Sales enablement has been given lots of definitions. Here are a few:
"The reduction of friction between buyer and seller." Mikita Mikado, PandaDoc Co-Founder & CEO- "A collection of tasks and tools that are intended to improve the execution of key sales activities—activities like making sales calls, pursuing opportunities, managing major accounts, and targeting top prospects." Salesforce
- "In the end, sales enablement is first and foremost about attitude. It’s a team approach to sales that gives everyone in the organization a support role in aligning resources to make the right sale to the right customer. Marketing plays a key role, ensuring that the right information, tools, and subject matter experts can be delivered in a way that is relevant to each unique selling situation." Act-On
- "Sales enablement is a strategic, ongoing process that equips all client-facing employees with the ability to consistently and systematically have a valuable conversation with the right set of customer stakeholders at each stage of the customer’s problem- solving life cycle to optimize the return of investment of the selling system." Forrester Research
Here are three more definitions and a Hubspot blog about survey respondents' widely varying definitions.
All of this confusion can kind of make your head hurt. I mean, we have enough concepts floating around in this Information Age with inbound marketing, inbound selling, and smarketing, and now another one? It's enough to make you want to pull your hair out.
Here's the good news. I don't think it has to be that complicated. Across all varying definitions of the complex sounding phrase, it really boils down to having a productive sales team where everything lines up and sales goals are being met. A few key parts that can contribute to that are:
- Having the right people in the right seats.
- Training them.
- Selling a product or service that people want and is profitable.
- Thoroughly understanding your priority personas and how to find more of them.
- Having amazing content to guide the prospect throughout their journey.
- Using the right tools to make it a smooth experience all around.
- Communicating effectively with your team on progress.
- Being consistent. This isn't something you can set and forget, especially in today's world. To be successful, you have to keep at it and always be adapting.
Here are some related good reads I've read, come across, or been recommended related to this:
- Traction - "In Traction, you’ll learn the secrets of strengthening the six key components of your business. You’ll discover simple yet powerful ways to run your company that will give you and your leadership team more focus, more growth, and more enjoyment. Successful companies are applying Traction every day to run profitable, frustration-free businesses—and you can too."
- New Sales Simplified - "No matter how much repeat business you get from loyal customers, the lifeblood of your business is a constant flow of new accounts. Whether you're a sales rep, sales manager, or a professional services executive, if you are expected to bring in new business, you need a proven formula for prospecting, developing, and closing deals. "New Sales. Simplified." is the answer."
- Decoding the New Consumer Mind - "Decoding the New Consumer Mind provides marketers with practical ways to tap into this new consumer psychology, and Yarrow shows how to combine technology and innovation to enhance brand image; win love and loyalty through authenticity and integrity; put the consumer’s needs and preferences front and center; and deliver the most emotionally intense, yet uncomplicated, experience possible."
- To Sell is Human - "To Sell Is Human offers a fresh look at the art and science of selling. As he did in Drive and A Whole New Mind, Daniel H. Pink draws on a rich trove of social science for his counterintuitive insights. He reveals the new ABCs of moving others (it's no longer "Always Be Closing"), explains why extraverts don't make the best salespeople, and shows how giving people an "off-ramp" for their actions can matter more than actually changing their minds."
- Hacking Sales - "Hacking Sales helps you transform your sales process using the next generation of tools, tactics and strategies. Author Max Altschuler has dedicated his business to helping companies build modern, efficient, high tech sales processes that generate more revenue while using fewer resources. In this book, he shows you the most effective changes you can make, starting today, to evolve your sales and continually raise the bar."
- The Sales Acceleration Formula: Using Data, Technology, and Inbound Selling to go from $0 to $100 Million - "The Sales Acceleration Formula provides a scalable, predictable approach to growing revenue and building a winning sales team. Everyone wants to build the next $100 million business and author Mark Roberge has actually done it using a unique methodology that he shares with his readers."
At DMD, we like to take advantage of new tools but keep a personalized approach. The approach you take with various tools and strategies really just depends on the leadership team's style, the type of business you all have and want, and your growth goals.
Are you looking for a personalized approach to better enable your sales team to hit their goals? Get in touch with a specialist today by submitting the form below or calling 214-937-9521.
Jackie Connors is the Founder & CEO of Digital Marketing Direction, a top-tiered HubSpot Solutions Partner agency based in Texas. She provides inbound training, consulting, and content marketing services to mid-market companies.
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