A Small-Medium Business (SMB) that was rapidly growing needed to address inefficiencies and inconsistencies to provide field sales and inside sales teams with appropriate and effective tools. Additionally, sales did not know where or how to find available tools. Marketing resources were stored on several platforms and were not easily searchable.
New product introductions were particularly challenging. Information was provided last minute, and knowledge transfer was deficient. The sales teams lacked strategic messaging, competitive positioning, and adequate marketing materials to support their efforts. Individuals took the initiative to develop their own assets and messaging. As a result, sales were not focused on selling, product messaging was ineffective, morale was low, and revenue remained flat.
Understanding that sales reflexively submit ad hoc requests for a marketing asset, such as a brochure, video, or social post -- which is never effective -- I first interviewed the high-performing sales representatives for insight into their methodology – where they were succeeding and where they needed support. I also wanted them to know my intention was to help make their jobs easier and to make them more money.
I proposed a “Launch Package” comprised of the enablement tools that fulfilled the sales reps’ stated needs and goals. After reviewing and aligning with the sales team, I collaborated with product marketing and the creative team to integrate the development of sales enablement deliverables into their launch process. I also proposed including training procedures to ensure that sales clearly understood the use and intent of each asset.
I provided templates for a sales pitch deck, battlecard, and customer-facing one-sheet, samples of application-based drawings and an introductory overview video. Other assets in the Launch Package included product photos, FAQs, and social media content.
The messaging and sales approach proposed was a significant departure from the company’s norm. Training facilitated the transition from the traditional recitation of feature and specifications to a more solutions-based approach. As I stated in one of my training sessions, “When you stop selling products and start solving problems, you’ll sell a lot more products.”
I proposed a cloud-based sales enablement platform with a robust search engine to store all sales tools for easy 24/7 remote access to marketing resources. An intuitive, scalable file structure was implemented for ease of use, and a report dashboard was designed for management to track who used the platform, which assets were viewed, and how many times each sales representative shared the documents with customers or leads.
Morale immediately improved as teams felt supported and armed with the knowledge and tools they needed to compete in the market. Sales representatives were more confident and more effective, proven by shorter sales cycles and higher close rates. Accountability also motivated the teams, as all objections were removed and management could monitor individual activity. Incremental sales increased by double digits over the next several quarters and continued YoY for the next few years.
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