How effective is your sales strategy? Can your company easily adapt to the changing needs among the consumer base? The ability to easily adapt in a rapidly changing market will clearly identify those competitors with an edge in the market, and those who will soon have to put consolidation strategies in place. 

If the former is the preferred method for you, what are you doing to make your sales process successful in a new environment? This question was explored in a recent Soffront blog as the writer evaluated the importance of the traditional sales funnel in a market that demands a focus on cloud CRM.

The sales funnel has been a staple in sales for decades. The concept is rather simple: potential customers are led from awareness to interest and on through desire to the close of the sale. Potential customers enter at the top of the funnel with awareness and exit at the bottom when the sale is completed. The funnel shape is to accommodate the natural process of eliminating those potential customers who will not become closed sales. 

The problem with the funnel approach is that it no longer offers true value in the cloud CRM space. Today’s selling environment includes potential customers who are not approaching the company at the top of the funnel. Instead, these individuals or companies are entering the journey at any point, which is adding new dimensions to the management of customer data. 

Cloud CRM allows your company to leverage the value of social media and other networking technologies that allow your potential customers to approach the sales force with more information than ever before. A social media site devoted to your industry can feature reviews that may be favorable or unfavorable to your product or service, which can create an opportunity to optimize or a challenge to overcome. 

Information is also more readily available to the consumer. He or she no longer relies on consumer magazines that provide a positive spin on all products in a particular category. Today’s consumers can receive information on nearly any product or service by simply using a smartphone. 

Your company needs to leverage cloud CRM in such a way that you can meet the consumer where he is, leading him on the journey. Only then can you actually lead him to the close of the sale.Your cloud CRM strategy will play a critical role in driving the customer experience and meeting your sales goals. You can leverage this strategy to enable your marketing, sales and customer service departments to meet customers at any point in their journey and guide them to that all-important close.

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO West 2011, taking place Sept. 13-15, 2011, in Austin, Texas. ITEXPO (News - Alert) offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. It's also where service providers learn how to profitably roll out the services their subscribers are clamoring for – and where resellers can learn about new growth opportunities. To register, click here.

Susan J. Campbell is a contributing editor for TMCnet and has also written for eastbiz.com. To read more of Susan’s articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Juliana Kenny