Teams | Collaboration | Customer Service | Project Management

February 2022

Integrations to brighten up your month

Lodago (Support) (Sell) optimizes your online appointment booking so you can save time, energy, and money. Make appointment scheduling as easy as possible so that you can boost your productivity and sales. You send interactive emails to your prospects from your CRM. The availability of your calendar is integrated inside the email. Your prospect opens your email and can choose a time slot directly inside the email, without leaving their inbox.

Looking ahead to the future

The future of building successful businesses is rooted in how deeply they understand their customers as well as how quickly they can keep up with and exceed their expectations. With actionable insights, businesses can be more agile and respond faster to customer needs — generating better service and creating better products along the way. The end result is Zendesk’s vision of the world: a global economy powered by lifelong customers.

Sales development representative: SDR sales role guide

If you’re reading this, you probably have a solid idea of what’s required for a strong sales team: The question is: which members of your team are handling all of this? If you expect your sales representatives to handle this avalanche of logistics while also closing deals, you’re setting yourself up for some seriously burned-out teams and major issues with efficiency. The secret to a successful modern sales team isn’t the closers—it’s the people behind the scenes.

Value chain analysis how-to: Definition, examples, and guide

At this point in the sales market, there’s no such thing as a truly unique company or product. With hundreds of overlaps in product types, product features, company values, and overall pricing, it’s challenging to stand out from the crowd and even harder to do so without blowing your budget. Value chain analysis lets you pinpoint the costs and values of every aspect of your business so that you can put your best foot forward and increase your profit margin.

What exactly is direct selling? | A direct sales explainer

When someone mentions direct sales, your first thought might be of a well-intentioned friend hawking health powders and supplements for some multi-level marketing company. While technically direct selling, that image doesn’t come close to describing the impact of the direct sales model. If you’ve waited in line for the new iPhone in front of the Apple Store, you’ve participated in direct sales.

What is sales experience? Resume + interview examples

You’re looking for a sales position and scouring the job postings. But it seems like every role requires at least one year of experience, which you might not have. Before disqualifying yourself from a sales career, you should know that your experience doesn’t have to come from an actual sales job—you just need to understand how to transfer your current skill set to the position you’re applying for.

Relationship selling process and techniques | A complete guide

It may seem like technology is dominating the world of sales today. But no matter how many ways we find to digitize workflows, save time, and cut costs, nothing has been invented yet that can replace genuine human-to-human interaction. The buyer-seller relationship can be the cornerstone of customer loyalty. Plus, it’s a gold mine of opportunities for cross-selling, SPIN selling, and upselling.

How to sell anything: 11 proven, easy sales tips

We’ve all heard the saying “a good product sells itself.” If only that were universally true. People might line up for the release of the newest iPhone, but it’s not only because of the product itself. It’s also because Apple has spent decades building impeccable brand credibility, a unique customer experience, and fantastic customer support. The phone is a perk of a fantastic sales experience.

What is a lead magnet? The ultimate guide (+10 examples)

Imagine you recently moved to a new city and want to find a yoga studio. You see a flyer on your office’s bulletin board promoting a studio that just opened a few blocks away. You show up for a session, only to learn that taking a single class requires a hefty membership fee. Feeling deflated, you walk out the door. Just because a consumer enters your store or website doesn’t mean you’ve secured their business.

What is the buyer's journey? Definition, stages, and examples

Consumers aren’t always willing to make a purchase on a whim. It can take days, weeks, or even months of careful thought before they commit to buying. And if you wait to interact with them until the end of their decision-making process, you’re missing out on profitable sales opportunities. That’s where the buyer’s journey comes in.

How to say no to a customer: 3 ways to maintain the relationship

If you’re wondering how to say no to a customer without causing a stir, you’re not alone. Saying no is a lot more fraught than it used to be. In the past, when you couldn’t meet a customer’s demands, you might face anger or irritation and feel stressed out. Facing verbally or physically abusive customers was rare. Things have changed.

How to craft a foolproof go-to-market strategy (+ examples)

When you really think about it, launching a new product is terrifying. You’re taking what you believe is a unique selling proposition and telling the entire world about it in hopes that people will give you money for your idea. It’s bold entrepreneurship whether you’re a huge company or a tiny startup—and it’s scary. With fear, anticipation, and deadlines running you ragged, product launches can spiral downhill faster than you can say your elevator pitch.

Customer analytics 101: How to make the most of your data

Companies are increasingly prioritizing the collection of customer data. According to the Zendesk Customer Experience Trends Report, business leaders increased their investment in customer data management by a whopping 92 percent amid the COVID-19 crisis. But capturing customer data alone isn’t enough. The information you gather must be relevant. You also need to interpret that data to form insights and take action. This is where customer analytics comes into play.