A Marketer’s Guide To Sales Enablement Making The Most Out .

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A Marketer’s Guideto Sales EnablementMaking the Most Outof Every Interaction

Table of ContentsIntroduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Sales Enablement Best Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Data and Metrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Launching Your Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Copyright 2018 Prolifiq Software Inc. All rights reserved.www.prolifiq.com2

IntroductionThe sales and marketing rift may be an old cliché, but it’s still areality. Although the two departments mean well, sometimes theyfail to communicate effectively with each other. What’s more, theydon’t have vision or insight into each other’s work or pipeline. Andthey typically aren’t aligned on processes, technology, and goals.It’s time to put this division to rest. Now, more than ever, the twodepartments are working toward the same goals. In fact, we’vereceived customer feedback that up to 20 hours a week ofmarketing hours are dedicated to helping sales. Thanks to themany benefits of collaboration, sales has become increasinglydependent on marketing. As companies transform and embracethe digital era, sales reps have evolved to implement more digitaltactics, while face-to-face interactions remain a critical part ofany strategy.To keep up with the growing demands ofall things digital, sales reps must providesuitable content to customers.Copyright 2018 Prolifiq Software Inc. All rights reserved.www.prolifiq.com3

As a marketing manager, your biggest priority is to ensureconsistency and effectiveness of communication. To keep up withthe growing demands of all things digital, sales reps must providesuitable content to customers. This means helping your company’ssales reps achieve efficiency while bridging the gap between yoursales and marketing efforts.Sales enablement aligns marketing and sales teams andempowers reps to reach customers with relevantinformation.Sales enablement is the process of providing your organization’ssales team with information, content, and tools to help reps sellmore effectively. It provides salespeople with what they need tosuccessfully engage customers throughout the buying process. Whenimplemented properly, sales enablement benefits both your buyersand your sales teams.In fact, companies with the best sales enablement practices averagea 13.7 percent annual increase in deal size or contract value. Wantto learn more? Read on to see what’s involved in successful salesenablement—and how to effectively implement it at your organization.Copyright 2018 Prolifiq Software Inc. All rights reserved.www.prolifiq.com4

Sales Enablement Best PracticesBuild the Case for Sales EnablementSales enablement is a joint effort between marketing and sales—but often, marketing must lead the charge. It’s up to you to definethe objectives for your program and build the case for salesenablement.At a high level, your goals should center on helping sales reps sellmore effectively. However, it takes more to convince an executiveleadership team of the value. Below is a four-step plan to helpbuild your case.1. Do your researchWhat internal pain points are you aiming to improve? Commonchallenges may include onboarding times, sales productivity,understanding why deals don’t close, unused marketing content,and limited insight into sales content effectiveness.Consider the decision makers you need to convince: What are their challenges? How does sales enablement benefit your entire organization?Internal interviews can help outline organizational and individualroadblocks. By surveying decision makers, you will uncoverunique challenges pertaining to the sales process—and beginunderstanding how sales enablement can benefit your organization.Copyright 2018 Prolifiq Software Inc. All rights reserved.www.prolifiq.com5

2. Demonstrate valueHow exactly will sales enablement address the problemsdiscovered above? Outline how each department can leveragesales enablement tools and technology.It’s important to outline not only revenue impact, but also intangiblebenefits such as increased productivity, collaboration, andalignment.3. Address concernsThere are questions that will inevitably arise during this processthat you should anticipate and prepare answers for. Some examplesinclude: Will the return on investment (ROI) justify the cost? Will sales reps use the tool? Will it take time away from established sales and marketingefforts?Copyright 2018 Prolifiq Software Inc. All rights reserved.www.prolifiq.com6

If you know what questions to expect and take the time to answerthem in advance, it will ensure you have a solid program planned.Provide success stories and research to back up your responseswith information that shows the value of enablement. The soonerthese questions are answered, the sooner you will be able toproceed.4. Define successDecide how you will accurately measure sales enablement success.Consider the following: What are expected outcomes? How will you deliver on your promises? What performance measures and metrics will you leverage? How will the tools fit into your organization’s establishedframework and processes?Outline and align sales and marketing team goals for everyone towork toward. Have a plan for how metrics will be used to continueto improve your efforts.Provide success stories and research to backup your responses with information thatshows the value of enablement.Copyright 2018 Prolifiq Software Inc. All rights reserved.www.prolifiq.com7

Gain SupportOnce you’ve done your research and outlined the value of salesenablement, it’s time to gain internal support by establishingstakeholders across all departments.Ask yourself the following questions: Who will help champion the tools? Is there an executive who will sponsor the initiatives? Who may be a obstacle?The more initial support you receive, the stronger your case. Andthough this may seem like a no-brainer, getting your individualsales reps on board is equally important. After all, they’re the onesusing the tools.Today, team-based selling is required to ensure account andcustomer needs are met. Thus, sales enablement impactseveryone across your organization: marketing, field reps, IT,regulatory, finance, and so forth.Copyright 2018 Prolifiq Software Inc. All rights reserved.www.prolifiq.com8

Working directly with IT to gain its support during this stage isespecially important. From deploying mobile applications tounderstanding device and operating systems in the field, IT isinvolved at nearly every level of the deployment process. Gainingits support from the outset can help with vendor selection and appimplementation.In addition to gaining support, it’s important to know who may beobstacles to your plan so you can address their objections andhelp them adopt a neutral or positive outlook on the initiative.Although dealing with opposition requires extra effort on yourbehalf, it reveals underlying concerns to develop a strongersolution.Copyright 2018 Prolifiq Software Inc. All rights reserved.www.prolifiq.com9

Establish a Focus Group for ImplementationOnce you outline stakeholders, create a formalized focus group tomove forward. Generally speaking, a focus group is composed ofsix to 10 people who follow a schedule of meetings and participatein open discussion to achieve a common goal. Your focus groupmust be large enough to generate results, but should be limited toinfluencers and decision makers.Everyone should be on the same page about implementation andwhat is going on; a focus group can help make this process moreseamless. Vendor selection centers more around analysis andtechnology selection. By setting goals and working together withmultiple unique insights, you can ensure that the focus group willuncover the best solution for your needs.Copyright 2018 Prolifiq Software Inc. All rights reserved.www.prolifiq.com 10

Select the Right TechnologyMost modern medtech sales and marketing teams already havea customer relationship management (CRM) system, such asSalesforce, that houses data, closed-win cycles, and customertouch points. These systems manage and analyze customerinteractions to improve business relationships with customers.However, these systems are underutilized or have gaps aroundcoordinating teams and getting the most out of their CRM. That’swhere sales enablement tools come in to play. Sales enablementworks to unlock the value of your CRM by providing strategicinsights. And if the tool is native to Salesforce, there are appsavailable to plug in directly with your data so everything workstogether quickly and seamlessly.Ultimately, the overarching goal of your initial focus group is toselect the right tools. To do so, you must first ensure the tools workwith your CRM. There are countless options, so smart investment isthe key to success. Be sure to select industry-specific technologythat makes the most of your existing CRM.To help, here are several industry reports that can provide insightduring the selection process: Gartner: Market Guide for Digital Content Management ofSales Forrester: Vendor Landscape: Sales Enablement Automation Sirius Decisions: Sales Asset Management 2016Copyright 2018 Prolifiq Software Inc. All rights reserved.www.prolifiq.com11

Determine ResourcesTechnology alone won’t ensure sales enablement success. Youneed ongoing internal resources to see the impact. Consider yourcompany’s current roles and identify how sales enablement fitsacross each department.It’s possible to restructure individual roles and responsibilities tointegrate sales enablement across current resources. However,you may want to consider hiring a dedicated sales enablementemployee who can own own and champion the initiative. Notonly would this employee’s duties include content creation andmanagement, sales training, and new employee onboarding,but this person also could serve as a liaison between sales andmarketing.It’s possible to restructure individual rolesand responsibilities to integrate salesenablement across current resources.Copyright 2018 Prolifiq Software Inc. All rights reserved.www.prolifiq.com 12

Making the Final PitchEstablishing a sales enablement charter is the final step in buildingyour case. This charter clearly and concisely outlines all objectivesand goals of sales enablement for your organization. It defines themission, vision, and overarching purpose of sales enablement—including target audiences and intended results. Finally, it outlinesstrategy and how this initiative fits into already establishedprocesses.In other words, this executive summary is your roadmap to successand the cornerstone of your presentation. As you condense all ofyour strategy and information into a single document, keep in mindthat stakeholders are busy. Presenting your case in a concise waywill yield results.Gaining executive buy-in requires proving the return on investment(ROI) of sales enablement. You must explicitly outline wheretools will save you money and time—and how you can allocateresources to budget for the technology.Copyright 2018 Prolifiq Software Inc. All rights reserved.www.prolifiq.com 13

Outlining pain points and the potential time saved between salesand marketing can help build your case. For example, manyorganizations require a marketing resource to spend 20 hours aweek managing sales’s requests for content. That equals a halfFTE (full-time employee). Your presentation should identify issuesand solutions. Be sure to include direct quotes and surveys fromboth reps and customers that speak directly to misalignment.Establishing a sales enablement charter is thefinal step in building your case.Copyright 2018 Prolifiq Software Inc. All rights reserved.www.prolifiq.com 14

ContentPerform a Content AuditIt’s estimated that between 60 and 70 percent of all contentproduced by B2B marketing teams ends up unused. Contentserves many purposes. However, at the end of the day, if yourcustomers aren’t engaging with your content, it isn’t accomplishingthose purposes.To ensure your content is relevant, it’s essential to evaluate yourcurrent marketing material. Auditing your inventory reveals theeffectiveness of your current content and uncovers any gapsin your processes. It can also provide insight into your currentorganizational structure.To start, pull an inventory of your existing content. Below is anexample of a content audit template:Content Audit TemplateTitle/DescriptionContent TypeFormatUniqueIDBrief name ordescription of the assetIdentify the contenttype (case studies,competitive, clinical)Format of theasset (.pdf,.ppt, HTML5)1234Basic Steps toField-Driven contentReprint.pdfID #Owner/CreatorName of theprimary contentowner/authorJ. BrooksCreationDateDate the assetwas created orlast updated28-Mar-16ApplicationAudience/PersonaSource FileLocationStaus/ActionMetricsMetrics (if any)associated withperformance200 downloadsWhat is thiscontent used for?Who is this content for?Current repository formaster assetAction (if any) needed tomake the asset readyor useBackgroundinformation forcreating contentMarketing TeamURL to Sharepoint Whitepaper FolderDevelop introductionmessageContent Audit TemplateCopyright 2018 Prolifiq Software Inc. All rights reserved.www.prolifiq.com 15

Don’t just clone your intranet; take the time to actually analyzeyour content. During this audit, answer the following questionsabout your marketing materials: Are they up to date? Are they mobile-friendly? Are they organized? Are they accessible? Are you able to track usage?Answering these questions can help you evaluate theeffectiveness of your current content—and identify anyimprovements that should be made.Copyright 2018 Prolifiq Software Inc. All rights reserved.www.prolifiq.com 16

Connect Content to the Buyer’s JourneySales relies on your marketing team’s content. And not just anycontent: relevant, up-to-date content that resonates with customersand drives sales results. Your audit should also ensure that yourcontent is connected to the buyer’s journey.As you develop digital communications, ensure that content isusable for the customers and reps consuming it. Content must bestrategically designed around targeted prospects and cater to theirself-guided buyer’s journey.Your focus should be to solve customer pain points with usefulcontent. Engage with your sales team at this stage. Sales interfaceswith your end users, so it’s critical to involve the department at thebeginning of this process. What content do customers ask for the most? How does sale refer to it? Where does sales find content?Salespeople have the most insight into how your customers think,behave, and respond to marketing and sales materials. They cantalk about their experiences and share what’s working and what’snot. By leveraging this insight, your content will resonate with yourtarget audience.Copyright 2018 Prolifiq Software Inc. All rights reserved.www.prolifiq.com 17

Ensure Content Is Up to Date and DiscoverableOnce you perform your initial audit, it’s important to ensurecontent is up to date and discoverable. Sales reps access yourcontent every day, often from a mobile device. They need contentthat’s easily available both online and offline—so when they’rein the field without internet access, they can still interface withcustomers.In the past, marketing teams simply created content and placedit in a repository, and sales reps used it at their own discretion.Sifting through troves of folders to find content was not onlyinefficient, but it also created a misalignment: Sales was unableto find and use the most up-to-date marketing materials, andmarketing didn’t know if the content was even being used.Establishing a sales enablement charter is thefinal step in building your case.Copyright 2018 Prolifiq Software Inc. All rights reserved.www.prolifiq.com 18

If your reps can’t find something in five seconds or less, it’s time torethink your content organization. Optimizing content libraries withsales enablement technology helps ensure reps can search basedon their preferred parameters—and leverage content to the bestof their ability. These flexible systems utilize a flat file structure inwhich all content is search-optimized around the needs of yourreps. Modern, mobile content libraries enable salespeople toaccess the content they need without navigating through multiplefolders or systems.By putting in the legwork and organizing your systems aroundhow reps are searching for content, you set your sales team up forsuccess.Copyright 2018 Prolifiq Software Inc. All rights reserved.www.prolifiq.com 19

Data and MetricsBuild a Measurable and Scalable ProcessEnsuring that content is up-to-date is only the first step behindeffective sales enablement. It’s equally important to build a contentdevelopment process that’s measurable and scalable.To ensure you’re getting the most from your marketing materials,make sure your processes outline clear methods to trackalignment. Build a communication strategy that provides insightinto how content is being consumed—and ensure that tools backup these metrics.By leveraging technology to track consumption, your team willknow what’s working and what isn't.Copyright 2018 Prolifiq Software Inc. All rights reserved.www.prolifiq.com 20

Sales enablement technology helps outline the following: What content is most popular with reps What content is most popular with customers What types of content perform best How and where content is consumedOnce you've started determining how your content is performing withreps and customers, a next step would be to see how it contributes toan actual sale.Implement Effective Data CollectionKey performance indicators (KPIs) help teams pinpoint exactly whatthey need to focus on to guarantee organizational success. You’reprobably already tracking metrics in your CRM. Sales enablementtechnology should integrate with this data to provide you with acomprehensive overview of engagement and effectiveness. And ifyou’ve chosen a native Salesforce app, this will be a given.Key performance indicators (KPIs) help teamspinpoint exactly what they need to focus onto guarantee organizational success.Copyright 2018 Prolifiq Software Inc. All rights reserved.www.prolifiq.com 21

Below are some common sales enablement metrics to track:Sales Rep Quota Attainment:Reaching quotas is a primarysales goal; enablementprograms should be designedto improve these rates.Time to Quota:Research shows that as muchas 84 percent of sales traininginformation is lost within 90days; the quicker you ramp upreps, the better.Conversion Rates in the Funnel:Sales enablement should bedesigned to identify hot leadsand enable reps to respond fasterand deliver targeted messaging.Time Spent on Selling:Time spent searching forcontent limits interactions withprospects. Enablement shouldmaximize interactions.By implementing an effective data collection strategy, leaders canfocus on improving sales enablement initiatives. By pinpointing,measuring, and tracking the correct KPIs, you can then see howthese initiatives fuel the performance of individual reps and theorganization as a whole.Copyright 2018 Prolifiq Software Inc. All rights reserved.www.prolifiq.com 22

Track UsageOne of the major benefits of sales enablement tools is the abilityto track the usage of content at every stage of the sale. Usagetracking identifies which content is being used across yourorganization, which, in turn, eliminates unused content investmentsand ensures reps have read required safety protocols and othernotices.From the client side, usage tracking also determines customerengagement, including email activity, dwell time, demo time, andmore. Again, this data can be leveraged to identify which typesof content your reps are using to interact with customers. It alsoprovides your team with crucial customer engagement metrics.Copyright 2018 Prolifiq Software Inc. All rights reserved.www.prolifiq.com 23

Optimize with Content RecommendationsEventually, with enough data and activity to track using salesenablement technology, the next step is to begin recommendingcontent to reps to align with different stages of the buyer’sjourney. But knowing what resonates with customers and when,these recommendations can help accelerate the sales processconsiderably.Below are some questions that can help drive this process. Which content works with customers? Which content is moving deals forward? Which types of content do customers engage with at variousstages?Sales enablement tools help teams develop new content ideas—which is the point of improving sales and marketing alignment,right?But knowing what resonates with customersand when, these recommendations can helpaccelerate the sales process considerably.Copyright 2018 Prolifiq Software Inc. All rights reserved.www.prolifiq.com 24

Launching Your StrategyLaunch in StagesNow that you’ve gained buy-in, performed a content audit, andare aware of your goals and expectations, it’s time to put yourplans into action. The importance of a stakeholder focus groupcomes back into play at this stage. Because you’ve establishedstakeholders across all departments and developed subgroups todo the heavy lifting, implementation becomes a painless process.Before you officially launch, however, undergo a soft launch. Oneof the major benefits of a soft launch is that it gives you time totrain and prepare staff. Even if you aren’t fully live and functional,a soft launch allows you to set up test accounts and experimentwith processes to ensure things work as they should. Is contentorganized as expected? Is the app easy to access? Are allintegrations working as expected?Copyright 2018 Prolifiq Software Inc. All rights reserved.www.prolifiq.com 25

Once you’re ready to go, it’s time to fully launch. This can certainlybe done virtually, but it’s recommended to do a full launch ofyour sales enablement technology face-to-face. This establishesa natural chain of feedback—one that will be utilized throughoutdeployment—and enables both marketing and sales to worktogether in real time. If a face-to-face launch is not feasible, makesure you provide virtual training in smaller groups. This allows formore feedback and Q&A from reps.Before you officially launch, however,undergo a soft launch. One of the majorbenefits of a soft launch is that it gives youtime to train and prepare staff.Copyright 2018 Prolifiq Software Inc. All rights reserved.www.prolifiq.com 26

Work Closely with Your Technology VendorJust as working with your internal team to optimize your salesenablement strategy is important, working hand-in-hand with yourtechnology vendor is equally essential. Remember, your vendoris your partner and can make or break your credibility with sales,depending on how your initiative transpires.Some recommendations: Meet all project deadlines. Establish realistic deadlinesbefore, during, and after the launch—and work hard to followthrough. Document everything. If you’re adding features orpersonalizing the user experience of the platform, be surethat you’re aligned with the vendor and clear on the specifics. Keep an ongoing list of action items. Establish an open lineof communication and meet with your vendor to discusswhen necessary.When in doubt, over-communicate with your vendor. Your vendor isyour best friend during this process. Working closely with your vendoris the only way to ensure successful implementation.Copyright 2018 Prolifiq Software Inc. All rights reserved.www.prolifiq.com 27

Train Your TeamTraining should be fun. You want to create a buzz. Create a launchvideo and teasers leading up to the launch if your budget permits.Quizzes are another way to keep your sales team engaged.Remember that the best engagement tools track usage, so youcan ensure your team is up to date on all training modules andcertifications.Consider partnering with sales training and sales operations.Because they already have established processes and meetings,you can leverage their expertise to successfully train your team.You want to create a buzz. Create a launchvideo and teasers leading up to the launch ifyour budget permits.Copyright 2018 Prolifiq Software Inc. All rights reserved.www.prolifiq.com 28

ConclusionA successful sales enablement initiative requires sales andmarketing alignment. Working together, teams define metrics,processes, and objectives to create and use relevant contenteffectively. For many, however, sales enablement is an entirely newidea and initiative.Sales enablement is more than just a technology—it requires longterm strategy and successful change management to maintain.Much like teams are adopting new approaches to meet thedigitalization of the healthcare industry, sales enablement requiresteams to constantly evolve and dedicate resources to maintaineffectiveness.Copyright 2018 Prolifiq Software Inc. All rights reserved.www.prolifiq.com 29

Focus on closing deals — not tracking down content toshare. Help sales and marketing teams consistently serveup the best customer experience by allowing teams toaccess the best content, where and when they needit. Hit the bullseye every time with Prolifiq ACE, a salesenablement management app native on Salesforce.LEARN MORE888.314.7005www.prolifiq.comCopyright 2018 Prolifiq Software Inc. All rights reserved.ace@prolifiq.comwww.prolifiq.com 30

Feb 27, 2018 · Sales enablement is a joint effort between marketing and sales— but often, marketing must lead the charge. It’s up to you to define the objectives for your program and build the case for sales enablement. At a high level, your goals should center on helping sales reps sell more effectively. However, it takes more to convince an executive

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