Unfortunately, too many times revenue enablement teams are hit immediately and deeper than other lines when a company decides to reduce their workforce. This is generally because they have not provided metrics & measurement that articulates a direct correlation between what they do & an uptick in revenue. This has to change immediately!
Given all of today’s global economic changes, pressure on tighter budgets/investments revenue enablement is top of mind for a lot of C-level leaders these days, but the problem is that if you ask 10 people what it is, you’ll like get 10 different answers. Even without a globally accepted definition, I’ve seen firsthand the impact how sales enablement can have on a company’s success! I’ve been fortunate to be a member of the “global enablement” tribes over the past couple of decades across a number of industries, spaces, and company sizes. This includes being privy to the design, build, & implementation of a variety of enablement tools, strategies, by some of the best enablement practitioners on the planet, and some of the results have been nothing short of impressive.
Whether it’s during the onboarding process or continuing education for sellers and leaders, one of the most measurements of a productive & valuable enablement team is the ability to remove as many non-sales activities out in order for sellers to increase revenue. That sounds logical enough, but what does that really mean? First and foremost, sales enablement can help to streamline the sales process. With access to the right tools and resources, your sales team will be able to work more efficiently and effectively. This includes everything from having access to the latest messaging & positioning, consistent programs, processes, and sales collateral, that will accelerate the ability quickly and easily connect with prospects and customers. Another key benefit of sales enablement is that it helps to improve the customer experience. By providing your sales team with the right tools and resources, you’re able to better understand the needs and wants of your customers, and provide them with personalized, relevant solutions. This not only helps to build stronger relationships with your customers, but it also leads to higher customer satisfaction and retention rates. This is yet another overlooked bit of value that comes from being a productive enablement team!
COMMUNICATION. COLLABORATION.ORCHESTRATION.
It’s no longer enough to simply be viewed as a part of the sales ecosystem or village. It’s then too easy to be relegated to being sales support or the fixers of broken things and people! The key is to being viewed as a valued partner across the go-to-market (sales, ops, marketing, product marketing, product management, etc.) team by providing your sales team with the tools and resources they need to succeed, then tie your impactful activities, processes, programs, etc. back to an increase in revenue and overall sales performance. This is due in large part to the fact that your sales team being able to focus more on selling, rather than spending time on administrative tasks or hunting down information.
The size, roles, responsibilities & ultimately the value of your revenue enablement will vary dependent where your company is in it’s maturation cycle, level of collaboration, accountability, and multi-level partnership. While enablement is an invaluable tool for any company looking to improve efficiency, customer experience, and overall sales performance, your company must be committed to continuing to invest in and leverage these tools and strategies in the future. Just like any other muscle, the more that it’s used the stronger it gets. While enablement is extremely important, I’m not foolish enough to believe that enablement is what will keep a company’s doors open, however, a lack of or poorly supported and resourced enablement team and strategy will ensure that the doors will close!
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