High performance sales teams we work with are adopting a hybrid selling approach to leverage the best practices of both in-person and virtual selling.
Hybrid selling means determining the right cadence, process, tools, and technology to win the deal, while being adaptable to the way the prospect wants to buy. The most effective sales leaders have discovered that a hybrid sales process can help to maximize territory coverage and quota attainment and at the same time support a more enjoyable customer experience. This is because many of today’s prospects prefer an initial information exchange that starts virtually, preferring only to meet face-to-face if it is necessary. These buyers have become accustomed to doing more of the upfront research and analysis online and to working through the initial connection on a phone call or video meeting. In fact, in a 2021 survey by McKinsey, only 20% of clients say they hope to return to in-person sales.
Hybrid selling has six distinct advantages.
- It allows for faster response times and shorter sales cycles.
- It is more efficient because it creates more selling time.
- It allows calls to be easily recorded and reviewed for proposal development, training, and coaching purposes.
- It can be a powerful recruiting, retention, and motivational advantage.
- It is less expensive than traditional selling.
- Most important of all, it fits the way customers want to buy.
Hybrid selling, in short, is where sales is headed. Executing it requires a mix of on-site and remote engagement by your sales team in order to win deals.
In some industries, it still makes sense to operate primarily face-to-face, for example in-home sales like residential solar panels or route sales like vending machine delivery. But even in traditionally face-to-face vertical markets, from car sales to professional services, we are seeing teams leverage the hybrid sales model. Nearly all sales teams can leverage some aspect of the hybrid sales model for better results.
Today’s sales leaders must address the challenge of how to lead legacy sales teams proactively into the hybrid process. Defining a hybrid selling process is an essential first step for companies who are looking to scale. The most effective leaders have prioritized creating a truly collaborative sales culture, reskilling salespeople to learn relevant new technologies, and, when necessary, coaching current salespeople to the realization that a hybrid sales approach is their best strategy for meeting and exceeding quota.
It is natural to feel a little hesitation when the time comes to move beyond your personal and organizational comfort zone. But good things tend to happen when you resolve to move beyond what is comfortable and familiar. The modern buyer has come to expect and appreciate the advantages of hybrid selling. That means, in all likelihood, that it’s something you and your team should be looking at. Get started … by checking out the resource below!
To access a complimentary video lesson from HubSpot and Sandler, SELLING IN A HYBRID WORLD, and learn what it takes to move your current sales process into a hybrid model, click here.
COMPLIMENTARY RESOURCE DOWNLOAD
