It is safe to state that the pandemic changed how everyone lived their lives. People are staying inside and are working from home. Businesses are adjusting to the current economic climate to survive.
The pandemic also changed the needs of today’s consumers. As a result, trends in marketing are also evolving. This is true, especially in the field of selling technology solutions.
Read on to discover relevant marketing truths in 2022. After reading, you will know more about the current tech marketing climate and how you can sell tech solutions.
How Marketing is Changing Today
Customer satisfaction is important now more than ever. Brands used to compete only against each other. Now, they also compete with the last best experience their customers had.
The pandemic also accelerated the adoption of digital solutions all over the world. Consumer expectations rose as businesses had more streamlined processes across their platforms.
Today, customers expect you to have the solutions that address their pains. They seek frictionless, relevant, and connected customer experience.
Effective marketing in 2022 means that you can offer customers what they want when they want.
To offer these experiences, you need technology at the core of your organization. With enough customer data, you can create relevant customer experiences.
The pandemic also outlined the need for a new age of efficient marketing. Brands need a marketing strategy that aligns better with their business strategy.
With effective marketing tactics, brands can better understand customers and address their needs.
Chief marketing officers (CMOs) today will also have to do more with less. A recent survey about global marketing organizations shows that only 5 percent of respondents expect a year-over-year budget increase.
The survey highlights how critical it is for CMOs to prove their value. This feat can be tough to achieve without an efficient marketing department.
Marketers are also reintroducing human elements to their practice. Instead of relying on mechanical data, they seek to appeal to human emotions.
Marketing teams are relying on collaboration to advance marketing operations.
Lead marketers are adding individuals with a passion and skill for analytics. Marketers ensure that the critical operational aspect of their job is in the right hands.
A remote work setup is also helping marketing teams all over the world. With fewer people commuting, marketers know that their customers have more time to consume content.
But, the overwhelming amount of content can overwhelm consumers.
This is why you need to rise above the competition by creating relevant content. Consumer fatigue can discourage potential buyers from doing business with you.
As a marketer, you need to connect with consumers at a higher level. Customers today need content that is engaging, sophisticated, and relevant to them.
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Clever Tips to Sell Your Tech Solutions
Learn How Tech-Savvy Your Clients Are
Determine whether the person you are talking to is an information technology (IT) novice or a true tech enthusiast. Knowing their IT competency will allow you to adjust how you sell your solution.
Match their tone so you do not accidentally use a condescending tone or speak above their heads.
It is impossible to bluff your way through when pitching to a chief information officer (CIO). So make sure to have sales reps who are experts in technology sales.
Study the Competition
Studying your competitors is a part of an effective marketing strategy.
Looking at your competitors can help you stay on top of the game. If you know what your competitors are up to, you can stay two steps ahead of them.
With a tight grasp on current IT trends, you can better understand what your competitors are doing. It can help you know which areas of your strategy to improve.
Make sure that detailed competitor analysis is a part of your marketing strategy. Know what your competitors are selling and how they are selling it.
Learn Your Client Needs
As mentioned above, marketing is changing, and customers expect more from brands. To succeed in the current marketing climate, you need to go beyond a client’s specific request.
Talk to them about their pains or problems. Try to learn their short- and long-term goals. Know their financial means.
Knowing specific client needs allows you to present solutions to address the problems.
Personalize Demos
As a marketer of tech solutions, you need to keep in mind that every CIO is different. Each CIO has different needs, pain points, goals, and budgets.
This is why you should avoid generic presentations and demonstrations. It would help to make your clients feel that you understand their needs. Give them the impression that you are ready to go the extra mile with them.
Doing this can help you rise against the competition. It can show that you are willing to do more against your rivals.
This can help establish credibility in your clients’ eyes. It can also increase your success in selling your tech solutions to CIOs.
Pitch the Impact of the Solution
Your proposal needs to include the services and solutions you are recommending. But, the most crucial focus of your pitch must be the business impact.
Do not only focus on the features of your solution. Pinpoint how it can address the challenges in your client’s organization.
Tell consumers how your tech solution can enable more up-to-date client files. Show how the solution can streamline order processing. Prove that your product can reduce downtime.
This way, your clients will know precisely how your solution can help.
Tell a Story
You can make your pitch more impactful by not rambling about your solution. Tell a story instead.
For example, do not talk about block-level backups. Instead, point out how you recovered a backup for a client who lost a motion an hour before appearing on the court.
Let Your Clients Know What to Expect
You can improve your client satisfaction rating by providing services that meet expectations.
Be transparent and realistic when talking about what you can deliver. You should also know what your customers expect from you.
Be upfront about the likelihood of disaster scenarios. Tell clients the limitations of your solution. This way, you can avoid promising unrealistic solutions to your client’s problems.
Talk to CIOs
When selling technology, try to secure a meeting with the CIOs. Talking to CIOs of organizations can help you meet your sales goals.
The meetings are an opportunity to establish your reputation as a reputable seller.
You need to impress and convince them to do business with you. So a tedious explanation of what your product does may not be enough.
You need an engaging sales pitch that highlights the importance of your solution. Outline the problems your tech solution can address.
Do Not Look Down on Referrals
Do not hesitate to ask for referrals. These are effective marketing and sales tools.
You can use them when selling your tech products to a CIO. You can ask for referrals from CIOs that you’ve worked with before.
CIOs take the word of other CIOs. So, when you close a sale with a CIO, you can ask them to refer you to their other peers.
Referrals provide great opportunities to sell your tech solutions.
Check-in With the Marketing Team
Before you do any prospecting, talk to your marketing team. Check the status of your social media sites and website.
Update yourself on the progress that your team is making. Ensuring that everything is up-to-date shows consistency and professionalism.
Make sure that you are not using old phone numbers to reach out to prospects. Update product descriptions included in your sales materials.
Provide a Wide Range of Options
Make sure to offer several options at varying service levels and prices.
When you are pitching, discuss the advantages, risks, and impact of each option. Remember to be flexible when negotiating the price of your solution.
In the end, it will be up to the client to decide what they want to buy and what they can afford.
The Bottom Line
Embracing the new trends in marketing represents the path to long-term business success. These trends revolve around one central idea anyway: customer perspective and satisfaction.
