If you’re still running your sales ops like it’s 1999, you’re leaving serious cash on the table. The digital revolution isn’t coming – it’s here, and it’s time to get with the program or get left behind. But don’t panic. Let’s transform your dinosaur of a business, digitizes sales and revolutionize your customer experience into a lean, mean, digital money-making machine. This is a long post, like 3 cups of coffee long, and it represents a smidgen of Heroik’s process in our Digital Accelerator Program. So fill up your cup, bookmark this page, buckle up and get settled. I promise this will be a protein packed, no bull**** rodeo. Let’s get started.

1. Embrace the Digital Mindset

First things first: rewire your brain. Digital transformation isn’t just slapping a website on your business and calling it a day. It’s about fundamentally rethinking how you operate in a world where customers are always connected, data is abundant, and innovation happens at warp speed. In order to meet the challenges of the moment, let alone the future, as much as you hate to admit it, you have to change; and the culture of the company has to change too.

Action Steps

• Gather your team and brainstorm how digital tech could revolutionize every aspect of your business. No idea is too crazy. Think big.
• Discuss how tech is changing your business, your industry, your customers, their expectations and behavior.
• Discuss how technology is changing in adjacent industries or activity systems of business (ie marketing/sales technology), and how this will impact your business over the next 5 years.
• Admit and codify ON PAPER, that you need to change and adapt to survive and thrive. This makes the need real, and reinforces your commitment to change.

2. Craft a Crystal-Clear Vision

Before diving into the nitty-gritty, you need a clear vision. This isn’t just fluff for your slide deck – it’s the foundation of your entire transformation journey.

Ask yourself:

• What do you want your sales process to look like in a digital world?
• How do you want the digital customer experience  for your brand to shine online?
• Who are your customers now? Who will they be in the future? What data backs that up?
• What key outcomes are you aiming for through digital transformation?

Your vision should be ambitious but achievable. For example: “We aim to slash our sales cycle by 30% and boost customer satisfaction by 20% through seamless digital interactions.”

3. Map Your Customer’s Digital Journey

Your customers are already living digital lives. It’s time you met them there. Map out every touchpoint where your customer interacts with your business online. Then map the sphere of influence, map the touchpoints they interact with that are adjacent or related to your business online. This will help with both content strategy and customer experience design steps downstream.

Action Steps

• Create a detailed customer journey map, from initial awareness to post-purchase support. Identify pain points and opportunities for digital enhancement at each stage.
• Conduct extensive market research to map and understand actual behaviors. DO NOT RELY HEAVILY on customer interviews or surveys to validate your journey map. Use interviews to uncover hidden pain points or desires. Remember, people lie to themselves and the world about how they think and what they do – sad to say, we are poor observers and often careless witnesses of our own behavior. How people actually behave and decide is different from what they claim. Behavior trumps sentiment. Facts don’t care about feelings – so get the facts around market behavior.
• Create data-driven personas to better understand and target your best customers from the available market. “Ideal” customers is a horrible practice that results in fantasies and unicorns that don’t exist. Of the people in the bar now, who do you want to dance with?

4. Build a Killer Online Presence

Your website isn’t just a glorified business card anymore. It’s your 24/7 salesperson. Upgrade that bad boy with high-quality images, clear product descriptions, and an intuitive user interface. Make it so easy to navigate that even your tech-illiterate uncle could buy something. Under the hood, you need sophisticated analytics to measure how users interact with your presence, so you can look for areas to improve. Plug the leaks, improve the outcomes.

Action Steps

• Audit your current online presence. Is it up to scratch?
• Invest in a website overhaul if needed. Make sure analytics systems and processes are baked in.
• Develop a content strategy that positions you as the go-to expert in your field.
• Leverage social media, content marketing, and SEO to draw customers in.

5. Implement a CRM System (and Actually Use It)

Customer Relationship Management isn’t just for the big boys. A good CRM system can transform your sales process, helping you track leads, personalize communication, and close deals faster. It’s like steroids for your sales team.

Action Steps

• Map your CRM process. This doesn’t have to be perfect, but you need an idea of the processes, tools, and integrated technology along the way. Knowing your process will help you determine the best CRM solution for your business.
• Research CRM options that fit your business size and needs. Popular choices include Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zoho CRM. So, if you’re just starting out, or if you have a unique or niche market, consider building your own with no-code tools like AirTable, Notion, Coda, etc. The odds are, taking this approach will help you flesh out your needs from a CRM in the first place and understand and develop your journey.
• Implement one system and train your team to use it religiously. This EXPLICITLY means all sales teams fill out customer and transaction notes. These are the details that provide insights critical to automating and streamlining sales processes downstream. No data – No automation. PERIOD.
• Customize your CRM to fit your sales process and integrate it with existing systems like email and e-commerce platforms. Do not expect some out of the box victory. NO out of the box solution will understand your business or processes, or the other systems you want to integrate them, and you need to adapt and inform them, molding them to your approach. That requires that you know your approach in the first place.

6. Master the Art of Data Mining

You’re sitting on a gold mine of customer data. Start digging. Use analytics tools to track user behavior on your site. What are they clicking? Where are they bouncing? This isn’t just numbers – it’s a treasure map to more sales.

Action Steps

• Use your CRM, along with tools like Google Analytics, Fathom Analytics, MixPanel, and other digital tools to collect data on customer interactions, sales performance, and market trends.
• Implement analytics tools to gain insights from your data. Look for patterns, trends, and areas for improvement.
• Set up regular data analysis sessions with your team to identify trends and opportunities. Analytics tools do not automagically send you messages saying “after reviewing the data – you need to do X”. They do basic numbers work. It’s YOU who actually has to look at the data analytics and think critically, and crunch the numbers in order to uncover actionable insights.
• Create data-driven personas to better understand and target your ideal customers.
• Act on these insights to refine your sales strategies and improve customer experience.

7. Automate Your Sales Funnel

Here’s where the magic happens. Set up an automated sales funnel that nurtures leads and guides them towards a purchase and helps keep the relationship close. Use email marketing, retargeting ads, and personalized content to keep your brand top-of-mind.

Action Steps

• Incorporate behavioral data from your customer segments. If you don’t have research on this – get some.
• Map out your optimum sales funnel, from lead generation to post-purchase follow-up. The optimum funnel is robust and resilient. It ensures positive outcomes for your business by being customer centric, accounting for the perils, pitfalls, and common holes. Once you’ve created the funnel, then use tools like Zapier or ActiveCampaign to automate as much of it as possible.
• Don’t fall for the “ideal” trap. This is such a mind job. Don’t map out your “ideal” sales funnel. This will encourage your lazy brain to assume an eager, wealthy customer who is quick to trust and lazy to compare. Management consultants use “ideal” language, because it’s lazy and encourages clients to get overly optimistic, and make mistakes when designing solutions. This may maximize the consulting firm’s dollars – it won’t maximize yours. Map and design an optimum sales funnel as if you’re designing a trap to catch bigfoot. Bigfoot is smart, elusive, and hasn’t been caught to date. Plan and map accordingly.
• Use tools like Zapier or ActiveCampaign to automate as much of your funnel as possible.
• Set up A/B tests for key elements of your funnel to continuously optimize performance.

8. Personalization is the New Black

Amazon doesn’t show the same homepage to everyone, and neither should you. Use that data you’ve mined to create personalized customer experiences. Show customers products they’re likely to buy based on their browsing history. It’s not creepy, it’s convenient.

Action Steps

• Think in terms of market segments. If you’re using “ideal customer” exercises – those are fantasy profiles that don’t really help, because every company’s “ideal” customer tends to look the same: dumb, flush with cash, and eager to buy. Wake up. Look at your actual market, and break them up based on parameters that make sense. This may be need, resources, behavior, region, etc. Segment your target market so you can develop better plans and customer experiences to capture more market share of each segment.
• Implement a tool like Segment to collect and unify customer data across all touchpoints. Use this data to create personalized customer experiences. Segment too complicated or expensive for ya? No worries. Take an integrated approach to data, knowledge, communications, marketing/outreach, using any of the no code platforms we mentioned (Notion/ AirTable / Coda).
• Set up personalized email campaigns based on customer behavior and preferences.
• Use dynamic content on your website to show personalized product recommendations. If you’re not regularly creating content for specific segments, you need to.

9. Social Media: Your New Best Frenemy

If you’re not on social media, do you even exist? Platforms like Instagram and TikTok aren’t just for dancing teenagers. They’re powerful sales tools. Share product demos, customer testimonials, and behind-the-scenes content. Build a community around your brand.

Use it. Don’t Fall for it. SOCIAL MEDIA Platforms ARE NOT your friends.

• If you’ve paid attention to the evolution of social media – there is one constant. Platforms screw over creators and advertisers in order to increase revenue.
• They want you to believe in their fake, vanity metrics, so they can increase the cost to market on their platform and increase their ad revenue, not your revenue. They do not care about your business. They put legacy print media out of business by tricking them to believe their BS. Use it. Don’t Fall for it.
• Do not “live” on the platforms. Managing all of your content (media, posts) on the platform is like a tenant paying to renovate a rental – you gain very little, while the true owners gain a lot. Don’t fall for it. Do not use the platforms for file storage. They bank on this to create psychological leverage against you in the first place.
• Whether you realize it or not, all media is paid media. You can swap dollars or sweat. Those are the only options. There are no free rides.

Action Items

• Identify the social media platforms where your target audience is most active.
• Take an Omni-Platform Approach – Syndicate your messaging everywhere from a central platform you control. Measure the reach and performance of one PLATFORM vs. another. Platforms only want you comparing performance of Ads on their platform, they don’t want you comparing the same campaign to the competition. But doing this will help you determine where to focus your resources (dollars and sweat)
• Develop a content calendar for consistent posting and engagement, and manage your content distribution from a central location – This means having an unified communications platform, and using an integrated communications approach. In plain English Start using Notion / AirTable / Coda to manage all of your social media content AND use it to track performance of posts.
• Organize digital assets (media, pictures, posts, videos) in one place, connected to databases that measure performance across multiple platforms.
• Here’s the alternative: You post and play the game the platforms want you to play, then you sympathize with demonetized creators when and as they turn the screws to you and bleed your business dry. Don’t be a victim. Be Heroik.
• If (and only if) you have the time, team and resources) Implement social listening tools to track mentions of your brand, relevant keywords and engage with customers in real-time. If like most you have to prioritize and triage resource expenditures, the priority goes to creating and distributing content.
• PRO-TIP – You down with OPP? Other People’s Posts? If it’s just you -the comments section on other people’s and other brand’s posts is a great way to piggyback or even steal engagement. Offer insights, criticisms, captivate, entertain, serve, and point the audience in the right direction. This is a great way to EARN an audience and consideration of what your company has to offer.

10. Email Marketing on Steroids

Email isn’t dead – it’s evolving. Use automation tools to send targeted campaigns based on customer behavior. Abandoned cart? Send a reminder. Recent purchase? Follow up with related products. It’s like having a sales team that never sleeps.

Action Items

• Pick a platform – Do some research, consider your integrations across your digital presence, and desire for automation, then pick the right email platform. There are many good ones.
• Integrate the platform with your digital presence – Between social channels and ecommerce you need to connect the dots and add some autopilot.
• Set up automated email sequences for different customer journeys (e.g., welcome series, abandoned cart reminders).
• Regularly clean your email list to improve deliverability and engagement rates.

11. Mobile-First, Always

If your website isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re bleeding money. Period. Over 50% of web traffic is mobile. Make sure your site looks good and functions well on smartphones. Better yet, create a mobile app for an even smoother customer experience.

Action Items

• If you can afford it – pay a pro to audit your mobile presence and improve it. This involves establishing some baseline data, getting the before, so you can make changes and measure the after.
• If you’re lean on resources, have your team pull out their actual phone and review your site – and swarm the problem. Note all the things that make it difficult, disengaging, or add needless friction. Map all of the problems and wrinkles. Then map the potential solutions on a checklist, and start working through them.

12. Streamline Your Sales Funnel – Remove The Friction

In the digital world, every extra click is a chance for the customer to bounce. Simplify your checkout process. Enable guest checkouts. Offer multiple payment options. The easier you make it to buy, the more people will buy. It’s not rocket science.

Action Steps

• Audit your current checkout process and identify areas of friction.
• Implement guest checkout and multiple payment options.
• Set up cart abandonment tracking and recovery emails.

13. Leverage User-Generated Content

People trust other people more than they trust brands. Encourage customers to leave reviews, share photos of your products, create unboxing videos. Then showcase this content everywhere. It’s like having an army of unpaid marketers.

Action Steps

• Set up a system to automatically request reviews after purchase. This can be done by integrating your email/CRM platform with your web presence.
• Create a branded hashtag and encourage customers to use it when sharing photos of your products.
• Implement a user-generated content gallery on your website or product pages.

14. Embrace AI and Machine Learning

AI isn’t just a buzzword. It’s a powerful tool for predicting customer behavior, optimizing pricing, and personalizing recommendations. Start small with AI-powered chatbots and gradually expand.

Action step: Identify one area of your sales process that could benefit from AI. Implement a tool like Salesforce Einstein or Crayon to get started.

Action Steps

• Identify one area of your sales process that could benefit from AI (e.g., lead scoring, product recommendations).
• Implement an AI-powered tool like ChatGPT, Claude, Salesforce Einstein or Crayon in this area.
• Monitor and measure the impact of AI on your chosen metric.

15. Create a Seamless Omnichannel Customer Experience

Customers don’t think in terms of channels. They expect a consistent customer experience whether they’re on your website, mobile app, or in your physical store. Make sure all these touchpoints are integrated.

Action step: Audit your customer experience across all channels. Identify inconsistencies and create a plan to harmonize the experience.

Action Steps

• Audit your customer experience across all channels and platforms. Identify inconsistencies.
• Implement a unified customer database that’s accessible across all channels and platforms.
• Train your staff to provide consistent service across all touchpoints.

Bonus: Transforming Customer Experience in the Digital Age

Now that we’ve covered digitizing your sales operations, let’s talk about revolutionizing your customer experience. Because in the digital age, experience is everything.

1. Speed is King

In the digital world, patience is not a virtue. It’s a weakness. Optimize your website load times. Respond to customer queries instantly. Offer same-day delivery if possible. The faster you move, the more you’ll sell.

Action Steps

• Optimize your website load times. Aim for under 3 seconds on mobile.
• Implement a live chat system for instant customer support.
• Set up automated order processing to reduce fulfillment times.

2. Self-Service is Often The Preferred Service

People love solving their own problems. Give them the tools to do it. Create a comprehensive FAQ section. Offer video tutorials. Implement a knowledge base. The less your customers need to contact you, the happier they’ll be.

Action Steps

• Create a comprehensive, searchable FAQ section on your website.
• Develop video tutorials for common customer questions or product uses.
• Implement a customer portal where users can manage their accounts and orders.

3. Gamify the customer Experience

Turn shopping into a game. Offer points for purchases. Create challenges and rewards. Implement a loyalty program that’s actually fun. The more engaging your customer experience, the more addictive it becomes.

Action Steps

• Implement a points-based loyalty program with clear rewards tiers.
• Create time-limited challenges or competitions to drive engagement.
• Use progress bars and achievement badges to encourage desired customer behaviors.

4. Continuous Improvement is Key

Digital transformation isn’t a one-and-done deal. It’s an ongoing process of experimentation and improvement. Use analytics to constantly monitor your digital initiatives and be ready to pivot when something’s not working.

Action step: Set up regular review meetings to analyze your digital performance metrics. Create a culture of continuous improvement within your team.

Action Steps

• Set up regular review meetings to analyze and actually critically discuss your digital performance metrics.
• Implement a system for collecting and acting on customer feedback.
• Create a culture of experimentation by setting aside resources for testing new digital initiatives.

Conclusion

Remember, digitizing your business isn’t about technology. It’s about people. It’s about understanding your customers better than ever before and giving them exactly what they want, when they want it, how they want it. That’s why designing a world-class customer experience is critical to success, especially in the Digital Age. 

Look, I get it. This might seem overwhelming. But here’s the truth: it’s not optional anymore. Your competitors are doing it. Your customers expect it. And the potential upside is massive.

You don’t have to do everything at once. Start with one or two of these strategies and build from there. The key is to start now. Because in the digital world, the spoils don’t go to the biggest or the strongest. They go to the fastest.

So, stop making excuses. Stop clinging to outdated methods. Embrace the digital revolution. Because if you don’t, your competitors will. And they’ll eat your lunch while you’re still trying to figure out how to turn on your computer.

The future is digital. Are you ready to claim your piece of it? Want some help? Reach out and Get Heroik! We offer a free project planning tool, and a free tailor-made business roadmap.