Leveling up your team’s sales enablement plan
Wednesday, July 20, 2022
Often, when we demand salespeople to become as competent as they can be on the battlefield, we expect them to have already mastered their craft as they face obstacles head-on. However, many of us fail to realize that we need to create a roadmap for success by empowering our people to reach their full potential.
The sales enablement plan is a powerful tool you can use to make your team better, embrace new ways of working, and drive value faster. Here are three elements that can enhance your sales enablement plan.
1. Onboarding
Effective onboarding allows employees to start on the right foot on day one. It’s helpful to think of onboarding as the life cycle of the sales team. This should be crafted in such a way that your people get enough clarity on the company’s core value proposition. This includes being well-versed in the key messages that illustrate your brand and your products, as well as being familiar with the various customer personas on the prospect side of the business.
The onboarding process is also the stage where your salesforce should be introduced to various operations and sales motions. They need to know what play to enforce, whom to ask for support if needed, and what strategies work best for new opportunities that arise.
2. Team sharing of success
The next critical improvement to your sales enablement plan is to provide a forum where ideas are shared freely and openly among the team. . This is important because it allows the whole team to learn from the successes (and failures) of each member. It also reinforces a culture of accountability and transparency, two things that are essential in any high-performing team.
When everyone knows what’s working and what’s not, they can course-correct and micro-adjust as needed. And when people feel like they’re part of a group that’s constantly learning and evolving, they’re more likely to stay engaged and invested in the company’s success.
Here you won’t need to reinvent the wheel. Sharing best practices and already proven tools can save your team a lot of time and resources.
3. Role-playing and simulations
You can surely benefit from introducing role-playing and simulations into your sales enablement plan. This is important because it allows your team to practice their selling skills in a controlled environment. It also helps them to understand how to handle different types of objections and customer questions.
This also presents an opportunity for your new salespeople to learn from your seasoned veterans who have experienced virtually everything that happens in the field.
Role-playing and simulations can be done in several ways. You can use simple scripts, or you can create more complex scenarios. Either way, the goal is to help your team become more confident and competent in their selling skills.
