Sales Enablement Best Practices: 5 Dos and Dont’s for Peak Results
Data from CSO Insights shows that 61% of organizations had a dedicated sales enablement person, program, or function in 2018. Just five years ago the number was 19%.
The increased growth in the number of programs is not surprising, as they are proven to have a large impact on sales success.
- Quota attainment increased by 22.7%.
- With the help of our forecasting software, I was able to raise my win rates by 14.5%.
If you want to have a successful sales enablement program, then you need to follow the best practices.
Read on to find out how you can create a Sales Enablement approach that positively impacts revenue.
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Go through a variety of filters to zero in on the leads you want to reach. This is crazy specific, but you could find all the people that match the following:
- A company in the Financial Services or Banking industry
- Who have more than 10 employees
- That spend money on Adwords
- Who use Hubspot
- Who currently have job openings for marketing help
- With the role of HR Manager
- That has only been in this role for less than 1 year
Best Practices for Sales Enablement
The first thing you need to do is ____. The second thing you can try doing is ___ and the third way that has worked for me is ___.
1. Do: Plan and Make a Charter
The first step of developing a successful enablement program is to create and ratify a charter. This outlines the who, what, when, where and why about your program.
Having an organizational charter in place will help your program be successful. The same study mentioned earlier found that organizations with a formalized strategy have greater success than those without one.
Regardless of what each organization’s charter looks like, there are some elements that should be included in it. 5) The mission statement- the most important element because it helps define your company and its purpose.
Your audience is the reason your sales enablement team exists. Be sure to document who this group of people are in order to help them better serve their needs.
A mission statement is a way of helping your organization understand the purpose of sales enablement, and it also serves as guidance for those who work on this team.
Scope – There is a big difference between what your team can do and what they should be doing. Laying out that distinction will set expectations and avoid confusion.
Goals and Metrics – Make a list of the goals you have for your program, as well as how to measure success.
Programs often fail because there is no support, so it’s important to designate an executive sponsor who can help with the process.
2. Do: Make an Enablement Cadence
If you want to launch a successful program, the first step is to establish an enablement cadence. That means setting up how often new programs will be released.
Related to this article, I was looking for some tips on how to generate more sales leads in the B2B space.
The right cadence varies by company, but it should change as the company grows and evolves. The important thing is to establish a predictable rhythm that you’ve agreed on with sales and marketing leadership.
3. Do: Check Your Tech
If you’re like many organizations, your software and manual processes may work well together or not.
Make a list of the different job functions that your company supports and what tools they use. Consider things like:
- CRM
- Training platforms
- Email marketing platforms
- Prospecting tools
- Forecasting tools
- Marketing automation tools
If you want to streamline your technology, audit and update it.
1. Don’t: Ignore the Need for a Communications Plan
A communication plan is an overlooked part of a successful sales enablement program. It outlines how you will communicate to your audience.
Sales enablement content can be a great way to help salespeople grow in their careers and become more well-rounded.
If you over-communicate, your audience might start to tune out. But if they stay updated on the latest information and changes in their industry, then it’s a good thing.
It’s important to find a balance and have an effective communication plan so you don’t overwhelm your sales team.
The first step in sales enablement is to make sure that all communication goes through the team. This way, Sales will always have access to information from one reliable source.
Every organization needs a communications plan, but there are five elements that should be in yours.
Communication Inputs – These teams have a lot of information to share with the field. Today, they may be sending out communications on their own when they need to communicate something important. You’ll want to work with leaders in these departments and designate one person from each team as your point person.
Your audience is the same people listed in your charter.
You need to agree on what channels you’ll use for different audiences. Channels might include:
- Text-based emails
- Email newsletters
- If your company uses sales enablement software, alerts are sent to you when there is a change in the status of an opportunity or other important information.
Communication cadence is how often you plan to deliver content to your audience.
- Monthly: Email newsletter to the entire company with all of the latest information from each team.
- Biweekly: Sending an email to sales managers
- Ad hoc announcements are made to the sales team via software that informs them of new information or content.
If you want to know if your communication is effective, measure it. You should use email marketing software that tells you who opens and reads each message.
2. Don’t: Automate Your Program
Once your program has been launched, don’t let it go on autopilot. Make a commitment to continuous measurement and analysis so you can keep improving the program.
You remember what you wrote in your charter?
- Make sure you are checking in with them regularly.
- After the performance review, share the results with relevant teams.
- Use the information to make changes in your hiring process.
Sales enablement is a hot topic for many companies, and there are metrics that can measure success.
As your company changes, so should you reevaluate what needs to be done. For example, if the company acquires another organization or a new competitor enters the landscape then it is time to update and review things.
Make sure to meet with your executive sponsor regularly. You want to learn about the company’s goals and strategies so that you can create programs that will help it grow.
Prepare Yourself for Success
A strong sales enablement strategy will help your reps to be well equipped and deliver positive experiences that win more buyers.
Need Help Automating Your Sales Prospecting Process?
LeadFuze gives you all the data you need to find ideal leads, including full contact information.
Go through a variety of filters to zero in on the leads you want to reach. This is crazy specific, but you could find all the people that match the following:
- A company in the Financial Services or Banking industry
- Who have more than 10 employees
- That spend money on Adwords
- Who use Hubspot
- Who currently have job openings for marketing help
- With the role of HR Manager
- That has only been in this role for less than 1 year
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