The New Year is right around the corner, and as always, it’s important to take a look at what sales trends are emerging for the upcoming year.
Here are 3 trends to think about going into 2014.
Giving Away Insight Is Expected
Consumers are more informed than ever these days, which means salespeople can’t get away with using cheap tactics anymore. They’re expected to bring new ideas and solutions to the table before ever receiving a dime.
It’s safe to say that content marketing is here to stay.
Companies that gave away free insight gained a considerable competitive advantage in 2013.
This year, consider producing free, engaging content through blogs, eBooks, and webinars. Companies that don’t can expect to lose some ground to their competitors.
Inside Sales Are Growing
For every one person being hired for an outside sales role, 10 are being brought onboard for inside sales. Virtual meeting software and social media are to thank for this. Both tools have managed to cut costs and make communicating more efficient.
In case you’re wondering, experts are predicting 2014 to be the year of Twitter, not Facebook.
Your inside sales team is going to be important in the upcoming year, so make sure you understand what goes into developing and managing a great team.
Everyone’s Going Mobile
The number of smartphone users continues to climb, and by 2020 there will be nearly 270 million smartphone users in the U.S. alone.
Considering 71% of smartphone owners research products on their mobile phones, this is a big deal.
On-the-go content is becoming more heavily consumed. Investing in a mobile application, having mobile-friendly formatting, and producing shorter, more actionable blog posts will be especially important in 2014.
It’s going to be an exciting year for sales. I look forward to seeing how companies respond to these different trends.
What trends are you expecting for 2014?
