Traditional sales tactics just aren’t cutting it anymore. Part of the problem is that, while budgets are squeezed and no one is buying, salespeople try harder. This means more cold calls and more stock emails than ever. But not only do these not get results, they also really frustrate the recipients. 

If you’re not achieving sales results in your own organization, tactics like these might be to blame. So, what’s a sales team to do? Is there any way to stand out today and get a buyer’s attention? The answer is yes, by using Digital Sales Rooms (DSRs). Here’s why, and how to do it right. 

Disrupting a Stale Space

Until the emergence of DSRs, organizations had limited options for digital sales solutions. The main one was to use old school sales enablement tools. But, these have historically been too daunting for anyone to get anything useful from them when it comes to external communication. They’re typically made for internal trainings, with some content that’s flagged as okay to be distributed externally. But it takes time to scour through all the material and figure out what’s allowed to be shared, and the actual experience it produces for buyers leaves a lot to be desired, since it was never built to be made external in the first place.

There are also tools that were created specifically to be DSRs and are sold directly to sales reps. They have nice user interfaces and are easy to get started with, but reps inevitably get stuck because none of their company’s marketing content is available for inclusion. 

Clearly, neither end of the spectrum is as effective as it could be, hence the need for serious disruption through modern DSRs. With this technology, sellers can create an intentionally built content experience for an external audience. In such a system, all the organization's content is discoverable and easy to surface as needed. From there, reps can use marketing-driven templates for different types of opportunities in different stages and segment accordingly. The result? Highly relevant content that’s easily gathered and shared as an experience buyers will actually engage with. 

The Details of Modern DSRs 

So, on a practical level, what exactly does an effective DSR look like and how does it function? To start, it’s designed to replicate the experience of an in-person sales meeting or showroom in an online environment. While each will vary based on the industry, organization and buyer needs, DSRs typically provide a range of features and tools to support sales activities. They may include:

• Product or service presentations: Businesses can display their offerings through multimedia content such as images, videos, and interactive presentations. This helps to engage potential customers and convey the value and benefits of the products or services being sold.
• Real-time communication: DSRs often incorporate live chat, enabling sales reps to interact with customers directly, instead of through email. This allows for personalized discussions, answering questions and addressing concerns on an ongoing basis.
• Document sharing: Sales teams can use DSRs to provide relevant materials like brochures, catalogs, price lists or contracts to prospective customers. This streamlines the sharing of information and ensures consistency across different sales interactions.
• Analytics and tracking: Many platforms provide analytics and tracking functionalities. Real-time notifications enable reps to engage in the moment. And analytics dashboards help their managers gather data on overall customer interactions, engagement levels, and other metrics that help companies evaluate their sales strategies, identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions.

DSRs Are Essential to Success

All of this rich DSR functionality serves to create an incredibly seamless customer experience that allows for great personalization and increased customer engagement. With such spaces, sales teams can offer custom-tailored content geared toward individual customers' needs and preferences, enhancing engagement and showcasing value. DSRs also enable collaboration betweens sales reps and customers, fostering a sense of involvement and ownership, while leading to increased engagement and satisfaction.

From a sales rep’s perspective, DSRs are also highly valuable. They can find and organize content easily, and ensure it is relevant for prospects and in a convenient place. This will be a natural, and important, progression for organizations that already prioritize a stellar content experience.  

One final and very important piece of what makes DSRs so crucial is that they have longevity. The DSR can - and should - be the home base for the account throughout its entire lifetime with an organization. It should start by including some content that will interest the buyer, and can be used to appeal to the rest of the buying committee. 

Then, as a potential deal progresses, the sales rep will likely pass it on to an account executive. The buyer sees new content and presentations in the same space as before, despite the contact changing on the vendor’s end. Even when they become a customer, the AE can then transfer ownership of the DSR to a customer success representative, who continues the conversation in that same central place. 

The result is an incredible trail of all the content and people that have been involved in the account, what they care about, what created engagement in the first place, who was involved, who’s involved now and beyond. The DSR provides a history of engagement, and becomes an ongoing customer success tool, fulfilling a much grander vision than simply engaging buyers early on. 

So, you want to stand out in a crowded market in which buyers are more resistant to traditional sales tactics and more reluctant to buy? DSR tools can be the best way to drive sales effectiveness and customer satisfaction, now and in the long-term.