Most people in the sales industry are familiar with the concept of “sales enablement“. Just because you may have heard the term doesn’t necessarily mean that you have a firm grasp on the concept.

Don’t worry, you aren’t alone. There is a lot of confusion in the sales industry about what is included as part of sales enablement, and we hope to be able to shed some light on what it is and why your business needs it.

Sales Enablement Explained

Simply put, sales enablement is the act of providing your sales team with all the tools and information they need to be more productive, ultimately leading to more sales. This may seem like a common-sense concept, but it is more involved than you may realize.

The salesperson needs the right tools to keep the buyer engaged every step of the way. Current information that is useful and illustrative is a crucial part of sales enablement for your sales force. To properly enable your sales team, everything you provide should be easily presented and duplicated across your whole team.

What Sales Enablement Looks Like

If you are going to provide your sales team with everything they need to be more effective for themselves and your company, you have to think about the buyer more than the salesperson. The salesperson already knows how great the product or service is, and they don’t have to be sold. You have to provide them with everything the buyer needs to make an informed decision. When you know and understand this, you are enabling your sales force to do their jobs more effectively.

Adequate Training is Part of Sales Enablement

Your sales force must be the experts in everything they present to the customer. Every resource and tool provided must be able to be operated seamlessly with no hesitation by the sales team. They are the face of the company to the buyer, and as such, any hesitation or uncertainty will be devastating to the buyer.

Making sure your sales force knows how to use any and all tools and resources with adequate and ongoing training is a major part of sales enablement. This also includes technical support whenever and wherever necessary.

Knowing the Procedure

Your sales team needs to know what resources they are and are not able to use. These materials should be rolled-out to the team and reused by any number of individuals.

The sales process shouldn’t be left up to chance, or solely on an individual based upon what they put together. Well researched and developed sales materials will benefit your entire organization and as such, your team should be expected to use them with fidelity.

researched-and-developed-materials-are-important-for-sales-teams

Why You Need Sales Enablement

When you enable your sales staff, you are empowering your whole team with everything they need to be successful. Sending your team with the same information, tools, and resources can also help you to predict sales results easier because of improved consistency.

Sales empowerment gives everyone the opportunity to be a productive team player, instead of just a few talented all-stars. While talent for sales will always play a factor in the success of anyone in the business, consistent materials and a system of sales enablement will create more consistency and success across the team.

Putting Sales Enablement into Action

The best practices for putting a plan of sales enablement into action includes identifying what materials you want them to make available to buyers. What kind of information do they need to provide, and in what detail? Beyond materials, a focus on training that also looks at the practices of high performing sales professionals should also be included. Look at your overall training program and give it an upgrade if it is found to be ineffective or inconsistent.

Consider the content you are providing your sales team. Is the quality of the content high? Look to improve the variety of materials presented to buyers with a digital format that can be shared on a large scale basis. Do you have a strong social media presence that your sales team can tap buyers into? Providing them with current and modern tools to meet buyers where they are is a strong part of the sales enablement process.

Ongoing Support and Training

Rather than just meeting annually, the best way to enable your sales team is to provide ongoing training that never ends. Learning is a lifelong activity, and there is no exception in the world of sales. Because your business isn’t static, your sales team is in constant need of updates so they can present the most current information and stay connected.

Furthermore, the sales industry is rapidly changing with new strategies and tools to make them more successful. Continuous training, so they will be up-to-date, will keep them on the same page and moving forward. You can support your sales team frequently by managing them against established norms and expectations. This is your way of verifying that they know how to use their resources and materials properly. You will also get a good feel for who needs additional training or help in different areas.

Getting Sales Enablement Right

There are a number of crossovers between sales and marketing. The marketing of your business will greatly impact the work of the sales team. In order to properly join sales and marketing, it takes a great effort to collaborate and develop your enablement process together. Because it is so crucial that sales enablement is at peak efficiency, it may be a good idea to work with professionals in this area.

You can visit WEBITMD and check out our Growth Stack to see what we can do for your business. We bring sales and marketing together to drive your business to become more profitable.

We know the right approach to take when working with a company to enable their sales team with everything they need to benefit their company. Our business is to know your business. Contact us to discuss how we can add value to your sales organization.

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