What Is a Sales Engagement Platform?

Understanding Sales Engagement

With technology influencing conventional sales like never before, businesses are connecting products to the right buyers with pinpoint accuracy. In a study conducted by Brainshark and Forbes Insights, more than half (55%) of top-performing companies are investing in sales development technology to drive sales and boost productivity. And it’s working. More and more reps are getting up to speed faster, shortening their sales cycles, and creating high-impact content for hungry consumers.

At the heart of it all are sales engagement platforms (SEPs). SEPs are must-haves for any well-rounded sales playbook, future-proofing teams with breakthrough customer relationship management tools. In this article, we’ll explain what a Sales Engagement Platform is, its key features, the advantages businesses can gain by using one, and how Joomag fits into the picture.

Remind me: what’s sales engagement again?

It’s a good question and one we’ve already answered in a recent blog post (hint: you should read it!). But here’s a quick definition if you really need one: Sales engagement is the set of measurable interactions that occur between buyers and sellers. It includes various outreach strategies and measures their quality at different times and touchpoints.

Sales engagement focuses on the efficiency of prospecting and conversion efforts to optimize communications between sales teams and their customers.

In a nutshell, sales engagement helps professionals communicate effectively with prospects and better their chances of closing more leads.

Okay, then what is a Sales Engagement Platform (SEP)?

Aragon Research, a tech research and advisory firm, said it best when it identified the 4 core features of a SEP back in 2016: content, communications, analytics, and CRM integration. “We believe that sales teams will need SEPs to engage faster and to essentially sell digitally. To us, it is like having an Office Suite tailored specifically for sales.” The firm also predicted that the SEP market will snowball from $700 million to $5 billion in the next five years!

Sales engagement platforms centralize the sales experience, merging different tools to enhance existing workflows. They keep things organized, save lots of time, and drive better results across all selling activities. And honestly, does it get any better than that? Yes, yes it does.

SEPs also obviate more outdated sales tactics like cold calling or telemarketing. Instead, they enable businesses to automate and execute important first interactions with potential customers via predictive behavior modeling and analysis. By doing so, companies can better manage any follow-up sales activities and ensure nothing falls through the cracks.

Sales engagement platforms synthesize communications by letting teams “do it all” in one place. Need to send an important email to prospects? Use a SEP. Have a list of promising contacts you need to get in touch with as soon as possible? Use a SEP. Planning on using social media to generate more sales? That’s right; use a SEP. You get the picture.

How can sales engagement platforms give businesses a competitive advantage?

Although popular systems like CRMs have helped businesses facilitate customer interactions, (for example, providing them with a 360-degree view of buyer information), their potential drawbacks make SEPs a much more attractive alternative. CRM systems alone aren’t ideal--or enough--for engaging with prospects.

As mentioned before, SEPs lump together different CRM, data, content, and communication networks. They aren’t limited to a single software, which means sales reps can leverage them to attract prospects and drive engagement faster. But what other benefits can these all-inclusive platforms bring to the table? Here are three:

1. Content engagement analytics generated by SEPs are invaluable for helping sales teams identify pain points and opportunities. Businesses armed with this data can evaluate their content and determine which assets are most popular amongst their target audience. Knowing which assets work best and provide the most value (and which don’t) is a substantial competitive advantage in and of itself.

Sales development reps can also use data to tweak their content and close more sales. They can spend more time nurturing high-quality leads by identifying the needs of prospective customers in real-time.

2. Sales engagement platforms are reliable mediums through which businesses communicate with customers in multiple ways, including phone, email messages, and presentations. They help teams convey complex products in simple ways and are likely to produce quicker results that expedite the sales process.

3. Digital content management, the bread and butter of any SEP, keeps sales and marketing teams organized. Content assets (web or video) are stored on a single platform where anyone authorized to access them can. Based on the company’s needs, content can then be managed, customized, and edited while the originals are still preserved. Amalgamating content management features with usage insights enables businesses to scale their sales teams more prudently.

Joomag: the comprehensive engagement platform

A market-leading sales engagement platform, Joomag has already worked its way into the sales stacks of more than 5,000 businesses worldwide. The work never stops when it comes to sales, and it’s easy for reps to get frustrated when handling complex customer lifecycles.

That’s why Joomag’s unique sales engagement software consolidates disjointed systems to feed the sales cycle and help businesses grow. It’s rooted in the unique needs of the customer and includes key features like:

1. Analytics such as total pageviews, average session durations, and link clicks. Leverage these metrics to establish a culture that values fact-based decision-making (spoiler alert: that’s really important when it comes to sales).

2. CRM integration. Store important sales information in a centralized database. All data is presented in an easy-to-follow format, allowing businesses to track every stage of the buyer’s journey with ease and optimize selling.

3. Content creation. Create content that closes deals. Users can start creating impactful sales collateral by uploading a PDF file, choosing a predesigned template, or from scratch.

4. Communication tools. Collect phone numbers and email addresses, for example, to reach the right people the right way at the right time.

Hungry for more sales engagement action? We’ll take an in-depth look at Joomag’s SEP features in our next article. In the meantime, stay connected by subscribing to our blog. Or, if you’re ready...

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 FAQ

1. What is sales engagement, and why does it matter for businesses?

Sales engagement involves the interactions between buyers and sellers, focusing on effective communication and conversion efforts to boost sales. It's crucial for building relationships with prospects and closing deals successfully.

2. What exactly is a Sales Engagement Platform (SEP), and how does it help sales teams?

A Sales Engagement Platform (SEP) integrates tools like content management, communication, analytics, and CRM to streamline sales processes. SEPs simplify workflows, saving time and improving results by enabling digital engagement, automating tasks, and managing sales activities effectively.

3. How does Joomag's sales engagement software benefit businesses in sales and customer engagement?

Joomag's sales engagement software provides a comprehensive solution for sales teams, offering features like analytics, CRM integration, content creation, and communication tools. It helps businesses gain insights into customer behavior, track the buyer's journey, create impactful sales materials, and communicate efficiently with prospects. With Joomag, sales teams can make informed decisions, optimize processes, and drive growth effortlessly.