Elevating the Sales Discipline: 10 Takeaways for Leveraging Technology

Chris Hardy, CRME, Vice President of Commercial Strategy at Parks Hospitality Group, HSMAI Sales Advisory Board 

In today’s rapidly evolving landscape, technology plays a pivotal role in transforming the sales discipline. The integration of technology into the sales process is not just a trend but a necessary step toward staying competitive and achieving success. The HSMAI Sales Advisory Board recently explored the impact of technology on sales and its benefits. 

10 Key Takeaways: 

1. Technology is an essential part of the sales process and should be embraced strategically to enhance sales performance. 
2. Deriving insights from data is a valuable aspect of using technology in sales, and incorporating AI into CRM systems can streamline decision-making. 
3. Incorporating the right technology throughout the sales cycle can allow sales teams to focus on the most qualified prospects. 
4. Proper training is crucial to ensure sales teams can effectively use technology platforms to increase productivity while not losing the personal touch or consultative approach to building meaningful relationships. 
5. Measuring ROI through usage reports and revenue tracking helps optimize technology investments and avoid overwhelming sales teams with unnecessary tools. 
6. Fragmentation and systems not connecting to each other is a pain point that hinders adoption of technology.  
7. Implementing the role of a product czar or champion, who supplements vendor capabilities and guides the best use of tech platforms, can improve adoption, and enhance their effectiveness. 
8. Utilizing technology for internal communication can improve efficiency of remote teams. 
9. Technology can impact the hiring process by emphasizing the importance of candidates’ mindset towards efficiency and time management. 
10. Pre-hire assessments, business test cases, and screensharing during interviews can assess candidates’ technological knowledge and suitability for the role. 

Further reading:  

Revolutionizing Hotel Sales Functions with Technology (forbes.com) 

Questions to Bring to Your Team:  

1. How are your team’s using technology in their sales process? 
2. What platforms/tools have you implemented and finding successful for prospecting and lead generation? 
3. How are you training and measuring the impact of using these platforms? 
4. How are you overcoming resistance to adoption? 
5. How has technology proficiency changed your recruiting and hiring practices?