Sales Enablement For All: What is Sales Enablement, really?

In celebration of our recent acquisition of sales enablement provider iPresent Ltd., our fearless leader Carson Conant is taking over the blog for a three-week series on the importance of sales enablement, the misconceptions you shouldn’t buy into, and the reasons we at Mediafly believe in making sales enablement accessible for all sales teams, regardless of size, maturity or geography.

There isn’t a single company out there today that doesn’t feel the pain of the changing B2B buyer. We’re at a point where everyone is at least thinking about sales enablement technology, but for many, it feels like an expensive, enterprise decision with a lot of risks. That’s why 93% of companies have yet to deploy a sales enablement platform (CSO Insights). While most companies understand the benefits of a sales enablement solution (increased revenue, shorter deal cycles, improved buyer engagement – the list goes on and on…), they don’t necessarily understand what that solution should look like. And that scares them. What if they make the wrong decision? What if the ROI isn’t there? What if they fail?

In 2018, I authored a blog post titled “What is Sales Enablement?”. In that post, I covered what sales enablement technology should do (e.g. provide sellers with the tools they need to better engage buyers and meet their quotas, help you increase revenue, etc.). Which is important. Understanding what a sales enablement solution can do for your sellers and your organization helps you build the foundation of your business case. It’s why you need sales enablement. But it’s not what sales enablement should be. And that’s where we see most organizations get stuck.

Because they’ve never deployed a sales enablement solution before, they struggle with perception. They think back to previous sales or marketing technology deployments (ahem, CRM) and panic. They automatically set expectations to complex, expensive, risky – will anyone even use this?! And then they do nothing.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Maybe if more sales enablement technology providers gave an honest account of what the sales enablement experience should be instead of telling you what their version of sales enablement technology can do, more companies would act on this amazing opportunity to up-level their sellers, better satisfy buyers, differentiate themselves from competitors, and drive more business.

I’ll go first…

Sales Enablement tools and technology should be easy.

Despite what you’ve been told, launching a sales enablement technology initiative doesn’t have to be hard. It doesn’t require an Enterprise budget, a team of dedicated resources, or a months-long development cycle. Yes, sales enablement is a journey. But it’s a journey you can take at your own pace and to your own destination. Start small. Get a turnkey sales application up and running in hours, not weeks, months or years. Start to see some return on investment – efficiency gains for sellers and improved buyer engagement because your sales reps have what they need when they need it. And then…

Sales Enablement tools and technology should be effective.

Use that ROI to make your case for the next target. Maybe it’s integrating with CRM to automate day-to-day sales tasks and tie your content back to revenue. Or maybe it’s incorporating value selling calculators into your solution to help your sellers lead more prescriptive sales conversations. Use your experience with basic sales enablement capabilities to drive the next best initiative for your unique business. You don’t need to implement a massive solution that solves challenges you may never have upfront. Find a platform and provider that can lay a strong foundation for your sales enablement strategy now and help you grow your solution with proven sales tools at your own pace, in accordance with your personal business initiatives.

Sales Enablement tools and technology should be a catalyst for sales evolution.

Doing so will undoubtedly drive positive change for your organization. Approaching sales enablement as a journey ensures you only adopt the sales enablement tools and technologies that will be most impactful for your business – not everyone else’s. As you move through the selection process, ensure the solution you choose has the flexibility and scalability to take you the distance. You may just be getting started now, but once you see how enjoyable (read: profitable) the ride is you’ll inevitably want to expand your sales enablement strategy to drive even more positive business change. Selecting a platform and partner that can meet your needs at every stage of your journey will future-proof your investment and help you evolve your sales organization for the highest return on investment and the best possible selling experience.

Throw out the (inaccurate) notion that sales enablement is too risky, costly, and complicated. Act now. Your sellers, buyers, and bottom line will thank you for it.

Sophisticated sales enablement has the power to transform your business, and getting there is easier than you think. Contact us to get started building beautiful, easy-to-use sales applications today.