Sales enablement, at its core, is making sure your sales team has what they need to succeed. It’s the ongoing process of giving them the resources, tools and insights to guide prospects through the sales funnel. It can make the difference between sales reps fumbling for answers or closing with confidence.
Michael Welch, a contributor to the HubSpot blog, thinks about it from a football perspective. He says the athletes are the ones on the field, but coaching staff support them with playbooks, physicians help mitigate the risk of injury and nutritionists give them the right foods to fuel their performance.
In the promo world, sales enablement could look like giving your team case studies and product information so they’re well-equipped in every conversation. How do you get started? Keep reading. We’re sharing Welch’s guidance on developing a sales enablement strategy in this issue of PromoPro Daily.
1. Define (and agree on) clear goals. Your sales team should be working toward SMART goals. Welch says you may want to shorten your sales cycle, increase your win rates or bolster the size of your average deal. You might want to do all 3, but he recommends keeping your scope narrow and focusing on 1 goal at a time. You should also ensure that all your company’s departments are aligned around your sales enablement goals. This can prevent unnecessary friction between sales and marketing teams.
2. Map the ideal customer journey. Contemplate how people move through your buying process. What pain points are most pressing to them? What objections did your sales reps face most often? As you reflect on how clients get from the initial call to a closed deal, apply the goals outlined in the step above. For example, he says if you want to increase your average deal size, you may only map out the buyer’s journey for customers in the top 25% of deal value.
3. Develop stage-specific resources. What tools and assets do your sales reps need to advance the deal to the next stage? For example, what could help them nudge a prospect from the consideration stage to the decision stage? Welch says instead of requiring each sales rep to approach this hurdle anew, give them specific resources that can inspire the prospect to move forward.
4. Keep your sales team updated. It’s crucial to keep the lines of communication open, Welch says. He likes to use a Slack channel where sales reps can ask questions, and everyone can post updates and share their experiences. He says that enablement is an ongoing process, so you should also host regular meetings.
Sales enablement can transform the way your sales team works. Get clear on your strategy by defining goals, mapping your customer journey, organizing your resources and communicating often.
Compiled by Audrey Sellers
Source: Michael Welch is a contributor to the HubSpot blog.
