Sales enablement has been declared “the foundation of success in today’s ever-changing sales landscape.”
A report from sales enablement platform provider Highspot states these tools, when properly deployed, can achieve and surpass even the most ambitious sales targets.
Providers and users of sales enablement tools say they are essential for success in a B2B sales environment in which buyers hold the upper hand, are more selective than ever, and are inclined to stick with the status quo unless they are presented with convincing, highly customized evidence that making a purchase will produce true ROI.
That’s well and good. But what, exactly, are we talking about when we talk about sales enablement? At first blush, it appears to encapsulate the full scope of activities that have been part of B2B sales strategies for decades — from onboarding and ongoing training, to lead generation, lead scoring, understanding unique customer needs, thorough customer relationship management, post-sale customer interactions and more.
Is sales enablement merely the relatively recent development of automated tools that tackle a lot of these tasks in a fraction of the time? The answer seems to be yes and no.
Keeping the Focus on People
In many respects, sales enablement is about technology that helps companies onboard sales reps more quickly, provide them content that helps them tailor conversations to each unique buyer, and generally bring more organization to the sales process in attempt to increase close rates and accelerate the sales cycle. However, experts say one common myth about an effective sales enablement strategy is that it’s all about the technology.
“While tools are critical, success depends equally on alignment, training and strategy,” said Steve Marshall in an email exchange with SMM. Marshall is chief product officer at Aidentified, a relationship mapping and prospecting platform for the financial industry.
The true power of sales enablement is in the people who can interpret the data that today’s tech tools produce and use it to drive actions, added Emily Hartzel, vice president and senior director of LeadG2, via email. Her company partners with sales enablement behemoth Hubspot to help companies maximize their investment in that platform.
Indeed, one of the most common and critical mistakes companies make when implementing a sales enablement strategy, is entering into the process with an improper understanding of sales enablement itself, according to Travis Keith, vice president of strategic client content at J.P. Morgan. His comments were shared in an article for B2B content creator Column Five.
“The problem we often see is that organizations view sales enablement as a specific tactic (or, really, just a few presentation decks). This is a myopic and shortsighted view of what you’re really trying to achieve, and it’s why you might struggle to
make the larger organizational shifts needed to make it work,” Keith states.
It’s Not Just for Sales Teams
Many of those we reached out to for this report emphasize that effective sales enablement begins with ensuring that marketing and sales are aligned. In fact, a sales enablement platform can serve as a bridge between marketing and sales, making sure both teams are working from the same playbook.
“Sales enablement ensures that marketing is creating content that aligns with buyer personas and resonates with target audiences,” Hartzel said. “By understanding the needs of the sales team, marketers can develop targeted resources like case studies, email templates and battle cards tailored to specific stages of the sales cycle.”
Deniz Olcay (pronounced Ol-Jie), vice president of marketing for sales enablement platform provider Allego, goes further.
He states that many B2B professionals are ditching “sales enablement” and adopting the term “revenue enablement” because these platforms are ideally used by multiple departments that play a role in a company’s go-to-market strategy. In addition to sales and marketing, customer support is a critical component of revenue enablement, Olcay argues.
“Enablement is one of those unique functions that brings different teams together to use the tool. We hear a lot about sales and marketing alignment because, traditionally, we think of them like oil and vinegar. But sales, marketing, and service and support have to think of themselves as one team with one ultimate goal. I think of enablement as the orchestration of these three teams to drive success,” he said.
The Problem of Patchwork Systems
The promise of incorporating technology in B2B go-to-market strategies — especially AI-driven technology — is that it will increase efficiency by tackling mundane tasks and returning time to reps to interact with buyers. The jury is still out as to whether that is occurring.
According to a 2023 Gartner report on technology’s impact on seller productivity, 49% of sellers say they are overwhelmed by the number of technologies necessary to do their job. Allego reports that 76% of companies say poor adoption of sales tools is a top reason teams miss their quotas.
Olcay contends a big part of the problem is that companies have bolted on one tech tool after another to handle the different aspects of sales enablement (onboarding, product training, call analysis, content marketing, etc.). When you factor in the cost of multiple SaaS subscriptions and the investment of sellers’ time training on each system, it can quickly become clear that scrapping a patchwork system and adopting an all-in- one tool is well worth the investment, he said.
The Post-Sales Through-Line
As the adage states, the easiest dollar to make is the one you already have. Smart organizations understand the post-sales experience is critical to earning customer loyalty, which is why sales enablement doesn’t end when an initial contract is signed.
“To maximize revenue outcomes from existing customers, you need to minimize the time it takes them to see value from your solution. Yet, many organizations are unprepared to deliver the exceptional customer experiences that do so,” state’s Highspot’s report on the state of sales enablement.
Whether or not you have a formal customer success team to handle post-sales support, your sales enablement system should include processes that help ensure positive post-sale customer experiences. Digital sales rooms (on page 5) can be a depository for essential customer information that gets handed off from sales reps to customer success personnel, as well as a main means of post-sale customer communication.
The same customization that sales enablement systems make possible to address unique buying preferences is possible — and necessary — for post-sale customer success. Ensuring full adoption of whatever product or service you provide is a proven path to customer loyalty. And tailoring your customer support materials to accommodate different learning styles during customer “onboarding” can significantly enhance customer engagement and retention.
In sales, as in all aspects of life, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Clearly, technological tools such as sales enablement platforms are essential. It’s reported that there has been a 343% increase in businesses adopting sales enablement in the last five years. In 2023, “sales enablement specialist” was the sixth-fastest growing job title on LinkedIn.
Yet complex B2B sales will always rely on the development of trusting relationships. High-performing organizations that consistently hit and exceed revenue targets will be the product of effective leadership and companywide collaboration more so than any single tech tool.
“True sales enablement comes from members who help other team members with their unique knowledge and skills. All boats rise in that situation,” Baruch Labunski, founder of Rank Secure, a web design and digital marketing agency, told SMM in an email exchange.
“The technology is only an enabler, it’s not a substitute for a strong strategy and the right team,” added Allego’s Olcay. “As organizations are looking to make an investment in enablement technology, it’s important to make sure the right team is in place and there is a strategy around how enablement fits into the organization. Only then does it make sense for organizations to look at how to scale that by finding the technology that fits their process.”
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