Sales enablement: it’s the talk of many businesses these days. In fact, sales enablement investments are on the rise, with 32.2% of companies adopting a sales enablement function in 2015 (versus 14% in 2011).
Why are so many companies including sales enablement programs into their sales and marketing strategies?
Because of the Internet, today’s buyers are smarter and have higher expectations than ever before. As a result, buyers usually do not connect with sellers until later in the buying journey. This puts the pressure on sellers to provide value and expertise not found online. B2B companies are searching for ways to support sellers in this endeavor. Many are turning to sales enablement because it provides sellers with relevant content, coaching, and processes to add value throughout the buying cycle.
Though many high-performing sales organizations are adopting sales enablement into their revenue strategy, the goals of these programs and the approaches to achieving these goals are multifaceted.
Goals of Sales Enablement Programs
CSO Insights recently published findings from its 2015 Sales Enablement Survey to determine the primary reasons companies invest in sales enablement. This survey found that the top 3 reasons are to increase sales efficiency, increase revenue, and increase new account acquisition. Additional goals range from growing the value of existing customers to reducing sales force turnover.
Just as there are a variety of goals organizations seek to achieve with sales enablement, so too are there a variety of approaches to achieving these sales enablement goals.
The Best (and the Worst) Ways to Approach Sales Enablement
Companies take different approaches when establishing sales enablement priorities. The organization and strategy of these approaches can range and are often indicative of the program’s long-term success.
CSO Insights outlined 3 main ways sales enablement priorities are set: one off project, informal vision, and formal vision. They asked survey participants to select the approach that best fits how sales enablement is prioritized at their company.
Here are 3 approaches to setting sales enablement priorities:
Establish a Formal Vision
Companies utilizing this approach take the time to adopt a strategic vision from the onset. They use this vision as a foundation to ensure that each component in the sales enablement plan aligns with the greater objectives. Of the companies surveyed by CSO Insights, 48.5% of them reported to adopt this approach when rolling out a sales enablement program.
(Let’s think about establishing a formal vision in terms of planning a vacation. People with a formal vision would have their plans laid out weeks or months before getting on the plane. They’d know the purpose of the trip and the cities they plan to visit… and would have hotels booked, restaurants priced, and bags packed with the perfect walking shoes.)
Folks with a formal vision know what they want to accomplish and each step they need to take along the way to get the most out of the investment. When rolling out a sales enablement program, establishing this formal vision is the best way to guarantee long-term success.
Establish an Informal Vision
Companies with an informal vision understand their current pain points and have a vision for an optimal future state. They have a rough understanding of the goals of a sales enablement program, but they have yet to align stakeholders, distribute tasks, or outline each step it will take to accomplish these goals. Of the companies surveyed by CSO Insights, 39.4% of them reported to establish an informal vision before embarking on their sales enablement journey.
(Going back to the vacation analogy, people with an informal vision would have an idea of the people they want to see and places they want to go, but wouldn’t map out how they’re getting from point A to point B. This doesn’t mean the trip will be a bust, but more than likely would return home feeling like they missed out on a few good opportunities.)
Folks with an informal vision don’t know the full scope of their endeavors and lack a plan for overcoming roadblocks that could delay or derail them. Although rolling out a sales enablement program with an informal vision doesn’t guarantee poor results, it’s not the most optimal way to set yourself up for success.
Not a One-off project
Companies that treat sales enablement like a series of one-off projects do not establish a holistic vision – let alone outline the steps it will take to get there. These companies invest in one-off technology solutions to solve individual pain points and fail to align purchasing decisions with an over-arching strategy. Of the companies surveyed by CSO Insights, 12.1% of them utilize this sales enablement approach.
(Thinking in terms of a vacation, this group of people would buy a plane ticket before ever deciding on the cities they wanted to visit. Although the journey may lead to a decent place to sleep and fun places to visit, there’s also the risk of getting stuck sleeping on the street due to over-booked hotels.)
One-off projects may be able to solve short-term problems, but fail to prepare you for subsequent issues that pop up down the road. Although one-off projects don’t always turn out badly, if you’re looking to make lasting transformational changes in sales productivity, you’ll end up disappointed. These “random acts of sales enablement” may seem to make your sales team more productive, but can fail to take flight and even lead to inefficiencies in the long-term.
Takeaways
Although there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to implementing a sales enablement program, companies with well thought out strategies and tactics are more likely to experience satisfying results. Taking a holistic sales enablement approach, where you align your sales enablement objectives with over-arching business objectives, is the best way to ensure success.
Developing a formal, strategic vision can seem intimidating from the onset, but remember that you don’t have to do everything at once. First assess your current organizational gaps and then prioritize issues that need to be addressed. If you start with a wide view of what needs to be accomplished, you can adopt tools and processes that align with these goals and add on over time.
