When a multichannel sales strategy is introduced into a company, everything changes. The customer relationship is no longer the same, and salespeople must adapt to this small revolution. How can we help them in this process? How can you motivate your salespeople to adapt to these new working conditions? It starts with understanding the ins and outs for everyone. Here are some explanations.
Understanding the Implications for the Customer and the Salesperson
Physical store, online store, phone, email, live chat… when all these channels are introduced into a company that initially only had physical stores, it can be a real upheaval for both customers and salespeople. What changes for the customer:
- They are better informed.
- They no longer have the same expectations and tend to be more demanding.
- The customer is “already” multichannel because they already use all these communication channels in their daily life: so it’s up to the salespeople to adapt.
What changes for the salesperson:
- They must identify their customers’ new expectations.
- Each channel has a very specific purpose: the salesperson must know how to “juggle” all the channels used.
- They must be able to guide the customer toward the channel that best meets their needs.
In how you motivate your sales teams, you must therefore clearly identify the new profiles of your existing customers and potential prospects, and understand their new expectations, to finally guide your salespeople towards adapting to all these changes. Physical store, online store, phone, email, live chat… when all these channels are introduced into a company that initially only had physical stores, it can be a real upheaval for both customers and salespeople. What changes for the customer:
- They are better informed.
- They no longer have the same expectations and tend to be more demanding.
- The customer is “already” multichannel because they already use all these communication channels in their daily life: so it’s up to the salespeople to adapt.
What changes for the salesperson:
- They must identify their customers’ new expectations.
- Each channel has a very specific purpose: the salesperson must know how to “juggle” all the channels used.
- They must be able to guide the customer toward the channel that best meets their needs.
In how you motivate your sales teams, you must therefore clearly identify the new profiles of your existing customers and potential prospects, and understand their new expectations, to finally guide your salespeople towards adapting to all these changes.
Sales Challenge – Keys to Success
Multichannel is not an enemy
One of the main concerns encountered by salespeople when transitioning to a multichannel customer relationship is that they tend to view these new channels as competitors/enemies. For example, a salesperson in a physical store might consider the online store a competitor that takes away their customers.
You need to make your salespeople understand that, on the contrary, the new channels implemented are there to optimize customer relationships and thus the company’s results. For example, a salesperson can direct their customer to the online store if the product they want is no longer available in the physical store. For channels such as email communication, the advantage lies in the ability to communicate more quickly and comprehensively with customers. In short, each channel has its advantages and its usefulness.
Don’t hesitate to motivate your salespeople to use these channels and guide customers to them based on their needs. This motivation can be achieved through compensation, for example, by integrating a portion of the online store’s revenue into the physical store’s revenue (and thus into the salesperson’s potential commissions). There are multiple solutions; it’s up to you to find the one that suits your operations and will be most effective for your team.
When you start implementing multichannel sales, the whole secret lies in adapting to all these new changes. Your salespeople will have apprehensions, that’s for sure. Reassure them, and involve them in this new way of working. They must see the multichannel customer relationship as an evolution and not the opposite. Starting from there, you will boost their motivation and thus their performance.