Preparing your sales team through sales enablement to excel at client meetings.
By Pete Mercer
Fewer things will kill a sales rep’s reputation than coming to a sales meeting underprepared or completely unprepared. A lack of preparation is a bad look for the sales rep and the organization, which is why they need to be equipped with the proper resources to adequately prepare.
While the sales rep has the responsibility of representing the company and the product with excellence, it’s the responsibility of the organization and its leadership team to equip the sales team with resources and training that will support them through the sales process. That’s where sales enablement comes in.
Repertoire Magazine recently spoke with Robert Fox, the director of global revenue enablement at Domo, Inc., about what sales enablement means, how organizations can use it to ensure the productivity of their sales teams, and the qualities of a good coach. Domo is a software development company that helps customers leverage data to drive better results for their business.
What is sales enablement?
The process of sales enablement is designed to train and equip sales reps with the tools and resources they need to sell the value of your products and solutions. It’s all about ensuring that your sales team is going into each meeting prepared to not only sell your products, but also sell your company. Essentially, sales enablement is the built-in processes your organization has to support the sales team. This can range anywhere from hands-on training for sales reps, assigned coaches and mentors to mold your sales team, or content from the marketing team to support the sales process.
Fox defined sales enablement, saying, “Sales enablement, in my mind, is having the knowledge, the skills, the processes, and the tools available to make you most effective in the moments that matter.” So, what are the moments that matter? For Fox, he looks at the moments that matter during the sales process, which generally includes a discovery period, proof of concept, and closing.
As the sales landscape changes, sellers must shift into a more consultative role, advising customers on the value of the product and the partnership your company can provide. This is especially important in the healthcare space, as there are plenty of solutions that do similar things, if not exactly the same, across the board.
“It has to be about the value of this tool and what is available to them,” Fox said. “It’s not only what it is and what it does, but what’s the value to the user in terms of the return.”
One of the most important things to know about sales enablement is that it’s a process, not an event. As companies and industries continue to migrate and change, we must ensure that our sales reps are equipped with the latest pieces of information to be most effective.
Implementing sales enablement to navigate challenges
One of the biggest opportunities for companies that implement effective or comprehensive sales enablement is the ability to quickly solve problems and navigate challenges. Sales reps equipped with the necessary tools and resources can work around many of the challenges presented in a sales situation.
For example, your team can work through what a sales conversation with the prospective customer could look like. Fox said, “We can use different pieces of role-play content, which says that if you are a head of HR, if you are the head of operations, if you are X, here are your business challenges. This is how we as a company can help you achieve your goals.”
Cold calling a prospect is never easy, which is why sales enablement can be such a critical tool. Not only can this process give you a starting point for the conversation, but it can also help you to identify the pain points of the person or company that you are trying to reach.
“You need to come in almost with a point of view to say, ‘Thank you for your time, I’ve spoken to a number of people in your role, and they generally tell me they are struggling with these specific issues. Are any of these things that you’re struggling with now?’ The quicker we establish credibility and trust, the more successful we are going to be engaging with that person.”
Perhaps most importantly, sales enablement equips the sales rep to become a coach for the customer. The landscape for sales, especially in healthcare, is changing every single day. Sales enablement allows you to meet those changes head on by pushing your team to work as consultants to the customer base. Through this process, they can enlighten and encourage your customers to see the value that your organization offers, both through the product line and the partnership.
“I think the biggest opportunity is the most successful sellers today are people that come in with that mentality that they are coaches to their customer. Think about how busy people are today – they don’t have time to talk to different people and do the research they need to do,” Fox said.
The difference between coaching and managing
At the end of the day, sales enablement will work best through the right leadership. The leadership team will dictate what the sales enablement process will look like, which makes the difference between managing and coaching more important.
Managing is about what you are delivering to the company. A manager can handle the numbers, statistics, and the data of your organization – keeping everything organized while pushing forward progress. Part of the role of a manager is coaching, ensuring that your team members feel supported and heard while they are out on calls and making connections. Additionally, coaching can help your sales team to better appreciate and celebrate their successes as they come.
Fox said, “A lot of managers need to understand that regular ongoing coaching around opportunities is one thing, but you do have to take a step back every once in a while and have a personal development coaching session with your team.”
Sidebar:
The Qualities of a Good Coach
Fox listed three necessary qualities of a good coach.
- Honesty – Perhaps the most important quality, honesty is a base requirement for anyone who wants to serve in a coaching capacity. Coaches must establish trust with those they are coaching, or it won’t work. Fox said, “If you don’t have trust from the beginning, the person is not going to take in what you are saying to them. You need to be credible.”
- Be a guide – A good coach wants to empower their teams to come to the right decisions on their own. It’s not about having the answer – you should be able to guide your team members to the correct course by asking them what they think first. When you can guide your team through their sales interactions, it’s a powerful catalyst for change in your organization.
- Listen first – Listening is not a universal skill, but it is a skill that all good coaches need. When your team is coming to you for help, one of the best things that you can do is to listen first. While you’re listening, ask questions to better understand the challenge – ideally, those questions will illuminate the path forward for the coachee and give them ownership over their own decisions.