Did you know that almost 60 percent of sales reps fail to meet their quota? That’s just one sign of poor sales enablement in business, though.
Sales enablement could be the key to helping your sales reps not just achieve but exceed their quotas. In turn, it can help you get more customers and grow your business.
A sales enablement platform can make this simpler to do. How do you know if you need one though? Sales reps missing their quotas could be one sign, but you want more concrete proof before you invest.
If you think you might need a new approach to sales enablement, then keep an eye out for these three signs.
1. Your Team Isn’t Using the Right Strategies
One sign that a sales enablement platform could help a team is that they’re all using the same tactic.
The use of the same sales strategy with every customer is a problem. Every customer is different. When your team applies the same strategy, they’re missing opportunities to show real value to the customer.
The underlying issue here could be that your team isn’t being onboarded the right way. They may not be aware of the different strategies they could or should use. They may not be able to access training documents that could assist them.
They also may not have the data they need about different customers. When you know someone is in the early stages of the buying process, you can approach them differently.
The same is true of demographic information. Your sales team may have different approaches for a marketing executive versus the chief financial officer. These people often have different concerns and different problems they want to solve.
A sales enablement platform will give your team more of what they need. It can help you improve onboarding and make training documents available at any time. It can also help provide more data and insights on every lead, so your team can adjust their approach with ease.
2. You Need Better Analytics from a Sales Enablement Platform
According to the experts at SoloFire, one common problem is an inability to track performance and analytics.
This ties back into the issue of data. Much like your team doesn’t have the information to change their sales strategy, you don’t have the insights to adjust your approach.
The best sales enablement platform allows you to track sales rep performance. In turn, you can discover who is thriving and who is struggling. You can then gather insights about what’s working and why, then pass this wisdom on to those who aren’t excelling.
Data and analytics can also show you broader patterns. Who is buying, and what are their reasons? Which leads are the least likely to turn into deals?
With the right sales enablement platform, you can see these trends and patterns. You can then problem-solve solutions to them by looking to reasons customers aren’t buying. You might be able to discover what’s sealing the deal for those who are.
In turn, you can also improve efficiency and productivity in the sales department. With the right insights, your sales reps will be better able to determine which leads they can close. They can also take a look at who is likely to take more time, as well as which leads are unlikely to turn into a deal.
In this way, your sales reps can plan their time and efforts in a way that maximizes deals.
3. There’s a Disconnect Between Sales and Marketing
Perhaps the biggest warning sign is a disconnect between sales and marketing. This is often the first sign that a sales enablement platform could be helpful, as well as one of the subtlest.
Many business leaders assume that there’s supposed to be discord between sales and marketing, but it doesn’t need to be like this. In fact, better alignment between sales and marketing improves the sales funnel. It helps you close more deals.
The easiest way to test if you have a disconnect is to ask members of each team a question.
- Ask marketers if sales is using their marketing content effectively.
- Ask sales if marketing is producing the kind of content they need to close deals.
When sales enablement is an issue, marketers will say sales doesn’t use content the right way. Sales usually reports that marketing isn’t creating the kind of content they need.
A sales enablement platform can help to resolve this issue. It makes clearer what marketing assets are available for sales people to use. Use of content usually increases when sales people can easily access it.
It also allows you to keep track of statistics on how those marketing assets are being used. If sales still isn’t using them, it’s time to ask for feedback. What kinds of content does sales need or want?
What Can a Sales Enablement Platform do?
Now that you know the signs, you might wonder what a sales enablement platform can do for your team.
The biggest advantage of using a platform is getting the right information to your team. Whether it’s customer data, training documents, or marketing content, the sales enablement platform has it all.
In turn, you can get a clearer view of the big picture. That makes it easy to spot weaknesses and strengths, as well brainstorming solutions. You’ll also see benefits like higher conversion rates and a better understanding of your audience.
Enable Your Team’s Success
If you’re concerned about your team’s ability to meet their sales goals, then a sales enablement platform could be the answer you’re looking for. With it, you’ll be in a better position to help every member of your team achieve their goals. You’ll also see higher sales and be able to grow the business.
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