunication and grievances in the future.

5. Reduced Sales Cycle Time

By automating time-consuming processes and improving communication, SFA tools help accelerate the sales cycle, enabling quicker deal closures. This allows the businesses to function at their optimum ability, churning out sales and ensure quick outcomes for the businesses.

1Channel SFA: The Future of Sales Force Automation in B2B Sales

Sales force automation is dominating every aspect of business operations. With the rising demand for B2B SFA, it is time that your business also jumps on the bandwagon so you can be headfirst in the game alongside your competitors.

1Channel SFA provides B2B enterprises with the accessibility and tools they need to to thrive in a competitive marketplace. So, if you are ready to make that switch and streamline your business’ sales cycle, now is the time.

Book your free demo with the 1Channel team today to pave the way for a sustainable business growth.