Due to the buzz surrounding the phrase "Sales Enablement" you might think it's new. Sales enablement is not so much a new concept as it is a reference to a strategy with a renewed focus on the inclusion of all the resources a sales team needs to be successful.

Sales Enablement is simply all resources, combined in one strategy aligning both marketing and sales to achieve the same goal: sales.

It's not a new concept, but the inclusion of all the tools necessary to make your team successful is obviously vital to the company. However, there are so many tools and so many initiatives that are necessary to equip and align your teams that we find many companies overlook or neglect at least one or more of the following key areas:

Sales Training/Coaching/Certification

Over 54% of sales professionals say they need coaching and yet 60% of sales team leaders don't have the bandwidth to provide it. (CSO Insights) Not only is ongoing and integrated sales training programs with systemic coaching built-in necessary, but we have found certification in up to 33 best practices is THE investment that makes a sales team go from low performers to top performers.

Formalized Sales Process

According to CSO Insights, the number one factor in successful quota attainment is a formalized or dynamic sales process. This process should be codified in a Sales Enablement Tool such as Hubspot so that adoption and utilization can be tracked. 

Value Proposition

The ability for sales professionals and marketing department to consistently articulate value at each stage of the buying cycle reduces discounts and concessions, resulting in higher margins and profit for the organization. A shared, expertly-crafted value proposition (all the messaging surrounding the value your company/products/services provide) must be created, tested, cataloged, implemented, and of course, tracked.

Sales & Marketing Department Alignment

We have found that many marketing and sales departments do not collaborate with shared goals and answerable to shared results. Creating and aligning sales and marketing strategies is critical to successfully promoting your products/services. In the end, proof of a cohesive sales and marketing strategy lies in how cost-effectively revenues grow.

Sales & Marketing Personnel

Stat: 46% of new hires fail vs. 19% who achieve success. Hiring the right people the first time around is critical. They’re not only the most valuable asset but, in most cases, the greatest cost. 

Onboarding Process

In our experience, the primary cause of employee turnover today is not poor job performance, rather, poor employee recruiting processes and selection criteria. There are four steps to success in onboarding, found here.

Sales Enablement Tools

There are a number of Sales Enablement Tools such as Hubspot, Pardot, and Marketo, and even SLACK. These tools are not limited to just marketing automation, but also cover collaboration, communication, service, and more. Here's a short list of some of the top Sales Enablement Tools.

So, to make sure your sales and marketing team are aligned and bringing in the sales, make sure all cylinders in your Sales Enablement strategy are firing. Then, more importantly:

Make sure to implement and track metrics and KPIs to sustain success.

If you're not sure you're tracking the right Sales Enablement KPIs and metrics, download our infographic here. For a free review of your KPIs/metrics with our Sales Enablement experts who have more than 50+ combined years of expertise, contact us! We'd be glad to review your current metrics and suggest those that our clients have found vital to increased sales.