Sales force automation, as one of the greatest technological innovations in the business industry nowadays, is well renowned for making every business’ sales system a lot more efficient and convenient. It mainly focuses on delivering a real time and accurate flow of information to the companies system. Sales force automation is also known for giving every business the benefit of not having to hire as much people as they would when everything is done manually, thus resulting to saving costs.
Sales force automation tools are excellent if used the right way. It can greatly help in increasing a company’s revenue by helping it reach more prospects quicker through highly targeted campaigns. However, if the tool is used the wrong way, it can ruin your whole marketing strategy and put your money to waste. Many commit mistakes in doing sales force automation for many reasons, such as the lack of knowledge about the tool, choosing the wrong software, and believing in SFA misconceptions that say that the tool is useless instead of it being a life saver.
If you are wondering what sales force automation really means and you would want to invest in one, then, you have to be aware of the most common misconceptions about it. At the end of this article, you will gain knowledge about the most common myths about sales force automation and the actual facts behind each. Read through the end to have a bit of a rough idea on how SFA works and how to properly choose the top sales force automation software to buy.
It Is Same to Contact Management
Many managers misunderstand sales force automation as a synonym for contact management. Because sales force automation system is mainly used for the purpose of gathering information from prospecting leads and listing them into a segmented contact list. Many organizations think that using sales force automation software is just an additional cost as it is only limited to contact management, and thus, there is no need to implement it in their current sales system.
Actually, sales force automation can be used to manage contacts; however, its purpose does not end there. The tool can be used for multiple purposes including contact management, sales flow recording, customer support, and more. The tool is well renowned for its flexibility and various uses that give every company a more convenient sales force system. Therefore, sales force automation is not the same as contact management; however, it can be used to also manage contact lists.
It Creates Content for You
One of the most common misconceptions about sales force automation is that it creates the content for you. Many are enticed of implementing the medium to their current sales system on the belief that it will do the job of creating contents for marketing campaigns for them. The software can automatically generate the most relevant content to make in order to entice new customers and retain existing customers. Through sales force automation, marketers can simply sit back and relax and watch sales rate rise up.
Actually, sales force automation does not and will never do the job of creating contents and campaigns for you. There is no way the software can scribble relevant contents for your target customers. The fact is the tool can only be used to give the marketer an idea on what effective contents to make. The SFA system is used to generate accurate and comprehensive information that will serve as a guide for managers and marketers for campaign creation.
No Human Intervention Is Needed
Many thinks that sales force automation solutions are made for the lazy marketers because of the less human intervention requirement needed for using the tool. The tool is engineered to do all the work for you and that you just need to see things fall into places and everyone can go home. Tons of organizations believe this way, and this belief becomes their purpose of buying the tool and end up being disappointed.
One of the main benefits of sales force automation software is that it reduce the need of manual touch leaving you a much lighter work load. Effort coming from you is a high requirement; the tool works at its best if it is being used the right way; otherwise, it becomes useless. Automation does not always mean everything works automatically, not for sales force automation as it only helps in automating some procedures but with the need of human operation.
It Is Full of Complexity
A lot of manager and marketers are put off of implementing sales force automation because of its high complexity. Not everyone in a business industry is keen with technology; some do have IT departments, but unfortunately, some do not. Sales force automation requires in-depth technical knowledge for it to be effectively used, unluckily not every marketers do. This is why a lot of organizations still rely on the manual way of going about their sales force system because they believe sales force automation is difficult to adapt because of its complexity.
Although some SFA tools are complex, there are also others that are simple and easy to use for non-techie users. If you plan to invest in using this medium but is worried that you will not be able to use it properly because you are not keen with computers, it’s not the end of the world yet. Tons of SFA vendors are out in the market whose software are easy to implement and does not require in-depth IT knowledge. Read reviews of sales force automation tools to see which one best fits your needs and skills.
It Is Robotic
One of the most prevailing misconceptions about sales force automation is that it is too robotic. Many thinks once you use the tool, you lost all the personal touch, and everything will seem programmed. Marketers hesitate to invest in sales force automation platforms because it will just ruin their marketing system. Customers will not feel valued and genuine because the campaigns and emails they will read are robotic; there is no sense of sincerity at all.
Sales force automation being robotic is totally wrong. On the actual fact, it encourages personalization through highly targeted marketing campaigns and other contents. The tool enables you to segment contact list so that it will be easier for you to create contents that customers and prospects will find relevant and interesting. Together with your effort, the tool can help you connect with your target audience effectively and create a strong customer bond.
It Can Be Expensive
Sales force automation tools can be quite expensive. This is what most people think. Investing in one would mean a certain entity or organization would have to allocate quite a bigger amount of budget. They have this mindset that the pricier a product is, the better it works; hence, the reason why many think a good SFA program provider is expensive.
A good number of sales force automation vendors out there sells a program that are actually great but not that pricey. If you take the time to do some research and read reviews of sales force automation tools, you will see ones that are great but affordable. You may also start by availing SFA software free trial programs to test whether a certain product is worth purchasing or not. If you are on the budget, spending a budget a smidgen bigger is totally okay but that does not mean it should always be that way. You can always find cheap and affordable SFA tools that will give you the result you are aiming for.
Using SFA Can Ruin Your Brand
Many have the belief that when you choose to automate your sales force, you are likely going to destroy your brand. Automation is not good for your marketing because everything will be programmed and robotic. Plus, there is no assurance of information being accurate when using sales force automation software. Sales force automation is made for those who do not want to make any effort with their sales system; therefore, it is never going to get you any further.
Sales force automation ruining a brand is a big misconception. If utilized the right way, SFA can actually be any business men’s key to success. The software is engineered to help user’s bring out the best of their skills by reducing the need of manual touch and making sure accuracy is on point. SFA vendors understand every manager’s aim to get an edge in the ever competitive market industry, hence why they are always developing new useful tools, and sales force automation is one of those.
So those are some of the most common misconceptions about sales force automation that you need to know. Before investing in SFA, it is important that you have at least learned the basic knowledge about it. As a wise manager, you should never be fooled by the myths and know what the actual facts are.
Seeking for the right SFA software to purchase? Check out reviews of sales force automation tools form CrowdReviews.com and see who’s made it as the Top Sales Force Automation Tool recently.
Keith Moore
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