Sales enablement is a crucial aspect of modern sales organisations, as it empowers sellers to add value to every customer interaction and deliver a consistent, personalised buying experience.
In our previous articles, we explored what sales enablement is, why it matters, and how to implement it, as well as the common challenges and how to overcome them. In this article, we will focus on how to create a sales enablement strategy that aligns with your business goals and customer needs.
A sales enablement strategy is a comprehensive plan that outlines the objectives, tactics, and resources needed to support your sales team and improve their performance. It involves defining your vision, assessing your current state, designing your solutions, and measuring your results. Here are the key steps to create a sales enablement strategy:
1. Define your sales enablement vision and objectives
Start by articulating your sales enablement vision, which is the overarching goal that guides your strategy. Your vision should be aspirational, customer-centric, and aligned with your company's mission and values. For example, your vision could be "to empower our sellers to be trusted advisors and deliver exceptional value to our customers."
Next, define your sales enablement objectives, which are the specific and measurable outcomes that support your vision. Your objectives should be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) and aligned with your business goals.
For example, your objectives could be "to increase our win rate by 10% in the next quarter" or "to reduce our sales cycle length by 20% in the next year."
2. Assess your current sales enablement state
Conduct a thorough analysis of your current sales enablement situation, including your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Use various methods, such as surveys, interviews, audits, and observations, to gather data and insights from your sales team, marketing team, customers, and other stakeholders.
Assess your sales team's knowledge, skills, and behaviours, as well as your sales content, tools, and processes. Identify the gaps and areas for improvement, and prioritise them based on their impact and urgency.
For example, you may find that your sellers lack product knowledge, your content is outdated, or your tools are not integrated.
3. Design your sales enablement solutions
Based on your assessment, design the sales enablement solutions that address your gaps and support your objectives. Your solutions should be tailored to your sales team's needs and preferences, as well as your customers' expectations and journey.
Your solutions may include:
Sales content, such as presentations, case studies, and proposals, that educate and persuade your buyers
Sales tools, such as CRM, sales automation, and content management systems, that streamline and automate your sales processes
Sales training and coaching, such as onboarding, product, and skills development programs, that upskill and engage your sellers
Sales metrics and analytics, such as activity, pipeline, and performance dashboards, that track and measure your sales results
Use a sales enablement platform, such as SalesPro, to centralise, organise, and distribute your sales enablement assets, and to collaborate and communicate with your sales team.
4. Deploy and iterate your sales enablement strategy
Once you have designed your sales enablement solutions, deploy them to your sales team and monitor their adoption and usage. Provide clear guidance and support to ensure that your sellers understand and leverage your solutions effectively.
Continuously gather feedback and data from your sales team and customers, and use them to iterate and improve your sales enablement strategy. Conduct regular reviews and assessments to track your progress against your objectives, and adjust your tactics and resources as needed.
Celebrate your successes and learn from your failures, and share your best practices and lessons learned with your organisation. Foster a culture of continuous learning, experimentation, and innovation, and empower your sales team to take ownership of their enablement and performance.
Creating a sales enablement strategy is an ongoing journey that requires collaboration, agility, and customer-centricity. By following these steps and leveraging the right tools and platforms, you can create a sales enablement strategy that drives sales productivity, revenue growth, and customer satisfaction. Remember, sales enablement is not a one-size-fits-all approach, but a tailored and evolving strategy that adapts to your unique business context and customer needs.