The Best Sales Enablement Practices to Help your Sales Team

by Corey Philip //  November 22, 2022

Let's face it – making sales is challenging.

In most deals, your reps are met with a lot of silence and MIA leads… which makes it increasingly crucial to have sales enablement in place. Salespeople can only move leads through the pipeline effectively with training and coaching. And boom! That'll cut into your profits.

If you're wondering what sales enablement is all about, this refers to providing your sales team with the necessary “hard” and “soft” skills to make a sale. The end goal is to improve sales performance and boost business results.

Keep in mind that the success of your organization is independent of a single magic bullet tactic. Instead, it requires a combination of methods and the marketing department's efforts. So, without further ado, let's discuss the helpful strategies that your sales enablement team can implement immediately.

Here we go.

1. Determine What is Working and What is Not


Examine everything from the software to the material to your salespeople's processes. Get them out into the field for some time, but do so to analyze and fine-tune them frequently. Delete stuff that isn't getting any traction.

If a technological tool is too complicated for your team to master, it might be best to look into other options. Sales enablement is only successful if it caters to the preferences of your customers and leads. These will naturally shift as you move forward with clients of every background.

TL;DR: Never doubt the evidence presented.

2. Train Your Sales Team


Scaling your business will significantly depend on your sales staff. In most organizations, they are the key to your company's success or failure. Why? They are at the forefront when it comes to interacting with your clients.

To boost your company's revenue, you should provide your sales team with as much information and updates as possible. Help your sales force close more deals by providing thorough product value and other essential knowledge.

Your company's performance will quickly and steadily increase when its sales representatives receive specialized training. Of course, new salespeople at your organization likely need more experience and training to know what they want and how to ask for it. Your responsibility is to equip them with the skills necessary to define their offering to prospective clients clearly. (Related: Top 14 Sales Prospecting Tools: Prospecting Made Easy)

3. Identify High–Performing Activities


To identify high-performing activities better, it's best to divide this step into two phases. First, single out the top sales performers on your team, the sales leaders, and figure out what it is about them that makes them so successful. Next, “institutionalize” it for the rest of your sales force after determining what they are doing.

You must make them accessible to the rest of your team and teach them to put them into practice. Over time, your entire sales force may improve their performance and the company's bottom line by applying sales enablement techniques.

4. Leverage the Right Technology Tools and Integrations


For many businesses across the globe, technology is considered to be a reliable companion to scale and grow their operations. In particular, automating and speeding up a seller's performance with technology is preferable to having them spend thirty minutes preparing an email with frequently asked questions.

If you want your sales enablement tactics to be effective, you must provide your team with the right technology and tools. Review your interactions with customers and think about how you might use that information to improve your business.

Consider using sales enablement software that are:

  • Organized. Giving you a centralized location for all marketing materials and content.
  • Flexible. Choose software that makes content recommendations based on past success and other sales event triggers. This ensures that the sales process is always in sync with the various phases of the customer's decision-making process.
  • Streamlined. Connects to other programs for increased sales process automation and efficiency.

5. Focus on Achieving Results


Unfortunately, many businesses need more clarity around targets and results, a common challenge in sales enablement. It will be increasingly easier to achieve success if you have a crystal-clear picture of what it is you're trying to accomplish.

Keep in mind that the primary goal of sales enablement is to increase sales and revenue for both your company and your sales team. Ultimately, increase the percentage of successful reps who achieve their quota!

6. Begin on a Small Scale and Grow Eventually


Spoiler alert: significant changes to your organization will take time to happen.

Starting small and scaling gradually applies to various situations, including developing material for salespeople and clients, expanding the sales staff, and growing the customer base.

Your sales staff will be better able to adjust to the new situation if given time and your clients will most likely appreciate your subtle approach in the beginning. Doing what's best for your salespeople, customers, and business is the healthiest way to boost sales, which is what sales enablement best practices aim to facilitate.

7. Provide Continuous Training


According to studies, 87% of newly acquired abilities are forgotten within just a month of receiving sales training. So if you want to ensure that your sales representatives are making the most of their time throughout the sales cycle, provide them with ongoing training and the right content, tools, and workflows.

It must be your business goal to always strive to improve and expand. Training and skill development for your employees should be an ongoing necessity. Remember that retaining newly acquired knowledge is complex, so help keep your sales and marketing employees on their toes.

It would be best to provide them with constant training and refreshers to help them refine their abilities and keep your company thriving. The good news is, this is where the best sales enablement techniques come in handy!

8. Fully Understand Your Sales Reps


As a good rule of thumb, it is relatively unfair to limit your salespeople to one method of operation or to have them stick to a strict script all the time.

Today, you can provide them access to cutting-edge sales enablement tools and methods to make their jobs easier. I wouldn't recommend approaching sales enablement with a closed mindset. Instead, keep an open mind and not put too much emphasis on automating processes and sticking to precise scripts.

At the end of the day, each of your sales representatives is unique. Even within their specific function, they each have their methods of doing particular responsibilities. If you take the time to learn about the specifics of their work, you'll be in a better position to help them succeed!

Pro tip:

  • Set up check-in sessions to see how they're doing
  • Hear about their experiences
  • Discuss how you may be of better assistance to them

9. Consider Your Customers


More than just the people in your sales team, successful companies are built on the backs of satisfied clients. That said, your customer base is considered one of the essential components of your business. Some would even argue it's the most crucial part– your company's success hinges on your clients and leads.

Put yourself in your customers' shoes and consider the standards you have for the brands you plan to support. This clear insight will prove immensely useful to you and your team!

When developing a strategy for sales enablement, it is vital to equip your team with as much information as possible about how to serve your target audience best.

10. Streamline Your Sales and Marketing Efforts


It's time to tie the knot between sales and marketing. (Yes, you read that right!)

Sales and marketing departments that work well together bring in an additional 208% in income for their companies, according to Hubspot. Your marketing team's function should be sales-driven, just as much as sales need to carry its weight and efficiently utilize the tools marketing produces for its strategy.

Marketing's innovation and originality are essential to the success of sales. Additionally, without the keen supervision of the salespeople on the front lines– your marketing efforts would be similar to walking around in the dark. There has never been a time when cooperation between the two was more crucial!

11. Consider Senior Leadership Buy-in


One of the keys to creating a culture that supports best sales enablement practices is having a champion at the organization's top. In short, your company's top revenue-generating executives must be strong leaders who can “work their magic.”

They must focus on hitting the key performance indicators (KPIs), including the number of deals closed each month, the average value of those deals, and the customer turnover rate. Your sales enablement will be successful if you try to change these organizational habits.

Final Thoughts


All things considered, clients and customers have high expectations for the purchasing process. In addition to providing each customer with a hyper-personalized experience, salespeople and marketing departments must be on the same page about what to say, display, and do to ensure customer satisfaction!

Hopefully, you've gained some insight from this article on how you may better empower your sales team to perform at their highest potential and ultimately increase revenue for your company. The tips I've outlined above will prepare your sales team for success.

About the author

Corey Philip

Corey Philip is a small business owner / investor with a focus on home service businesses.

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