Web-enabled Sales Tactics
Emmett Holt - March 31, 2006

Introduction

The Internet has significantly changed the buying behavior of organizations seeking enterprise level solutions. In the first part of this series, The Web-enabled Sales Process we discussed the different stages in the new buy cycle, and the information that buyers consume to complete specific project tasks. Pre-Internet buyers relied on sales people to provide this information which gave sales people control of the process. Today, the information available on the Web has eliminated both the need and the desire to engage directly with sales people until much later in the evaluation process. To effectively sell to this new breed of self-directed buyers, sales departments must learn how to integrate a seamless online-offline sales campaign. The Internet is not just a broadcast medium of public web sites. It is also a very effective two-way communication medium which its most prevalent technology, e-mail, has proven. Part two of this series will provide a few tips on how to web enable the early stages of the sales process...