Recording most of the sales data in Excel it is a big mistake for most companies, let us explain why. Most of the time causes a host of problems. Information it is often recorded incorrectly, sales staff can’t tell whether a deal is near closing, and too much time it is spent on data-entry. “When salespeople are working on spreadsheets, guess what they’re not doing,” said Rogers, a company’s chief revenue officer. “They’re certainly not selling.”
It is a frustrating experience for employees and for the company itself. Executives can’t get information quickly and mistakes will often have to be fixed before any data could be used. Even more exasperating, salespeople can’t access customer information if someone else had the excel file open.
How can we solve this? The answer is in a cloud-based program that your staff can access anywhere, and can be able to call up data in real-time.
Excel vs. Cloud Software
A recent survey from trend tracking website GetApp Lab found that an astonishing 28 percent of small businesses continue to record sales quotes, budgets, customer management data (and more) on spreadsheets. For the companies that have made the switch to dedicated software, nearly half said they’ve done so to help with invoicing and job quoting. Dedicated cloud software provides even more benefits.
Most entrepreneurs are aware that cloud technology can help them scale sales and other areas of their business. According to a recent Inc./Oracle survey, 57 percent of respondents said that scalability and flexibility are the biggest benefits from using the cloud. Yet, Jeff Lundal, senior vice president of SMB Applications at Oracle, isn’t surprised that many companies haven’t made the shift. Fast-growing businesses often don’t have the time to implement new software solutions, so they either do nothing or use something that only solves an immediate need. That approach, though, isn’t a wise one to take. “The future always becomes the present and getting just what you need at one point can hinder growth,” he said.
Using the right sales-related cloud software, though, can dramatically scale teams and grow sales exponentially. Working with a program that helps create more qualified demand can push opportunities through the sales pipeline. It can also create a repeatable and uniform process –with the most up-to-date customer information– that can do wonders for profits and revenues, said Lundal. Integrated talent management cloud solutions can also help companies build scalable processes to recruit, hire and train talent.
Real Time Access to Needed Data
One of the reasons why many companies are switching to Cloud based sales software is that the sales team can use the product’s dashboard to get a real-time view on their prospects and clients. This information can be instantly accessed from anywhere. They can see who’s spoken to a customer AND how far along that customer is in the pipeline. That always-on-the-go functionality is critical today.
“After four years, the results have been incredible,” said Rogers. His staff, who once spent copious amounts of time inputting information, now have more facetime with clients — more than ever before. They’re also more efficient, which helps increase revenues. It’s also helped Rogers, too. He has a better view of his clients and what his customers want. “Everything is laid out in front of me,” he said. “I know what customers need, right down to the part number and the number of widgets they’ve ordered. It’s just amazing.”
Is it time for your company to switch to a Cloud base software? Call us today to guide your through!