What is Sales Enablement?
Sales Enablement is about enabling (“enabling”) the Sales department to close as many deals as possible. Whatever it takes. It includes all the technologies, processes and content that sales teams need to sell more efficiently and effectively.
Of course, there are some things involved. And we’re not just talking about Marketing having to deliver impressive infographics, white papers, and (especially!) leads.
That certainly matters.
But Sales Enablement goes much deeper, and comes from much higher up in your organization. Indeed, it requires a strategic vision from the management team and continuous collaboration between marketing and sales, spurred by that same management team.
It’s about growth
When marketing and sales work together more effectively, growth results. That does require input from management. Indeed, any action from management should contribute to marketing actions. And any action from marketing, should have a direct impact on the actions from the sales team.
To give an example:
If, for example, the mission of the organization is not clear, there can be no proper translation from marketing to sales colleagues.
After all, how do sales colleagues get their prospects and customers “on” to the organization’s innovative mission if they don’t know how to articulate it from marketing?
This becomes unclear and vague, which then has a negative effect on the closing rate of sales. So that’s going to have a negative effect on the closing rate of sales.
Change is needed
If you want to make a change in this, the MT’s strategy and mission will have to be translated into appropriate operational actions.
You want all teams and departments working toward the same big goal, and making sure that the various choices all make structural contributions to the Goal.
Is that Goal a greener world? Then that Purpose affects purchasing, fleet, and of course the products and services Marketing & Sales sell to the right (green) prospects and customers.
How it can be…
Imagine this: your marketing team creates interesting content that attracts prospects’ attention. Top! These prospects come up in the air to sales to learn more about your products and services, and they grab these leads the right way. Of course, it is important that Sales then tells the same story as Marketing did with their content! The result is a seamless transition from interest to conversion, and sales increase.
Customer happy, sales happy, marketing happy, management happy. By Sales Enablement.
The importance of good management
And this is where the crucial element comes in: good management. Indeed, it is always the ultimate responsibility of management to ensure that sales and marketing do not operate as separate silos, but rather as complementary forces that together make a structural contribution to the organization’s goals.
This means clear communication, part goals, and a culture of collaboration embraced by the entire organization. And urged on by the relevant managers. Only then does it become Sales Enablement.
Input from management is also an important one. In fact, Marketing and Sales do not come with the mission of the organization, but they are the mouthpieces to the target audiences.
In short: sales enablement so
Growth is the lifeblood of any organization. It does not matter if you are a startup just taking its first steps, or have been in the process of conquering the market for 100 years. And to ensure that you grow, it is essential that the Sales department converts more leads to customers.
That KPI becomes easier to meet when more well-qualified leads are delivered by Marketing, along with the various tools, white papers, and brochures. But that can only happen if the right direction is given from the Management of the organization.
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