Sales has changed. Have you?

Sales has changed.

In this article we address how sales enablement teams are helping drive success for sales teams through the use of social selling and content.

We look at what separates a great sales organisation from the merely good in 2023?

Recognising exceptional sales organisations can be relatively easy based on their higher win rates, bigger deals, faster sales cycles, and repeat customers.

However, what's not immediately apparent, is how they achieve such success.

As someone who has worked with sales leaders and teams for over 25 years, I've learned that the formula for success hasn't change, but the methods to get there, have.

Revenue is not the result of one star seller, a perfect sales methodology, or some magical sales software. Instead, the best separate themselves from the rest by making their customers' goals their top priority.

They focus on what their customers need to achieve and how they can help them get there, rather than simply thinking about what they can sell.

This customer-centric approach requires rallying the entire revenue team, including sales, customer success, marketing, and others, to work together towards a common goal.

When your customers win, you win.

Social selling has become a critical component of modern sales enablement strategies.

Sales enablement teams are responsible for providing sales teams with the tools, resources, and training they need to succeed in their roles.

By incorporating social selling into their programs, sales enablement teams can help their teams establish deeper relationships with prospects and customers, increase brand awareness, and ultimately drive more revenue.

Here are some ways in which social selling is benefiting sales enablement teams:

1.  Increased engagement with prospects and customers

Social selling allows sales teams to engage with prospects and customers on social media platforms, such as LinkedIn, where they are already spending time.

This provides an opportunity for teams to establish relationships with potential buyers and stay top-of-mind with existing customers.

By sharing valuable content and insights, teams can position themselves as trusted advisors and thought leaders in their industries.

Sales enablement teams can support social selling efforts by providing teams with content and messaging that is tailored to specific buyer personas and stages in the sales cycle. By arming teams with content that is relevant and useful to their prospects and customers, sales enablement teams can help teams build credibility and establish themselves as experts in their fields.

2.  Improved collaboration and communication

Social selling also allows sales teams to collaborate more effectively with other teams within their organisations, such as marketing and customer success.

By sharing content and insights on social media platforms, teams can help amplify marketing messages and provide valuable feedback to product teams.

Sales enablement teams can support collaboration efforts by facilitating communication between sales teams and other teams within the organisation. By providing a centralised platform for sharing content and insights, sales enablement teams can help ensure that everyone is working from the same playbook.

3.  Increased brand awareness and lead generation

Social selling can also help increase brand awareness and generate more leads for sales teams. By sharing content and insights on social media platforms, teams can help increase their visibility and attract new prospects to their organisations. They can also use social media to identify and engage with potential buyers who may not have been aware of their organisations previously.

Sales enablement teams can support lead generation efforts by providing teams with social selling training and best practices. By teaching teams how to effectively use social media to build relationships with prospects and customers, sales enablement teams can help increase the effectiveness of social selling efforts.

How do you use content effectively?

One of the most powerful tools in a sales enablement team's arsenal is content. Content can help sales teams build trust with prospects, address their pain points, and ultimately, close more deals. In this article, we will explore how sales enablement teams can use content to drive success.

There are 5 main areas to focus on for success with content.

1.  Understand your Buyer's Journey

The first step in using content to drive success is to understand the buyer's journey. The buyer's journey is the process that a buyer goes through before making a purchase. It includes several stages, such as awareness, consideration, and decision. A great sales enablement team understands these stages and creates content that addresses the needs and concerns of buyers at each stage.

For example, in the awareness stage, buyers are trying to identify the problem they are facing. A sales enablement team can create content that educates buyers on the problem and positions the company as a thought leader in the industry. In the consideration stage, buyers are evaluating different solutions. A sales enablement team can create content that compares and contrasts different solutions and explains why their company's solution is the best fit.

2.  Create Engaging and relevant Content

Once the sales enablement team understands the buyer's journey, they can create engaging content that resonates with the buyer. Engaging content includes blog posts, white papers, videos, infographics, and case studies. The key to creating engaging content is to make it relevant, informative, and entertaining.

For example, a white paper that is full of technical jargon and complex terms may not be engaging for buyers. Instead, a sales enablement team can create a white paper that uses simple language and tells a story that resonates with the buyer.

3.  Personalise the Content – and BE REAL!

Personalisation is another key to using content to drive success. Buyers are more likely to engage with content that is tailored to their needs and interests. A sales enablement team can personalise content by using data and analytics to understand the buyer's behaviour, preferences, and interests.

Also - buyers want to buy from people. It's an oldie but a goodie. Show them who are you, don't just be a face looking for a deal. Tell them why you are the person you are.

4.  Provide Training on Using Content

Creating great content is only part of the equation. The sales enablement team must also provide training on how to use the content effectively. Sales teams should be trained on when and how to use the content in the sales process. They should also be trained on how to customise the content to meet the buyer's specific needs.

For example, a sales rep may use a case study to illustrate how the company's solution has helped other customers. The sales enablement team can provide training on how to customise the case study to address the buyer's specific concerns.

5  Measure the Impact of Content

Finally, it is essential to measure the impact of the content. The sales enablement team should use data and analytics to track how buyers engage with the content and how it impacts the sales process. This data can help the sales enablement team refine their content strategy and make data-driven decisions about the allocation of resources.

In conclusion, Social Selling is a powerful tool that sales enablement teams can use to drive success. By understanding the buyer's journey, creating engaging content, personalising the content, providing training on using the content, and measuring the impact of the content, sales enablement teams can help sales teams close more deals and drive revenue growth for the organisation.