Whether or not you grew up reading superhero comic books, I’m sure you’ve heard of the Avengers, Marvel, and DC Universes.

You might even know some of their names: Superman, Batman, Captain America, Wonder Woman, Iron Man, The Hulk, Spider-Man, and so many others. But while so many of these heroes have supernatural powers acquired through a myriad of ways — radioactive waste, alien planets, injections, etc. — some simply have the power of their minds. Their creative, innovative minds are able to invent and harness brand new technology to save the world.

Channeling Your Inner Batman

The Businessman isn’t so different from Batman, just as business technology isn’t so different from Batman’s tools in his utility belt. The only difference is that instead of saving Gotham, you’re saving your customers and salespeople time and energy — two of the most notorious villains in the Business Universe.

Businessman Begins

Once upon a time, the “modern” businessman had to come into the office and start manually looking for and prospecting clients. It could take hours to come up with a list of prospective clients before they had even picked up the phone. Enter: Technology. The Sales Engagement Platform was developed with account executives, account development reps, business development reps, and anyone else in sales. It became the “Businessmobile,” complete with dashboards, amazing features like automated email follow-ups, meters to measure your closing rates, and more. Not only did half the job shift into autopilot, but Businessman was now armed with the tools needed to become super.

The Dark Funnel

What is the Dark Funnel? It’s no secret that the customer journey has changed. With the rapid growth of social media, influencer marketing, and content marketing, buyers have the ability to educate themselves long before they make the decision to get in touch with your sales team. This evolution changed the industry, causing a lack of insight into where a prospect is in their buying decision process when they arrive at your website and ultimately identify themselves. We call this lack of data and insight the Dark Funnel, and 70% of the buying decision happens in this stage.

The Dark Funnel Rises

Why does this matter? Because you want to be a part of that 70%. You want to be the one to bring them into the light. And adding a layer to technology will act as a sixth sense. It will allow the marketing team to identify Dark Funnel prospects and enable the Businessman to bring them to the new age.

Defeating the Business Villains

As with any superhero movie, there is always a villain, and for the Businessman, there are two: time and productivity capabilities.

There is really only so much time in a day to accomplish everything you’d like. And in the business world, every day is a race against the clock to make sales, prospect new clients, set up meetings, network, learn, and so much more. You’d need a superhero to get everything done – or the right technology to turn your sales team into a formidable opponent against the clock. Whether you need CRM, ERP, BI, Marketing Automation, or Customer Support software, make sure you are investing in the technology your Businessman needs to beat the clock.

Secondly, there are individual productivity capabilities. According to Topo, these days the average SDR can handle 200-500 inbound leads. Years ago, with the amount of work involved to find leads, that number would have been much lower. Technology will help your SDRs increase their capacity and automate parts of their jobs so that they can focus on the customer.

I will mention the Dark Funnel one last time because it can become your enemy if you aren’t able to foresee a customer’s intent to buy and nurture them throughout the sales journey. Once they’ve gone through the Dark Funnel, it may be too late. They may have finished their research, and you will have lost control over helping them make their decision — meaning your likelihood of winning the fight and making the sale is greatly reduced, if not completely gone if a competitor swoops in and assists them.

Staying ahead of time, the Dark Funnel, and knowing your individual productivity capabilities are key in business. Outselling their peers is not the only motivator for the best Businessmen, but also outselling themselves! The right technology will be the difference between a good Businessman, and a super Businessman.

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In the market for business software that can turn your salesmen into super Businessmen? We can help! Contact us for a consultation and to learn how to better enable your team.