At Outlook Business Solutions, we know that sales enablement provides your salespeople with all the tools and strategic resources they need to close a sale. In this competitive world, sales enablement is often on the mind of sales managers and top executives. A sales enablement process or platform can help you win business over your competitors.
Together, the sales and marketing teams own the Sales enablement process. Marketing provides the resources salespeople need to effectively do their jobs. This includes videos, materials, user guides, blogs, sales training and even talking points for the sales process. Your sales rep can easily share these materials with your customers to improve sales communication and the time needed to complete the sale.
Sales and marketing must collaborate on the resources needed. Marketing will then create tools. The sales force should be trained on how to use the tools. This will lead to a process to ensure all potential customers are getting the information they need to buy your product or service. You want your process to become part of your company culture.
BENEFITS OF SALES ENABLEMENT
BETTER SALES DATA
You will find better sales data because so much B2B commerce is not taking place online. Sales enablement technology gained popularity because it provides an additional way for your company to be data-driven. Data can be collected, organized and then activated to help your sales team in the process. Incorporating buyer preferences, pain points and personas into the process will help your salespeople customize the process for each potential customer.
MARKETING AND SALES ALIGNMENT
This almost goes without saying, but the collaboration of marketing and sales on the sales enablement process improves your company’s reputation. Data will help this process and marketing can create the resources to elevate the process and close sales faster.
IMPROVED SALES TEAM
By providing every salesperson with the tools they need to complete a sale, you won’t be relying as heavily on a few top performers to make most of your sales. With the right tools, your salespeople will all be able to better perform their jobs and close sales.
BEST PRACTICES
FOCUS ON THE CUSTOMER OR POTENTIAL BUYER
We should no longer think of a sales cycle and how we are going to push or pull a potential customer through the funnel. We should focus on the buyer and what experience they want or need. Customers want a more personalized approach that focuses on their needs and how you can make their life easier.
PROVIDE BUYERS WITH THE RIGHT MATERIALS AT THE APPROPRIATE TIME
Sales enablement will lay out when specific materials are needed in the process. A potential buyer could become overwhelmed if they were given all the materials upfront. Marketing and sales can work together to determine triggers to provide more information to help the process keep moving forward at the appropriate times.
DATA COLLECTION AND MEASUREMENT
Sales enablement tools will help you collect and analyze more data. Data should also be incorporated from other departments in your company. You will improve your sales process. Remove those things that aren’t working and optimize those that can be better. A company tracking and using data to improve the sales process has a leg up on the competition.
BUILD AND MAINTAIN THE RIGHT TEAM
A modern sales enablement strategy requires team-oriented and flexible professionals. Your company’s hiring practices should reflect this change in the sales process. Once you’ve hired the sales team, be sure to observe and evaluate performance. Look at more than just the number of sales made. Is the salesperson open-minded? Do they customize the process for each customer? Do they have a team attitude, or do they still prefer to be a lone wolf? By maintaining the right people with the right attitude, your company should see sales climb
EVALUATE TOOLS AND CHOOSE THE BEST PLATFORM FOR YOUR BUSINESS
There are many different sales enablement platforms. Outlook Business Solutions can help you review and evaluate platforms to find the platform that works best for your company and sales team. If your sales team has all the tools they need to complete the sale, your team will be happier which will lead to less turnover and a more knowledgeable sales force.
If you’d like help building a sales enablement strategy, or just putting the materials in place to help you improve your sales, we’re here to help. Outlook Business Solutions offers an array of marketing and sales services from strategy planning to copywriting and public relations. We’re here to help you grow your business and inspire your customers.