Hybrid workplace enhancing Hybrid selling

A report from Linkedin on State of Sales APAC 2022 says that the rising remote work culture has accelerated the proliferation of sales technology. The pandemic disrupted the sales process permanently and positively, with 81% of buyers in India agreeing that working remotely is making buying easier.

There is a continued rise of sales technology and data-driven selling. In today’s predominantly digital era, 4 in 5 (81%) buyers in India feel that remote work has made buying easier today. Sellers too have felt this pull, with every 1 in 5 (22%) clocking deals worth $500,000 or above without ever meeting the buyer in-person.

With the number of sales professionals without any remote work experience dropping to one-fourth during the pandemic, it is evident that remote working is here to stay. Top performers are thriving due to their intelligent use of technology and data-driven selling.

The survey indicates younger sales professionals are placing a higher emphasis on soft skills, so they can develop closer relationships with their buyers or clients and close better deals. The survey also reveals that the ability to build trust is the most important factor for closing deals among younger (under 35 years) sales professionals (21%), as compared to older (over 35 years) professionals who prioritise metrics like ROI (16%) and price (17%).

Companies are increasing their appetite for data-based insights to better gauge buyer intent and drive greater sales. This is especially true amidst the ongoing Great Reshuffle when buyers and sellers are constantly considering shifting roles. In fact, more than 8 in 10 (84%) sales professionals in India have lost at least one deal to an important decision maker changing roles in the past year alone.

Therefore, access to the right intel has become mission-critical for sales functions across the board. The report further reveals that top performers are also more likely to leverage these insights more often than other sellers. More than 8 in 10 (83%) top performers in India trust conducting research before reaching out to prospective buyers. This reinforces the central role that data-led research is set to play in driving new and improved customer experiences in the future.