Sales Enablement plays a fundamental role in companies. It is integrated within the sales area and through the execution of a set of processes and technologies that help teams to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of their activities.
In this article, we will explore the value that Sales Enablement adds in improving the productivity and performance of sales teams. For this, we will count on the participation of Yago González Ansias, Sales Enablement Manager at Auctree.
The importance of Sales Enablement
Among its main objectives, Sales Enablement seeks to improve the sales process, ensure consistency in brand communication and the company’s message, and help sales agents close more sales more effectively.
This area is increasingly important for companies looking to increase revenue and improve profitability. A survey by CSO Insights found that companies with an effective Sales Enablement strategy experienced 15.3% higher revenue growth. In the same vein, a report by Brainshark found that sales growth for companies with Sales Enablement was around 74%.
What are Sales Enablement’s main functions?
Sales Enablement is closely related to the area of Training and Education in companies, so much so that for a long period of time, it used to operate under the sphere of Human Resources.
In the words of Yago Gonzalez Ansias about his role as Sales Enablement Manager, this position is “very transversal, but the focus is within the sales team. I focus on providing the teams with tools and resources, giving them continuous training and sometimes just support. All to try to improve efficiency and that this is seen as an immediate response in increased sales volume.”
In recent years, this trend has shifted with the department becoming part of or reporting directly to Sales. This is due to the importance of business development as well as the main objectives to which it aims. Among the main functions of the Sales Enablement area, we can mention:
- Training and education.
Provide sales teams with the skills and knowledge needed to sell effectively. This may include sales training, product and technology training, and presentation skills development.
- Sales content and tools.
Offer sales teams with the content and tools needed to effectively conduct their sales activities. This may include marketing materials, sales presentations, success stories and lead tracking tools.
- Technology innovation.
Implement processes and technologies to optimize the work of sales teams, improve productivity and ensure alignment with the company’s strategy. This may include business automation systems, CRM, lead management and sales analysis.
Ultimately, Sales Enablement is critical to the success of companies seeking to improve sales efficiency and increase revenue. Through training and education, the provision of sales content and tools, and the implementation of processes and technologies, Sales Enablement helps sales teams achieve their goals.
Critical areas for improvement with Sales Enablement
When implementing a Sales Enablement strategy, it is essential that companies start this type of project with a clear vision of the goals to be achieved. For this to happen, paying special attention to the most sensitive aspects to be improved within the sales department is necessary.
According to Gonzalez Ansias, in his own experience, there are at least three core areas that are key when developing a SE plan:
- Product knowledge
- Sales pitch management
- CRM usage
“The first thing? Understand where you are. If the person understands where they are, the pitch will be much easier,” said the Sales Enablement Manager. “In order to start talking about how I’m doing, from the qualitative part you have to bring me a quantitative part, and that’s what CRM gives you. The first thing we have to have is not a team that knows how to use CRM well, but to have managers who really believe that CRM is good for something. If you as a manager don’t give the importance you have to give to CRM, how is your team going to do it?”
Product and pitch knowledge, according to Yago Gonzalez, belong more to the realm of the sales agent’s soft skills. In other words, learning these two things can happen with greater or lesser efficiency, depending on the previous skills that the employee brings with him or her. However, using CRM is a different story. “For example, if I have a product that has to connect with different customer profiles, CRM can help me improve. What type of customers do I do best with?”
Thus, the use of platforms such as Salesforce or Microsoft Dynamics is vital not only to improve quantitative aspects. In addition to this, the data that CRM concentrates helps to improve qualitatively.
“Do you want to improve your sales with a type of customer profile? Well, we are going to apply these changes, we are going to look at your pitch, we are going to see how you work, what tools you use, what resources… And from there, what the CRM will give me back is the result of these changes that I am implementing: if I am getting positive feedback, if they are helping me to improve my sales”, said Yago González Ansias.
Benefits for companies
Why should companies create or develop their Sales Enablement teams? Easy, because this area provides enormous advantages. The main thing is to get sales teams to sell more and better, but the benefits do not end there:
- Increase in productivity.
According to a study by CSO Insights, companies that provide continuous training to their sales teams experienced a 9% increase in sales productivity.
- Higher closing rates.
In a report by Richardson Sales Training, companies that provide closing skills training experience a 70% increase in their closing rates.
- Employee retention.
According to a LinkedIn report, 94% of employees would stay with a company longer if it invested in their professional development.
- Adapting to change.
Training in new technologies, marketing and sales strategies, and other relevant skills can help sales teams keep up with and adapt to changes in their work environment, according to Forbes.
The Sales Enablement department has a critical responsibility for companies, which could not be carried out correctly without a CRM and its proper use. To ensure that any SE strategy works properly, it is key to ensure the correct adoption of this type of software. In the words of Yago Gonzalez Ansias, “teams have to understand that CRM is not a micromanagement tool, it is a tool that helps to be more efficient.”
About Yago González Ansias.
Yago González Ansias is a leader in sales training, with a background in Pedagogy and a Masters’s in Human Resources Management. Yago has held leadership roles in various companies, from the restaurant industry to technology and real estate, where he currently works.
About Auctree.
Auctree is an online real estate platform for distressed assets. Its mission is to help small investors build passive cash flow through real estate investment, a field historically reserved for a few experts. Recently, the startup closed a €2.5M investment round to expand its business.
