There are 5 stages of technology adoption that have proven true for most new emerging technology.
Innovators make up 2.5% of the population. They’re willing to take risks and are the first to adopt new technologies.
Early Adopters make up 13.5% of the population. They’re not at the forefront of innovation, but they’re not far behind either. This group will influence the following groups to adopt new technology.
Early Majority make up 34% of the population. They have been exposed to the early adopter’s influence and soon follow suit.
Late Majority also make up 34% of the population. They are adopting the technology later than the average person and are often skeptical even then.
Laggards make up 16% of the population. These people have an aversion to change and are the last to adopt any new innovation, often waiting until they’re forced to do so.
Think of the iPhone which first emerged on the market in 2007. In the beginning, they were expensive and very different from the “norm”. Over the last 12 years, adoption has risen significantly and now it’s not uncommon to see an iPhone everywhere you look.
The point is, smartphones have seen near full adoption and have become the norm. In fact, you may even be reading this from a phone screen. We can’t imagine our lives without our phones in hand, this new technology is impossible to live without – even for laggards.
So why aren’t you utilizing sales technology? CRM is not enough. Just as smartphones have revolutionized how we communicate, sales technology allows us to bridge the gap between a CRM and a team’s daily activities. Don’t believe us? See how sales tech can improve processes within the different aspects of the sales landscape below.
Sales Intelligence
According to G2 Crowd, “Sales intelligence software helps companies use internal and external data to increase sales and improve sales processes.” There is no use in having data if it’s bad data. In the times of data overload, sales intelligence software like LinkedIn Sales Navigator or ZoomInfo improve data quality.
Sales Engagement
According to G2 Crowd, “Sales engagement software streamlines the sales process through integrations with sales communication channels and tools, management of sales messaging and materials, and automation of tasks, messages, and workflows.” Technologies such as Salesforce High-Velocity Sales, SalesLoft, Outreach, and DialSource allow sales teams to create personalized, automated sales journies and scale their activity at least tenfold
Sales Performance Management
According to G2 Crowd, “The purpose of sales performance management tools is to monitor sales progress to determine and recognize success, or proactively respond to processes and employees that need to improve.” Performance Management Systems such as LevelEleven help leaders of customer-facing teams drive the key behaviors that lead to increased productivity and results.
Sales Analytics
According to G2 Crowd, “Sales analytics software reports on CRM data to reveal sales insights and forecast future performance.” Business Intelligence (BI) tools like – Salesforce’s Sales Analytics or even Salesforce’s basic reporting and dashboards help teams and managers gain visibility into sales activities and get an idea of future sales numbers.
There are thousands of sales technologies out there, creating endless possibilities when building a tech stack. Using resources such as G2 Crowd or the Salesforce AppExchange is a great way to evaluate which tools would work best for your organization.
Learn more about how sales tech and best practices can improve your sales team’s performance. View our webinar, Transform Your Sales Engine – The Modern Sales Tech Stack to Manage and Motivate Teams!
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