Trends & Insights

Why digital sales rooms and virtual sales are the future of sales

By Seismic — On May 17, 2022

It almost goes without saying that the future of sales is digital – or, at least, hybrid. A recent report from McKinsey found that 90% of buyers are willing to spend more than $50,000 in a remote or digital self-service model. Prior to the pandemic, relationships between buyers and sellers were built through in-person meetings, coffees, and dinners. Now, in-person activities have been replaced with Zoom calls and digital assets leaving in-person meetings reserved for unique scenarios.

The reality is, virtual selling isn't an entirely new concept. Buyers were already using online research to explore companies, products, and competitors before they ever spoke to a sales rep. McKinsey also found in its study that the number of channels where buyers engage has increased from 7.5 in 2019 to 10 by late 2021. In this omnichannel ecosystem, it's challenging for buyers to access deal-related content in a single location. Spaces like digital sales rooms allow sales reps to differentiate themselves from competitors and simplify virtual sales cycles for buyers.

What is a digital sales room?

A digital sales room is a microsite where buyers and sellers can collaborate and access content that's relevant to the deal cycle. It's a secure environment where sellers can create differentiated stories and personalized interactions that support buyers throughout their decision-making process. This method of digital-first selling allows sales reps to share deal-related content in a single, easily accessible location that buyers can return to throughout the sales cycle.

How buyer behavior is reshaping the future of sales

Buyers and sellers have adapted to digital-first sales motions, and it's clear that remote sales journeys are here to stay. Buying teams are not only making remote purchases – they're also researching products digitally. Did you know that before a buyer first interacts with a salesperson, in most cases, they've already had 27 information-gathering interactions? Highly informed buyers make trust and relationships more important than ever before.

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"Those businesses that can retain the 'human touch,' creating that all important emotional connection across all channels, whether digital or physical conversations, will likely outperform those that don't."

David Bell, Xero Executive General Manager

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With this in mind, we believe that several factors will play a role in the future of sales:

Trust will remain critical for winning deals. The need for trust established through relationships won't change, and the sales teams that harness the power of data to add more value to relationships through data-driven marketing will also benefit.
Each part of the sales process will become more specialized. To prepare, consider how you might train reps or teams within your organization for specific skills related to your buyer's journey.
Sales reps will focus more on the buyer's experience to shorten sales cycles. According to the 2021 Buyer Experience Study, 80% of SaaS buyers report the buying process is too cumbersome – too many steps, too complicated, and too much paperwork. In the future, sales reps will need to exercise empathy towards the buyer's journey and do what they can to alleviate those challenges.
Meaningful interactions and relationship-building will be vital for long-term success. We firmly believe that the long-term trend is going to be about meaningful interaction, communication, relationship building, and problem-solving. Consumers expect even better buyer experiences than they did a few years ago. Social media, blogs, and other content marketing channels have made it easy for buyers to educate themselves, so sales reps will need to serve as trusted advisors who help buyers navigate the sales cycle.

Sellers can make the most of their interactions with buyers early in the sales process by creating personalized, differentiated experiences for buyers. To remain top-of-mind with buyers, sellers need to create unique experiences that reach buyers with the right story on the right channel. A digital sales room is the space where sellers can do all of this and more.

How to use digital sales rooms

Have you ever opened an email with numerous attachments and hyperlinks, only to have that same person send a few more emails with related (but different) attachments and information? Sure, it's all helpful information, but it's also a challenge to keep track of everything. A digital sales room serves as one, central location for all of the resources and information a potential customer needs to get a clear picture of what you are offering and how you can fulfill their needs. And this room is best utilized when those email attachments and hyperlinks are consolidated. Digital sales rooms allow sales reps to enable buyers by organizing all deal-related information in a single location. This has the ability to quickly add value to the buying journey by simplifying the content experience for prospects. Talk about a win-win!

The new frontier of selling is here – are you ready?

Provide your buyers with meaningful digital experiences that drive sales cycles forward. Seismic provides a centralized location for sellers and buyers to engage and collaborate on deal-relevant collateral throughout the entire sales cycle. We empower sellers to engage buyers on their terms in this digital-first world and offer tools for sellers to engage buyers using highly intelligent insights-driven tools that connect buyers with the right resources on the right channel. Let's get started helping you deliver engaging digital experiences!