How to improve team performance from Sales Enablement [Interview]

The Sales Enablement area or “enablement of sales”, plays a fundamental role in companies. It is integrated into the sales area and through the execution of a set of processes and technologies, which help teams to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of their activities.

In this article, we will explore the value that Sales Enablement adds in improving the productivity and performance of sales teams. For that, we will count on the participation of Yago González Ansias, Sales Enablement Manager in Auctree.

The importance of Sales Enablement

Among its main objectives, Sales Enablement seeks to improve the sales process, ensure consistency in brand communication and company message, and help sales agents to close more sales more effectively.

This area is increasingly important for companies looking to increase their revenues and improve their profitability. A survey conducted by CSO Insights found that companies with an effective Sales Enablement strategy, they experienced 15.3% more growth in revenue. In the same vein, a report by Brainshark, The sales increase for companies with Sales Enablement, around 74%

What are the main features of Sales Enablement?

Sales Enablement is closely related to the area of Training and Training in companies, so much so that for a long period of time, it used to operate under the sphere of Human Resources.

In the words of Yago González Ansias about his role as Sales Enablement Manager, this position is “very transversal, but the focus is on the sales team. I focus on providing teams tools and resources, give them ongoing training and sometimes just support. Everything to try to improve efficiency and make this seen as an immediate response to the increase in sales volume”.

In recent years, this trend has changed, making the department become part of or directly dependent on Sales. This is due to the importance in business development as well as the main objectives it aims at. Among the main functions of the Sales Enablement area, we can mention:

• Training and training.
  Provide sales teams with the skills and knowledge needed to sell effectively. This can include sales training, product and technology training, and presentation skill development.
  
• Sales content and tools.
  Provide sales teams with the content and tools necessary to carry out their sales activities effectively. This can include marketing material, sales presentations, success stories, and lead tracking tools.
  
• Technological innovation.
  Implement processes and technologies to optimize the work of sales teams, improve productivity and ensure alignment with the company's strategy. This can include systems of business automation, CRM, lead management and sales analysis.

In short, the area of Sales Enablement is critical to the success of companies that seek to improve their sales efficiency and increase their revenues. Through training and training, the provision of sales content and tools, and the implementation of processes and technologies, the Sales Enablement area helps sales teams achieve their goals.

Critical areas to improve with Sales Enablement

When implementing a Sales Enablement strategy, it is essential that companies initiate this type of project, having a clear vision of the goals to be achieved. For this to happen, it is necessary pay special attention to the most sensitive aspects to be improved within the sales department.

As González Ansias explains, in his own experience there are at least three centers that are key when developing an SE plan:

• Knowledge of the product
• Sales Pitch Management
• Using CRM

“The first thing? Understand and know where you are. If the person understands where they are, the pitch will be much easier,” said the Sales Enablement Manager. “To be able to start talking about how I'm doing it, from the qualitative part you have to bring me a quantitative part and this is given to you by the CRM. The first thing we need to have is not a team that knows how to use CRM well, but to have managers who really believe that CRM is good for something. If you as a manager don't give the importance you have to give to CRM, how is your team going to do it?”

Product and pitch knowledge, according to Yago González, belong more to the soft skills of the sales agent. In other words, learning these two things can happen more or less efficiently, depending on the previous skills that the employee brings with them. However, the use of CRM is a different story. “For example, if I have a product that has to connect with different customer profiles, CRM can help me improve. What type of customers do I do best with?”

In this way, the use of platforms such as Salesforce or Microsoft Dynamics, is vital not only to improve the quantitative aspects. In addition to this, the data that the CRM concentrates helps to improve qualitatively.

“Do you want to improve your sales with a type of customer profile? Well, we're going to apply these changes, we're going to look at your pitch, we're going to see how you're addressing them, what tools you use, what resources... And from there, What the CRM is going to give me back is the result of these changes that I am implementing: if I am having positive feedback, if they are helping me to improve my sales”, said Yago González Ansias.

Benefits for companies

Why would companies need to create or develop their Sales Enablement teams? Easy, because this area provides enormous advantages. The main thing is to make sales teams sell more and better, but the benefits don't end there:

• Increased productivity.
  According to a study conducted by CSO Insights, companies that provide ongoing training to their sales teams experienced a 9% increase in sales productivity.
  
• Increase in closing rates.
  A report from Richardson Sales Training, companies that provide training in closing skills experience a 70% increase in its closing rates.
• Employee Retention.
  According to a report by LinkedIn, 94% of employees would stay with a company longer if it invested in their professional development.
  
• Adapting to change.
  Training in new technologies, marketing and sales strategies, and other relevant skills can help sales teams keep up to date and adapt to changes in their work environment, according to Forbes. 

The Sales Enablement department has a critical responsibility for companies, which could not be carried out correctly, without a CRM and the ideal use of it. To ensure that any SE strategy works properly, it is key to ensure the correct adoption of this type of software. In the words of Yago González Ansias, “teams have to understand that CRM is not a micro management tool, it's a tool that helps to be more efficient.”

About Yago González Ansias

Yago González Ansias is a leader in sales training, with training in Pedagogy and a Master's Degree in Human Resource Management. Yago has played leadership roles in various companies, from the restaurant industry to technology and real estate, where he currently works.

About Auctree

Auctree is an online real estate platform for distressed assets. Its mission is to help small investors build passive cash flow through real estate investment, a field historically reserved for a few experts. Recently, the startup closed an investment round of 2.5 M€ to expand its business.