A good relationship with Sales, we help you.
Sales enablement provides your sales organisation with the information, content and tools to sell more efficiently and effectively. Today, co-founder of leading B2B marketing agency SPOTONVISION, Shimon Ben Ayoun, provides his predictions and insights for the future of sales enablement. In his role as agency owner, he speaks to sales and marketing leaders on a regular basis. He sees how understanding and deploying efficient sales methods plays a central role in generating increased revenue and business growth.
Enabling the sales team to be more effective has always been important, but investment has often not been sufficiently prioritised. Yet, as Shimon explains, while B2B buyers conduct a lot of research when they consider a purchase, they will continue to gain most of their information online. As little as 5% of their time spent on the buying process will be given to meeting with a salesperson directly.
“This 5% of their time needs to be very impactful as salespeople do not have a lot of opportunities to influence the buyers’ decision, unless it is supported by valuable content.”
Figure 1. 80% of B2B sales interactions will occur in digital channels by 2025. (Gartner, The Future of Sales)
As Shimon mentions, a lot of buyers, unfortunately, do not like to meet with a salesperson, unless they can really help them challenge their thinking. The opportunities for a salesperson to show value and build a meaningful relationship with the buyer are therefore being squeezed. Effective growth of sales enablement will ensure greater success in helping the buyer move along their journey on the limited occasions they do interact.
Figure 2. B2B buyers prefer digital engagement. (Gartner, 2022)
Shimon explains that many organisations have not yet invested in a dedicated sales enablement function. He explains that there is still a large gap in the process of enabling Sales with the right insights and the right content they need to do their job. At the same time, it appears that 70% of the salespeople do not reach their quarterly target. Naturally, this causes major issues as an expensive resource is failing to ensure that the company reaches its growth targets.
All this will force companies to think about how salespeople can become more effective in selling and be more valuable in the eyes of the buyers. Only by investing in a dedicated sales enablement resource or function can a company begin to create and execute a comprehensive plan of action. This way, through growth of sales enablement, they can improve the ability of the sales team to deliver value in every interaction they have.
A good relationship with Sales, we help you.
Shimon outlines three dominant trends for the future growth of sales enablement in organisations:
Continued global economic uncertainties, will force companies to evaluate the need and value of a sales enablement function. Any approach that will increase the value of any sales interaction within the reduced amount of time buyers are allotting to speaking directly to a supplier must be considered.
Sales will need to find better ways to connect with the buyers and that will be challenging. Shimon: “What we see now is that a lot of millennials are part of the decision-making process. They are very sceptical, digital, and their tendency to speak to Sales will be even less.”
Post-pandemic companies are struggling to find, recruit and train suitable sales staff. A sales enablement team will improve the effectiveness and speed of onboarding salespeople. And when onboarded, sales individuals will need to be productive as fast as possible. This will require an understanding of internal sales processes and the ability to use all available sales technology. Training is required!
Shimon also refers to the expansion of sales technology. The ecosystem of sales tech is exploding, and it will continue to grow. However, there is some consolidation in this market and the focus will primarily be on sales engagement and sales intelligence technology. Keep in mind though what you really need and what is ‘nice to have’: “Technology alone will not solve all challenges; it can scale and automate processes. But in order to do that you need a clear process in place first.”
To be able to succeed in sales enablement, you need to prioritize three main areas:
Buyer journey insights: Successful sales enablement results in a greater level of individual confidence to bring value to the buyer during all interactions. You can achieve this by understanding what information and advice the potential purchaser require at each stage of their buying journey.
Shimon highlights the importance of customer-centric focus in organisations: “What we mean by customer-centric, is trying to understand the customer journey and how it changes over time.”
It is important to adapt the sales process accordingly, with better sales messaging, improved sales templates, and more effective sales playbooks. Everything needs to be aligned with the customer journey. Alignment can only be achieved by staying close to the buyer’s journey and understanding the process of buying.
Cooperation and alignment between Sales and Marketing: Additionally, priority must be given to the cooperation between the marketing and sales functions. They should agree on the processes, the roles, and the responsibilities. This is the only way to deliver a seamless experience to the prospects and ultimately boost revenue.
Sales enablement content: Sales reps will most likely need more templates, conversation starters, customer intelligence, competitor intelligence, and case studies and typically, as Shimon states: “Marketing can create this content.”
We can help you boost your business with growth of sales enablement in many ways:
If you want to learn how to create a sales enablement plan read our article “What is sales enablement? Strategies, solutions and process”
Still questions about sales enablement? Here is a simple infographic!
A good relationship with Sales, we help you.
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