The best way to increase your UC sales team’s chances of closing in today’s unique business environments? Understanding the customer, and how cloud features can work for them.
This is easier said than done, but when you know the right questions to ask, you can get the valuable information you need to learn their pain points and communicate how the solution you’re offering can address these challenges.
You see, the cloud-based UC solutions you provide have a number of features and capabilities that can meet the needs of a diverse customer base – especially now. With COVID-19 and today’s current state of affairs, businesses of all kinds are looking to put Business Continuity plans in place to protect their operations.
For some, it’s not repeating past mistakes. In a PwC survey of US CFOs and finance leaders taken last month, over half of respondents said that they expect a decline of 10% or more on annual revenue due to the pandemic. Now, these businesses are learning from their own errors.
For others, it’s putting technology in place so that if “next time” ever strikes, they’re protected and ready for anything.
Get inside the minds of today’s business owners and help your UC sales team boost their numbers by reinforcing the importance of asking these 4 questions during customer discovery.
1. “How did you communicate internally during stay at home orders, and was your team productive?”
COVID-19 has accelerated the growth of the WFH culture and changed the way we do business. Sales teams should recognize that and adjust their approach to how they are speaking to potential customer needs.
Customer discovery is the perfect opportunity to ask new questions and collect information in regard to WFH to better serve customers moving forward.
To get the conversation started, ask them how they communicated internally and find out if it was effective.
As a UC provider, many of your features, by default, can boost WFH productivity. Tools that allow video calling and real-time team collaboration can keep things running without missing a beat.
Once you know just how important those features are to them, you can share the added benefits they’ll receive with you as their provider.
2. “How much do you know about cloud-based UC solutions?”
Cloud-based UC solutions can get a little fuzzy for newcomers, so it’s a good idea to take a temperature reading on where they’re at with the concept. By honing in on what they know or don’t know, you’ll be able to offer new insights and fill in the blanks.
After asking how much they know about UC cloud services, dive into the aspects of your service that might be most relevant to them.
Are they a large enterprise? They’ll benefit from the capabilities of on-premise UC applications without a large capital investment.
Additionally, rerouting calls to virtual hunt groups and modifying call routing settings from simple to use web portals allows businesses of all sizes to ensure business continues as usual - regardless of their physical office location.
Cloud solutions mean there are no boundaries – employees can work from home or at varying locations and IT staff can still manage their phone system as if they are in the office.
3. “What challenges do you have today with your current solution?”
During discovery, it’s important to tap into their biggest pain points with their current solution (or lack thereof).
This is your sales team’s opportunity to share benefits with the potential customer so that they can see the true value of the service.
Don’t confuse benefits with features, though both are important. The benefits should be the solutions to their problems, like saved time, increased productivity, integration between applications and vendor consolidation.
Once you hear from them, continue the conversation with example-based questions to poke at some of their potential concerns. Here’s an example:
“How did you handle inbound calls during the pandemic? Did the stay at home order impact your business negatively? What, if anything could have assisted in keeping things running smoothly? Were you able to change the greeting callers heard when they reached your office? Did you have to forward all calls to a single cell phone? Did management struggle with team productivity and lack of employee visibility? Tell me how you managed communication during this crisis.”
From here, you’re in a good position to explain both the benefits and features of your system so it paints a picture of what the day-to-day would look like with your services in effect.
4. “How easy is it to grow, scale, and change with your current solution?”
Migration and growth are two common concerns of business leaders. As markets change and companies adapt, so must their systems. When they know that they can count on their UC service provider to scale and adjust with them through the many seasons of business, it’s one less stressor on their plate.
Ask about their business growth plans and lead into a discussion on scalability and versatility of the cloud. From there, introduce them to the flexibility of your own service.
For some, the thought of migrating to a new system is overwhelming – but avoiding migration can hinder a business from achieving the growth and success on their path. Ensure them that your onboarding services are designed for a smooth transition and talk to them about the implementation process.
Emphasize the training and support that your team provides clients at every stage of their business, and ensure them the same dedication.
Boost UC Cloud Sales With Robust Training Solutions
Are you ready to boost your sales and reel in customers that are confident and excited about what you have to offer?
Since UC cloud services can require a bit of adaptation and time to understand all the features and capabilities, some potential customers are wary to switch providers. Take advantage of the robust training solutions offered by B-Lynk to seal the deal.
By presenting these fully-managed, comprehensive training solutions to potential customers as a selling point, you’ll be that much closer to closing.
Contact B-Lynk to learn more about the custom-branded training portal waiting for you.