Have you ever wondered why salespeople seem disconnected from the marketing materials you painstakingly create? It’s a frustrating reality that many marketing teams face – their efforts often go unnoticed or unappreciated by the sales team. Only 20% of salespeople feel that their company’s marketing content is useful. But fear not! We’ll explore how you can create a marketing sales enablement program that sales will not only appreciate but genuinely love. Let’s dive in and bridge the gap between marketing and sales!
Understand the Sales Perspective
To create a sales enablement program that resonates with your sales team, you must first understand their perspective. Put yourself in their shoes and gain insights into their daily challenges, goals, and motivations. By empathizing with their needs, you can tailor your efforts to address their pain points effectively.
The function of marketing is to make selling superfluous.
– Peter Drucker
Collaborate and Communicate
Effective collaboration and communication between marketing and sales are essential for a successful sales enablement program. Only 37% of sales reps believe that marketing understands their needs. Foster regular meetings, open dialogues, and feedback sessions to ensure alignment and foster a sense of partnership. Salespeople often have valuable insights and customer feedback that can shape your marketing strategies and materials.
Develop Relevant and Impactful Content
Salespeople are more likely to embrace marketing materials if they find them relevant, engaging, and impactful for the different buyer funnel stages. In fact, research shows that most decision-makers review at least five pieces of content before they buy. Create content that directly addresses their challenges and helps them close deals. This can include sales decks, battle cards, case studies, customer testimonials, and product guides. Ensure the content is easy to access, visually appealing, and provides value in a concise format.
The key to successful selling is not to sell, but to help the customer buy.
– Zig Ziglar
Provide Training and Resources
Empower your sales team with the knowledge and skills they need to effectively use the marketing materials and navigate customer interactions. Salespeople who receive effective training can boost their sales by 50%. Offer comprehensive training programs, both on product knowledge and sales techniques. Provide access to resources like playbooks, training videos, and FAQs that salespeople can reference anytime they need support.
Implement Sales Enablement Technology
Leverage technology to streamline the sales enablement process and enhance productivity. Implement a sales enablement platform or content management system that provides easy access to the latest marketing materials, tracks content engagement, and offers analytics to measure effectiveness. Salespeople will appreciate having a centralized hub for all their sales enablement needs.
Solicit Feedback and Iterate
Salespeople are on the front lines, engaging with customers and prospects daily. Their feedback is invaluable in improving your sales enablement program. Companies with strong sales and marketing alignment achieve 20% annual revenue growth. Regularly solicit feedback from sales representatives, conduct surveys, and hold feedback sessions to gather insights on what works and what needs improvement. Use this feedback to iterate and refine your program over time.
Recognize and Celebrate Success
Acknowledge and celebrate the successes of your sales team. When they achieve significant milestones or close important deals, publicly recognize their accomplishments. This not only boosts morale but also reinforces the value of the sales enablement program and motivates others to actively engage with it.
Conclusion
Creating a marketing sales enablement program that sales will love requires a shift in mindset and a collaborative approach. By understanding the sales perspective, collaborating closely, developing relevant content, providing training and resources, implementing technology, soliciting feedback, and recognizing success, you can bridge the gap between marketing and sales. Remember, sales enablement is an ongoing process that requires continuous improvement and adaptation. With a sales enablement program that salespeople truly appreciate, you’ll empower your sales team to achieve remarkable results and drive revenue growth. Let’s break down the barriers and foster a stronger alignment between marketing and sales!
