5 sales trends to watch for 2024

We’re well into 2022, and, just like last year, sales are in a unique place. Buyers continue to work remotely, online sales increase, and the pandemic has left companies on edge.

Despite everything, your company’s goal for the coming year is probably the same as always: to grow and increase sales revenue. To do that, you’ll need to be more informed than ever about buyer behavior, recent trends in selling (including B2B sales), and trends in sales management.

In this piece, we cover the five most important sales trends for you to watch as we all move into 2022.

2. CX expectations are on the rise

Customer experience expectations are skyrocketing as we move out of the pandemic. In order to fulfill CX expectations, your company needs to be fast, accessible, personable, and technologically up-to-date. Why the rush to improve CX? Eighty-six percent of buyers are willing to pay more now for a great customer experience and companies are taking notice.

In the new sales market, it’s not just your company’s reputation riding on CX, it’s your revenue. Let’s look at two aspects of CX you need to focus on moving into 2022:

• Personalization

  
  According to 2021 Forbes research, 98 percent of marketers say personalization advances customer relationships, and 91 percent of buyers report they are more likely to shop with brands that engage with them. These numbers prove that focusing on sales aspects beyond the products themselves is invaluable to any sales strategy, from B2C in-store sales to major B2B sales.
  It makes sense that if a retailer is negotiating with two different suppliers and those suppliers provide similar products at similar prices, their choice is going to be influenced by the supplier’s customer-facing persona.

  
  45.5% of businesses ranked CX as their most important priority for the coming year.

  
  Moving into 2022, the influence of the buyer experience is so strong that buyers may be moved to work with the more amiable supplier, even if they have limited or more costly products. In fact, 45.5 percent of businesses ranked CX as their most important priority for the coming year over just 20.5 percent of businesses who ranked pricing. When the CX is strong, the buyer won’t need to struggle over the price because they’ll be satisfied with the product and the experience.
• Conversational sales and social selling

  
  A huge part of the customer experience now takes place on social media and in more casual communication channels (i.e. chatbots). Even if your company doesn’t have a huge social media presence, it’s worth noting that if a customer wants to look up your company, they’re equally as likely to check Facebook or Instagram as they are to Google your official company website.
  Buyers love simplicity and immediacy. Texts, chatbots, and social media all allow buyers to interact with your company in a casual and efficient manner that doesn’t break your budget. Remember, more purchase options mean that you need to get information across to your buyers quickly before they lose interest. Take time to set up your social media accounts and your easy website communication. Your bottom line will thank you.

4. Use data and analytics to drive revenue

Sales analytics are never a crystal ball, but they have become sophisticated enough over the past decade that your company can make realistic predictions based on current sales, industry trends, and financial health.

Understanding sales analytics and using the right analysis tools place your company in the best possible position to increase revenue. For example, by looking at something as simple as the timeline of email-open rates, your sales, and marketing departments can see that potential buyers are 300 percent more likely to open a company email when it’s sent within a week of the first interaction.

They can also look at those same emails to determine the demographics of the most frequent email openers and adjust marketing and strategy accordingly. If a blast for a new product goes out to the general populace, but it’s primarily opened by male-identifying individuals between 25 and 45, that tells your team who their target is. It might have been your target from the beginning—but the confirmation lets you know that you’re on the right track.

Sales data also tells you what isn’t working, or what might need a bit of help. If you’re shifting a product online and are getting great click numbers, but struggling with purchase counts, it might be that something about the buying process is inaccessible. For example, if you’re distributing an item often sold in bulk, but there isn’t a bulk-buying price option, retailers won’t be incentivized to make that purchase at individual item cost.

The most important trend is a strong CRM

Of course, none of these trends has the potential to change your revenue like investing in a powerful CRM. Per the 2021 Sales Trends Report, 92 percent of sales teams either currently use or plan to purchase a sales CRM. With a percentage like that, companies with a poor CRM or no CRM at all are facing an uphill battle against the competition—you can’t afford to be one of those companies.

Luckily, a cost-effective, efficient, state-of-the-art CRM is just within reach. With Zendesk Sell, your company can stay competitive and feel prepared for the fiscal year to come. Zendesk Sell can help you maximize productivity, pipeline visibility, and revenue. Additionally, our software integrates easily with hundreds of other systems, so incorporating Zendesk into your current sales process is a seamless transition.

Stay on the cutting edge in 2022. Request a demo of Zendesk Sell today.