When you have all of the ingredients you need conjure up an ice cream sundae, you don’t want to stop at the whipped cream, especially if you have sprinkles, chopped nuts and chocolate syrup on hand.
In terms of business, why do salespeople stop short of using all of the “ingredients” available to them in the field?
A recent article in Entrepreneur magazine honed in on the lack of marketing collateral usage by sales reps. Although there are typically white papers, guides and reports at the disposal of sales teams, few people turn to them for help. This means that a sizable chunk of sales enablement tools go unused by salespeople every day.
The reasons for this range from a lack of communication between sales and marketing to poor mobility – salespeople have no access to collateral on the go.
What can be done about this unfortunate problem?
Bridging the Communication Gap
Perhaps the largest underlying issue in terms of unused sales enablement tools is the gap between marketing and sales teams. A lack of communication can result in sales reps going out into the field without the resources they need to close deals.
One way that sales and marketing teams can work closer together is to set aside time to review current initiatives. A simple weekly meeting can ensure that marketing is creating on-target collateral to assist sales reps with new prospects.
Another tactic that marketers can use to help salespeople is to send out updates on sales enablement content. For example, emails with information on new white papers, guides and reports can give sales reps an idea of the resources available to them in the field. Helping the sales team understand the value of this content is critical to successful prospect meetings.
Finally, it’s worth noting the importance of accessibility through mobile devices. Content management platforms connected to the cloud can serve as highly valuable sales enablement tools – reps have access to marketing collateral on the go via smartphones, tablets and laptops.
There’s no guarantee that content marketing materials and other sales enablement tools will exponentially increase your number of customers, even when they’re used frequently. However, sales reps who use all of the “ingredients” available to them boost their chances of closing deals. It doesn’t hurt to have too many helpful tools at your fingertips!
