What is Data-Driven Selling?

Data-driven selling refers to the use of science and analytics to guide the daily actions of B2B sales professionals. Guided by analytical insights about their customers, sales reps make superior decisions on which accounts they target and how they engage with purchase decision-makers.

Big Data has created an exponential growth in the amount of internal, external and social media data on companies and decision-makers. The ‘secret sauce’ is the application of predictive analytics (advanced mathematical algorithms) to transform this abundance of data into deep, real-time insight about customer needs and behavior. Sales Intelligence software, enables inside and field sales people to fine-tune their day-to-day actions (i.e., Who should I call? What should I say?) based on data-driven evidence.

Why is Sales Intelligence Software Unique?

• Primary focus is on making the rep successful: Traditional CRM solutions are geared to help managers improve forecasting and track sales activity. Sales Intelligence software is singularly focused on helping the front-line sales professional become more successful.
• Sales Intelligence equals Customer Insight, not more raw data: True Sales Intelligence does not mean flooding reps with even more raw data. The key is to extract meaningful, actionable insights and recommendations on when and how to engage with each account. With data-driven selling, sales professionals spend less time researching accounts, and maximize their ‘return on selling time.'
• Customer Insight is derived from both internal and external data: Traditional CRM fails because its data is mostly limited to what sales reps have already entered. Data providers merely offer high-level external data and reams of unfiltered social data. Sales Intelligence is unique because it generates insight by integrating and processing data comprehensively from internal data systems (e.g., transaction history, customer service calls, marketing response, CRM, web click streams, real-time product usage data), external sources (e.g., 3rd party databases, public records) and social media.
• ‘Social Selling’ becomes reality: Most traditional CRM providers have created a lot of hype around the use of social media in B2B sales, but the operational usefulness for sales people rarely exceeds a slightly better way of accessing LinkedIn or Twitter. Data-driven selling integrates social media to help reps with account targeting, gaining access to decision-makers and social referencing.
• Measurable outcomes: What is the ROI of your traditional CRM efforts? You shouldn’t have to scratch your head to answer this question. Sales Intelligence customers can answer this question because the solution tracks granular sales activities and outcomes, enabling sales teams to make data-driven improvements to their selling motions.