What is sales engagement?

Sales engagement is the communication that happens between sales reps and buyers. By improving these touch points, teams can increase conversions, build relationships, and ultimately close more deals. 

Sales engagement’s meaning has changed in recent years with the rise of virtual selling and sales engagement platforms that support workflows and processes. Sales engagement and the technology that powers it have become closely interconnected, leading to more personalized and automated customer interactions that drive business growth and success.

The modern sales engagement process

The process has evolved over the years, with many sales engagement activities relying on digital channels to support the sales cycle. Today, it’s common for buyers to do extensive research before speaking to a rep — by some accounts, as much as 27 information-gathering interactions. That’s why digital channels, like social media, email, and online messaging, are critical components of the sales engagement toolkit. 

While phone, Zoom, and in-person meetings are still important at later stages in the buyer’s journey, sellers should leverage digital channels to build rapport with prospects during earlier touchpoints.

To engage effectively, sales teams must have a strong digital presence and be equipped to share personalized content and messaging through the right channels. The good news is, sales engagement technology and enablement can support reps in delivering targeted content to prospects through the right channels. They also help reps prepare for pivotal selling moments. 

Sales engagement vs. sales enablement

Sales engagement is a critical component of every successful sales strategy, but it requires more than just enthusiasm and persistence to be effective. That’s why organizations need both sales engagement and sales enablement to thrive.
Sales engagement refers to the interactions between sales representatives and potential buyers. By improving these touchpoints, teams can increase conversions, build relationships, and ultimately close more deals. Sales engagement has evolved with the rise of virtual selling and sales engagement platforms, leading to more personalized and automated customer interactions.
On the other hand, sales enablement provides salespeople with the resources, processes, and technology they need to sell effectively and increase revenue. It maximizes every point of engagement sellers have with buyers and improves the experience they provide. Sales enablement includes training, content, and tools to help sales teams succeed. Sales enablement might focus on providing the messaging reps use in their communications, while sales engagement focuses on tracking and improving email engagement with leads. By prioritizing these approaches equally, organizations can drive seller success, deliver a better customer experience, and achieve their revenue goals.

Did you know?

Buyers complete up to 27 info-gathering interactions before talking to a seller?

The connection between sales engagement and enablement

Sales engagement is a critical component of any successful sales strategy, but it requires more than just enthusiasm and persistence to be effective. That’s why organizations need both sales engagement and sales enablement to thrive.

The sales engagement process is about optimizing interactions between sales reps and prospects. Sales enablement provides reps with the tools, training, and resources they need to be effective in those interactions. It also helps sellers better understand their audience, anticipate their needs, and provide value at every stage of the buying journey. 

For example, sales engagement might focus on tracking and improving email engagement with leads, while sales enablement provides the messaging reps use in their communications. By prioritizing these approaches equally, organizations can drive seller success, deliver a better customer experience, and achieve their revenue goals.

What is a sales engagement platform?

Sales engagement platforms are tools that help sales teams automate and improve engagement with prospects. Sales engagement software often includes features like email tracking, call recording, and social media integrations. These tools often integrate with your CRM to connect the dots on digital touchpoints and build a holistic picture of a buyer’s behavior.

Ultimately, sales engagement platforms are designed to improve the quality of interactions with prospects. They are becoming more common, with Gartner finding that 87% of sales teams have adopted a sales engagement platform.

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Why is a sales engagement strategy important?

Today’s buyers expect their interactions with reps to be useful, informative, and convenient — on the platform of their choice. A strong sales engagement strategy allows reps to meet these expectations and directly translate engagement into business. Buyers who are fully engaged in the sales process account for a 23% increase in revenue. 

Because sales engagement touches everything from email marketing to social media planning, it’s crucial for companies to adopt a comprehensive strategy that prioritizes clear goals and tracks analytics for improvement over time.

How to improve sales engagement

Great sellers know that strong selling requires more than just a pitch — it’s about understanding your audience and building genuine connections. But without the right tools and knowledge, it’s challenging to properly engage with buyers and effectively move them through the sales cycle. 

That’s where sales enablement comes in; good enablement helps sellers acquire knowledge and skills that lead to meaningful interactions with buyers and provides the resources sellers need to make personalized connections. Maximizing your enablement efforts to improve engagement at your organization does not have to be complicated. To get started, here are a few of the most impactful enablement strategies to implement in your org:

1

Align marketing and sales processes:

The first step is defining shared goals so that both teams are working toward the same objective. Together, everyone can identify the most pressing needs and agree on the content, campaigns, and workflows that support them. Once initiatives are in play, don’t forget to gather feedback regularly to keep teams on the same page and shift prioritization as needed.

2

Store, manage, and track content:

Personalizing sales content isn’t optional — it’s a necessity. To do it effectively, reps need access to a central content repository with assets that can be easily customized. Leaders also need an enablement tool that tracks usage and effectiveness to better understand what content prospects engage with. This provides important insights that help guide future enablement content strategies.

3

Prioritize just-in-time enablement:

Fast and informative responses are essential to engage with buyers. Just-in-time enablement tools offer sellers the ability to access documents, assets, and FAQs in one central location, making it easier to provide timely and relevant information. Integrating supportive software like this not only improves rep efficiency but also helps your business stand out from the competition.

4

Provide ongoing training and coaching:

Sales training gives reps the tools and know-how to sell your product, while one-on-one coaching provides individualized learning. By training reps to engage with buyers at all stages, you’ll nurture your sales talent and increase revenue. In fact, sellers report a 76% increase in closed deals when they receive personalized coaching.

5

Connect sales tools:

Sales engagement and enablement platforms are equipped with a wide range of features that enhance your team’s engagement efforts. It’s crucial to select a top sales platform that offers multiple features and integrates with your CRM and other tools to provide you with a comprehensive view of your sales performance.

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Designing a sales engagement model

A sales engagement model is a framework that outlines how sales teams interact with prospects and customers. It’s designed to optimize the interactions between sales reps and prospects, to improve interactions and drive sales success. Here are some key points to consider when thinking about a sales engagement model:

  • A sales engagement model should be data-driven, using metrics and analytics to track
    performance and make informed decisions. This allows sales teams to respond to changing
    market conditions and customer needs quickly and effectively.
  • Sales engagement software plays a key role in implementing a sales engagement model. It helps
    sales teams automate and improve engagement with prospects, often including features like
    email tracking, call recording, and social media integrations.
  • Sales enablement is also an important component of a sales engagement model. It provides
    sales reps with the tools, training, and resources they need to be effective in their interactions
    with prospects. It helps sellers better understand their audience, anticipate their needs, and
    provide value at every stage of the buying journey.
  • A successful sales engagement model should be flexible and adaptable, allowing sales teams to
    continuously improve their interactions with prospects and customers. It should also prioritize
    both sales engagement and sales enablement equally, to drive seller success, deliver a better
    customer experience, and achieve revenue goals.
    In summary, a sales engagement model is a framework that outlines how sales teams interact with
    prospects and customers, with the goal of improving the quality of those interactions and driving sales
    success. It is a critical component of any successful sales strategy and should be used in conjunction with
    sales enablement to drive seller success, deliver a better customer experience, and achieve revenue
    goals.

Engage buyers with greater enablement

Enablement is key to strong engagement, and sales engagement tools are how organizations can take action with buyers quickly and easily. By building enablement and engagement strategies in tandem, organizations will drive engagement and achieve more impactful results. 

The Seismic Enablement CloudTM empowers sellers with the skills, content, tools, and insights they need to drive engagement and grow the business. Seismic offers sales content management, learning, and coaching functionality that integrates with sales engagement tools for optimal sales effectiveness. Join the 2,200+ organizations that use Seismic to build successful sales enablement strategies and improve win rates by 35%. Get a demo here.