How to use online screen sharing to cut the sales cycle in half

Sales are never straightforward. Sales managers and teams across a wide range of sectors and verticals are all doing the same thing, but often in very different ways. In some sectors, sales are quick and transactional. Price playing a big factor. Often, this is when suppliers are selling products and services in a B2B setting that are quickly consumed or used in some way, such as supplies into the construction trade, for example.

Other sales are more about the relationships built over time. In sales, relationships are currency. And then there are some sales, and whole sectors wherein sales is a crossover between being transactional and founded on relationships. The challenge is to find and connect with the buyers and decision makers who aren’t easy-to-reach.

Why are some buyers difficult to reach?

Despite us living and working in a hyper-connected world, it’s easy to forget that this isn’t the case for everyone. Small businesses are still significantly behind the curve than medium-sized and larger companies when it comes to getting online.

In the digital marketing and advertising sector, including listings websites, small businesses represent a huge market. Even now, around 40% of small businesses don’t have a website, according to the B2B research firm, Clutch.

Many will have a limited form of social presence; but for the most part this is a market that needs an active web presence, and website. This means millions of small businesses potential clients for a wide range of companies in the digital and tech sectors. Unlike buyers with an active web presence, and multiple channels salespeople can reach them on, these potential clients are harder to reach and engage with.

How does this impact the sales cycle?

An impact is felt when buyers aren’t easy to reach.

Outreach and outbound sales activity is more limited and takes longer.

Unlike those with a more active web presence, and more channels, building awareness of your brand is going to take more time and work. If buyers aren’t on as many channels, it will take more time to establish and maintain awareness.

All of this means that outbound activity needs to be constant. Keep getting leads in the pipeline. Marketing and advertising is one of the ways this needs to happen, to ensure there is a steady influx of inbound leads.

With a steady inflow of leads, the next challenge is for salespeople to speak with decision makers/buyers. Depending on the product or service, and price point, once a salesperson has a buyer on the phone, a decision could be made quickly. Especially if this is a low-risk and relatively low-cost initial purchase.

How can online screen sharing cut the sales cycle in half?

Now comes the next challenge.

Let’s say that you’ve got through to a decision maker. It has probably taken multiple attempts, with outreach across as many channels as you can find these potential customers on. Or they’ve come through to the company on an inbound channel, but weren’t ready to make a decision straight away.

Either way, there are leads in the pipeline. The goal now is to get as many as possible to say yes, to convert into customers and do this in a reasonable timescale. Ideally, without salespeople needing to chase them for weeks.

Providing a buyer is interested, one of the more frustrating challenges salespeople and managers experience is the way a deal can trip over on or before the second call.

Say you’ve had one call, and it went well, then you book in the next to go over everything in more detail. Even do a quick online demo. Hopefully then get the sale you need and deal closed.

Except that doesn’t happen. The buyer keeps canceling. Or they go radio silent and vanish. At times this means all of the effort that went into getting them to that point was wasted.

Is there a better way?

Instant online demos. Instead of booking a second call to demo a product/service, and show the potential client, and then get the sale; do that straight away. Make sure they’ve got the time, but also mention that saying yes to a demo now will save them time in the future.

If they aren’t interested, they’ve got all of the information and can walk away. If they are, then they can make a decision on the spot, or a salesperson can call them back to confirm the go-ahead date and hopefully take a payment, or issue a deposit invoice, depending on the payment terms offered.

With online screen sharing, sales cycles are cut from two or more calls to one. Buyers can make instant decisions. Salespeople can accelerate the sales cycle, knowing that they can get more leads into the pipeline, and deal more effectively and efficiently with those that are interested in going ahead.

Online screen sharing means that teams can, with the right product/service, price points, and message, go from two or more calls to only one to achieve higher close-win rates. So, if this is something you need, an online screen sharing app such as CrankWheel — which means buyers don’t need to input code or download anything — is one of the most effective ways of cutting the sales cycle in half.