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Implementing new technology in an organization leads to higher levels of productivity, which helps make transactions and procedures more effective. Companies that are efficient are easier to work with, which can translate into more deals and higher revenue. All of these are good reasons for changing your company’s processes, however, it can be difficult getting sales representatives to adopt new technology. 

Some salespeople have well-ingrained routines and are protective of these, especially when they can develop effective sales conversations and build sizable networks without the help of technology. A sales representative might see the new application as an extra step, a cumbersome addition to a system that already works well for them. If you are trying to get your team to use new technology in the office, here are three ways you can make the transition smoother: 

1. Help them understand the shift

Persuading a team to use new technology will not be successful if they don’t know how it can benefit their work. Demonstrate the advantages your team will have from adopting this platform and show them the value added to their team and the organization as a whole. When they know the benefits of this new technology, they will make the necessary adjustments.

Perhaps the new technology can help them meet their quotas or make them more productive during the work week. Talk to your employees about why these changes are being made, and they will embrace these as signs of progressiveness in the company rather than things that should be done only because management wants them to.

2. Show that the executives approve

Active engagement and support from the leaders will convince your sales representatives to use the platform. Before you rolled out the new technology, there was an executive that endorsed the purchase. 

Ensure that the team sees this sponsor using the technology and actively campaigning for it in the company. They should define the goals and explain the advantages of using this new system. Treating the transition as a sales training goal will legitimize it for the employees.

Teams with related functions like marketing, customer success, and sales enablement should also be in the loop. Since they are working toward securing and retaining prospects for the company, these teams should be in alignment with everything from their annual objectives to the workflow platforms they use. Support from higher-ups will get different teams on board.

3. Fit the training program to their team

Sellers will have varying degrees of interest and capabilities when adopting new technology. Thus, you’ll need to customize training. Familiarity with and interest in new technology will vary widely. For example, employees aged 20 to 39 years old are part of the Millennial and Generation Z cohorts. They are either digital natives or highly adept at figuring out how to work on SaaS platforms. 

Meanwhile, people from the Baby Boomer or Generation X cohorts might need some time adapting to new technologies. Of course, these are broad generalizations, and people can behave differently from their cohort, but always make sure to adapt programs based on individual needs.

You can provide training through a digital adoption program, to help employees fit their training into their work schedule. According to a 2018 report by LinkedIn Learning, 58 percent of workers prefer self-directed training. 49 percent even choose to learn at the point of need.

Conclusion

Rolling out new software or equipment is challenging no matter the size of a company. Help your teams quickly adopt these technologies by giving them the support they need.

At MasterMessaging, we offer proven sales techniques that can help elevate value and increase your revenue. If you have trouble closing deals successfully, especially during these trying times, get in touch with our consultants today to learn more about what we do and how it can help you.

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We understand it can be difficult to know where to start when building a framework for sales conversations, so we’ve developed a Sales Conversation “Cheat Sheet” you can download HERE.