As consumers become increasingly smarter and more sophisticated, sales cycles and processes are becoming more complex, requiring cross-functional input and participation. In other words, companies need strong sales enablement programs in place.
Hoisting up an effective sales enablement program takes guts, hard work and sometimes painfully honest collaboration from all corners of your business. (If you’re new to sales enablement, you can check out our blog here for a quick crash course).
Doing sales enablement the right way is hard, but the benefits can completely transform your business.
Marketing consultant Pam Didner had this to say about sales enablement via LinkedIn: “Salespeople can't go it alone anymore in the digital era. Sales enablement is essential if the purchase cycle is long and the products and services require education and explanation. They need to be properly trained and equipped with relevant knowledge, tools, and processes from customer outreach through deal closing. This is especially true in B2B, technology or complex sales."
Empowering your sales team to succeed in the digital era via a strong sales enablement program has clear benefits to your bottom line:
- It will enhance marketing and sales alignment
- It will reduce the sales cycle
- It will increase revenue
ClientPoint had this to say about sales enablement’s most important benefit, revenue generation: “Increased revenue is the leading benefit of sales enablement and the main reason companies of all sizes are adopting the practice. With streamlined sales processes, sales reps can now prioritize deals more efficiently. They can channel their efforts towards deals with higher potential for closing. This considerably reduces the length of the sales cycle and increases sales efficiency. Ultimately, the sales team can have a higher percentage of sales conversions. This drives increased revenue for your company and supports your organization’s big picture goals.”
Still not convinced? Here are some stats about sales enablement that might inspire you to embrace the hard work to reap the long-term rewards:
- B2B organizations with closely aligned sales and marketing operations achieved 24% faster three-year revenue growth and 27% faster three-year profit growth. (Wheelhouse Advisors)
- Companies with best-in-class sales enablement strategies experience a 13.7% annual increase in deal size or contract value. (Accent via Aberdeen)
- Research from The Corporate Executive Board shows that sales reps who receive as little as three hours of coaching per month exceed quotas by 7%, increasing revenue by 25% and average close rates by 70%. (SalesForce)
- Compared to companies that rely on an ad hoc approach to sales training, organizations that align their coaching with their enablement framework see a 27.9% improvement in their win rate. (Veelo)
- 53% of respondents with a dedicated sales enablement team reported an increase in sales conversion rates. Of those using sales enablement tools, 23 percent reported increases of at least 20 percent. Of those with large sales teams, 27 percent noted increases of greater than 30 percent. (Heinz Marketing)
- Companies with a sales enablement team are 52 percent more likely to have a sales process that’s tightly aligned with their buyer’s journey. (Heinz Marketing)
- Up to 1/3 of a sales professional’s time is spent looking for or creating content to share with prospects. (SalesForce)
These sales enablement numbers speak for themselves. Take the leap. Do the work. Reap the benefits of stronger revenue and greater efficiency.
If you’re looking for a sales enablement expert you can trust, Illumine8 Marketing & PR is always here to help. Reach out to us today. We’d love to learn more about your company and how we might be able to take your sales performance to the next level.
