Amplify your

sales team’s
productivity
with Dynamics 365, Office 365,
and LinkedIn Sales Navigator
 Building relationships is essential in today’s
sales environment. But sellers fall short when
tasked with maintaining so many complex
interactions at the same time.

2 Microsoft Dynamics 365: Amplify your sales team’s productivity

Does today’s buyer even want to
interact with a sales rep?
The relationship between buyers and sellers grows more These shifting dynamics underscore the artistry of modern
complicated each day. Every potential partnership requires selling: When the time is right, buyers still want personal
finding the right buyer, fully understanding their business, attention from sellers. More than two-thirds of all buyers
tracking progress through the buying cycle, and engaging say sales rep engagement is important to them.2 What this
them with the right content—when and how they want tells us is that buyers are typically motivated to engage
it. Faced with having to replicate this to meet increasingly with sales reps only when it adds value for them.
divergent buyer needs, most sellers know relationship Adding to the complexity is that buyers are also used to
selling—the art of converting leads through the building technology that’s both increasingly simple to
Microsoft
of long-term relationships between buyer and seller—is a use and interconnected. As a result, they have high Dynamics 365
complex discipline. expectations for every buying experience. A seller’s job
then becomes twofold: Provide useful interactions and
Buyers can sense that complexity. While 36 percent of seamless transactions.
sellers think they provide an excellent buyer experience
during the sales process, just 23 percent of buyers would This combination of effectiveness and efficiency is
say that’s true.1 precisely what the Microsoft Relationship Sales solution
is designed to provide. Combining the power of the
As technology becomes more powerful and ubiquitous, Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Sales application with LinkedIn Microsoft
the way buyers make purchasing decisions continues to LinkedIn Sales Navigator, the Relationship Sales solution Sales Navigator Office 365
evolve. Sales teams must urgently employ the right tools also integrates with Microsoft Office 365 to improve seller
to keep pace. efficiency by giving them an end-to-end view of sales
activities and relationship data. Better yet, it empowers
Potential buyers have more information than ever before, sellers to turn relationships into revenue.
and they’re using it liberally: Research finds that most
buyers are already 57 percent of the way through the
buying process before talking to a supplier.2 Gartner
predicts that by 2020, buyers will manage 85 percent of
vendor relationships without talking to anyone.

1 TOPO research
2 TOPO research, The New Rules of Engagement

3 Microsoft Dynamics 365: Amplify your sales team’s productivity

 Still not convinced that improved relationship selling is
key to an organization’s success? Consider this data.

Percentage of sellers spend their

day on customer engagement

2x
Just

77% 23% 67% 43%

or more at at low-growth
Sales teams that of customers want of customers say that high-growth organizations5
emphasize sellers to teach them sellers provided an organizations
engagement are something new6 excellent experience3
more than twice
as likely to hit their
quotas4

76% 77% 75% 74%

of customers of customers
of customers want sellers of customers want want to see how want their
to build a relationship as personalized sales a product affects interest to be
a trusted adviser6 content6 their business a seller’s focus6
specifically6

3 TOPO research
4 “A New Hybrid Sales Model: Empowering Sellers to Drive Customer Engagement at Scale”: Blog post by David Held, October 25, 2017.
5 TOPO research: Sales Benchmark Report; Senior Product Manager, Microsoft
6 TOPO research, The New Rules of Engagement
4 Dynamics 365: Amplify your sales team’s productivity
How can sellers build personal relationships through technology?

Rapidly evolving innovations can help CRM tools can drive more meaningful Social networks should surface insights to enable
facilitate stronger buyer relationships across interactions with buyers, suggest relevant buyer conversations based on what matters
a sales team’s three most valuable tools: CRM, content, and ensure sellers are meeting buyers at most to them. The end goal? Each tool should
productivity applications, and social networks. any point in the sales journey. help sellers build better relationships and boost
While most organizations have these basic overall sales.
capabilities in place, the minimum isn’t enough Productivity tools should free up time to invest
to grow a sales operation. in relationships and make it easy for buyers to
communicate and provide feedback.

Core tools for sales reps

CRM Productivity Social networks

Most sales organizations have systems for Collaboration with your sales team is essential, Smart sellers increasingly rely on social media
tracking and managing interactions with but becomes more of a challenge if you and your tools to understand more about their target
potential buyers. Some simply rely on colleagues are constantly on the go and don’t buyers. Discovering buyer connections and
spreadsheets or collaboration platforms. But work from one location. organizational nuances can often prove decisive
low-tech solutions that don’t scale risk putting in propelling deals forward.
them at a competitive disadvantage. Our solution: Office 365 offers tools that
enable simultaneous collaboration with your Our solution: LinkedIn Sales Navigator tool can
Our solution: Microsoft Dynamics 365 team across multiple scenarios including RFPs help reps better identify target companies and
automates key sales features, ensuring reps and pitch decks in SharePoint, seamless Outlook their decision makers—all from within Microsoft
have more time to tailor their approach for each integration, exporting to Excel, or group chats Dynamics 365.
unique buyer relationship. via Microsoft Teams. These are critical for
decentralized sales efforts.

5 Microsoft Dynamics 365: Amplify your sales team’s productivity

The problem with
disconnected tools

Many companies keep these sales tools separate. When considering integrated sales tools, focus on these three tangible benefits:
But tools in silos cost your company time and money.
Disconnected business apps mean disconnected data Better opportunity targeting Actionable insights Engaging at scale
and processes, which, in turn, create inefficiencies
and missed opportunities. A seller’s output decreases Cutting through a crowded marketplace to Advanced sales tools have sophisticated Research shows that organizations would
when they have to change between apps just to enter find qualified buyers can be complicated. capabilities to pull insights from a diverse like their sales reps to be spending 20
data. Research shows that workers lose 40 percent Modern sales tool should enable sellers to set of data sources. Integrated technology percent more time each week directly
of their productivity when they have to switch tasks.7 efficiently hone in on the right contacts- helps sellers understand their buyers’ engaging with customers or prospects.
and source networks from them-to build needs better, provide relevant content By automating and integrating tasks and
Sellers also don’t have a single view of their the most efficient sales process possible. recommendations, and identify at-risk business processes, managers can reduce
relationships when they have to cull data and relationships. the time sellers spend on administrative
interactions from different applications. An incomplete The Microsoft Relationship Sales solution tasks like filling out forms and aggregating
picture of a buyer relationship risks an inaccurate uses predictive lead scoring, via artificial The Microsoft Relationship Sales solution data into a central location.
understanding of that relationship’s health. For intelligence, to help sellers find and uses AI to analyze data from sales, Office
example, if a CRM doesn’t automatically pull buyer nurture the right leads. It also gives deep 365, LinkedIn, and information gleaned The Microsoft Relationship Sales
engagement history from email or LinkedIn, sellers insight into a contact’s social network, from CRM to provide a single relationship solution’s flexible and configurable interface
won’t have the most up-to-date information to helping teams to identify additional health score. Sellers also receive content seamlessly links up small tasks to recognize
effectively reach leads or close deals. stakeholders and coordinate a sales recommendations built from a target’s significant gains. Accessing Sales Navigator
strategy across a target organization. social behaviors or press mentions, which information through Dynamics 365, for
takes the guess work out of choosing example, prevents sellers from having to
topics for the next interaction. flip back and forth between platforms for
routine work.

7 Microsoft’s Sell in the Now – How to make your sales team more productive

6 Microsoft Dynamics 365: Amplify your sales team’s productivity



The smarter solution:

Microsoft Relationship Sales
●● Microsoft ●●
● View key LinkedIn updates from
Dynamics 365 ● Access key target LinkedIn profiles
identified leads within the Microsoft from within Microsoft Outlook inbox
The combination of Dynamics 365 for Sales, LinkedIn Sales Capabilities: Benefits:
Dynamics 365 platform
Navigator, and Office 365 provides the kind of capability integration
● In your email pane, view suggestions
that can change the way your sales team does business—making ● Combine and analyze data streams ● Generate relationship health
● Uncover existing relationships for discussion topics based on
disconnected tools a problem of the past. from all three tools through AI and scores and predictive lead scoring
between leads and LinkedIn recipient’s social activity
machine learning to help your sellers focus on the
connections from the CRM interface
● M
 icrosoft Dynamics 365 provides the collaborative relationship best opportunities
management tools that help sellers increase revenue, stay ● Easily access and edit Microsoft
focused in a fast-paced environment, and close deals faster—all Office 365 documents— including ● Start smarter, more relevant
while reducing acquisition costs. Excel pivot tables— from within conversations by reaching out
Dynamics 365 to new and existing leads with
LinkedIn
●● ●●●
● L
 inkedIn Sales Navigator streamlines access to millions customized content sourced
of potential buyers, offering both profile and behavioral ● In the Outlook email pane, view Sales Navigator from target’s behavior
information that can help sellers identify and connect with high- suggestions for discussion topics
value targets at scale. ● Access
based andonedit
recipient’s
Microsoft social
Dynamics
activity ●● Combine
Decreasedataonboarding
streams time
from all three
365-based contracts in immersive tools
and maximize
to provideusericher
adoption
and more
● M
 icrosoft Office 365 consolidates all of a seller’s productivity Microsoft
● Map theOfficebuying365community
environment, useful
with contextual,
insights in-platform
tools into one software experience by combining the email and regardless
and uncoverof device
new relationship help options
calendar functionality of Microsoft Outlook with the versatility of opportunities by sourcing LinkedIn ● Maintains key processes from all
Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. ● Receive
connections
notifications
withinin Dynamics
Microsoft 365 ● platforms
Boost day-to-day
in one interface,
productivity for
Dynamics 365 based on Microsoft eliminating
sellers by streamlining
the need to their
switch
crucial
tasks
Office
● Maintains
365 insights,
key processes
like client
from
emails and
tasks
dashboards
into one interface
all three tools in one platform,
● Sort,eliminating
filter, and analyze
the needreal-time
to switch ●● Highly
Increaseconfigurable
win rates byinterfaces
followingallows
datatasks
in Excel
and pivot
dashboards
tables from within
Microsoft visual
data-based
prioritization
recommended
of data streams
actions,
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Office 365 like when to send an email to make
● Highly configurable interfaces sure it’s seen and opened
allow visual prioritization of
data streams

7 Microsoft Dynamics 365: Amplify your sales team’s productivity

How Microsoft Relationship
Sales can meet all your selling
needs Microsoft versus leading competitors

What’s uniquely powerful about the combination of these three Microsoft Relationship Sales solution Leading competitors
tools is the unification of data. Sellers can now access critical
data points from disparate platforms in a central location—and,
more importantly, obtain crucial insights extrapolated from ● F ully integrated with Office 365, combining new ● L ower-fidelity Office integration with no full
aggregated data. Sellers and managers can assess pipeline experiences (like integrated Outlook and Dynamics Outlook app and no immersive Excel, OneNote, or
health and lead scoring compiled by AI processes, resulting in 365 for Sales) with all the apps sellers live in (Excel, Yammer integrations
sales team productivity boosts of up to 15 percent. 8 PowerPoint, and Word), to allow sellers to more efficiently
engage with buyers at scale ● S ales Navigator data exists in an isolated widget,
Such gains come from a platform-wide integration of data. limiting the platform’s ability to combine data
Key LinkedIn Sales Navigator information isn’t simply housed ● L inkedIn Sales Navigator data (like a contact’s social streams for rich insights
in a widget within Dynamics 365—it’s utilized throughout the behavior) is utilized throughout the Dynamics 365
platform, delivering smarter, more actionable insights for ● L acks relationship assistant; automated data entry
platform to provide relevant and contextual analysis on a buyer’s
sellers to use in assessing their leads and predictive analytics sold as separate product
behavior. This data stretches beyond just accounts and contacts;
it reaches into recommended seller actions, including when to
● T
 he new AI for Sales app empowers sales teams with
move toward a potential closed deal.
dashboards, embedded insights, and predictive lead
scoring that help them make better decisions and sell
Leading competitors rely on partnerships to provide LinkedIn
smarter. Learn more about AI for Sales
Sales Navigator combined with the capabilities of productivity
tools. Microsoft doesn’t. Since Dynamics 365, LinkedIn Sales ● Interface is configured and flexible, allowing sales
Navigator, and Office 365 are all Microsoft assets, you get one teams to create immersive environments best suited
seamless experience. to their needs

8 Nucleus Research: Microsoft Lays Out LinkedIn CRM Strategy, July 2017

Claims based on a 2017 study by Nucleus Research that analyzed more than 50 ROI case studies on CRM
deployments from 2015 to 2017. Companies ranged in size from small and medium-sized businesses to
large multinational enterprises. Results will vary based on your CRM strategy and deployment.

8 Microsoft Dynamics 365: Amplify your sales team’s productivity

 Microsoft’s Relationship Sales tool provides a comprehensive environment for sellers to contact, nurture,
and close leads—all from within a central platform. Here’s how it works:

1 Step 1: Identification
2 Step 2: Contact
3 Step 3: Dialogue
While checking the progress of several key Still within the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Intrigued by the rep’s timely and tailored message,
client relationships in Microsoft Dynamics 365, platform, the sales rep uses Sales Navigator the initial lead responds to the rep via email the next
a sales rep realizes that, according to integrated to assess the new lead’s recent social activity. day. Microsoft Dynamics 365 automatically alerts
Sales Navigator data, they all share a common Equipped with content ideas based on the the rep that they have received an email through
connection— who just so happens to be a lead’s recently shared articles, the rep sends its Microsoft Office 365 integration. With the
decision maker at a high-value company. a LinkedIn note introducing themselves while conversation officially underway, the rep uses Sales
tying in the suggested topics. The initial Navigator profile suggestions to include other key
contact is logged in to the CRM. company contacts into the dialogue.

Step 6: Monitor
6 Step 5: Close
5 Step 4: Nurture
4
The sale has officially been made, but With the sales opportunity now primed for Now engaged with several of the company’s
the company relationship is still growing. conversion, the rep customizes a templated key stakeholders, the rep keeps a close eye
The rep turns to the integrated Power BI contract in the CRM through the Microsoft Office on the overall bond through Dynamics 365’s
dashboard for team-wide data revealing 365/Microsoft Dynamics 365 integration. The sales AI-generated relationship health score.
products most likely to cross-sell along manager opens a pivot table in an immersive Excel Using predictive analytics, the Dynamics tool
with recommendations of how long to experience from within Dynamics 365 to evaluate suggests the relationship is ready for a more
wait before making a second approach. the latest team numbers, and then approves the formal sales push. Our rep conducts a Skype
The rep marks dates to remember in proposal for sending. The rep follows up and the call with the primary decision makers directly
their Outlook calendar so as not to miss buyer seals the deal with a series of from the platform to talk next steps.
the next opportunity. digital signature.

9 Microsoft Dynamics 365: Amplify your sales team’s productivity

9 Dynamics 365: A Smarter Sales Stack
Relationship selling spotlight:

Increase seller productivity

The challenge: The advantage:

Even the most talented sales reps are only as valuable ● S end InMail messages or emails directly from
as the time they spend selling. But as much as Dynamics 365. View LinkedIn profile data for Dynamics 365 can reduce
67 percent of a rep’s time is spent on non-selling leads—where they work, what they do, where they
activities. Too much time doing administrative chores went to school—directly in your Outlook inbox, administrative time by
and switching between tasks risks leaving reps with calendar, or contacts. Send LinkedIn invites directly

15%-20%
zero time to build lasting relationships. They need a from Outlook, all without leaving the workflow.
platform capable of automating unnecessary tedium
out of the workday while delivering integrated tools, ● W
 ith immersive Excel Online integration, users can
innovation, and efficiencies across the sales cycle. edit CRM data in Excel. Reps can also stop alt-
tabbing to other applications with the single-pane
application provided by unified service desk.

● C
 reate contracts or RFPs right in the CRM and
The solution: start conference calls with the Skype for Business

Dynamics 365 can reduce administrative time by

integration. Sellers can even use Power BI
dashboards in Dynamics 365 to view buyer data
which means each seller
would gain an average of
15 to 20 percent, which means each seller would
in the CRM, saving valuable time finding relevant
gain an average of 53 minutes each day.9 With tools
content and products to upsell or cross-sell.
that guide sellers to the next best action to take
with buyers, rather than simply offering data-entry ● T
 he AI for Sales app easily connects data with 53 minutes each day.9
technology, teams can prioritize what matters most prebuilt connectors, giving you valuable insights
and minimize administrative tasks. immediately.

9 Microsoft Research

10 Microsoft Dynamics 365: Amplify your sales team’s productivity

Relationship selling spotlight:

Manage sales teams

The challenge: The advantage:

If reps are challenged to gauge the health of ● W

 ith integrated advanced analytics/visualization,
multiple complex relationships, a manager’s managers get a clear picture of business functions and
challenge is multiplied by the need to get a top- performance.
level view of those relationships across many
sellers. Managers need a way to get an accurate ● U
 se PowerBI within Office365 to create sales forecast
view of team activity to ensure sellers are reaching reports, understand sales trends, build performance
their potential, craft an effective onboarding dashboards, and track sales pipelines in real time across
process, provide tools that guide consistent sales all Dynamics 365 data. Sellers can customize reports to
process workflows, and—most importantly—help address specific needs and make data-driven decisions.
sellers reach their potential.
● E
 stablish a consistent approach to opportunities with
guided sales process flows. Sellers can solidify data and
execution coherence across their sales processes and
The solution: run additional workflows on entry or exit of a stage.

● T
 rain new reps quickly and easily with embedded
The Microsoft Relationship Sales solution
Learning Path so they can close sales faster.
automatically captures team activities in
Customizable in-app support services and step-by-step
Dynamics 365 from integrated business apps and
instructions help users learn your company’s specific
generates customized reports and dashboards to
processes.
give leaders the information they need. Guided
sales process flows drive consistency across ● L earning Path can also be adjusted for different users
opportunities and executions. And gamification depending on their role in your company. Motivate
makes it simple to onboard new reps while also sellers with fun and dynamic competitions.
ensuring they are motivated and engaged.

11 Microsoft Dynamics 365: Amplify your sales team’s productivity

Relationship selling spotlight:

Help sellers identify and reach better leads The Infosys story:
Infosys saw a
Take this example: By enabling relationship
year-over-year
The challenge: The advantage:
selling with Dynamics 365 and LinkedIn,
Infosys was able to achieve 30 percent higher
sales increase of

87%
win rates. Thirty-one percent of deals closed
Finding and building relationships with the right ● L inkedIn Sales Navigator reveals both first-degree were sourced from relationship selling. The
leads is key to a seller’s success. It’s not just a numbers connections who know the lead, and indirect company also condensed its sales cycle by
game: Sellers want to sell to people who will actually connections. Sellers can reach out to those people three months. In terms of revenue, Infosys saw
buy their product. But many sellers struggle with and ask for a warm introduction, improving the a year-over-year sales increase of 87 percent
identifying buyers who are likely to convert. Reps need likelihood of lead engagement. and a £$7.7 million revenue increase each year
tools to generate leads, rank them, and make it simple using customer insights.10
to start the conversation. ● W
 hen sellers combine LinkedIn Sales Navigator
and Dynamics 365, their leads, contacts, and
accounts data are synchronized, allowing them to
discover and follow leads and accounts in Sales
The solution: Navigator and receive lead recommendations
and insights. The system notifies them when a
With Dynamics 365, you can see LinkedIn account colleague can introduce them to a buyer, when your
and buyer profiles to get lead recommendations, contact leaves a company, or when a prospect has
while viewing people within your company who interacted with an email they sent.
are connected to your prospect with LinkedIn Sales
Navigator. ● I ncrease conversions and win rates by finding and
prioritizing prospects with the highest likelihood to
The Relationship Sales tool can also show sellers people buy based on a broader set of signals.
similar to those they’ve been targeting to grow their list
of prospects. Combining LinkedIn Sales Navigator and
Dynamics 365, the Microsoft Relationship Sales solution
lets sellers leverage LinkedIn’s network of 575+ million
professionals to find and target high quality leads.

12 Microsoft Dynamics 365: Amplify your sales team’s productivity

10 Customer Stories https://customers.microsoft.com/en-us/story/infosys-it-manufacturing-dynamics-365
Relationship selling spotlight:

Help sellers build stronger relationships

The challenge: The advantage:

Relationship selling requires navigating the ● U

 p-to-the-moment data and insights from the
complex desires of buyers. It also involves integration of Office 365, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, and
knowing what information would be useful, and Dynamics 365 help sellers strengthen relationships and
when and how that information would have the stay relevant. The Relationship assistant provides them
most impact. Sales reps need tools that provide with a single view to stay on top of what’s important and
them with a deep understanding of a buyer’s see actionable intelligence.
business and pain points, guide interactions, and
evaluate the strength of each relationship—all ● A
 I for Sales analyzes data across multiple apps to provide
at a glance. relationship health scores, so sellers know if a prospect
is at risk or close to a sale. The app analyzes LinkedIn,
social networks, customer sentiment, email and more
to recommend next-best actions giving sellers the
The solution: opportunity for smarter selling.

The Microsoft Relationship Sales solution provides ● T

 rack when and where buyers open emails to optimize
sellers with tools to easily keep up with multiple responses, get recommended templates, and suggest
complex relationships and insights to guide the best times to send emails based on performance.
next actions. Artificial intelligence and machine Receive recommendations of content to share along with
learning add unique value by analyzing the health smart upselling and cross-selling opportunities, based on
of each relationship based on integrated data a buyer’s needs and where they are in the buying cycle.
sources and providing recommendations to make
● T
 he Microsoft Relationship Sales solution allows sellers
the most impact.
to engage at scale by synchronizing relationship data
across systems. When you connect Sales Navigator
and Dynamics 365, sales data is synchronized between
the apps, allowing sellers to locate and track leads and
accounts in either application and get lead suggestions
and feedback.

13 Microsoft Dynamics 365: Amplify your sales team’s productivity

Relationship selling spotlight:

Better together

Relationship selling is the key to driving revenue in Combining data and processes across apps adds value
today’s complex sales environment. Customers expect that can’t be found with the applications individually—
personalized touch points along their purchasing or with any other sales force automation tool on the
journey, and sellers need to effectively engage market. Improved productivity, facilitated lead pipeline,
customers at scale. Microsoft Relationship Sales tighter relationship building, and more effective sales
integrates Microsoft Dynamics 365, LinkedIn Sales management drive seller success by focusing sales
Navigator, and Office 365 to do just that. activities, shortening sales cycles, and growing business.

Find out how to improve your relationship selling by

contacting a Relationship Sales expert today.

Ready to watch the Microsoft

Relationship Sales solution in action?
Request a demo

For more information, visit the Relationship Sales solution website at https://www.microsoft.com/relationship-sales.

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14 Microsoft Dynamics 365: Amplify your sales team’s productivity