Making sales is perhaps the oldest and most vital part of running a business. However, making a sale has never been harder in today’s competitive climate. Shortened attention spans, a wealth of other business prospects and opportunities, and ever-changing customer relations and dynamics have made it virtually impossible to know the next big sales trend.
Fortunately, there are tools salespeople can use to help them land a deal with prospective clients. Among the best tools to use today is sales enablement software. But, are sales enablement tools really worth the expense? Do they really provide valuable insights, or are they simply another business fad that will pass with time?
Most sales experts agree that sales enablement software can help make a difference in boosting sales, landing loyal customers, and helping sales teams have the confidence they need to close sales day in and day out.
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What Is Sales Enablement?
To understand what sales enablement software is, you’ll first have to understand how sales enablement works and how it’s vital to your company’s success.
Sales representatives are bombarded with information about their clients, whether it’s what their clients like or dislike, how often they shop, what they want to be different, and which sales techniques work for them. It can be difficult to understand how to narrow and siphon this information in a way that’s easy to use to make sales.
That’s where sales enablement comes in. As the term suggests, sales enablement enables sales representatives to make sales with the right tools, content, marketing, and other aspects of the sales process.
It’s up to your company and higher-level management to train sales representatives in the best techniques to land sales and convert prospects into clients.
Some sales enablement examples can include:
- Training materials
- Content libraries
- Lead generation tools
- Insight into customer relationship management systems (CRM), which are used in conjunction with sales enablement software
- Data analysis and insights
- Automation tools to streamline processes
- Current marketing content
Sales Enablement Software: A Breakdown
Now that you have an idea of what sales enablement is, you can understand what sales enablement software is and how it can help your representatives and customers alike. In general, there are three characteristics of sales enablement software, including:
Stores Useful Marketing Content
Marketing content is vital for helping engage customers, attract buyers, and give customers an idea of what you offer. More than just advertising, and marketing content, it helps solidify your brand and helps customers view your business as an authority figure. It’s important to note that marketing content varies greatly and needs to have different avenues for expression. Some examples today include:
- Interactive marketing content: Interactive marketing content allows customers to interact with your product or service. The goal of this type of content is to help create a buyer persona, give a personalized experience, and bridge the gap between the customer and your product. Interactive content comes in many forms, from surveys to quizzes, chatboxes, and more.
- Videos and other visual content: Videos can be incredibly effective at attracting buyers who have questions about your product or business. Today, marketing videos can be as long as an infomercial or as short as a TikTok video or Instagram reel.
- Social media posts: Social media is a powerful tool for businesses to connect with customers and help them understand your product and business better. Your company should have a well-defined strategy as to how your sales team can use social media to engage buyers, whether that’s hiring influencers or having an in-house social media team. Will you use polls, guest posts, or stories? With so many ways to create social media content, having a strategy and content marketing plan is crucial.
- Case studies: Case studies are a great way to show potential customers how your product can benefit them in real-life scenarios. They’re the perfect way to build trust, highlight your successes, and turn prospects and leads into sales.
This list doesn’t even include blogs and articles written for SEO purposes. With so much content, it’s vital to have a place where your marketing materials are easily accessible to sales representatives. Staying organized is vital in helping streamline your marketing strategy, and in turn, sales.
Build Sales Content Collaboratively
It isn’t enough to simply have a place to store your company’s marketing content. Without a way to build collaboratively and refine your content, your sales team will be left in the dark on the latest techniques to use when closing deals.
That’s why having a sales enablement manager that allows sales reps to build on sales content is crucial. While you might rely on other systems like Google Drive for simple tasks, imagine how this will work if your team decides to do a complete overhaul of their current marketing strategy.
It’s always best to opt for more organized sales enablement software that allows your team to work cohesively to develop high-end marketing techniques and content.
Tracking Tools for Customer Engagement
Finally, good sales enablement software includes tools to track customer engagement. These tools will help sales representatives:
- Know how to refine their current sales enablement strategy for the better
- Understand different customer segments and how to target their message and sales techniques for each segment
- Have key data analytics that can aid in better content optimization
These tracking tools will provide real-time data and feedback on customer engagement, as well as provide a historical record of interactions. This helps inform your sales team as to what works, what methods may need to be adjusted or improved upon, and which customer segments they should focus on when tailoring their sales pitch.
Benefits of Sales Enablement Tools
Some business owners might still be hesitant to invest in sales enablement tools, especially if their current way of distributing marketing content is somewhat effective. However, there are many benefits to upgrading or implementing new sales enablement software, including:
Make Meaningful Sales and Connections
Sales enablement software is a powerful tool that helps sales representatives make more meaningful connections with their clients while knowing more about how to drive sales. With the right sales enablement software at your disposal, you can save time and money on customer acquisition by quickly analyzing data to determine what works and what doesn’t for a given customer segment.
For instance, let’s say one of your client bases prefers close connection and personalization, while another appreciates short phone calls and minimal check-ins after purchasing.
How will your sales representatives know which products and strategies work for which client? With sales enablement tools by their side, your reps can know which methods to use and how to adjust strategies for different audiences.
Keep Track of Updated Changes to Sales Techniques
Your sales team is busy doing various work duties, from finalizing sales to checking in on customers and continuing to hunt for leads. Sales enablement software can be a lifesaver for sales teams that seem to be drained or otherwise need help in managing their workload.
For instance, instead of constantly checking their emails or wasting time in sales meetings to review sales content and strategies, your team can simply use software to keep updated on the latest marketing trends. Your company can then focus on generating more leads rather than discussing the logistics and details of ever-changing marketing strategies.
Bridge Gap Between Marketing and Sales
Finally, as a company, it’s vital to encourage cohesion and teamwork between different departments. Your sales department might be vastly different from your marketing department, and it might discuss changes with them only after CRM data has been reviewed. But it shouldn’t be like this. A successful company can use sales enablement software to bridge the gap between sales and marketing, fostering an environment of collaboration and innovation.
Your sales team can share insights with the marketing team, allowing them to receive valuable input to refine their marketing strategies. Marketing teams can also remind sales teams about their role in the pitch process, answer questions, or provide feedback on their performance. In either case, sales enablement software works to bridge a gap and foster communication between these two vital departments.
Use Sales Enablement Software for Your Next Campaign
If you’re planning another campaign for your company, having sales enablement software by your side can help improve your business’s chances of success. With sales enablement software, you can make sure your team is ready to land more sales, foster relationships with customers, and ultimately have a solid marketing strategy proven to work.
With so many changes occurring in the marketing and sales world, having sales enablement software can give your team peace of mind and a place to organize, brainstorm, and generate successful strategies.
