What is Sales Enablement?

It’s a question I ask many people. I then ask the person to answer the question without mentioning some type of “sales tech”.

 Sales Enablement is not Sales Tech!

If you read the article below is just an “advert” for sales tech tools. But you knew that.

Technology is “interesting” but we talk to so many companies where they invest in sales tech and then the sales people never use it. 

We have so many meetings where we get told “we invested in a tool and nothing happened”.

The main reason why people don’t seem to invest in the people and the process when they invest in “sales tech” (from what we can see) is that the licence for the “miracle cure” sales tech takes up all the budget and the sales people are not trained. 

After the application is purchased there is no budget for the people and process.

Let me stop a second and define training. Training is where you try and cram the student with as many facts as you can. We have all been on that training. The problem is, we only remember one thing and it does not change the way we work. Training does not work. 

Knowing and doing are two different things. 

We need coaching and mentoring.

Take Linkedin Sales Navigator Training.

We meet so many companies that have Sales Navigator and after giving the sales people the tool, nothing happens. LinkedIn give clients “training” over the web. The sales people are not taught how to be social, they are taught how to use the tool. Push button A get you option B. There is no help on how to be social and no help on how to provide habit change.

How are you supposed to get a personal brand? Grow your network and create and share content? You are not. Not saying it’s a waste of time, but we haven’t heard anybody say it’s any use.

How many more other “sales tech” training is inversely proportionate to its value?

Sales Enablement, of course is about enabling the sales force.

But what skills do sales people need?

For a start they don’t need tech that just enhances old legacy sales methods. Using an app so you can find telephone numbers to cold call. Really? 

Do you really think that interrupting people and broadcasting your message is the way to sell in the second decade of the 21st century?

Our prospects are on social. Our prospects are looking for experts to help them. You don’t need sales tech for this, you need your sales people to be authentic on social.

You need a programmatic process to grow your teams networks across your target market and territory. You need a “content factory” to help with the heavy lifting so you can share team created content and your team will share your content.

This is modern day prospecting. Not using a tool and crossing our fingers!