Almost half of all sales reps miss their quotas. You might chalk this up to some people being poor candidates for the job. Maybe they’d better going into another field, like accounting or marketing.
More often, the problem is that sales reps don’t have the tools they need to excel at their jobs. It could be that they don’t have the right marketing content to give to customers. It might be that they’re not trained effectively.
Enter the sales enablement platform. This tool can help you supercharge every aspect of your team’s performance. In turn, you’ll be able to close more deals and grow your business’s customer base.
Not sure what a sales enablement platform can do for you? This guide will illustrate how this tool will keep your reps focused and ready to close any deal.
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Data Gives You Clear Insight
The core of all sales enablement activities is data. Data is what powers your insights into how your team is performing, how many deals you’re closing, and more.
The right sales enablement platform is key. It helps you collect and analyze the data you need to develop a strategy.
Without data, your sales enablement strategy is just guesswork. You could write a brilliant strategy, but it won’t help because doesn’t the actual issues facing your team.
The right data can tell you everything from which pieces of content are the most used to which leads are the most likely to close. It’s easier to see both issues and successes.
In turn, you can problem-solve for the weaknesses, while capitalizing on your successes.
Improve Training for Sales Reps
A sales enablement platform also allows you to provide better, more comprehensive training. Often, the underlying problem with missed quotas is ineffective training.
In short, your sales team isn’t sure how to handle some of the situations they find themselves in. They may use the wrong sales techniques, or they may try to use the same sales strategy with every customer.
They may also be using sales techniques imperfectly. If their training wasn’t as comprehensive as it could have been, they may not understand how to use a tactic. They may use it ineffectively.
The sales enablement platform allows you to deliver ongoing training. It also lets your team members access training documents anytime, anywhere. If they have questions, the sales enablement platform has answers.
Develop Better Insights into Audience
The data your sales enablement platform collects also includes details about your audience. You can use this information to gain a better understanding of who you’re interacting with.
The platform can help you on both sides of the sales equation here. It can help you discover who is most likely to buy. You may be able to learn about why they buy, their pain points, and more.
You can also see who isn’t buying. The data collected may also provide insight into why these deals aren’t closing. You may be able to see ineffective communication, pain points, or other factors.
From here, you can help your team interact with the audience more effectively. You can help them devise strategies to use with certain leads, which will help them move through the funnel and close the deal.
You may also help them identify high-quality leads or leads that are less likely to close. This, in turn, can help your team improve their productivity. They can spend more time on the leads that are most likely to result in a sale, and less on those that aren’t going to close.
Track and Measure Performance
The sales enablement platform can also help you get insight into team performance. You’ll be able to see who is closing deals, who is exceeding their quota, and who is struggling.
You can also take a look at what your most effective sales reps are doing. Gaining insight into strategies can help team members who aren’t meeting goals.
You may also be able to see who is using marketing content to the greatest effect, or who is having success differentiating leads. You may even be able to track tool adoption, as well as effective use.
This, in turn, helps you reward those who are excelling and work with others to help them develop their skills. In turn, you end up with a more effective and efficient sales team.
Align Sales and Marketing
Sales representatives complain that marketing doesn’t provide them with the right content. They may have customers ask the same question, but they can’t find the materials with the information.
Marketers, by turn, often complain that sales reps don’t use the content that is available to them.
The sales enablement platform can help you resolve this kind of misalignment. First, the platform makes it easier for your sales team to see what marketing materials are available. It may help them find appropriate content or even find the exact answer the customer is looking for.
This often ensures more effective use of the content your marketing team is already creating.
The sales enablement platform can also help your team work together. When marketing can easily receive feedback from sales, they’re in a better position to create the right content. They can also see which content is most popular and strategize around that material.
With the right content in hand, your sales reps will be in a much better position to support customers. In turn, they’ll be able to close more deals.
Let Your Sales Team Soar to New Heights
Your sales reps have a tough job ahead of them. The right sales enablement platform can help them overcome challenges and even surpass their goals. In short, having the right tools will put them on the road to even greater success.
Looking for more tips about achieving success in your small business or startup? Check out more great advice in our archives. You’ll be ready to take your business to new heights in no time!
