Today’s proliferation of data has created an ultra-dynamic sales paradigm where the customer reigns supreme. Through solutions like smart technology and cloud connectivity, customers have limitless access to content, enabling them to consume information fast and make decisions even faster. This puts sales teams at a disadvantage — or does it?

The truth is, the data explosion unlocks massive benefits for sales teams as well. Chief among them is the ability to understand customer audiences at their most granular levels and then leverage that understanding into creating more meaningful sales interactions.

Here are three ways data can help organizations transform the sales process:

1. Learn more about your customers through data

Never before has sales had so much insight into their customer base. Think about it — a given organization may have millions of potential customers across the globe, and each of these prospects has a distinct digital footprint made up of unique behaviors like device usage, internet habits, content preferences, purchase history, and more. Tapping into even a fraction of this data can shed light on powerful information that can be used to forge stronger, deeper customer relationships.

2. Utilize data insights to meet customers where they are

Backed by limitless access to data, customers have the knowledge they need to complete the typical buyer’s journey at an unheard-of pace. According to Forrester Research, the average customer may be through as much as 90% of the buyer journey before needing to speak to a sales rep. Fortunately, modern trends like the Internet-of-Things and next-generation technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) equip sales to keep pace with intelligent, fast-moving customers. For instance, if sales teams can capture content engagement data from the field (analytics revealing what content customers view, which pages they’re viewing, how long they’re viewing them for, and what actions they take after viewing), technologies like AI and machine learning can leverage that data into tailoring a customer’s entire content experience to their past behaviors and preferences. So, not only can sales teams capture more data across a broader customer audience, they can also make use of that data more quickly to engage with customers in a more meaningful way.

3. Privacy concerns can be a conversation starter

Privacy protection has never been a hotter topic than it is right now. After unspeakable data breaches at high-profile companies like Uber and Facebook, users are actively taking steps to protect the privacy of their information. Government agencies are stepping up as well, as evidenced by recent legislation like General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Organizations and, more importantly, sales teams can use this focus on user privacy to their advantage. User concerns about confidentiality and privacy present opportunities to open new dialogues with customers about their needs and how sales can help meet them. As an example, a sales person might be promoting a product with privacy features that alleviate data concerns — it might be valuable to speak to this trend as part of the pitch.

Sales teams not currently taking advantage of today’s data explosion are missing business opportunities. Find ways to capture and make sense of the data available to you. Customers are leaving their digital footprints everywhere, and a deeper understanding of their wants, needs, and pain points is there for the taking. If you’re interested in at least one solution for seizing that understanding, check out vablet’s sales enablement and analytics capabilities today!