In the current competitive business climate, sales reps are expected more than ever to be able to talk the talk and convince customers of what they are saying. A good sales enablement tool should be able to effectively aid seller-to-buyer communication and enhance their connection during the B2B sales cycle.
With a wealth of platforms to choose from, many organizations find it difficult to decide which sales enablement tool is best for their business. However, there are several key factors to consider when analyzing which solution to invest in.
1. Ease of use
First and foremost, the tool you choose should be relatively easy to use and understand. The longer you spend training your sales team on how to learn to use the platform, the more time you waste contacting leads. Of course, any new piece of software requires training, and this should be carried out team-wide by someone who is proficient in using it. However, the platform as a whole should be straightforward and luckily, many sales enablement tools offer trial versions.
2. Integration
Above all, whichever platform you choose must seamlessly integrate with the sales tools you use every day. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is the backbone of sales, so the tool you select needs to integrate successfully with it, without compromising data security, data storage and other important aspects.
When doing your research, be sure to compare how each tool works with your CRM, social selling tools, the cloud and your email host. Ideally, this will be achievable all in one place. If integration is not fast and convenient, your sales team may not use it.
3. Content management
According to the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council, 40% of a B2B sales representative’s time is spent searching for or creating content for new sales prospects, thus wasting a lot of valuable time. Overcoming this problem is easy when the team has access to a sales enablement tool which allows them to create a strong content archive.
Without access to the right content at the right time, a sales team will nearly always fail. As such, any good sales enablement tool will be able to deliver relevant content when it is needed. This includes lead generation content e.g. case studies and white papers; internal sales support content e.g. product sheets, competitor analyses and sales scripts; and sales conversion content e.g. email templates and PowerPoints.
4. Mobile-readiness
In a mobile-first world, any software you choose should certainly be able to deliver sales content easily to any mobile device. Sales teams are always on the move and will constantly use their smartphones to access their CRM and other essential tools, so cloud-based software’s are the ideal preference.
5. Analytics
There is simply no point in investing in software if you cannot see whether it is adding value to your business and helping you to achieve your goals. Always be sure to look for platforms which are able to provide data and reports on both customer insights AND internal staff usage. For example, a good sales enablement tool will be able to provide reports on which content is getting viewed the most, how the sales team are using the content, the ROI and more.
6. Company goals
There are countless tools on the market and each has its own strengths. Some will be best for content management, while others will be better at guiding the team through each stage of the sales process. You need to think about what your goals are and what you seek to improve within your current strategy – only then will you be able to find the perfect solution for your specific business needs.
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