Sales Enablement. Brainshark Special Edition. by Stephanie Diamond

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3 Sales Enablement Brainshark Special Edition by Stephanie Diamond

4 Sales Enablement For Dummies, Brainshark Special Edition Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River St. Hoboken, NJ Copyright 2015 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) , fax (201) , or online at Trademarks: Wiley, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, The Dummies Way, Dummies.com, Making Everything Easier, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS WORK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO WARRANTY MAY BE CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION. THIS WORK IS SOLD WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR THE AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING HEREFROM. THE FACT THAT AN ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FURTHER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER ENDORSES THE INFORMATION THE ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY MAKE. FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT INTERNET WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE CHANGED OR DISAPPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK WAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS READ. For general information on our other products and services, or how to create a custom For Dummies book for your business or organization, please contact our Business Development Department in the U.S. at , contact info@dummies.biz, or visit For information about licensing the For Dummies brand for products or services, contact BrandedRights&Licenses@Wiley.com. ISBN (pbk); ISBN (ebk) Manufactured in the United States of America Publisher s Acknowledgments Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following: Development and Copy Editor: Elizabeth Kuball Acquisitions Editor: Katie Mohr Editorial Manager: Rev Mengle Business Development Representative: Ali DellaPenna Special Help: Brendan Cournoyer, Arthur Gehring, Wendy Goeckel, Joan Babinski

5 Table of Contents Introduction... 1 About This Book... 1 Icons Used in This Book... 2 Beyond the Book... 2 Chapter 1: Unlocking Sales Enablement... 3 Looking at the Evolution of Sales Enablement... 3 Considering the Benefits of Sales Enablement... 5 Solving the Sales Productivity Problem... 6 Chapter 2: Creating Your Strategy... 9 Focusing on Your Mission... 9 Uncovering the critical components Tapping into your resources Chapter 3: Discovering the Role of Content Describing a Sales Enablement Content System Defining sales enablement content Examining the attributes of great content Identifying the key components of a sales enablement content system Planning and Creating Your Content Developing your content plan Producing your content Integrating with your CRM Chapter 4: Delving into Onboarding and Training Using Formal and Informal Training Looking at formal learning Utilizing informal learning Adopting a Blended Learning Approach Deploying Just in Time Training and Reinforcement Integrating with Your CRM System Asking the Right Training Questions Chapter 5: Extending Prospect Engagement Identifying Rep Challenges and Pain Points Getting Attention and Keeping It... 31

6 iv Sales Enablement For Dummies, Brainshark Special Edition Supporting Successful Meetings Being Mobile Ready Developing Product Differentiation Chapter 6: Examining Sales Coaching Introducing Systematic Sales Coaching Evaluating your manager s coaching capabilities Monitoring Rep Activity Integrating with Your CRM System Chapter 7: Ten Features to Look for in a Sales Enablement Platform... 43

7 Introduction Technology has completely changed the way salespeople interact with their customers. Today s buyers have likely already explored several options and developed strong opinions about what they need before they ever become your prospect. This puts pressure on the sales rep to persuade a buyer who may not have the proper vision or understand the value of your company s product. That s a problem. To avoid this, you need to create better sales conversations to seal the deal. The good news is that technology has also played a positive role in sales. Advancements in content, training, and analytics have enabled salespeople to deliver a very personalized one to one experience that communicates the value of their products. But do they? This question is at the very heart of sales enablement. About This Book Welcome to Sales Enablement For Dummies, Brainshark Special Edition. The information in this book covers all aspects of sales enablement from developing a strategy to engaging your prospects to closing the deal. It shows you how your organization can use the right content to train sales reps and deliver more value to buyers. It also gives you a perspective about the complex nature of sales enablement and what goes into determining your specific needs. In this book, I present the concepts you need to know to evaluate and improve your sales enablement system. And if you don t currently have a sales enablement system, I show you the benefits that implementing a system will provide.

8 2 Sales Enablement For Dummies, Brainshark Special Edition Icons Used in This Book Throughout this book are special icons that alert you to important information. Here s what to expect: The Tip icon highlights information that can help make doing things quicker or easier. The Remember icon calls out information that will be helpful to remember. When searching your memory bank, hopefully this information will surface. If you see this icon, beware! It alerts you to things that can be harmful to your work or yourself. Beyond the Book To learn more about Brainshark go to

9 Chapter 1 Unlocking Sales Enablement In This Chapter Following the development of sales enablement Dealing with the sales productivity problem Identifying the sales productivity gap Before technology intervened, B2B salespeople could count on the fact that they were meeting most of their prospective clients at the start of the buyer s journey. They were confident that they had the sales information that the buyer needed and could dispense it when they thought the timing was right. The salesperson was in control. The buyer relied on the salesperson to get him the information he needed to make a decision. Of course, now, this sales journey is just a distant memory. In this chapter, I look at what sales enablement is, how it evolved, and what you need to do when you re considering how to upgrade your current sales enablement system (or lack thereof). Looking at the Evolution of Sales Enablement Today s sales rep faces challenges that require a new paradigm. Enter sales enablement, an emerging discipline that has some people confused about its definition. Sales

10 4 Sales Enablement For Dummies, Brainshark Special Edition enablement is a rich area that is defined differently by different organizations. Brainshark defines sales enablement as A systematic ap proach to increasing sales productivity, by supporting reps with the content, training, and analytics they need to have more successful sales conversations. That s the definition I ll be using throughout this book. So, what caused this very real confusion about the definition of sales enablement in the marketplace? One reason is that the rise of the newly educated buyer produced a call from C level executives to make sales everyone s job. Marketing and sales departments were challenged to take action. The attempt to heed that call unleashed a barrage of initiatives from different marketing and sales silos. It resulted in actions that were neither coordinated nor designed to meet the real needs of the salespeople at whom they were aimed. This prompted Forrester s Scott Santucci to dub this type of activity, random acts of sales support in the Forrester Report Uncovering the Hidden Costs of Sales Support. Obviously, strategic changes in the sales process were sorely needed. The buyer of past sales campaigns was not the same. Salespeople today are confronted with educated buyers who Conduct more research online on vendor or analyst websites and through social networks. Ask more complex questions. Make requests for additional custom assessments, which creates a much longer sales cycle. Demand customized information about how their businesses will be affected by each solution. Make collaborative purchases that often prevent the sales rep from ever meeting the real decision makers. These problems open the door for sales enablement systems that map content and learning resources to every stage of the sales process, resulting in better conversations. As sales enablement continues to gain a foothold in sales organizations, it needs to encompass the entire end to end sales process.

11 Chapter 1: Unlocking Sales Enablement 5 You need a well developed system that helps reps acquire all the skills and resources they need. This system should provide an easy way to develop and deliver all the content required at every stage of the process. An effective sales enablement system allows salespeople to articulate the value of their product to win the sale. It covers such things as sharing best practices and developing sales training that cuts down on budget waste. Considering the Benefits of Sales Enablement When people think of sales enablement issues, they rarely think about one of the most serious consequences of a disjointed or nonexistent sales training system: the amount of money spent onboarding and training sales reps. To understand the scope of the problem, you need to look at the entire outlay recruiting, hiring, and training. If you re not using a sales enablement system to put your sales reps in the best position to succeed, you may end up wasting a great deal of time and money bringing new hires onboard. It s no wonder that when many executives look at the high cost of sales turnover, they see training as a cost rather than an investment. In addition, when training a new rep, you re looking at an investment that may not pay off for 12 to 18 months. If that rep leaves, you have to start all over again, incurring even more costs and a blow to morale. Some other benefits of a sales enablement system include the following: An acceleration of the selling cycle to win more deals faster, often referred to as sales velocity A better way to keep sales reps informed The ability for managers to effectively monitor and coach reps that are less successful

12 6 Sales Enablement For Dummies, Brainshark Special Edition A greater ability to demonstrate value to customers through the use of quality content More effective demand generation In the next section, I look at another problem that a sales enablement system can address: productivity. Solving the Sales Productivity Problem It is well known that salespeople have a great many needs from the moment they re hired. But what are the specific needs of today s rep serving the educated buyer? Brainshark wanted to find out. Recently, Brainshark conducted a survey among 416 sales professionals across industries to learn about the major problems these sales reps face. The report produced was called State of the Sales Rep: Benchmarks for the Way Reps Prepare for, Present at, and Follow Up after Sales Meetings. As I review some of the report s findings, think about how your sales enablement system measures up. If your system doesn t deliver these solutions, consider what you need to do to fix that problem. The report found the following: Sales reps unable to locate sales content. In fact, 33 percent of sales reps reported that they are always or often frustrated by their inability to find sales materials. Solution needed: A system that provides for well organized content from a central location mapped to each stage of the sales process. Sales materials that the sales reps needed did not exist. Forty three percent of reps spent more than half a day preparing for meetings because they had to create their own custom content. Solution needed: A way to quickly develop quality content that can easily be tracked to ensure usage and prospect engagement.

13 Chapter 1: Unlocking Sales Enablement 7 Sales reps needed to prepare for sales meetings in external locations. Ninety three percent said they prepared for meetings in restaurants or coffee shops; 64 percent prepared in cars. Solution needed: The ability to allow sales reps to grab any content they need any time, from the field on mobile devices. The full report has many more interesting findings. But even by viewing this small slice, you can see that sales enablement systems need to be able to meet serious productivity challenges that can t be swept under the rug. Another major issue that sales organizations have to deal with is the sales productivity gap (SPG). The SPG refers to the fact that there is always a gap between the A reps who meet their quota and the B and C reps who struggle and fail (see Figure 1-1). Figure 1-1: The sales productivity gap. According to The TAS Group, 67 percent of sales reps don t meet their quota. Here s why: Outdated methods are used to train salespeople. Training has not been revised to meet the new needs of the educated buyer. This also means that the coaching that sales reps receive will miss the mark. Reps forget what they learn. According to the Qvidian Sales IQ Series, 75 percent of what reps learn in training is forgotten within 30 days. Reps need onboarding/training materials available for just in time access.

14 8 Sales Enablement For Dummies, Brainshark Special Edition A lot of the reps time is wasted trying to find things. According to Forrester Research, 40 percent of a salesperson s time is spent searching for tools and resources. Most significantly, a majority of the salespeople who fail to meet their quotas are unable to communicate value to the decision makers who control the sale (see Chapter 5). So, what does the right sales enablement system do to solve these problems? It integrates the customer relationship management (CRM) system. Reps spend their days in their CRM system, so making all their training and resources available in one centralized location is crucial. Reps will be more likely to use these resources when they can access them from within their CRM. It makes engaging content easy to create. Video is one of the best ways to deliver engaging content. This means that creating and distributing video needs to be a key component of your system. Creating videos can be difficult if you don t have the right tools to produce and distribute them. Prospects expect content that adds value and keeps their interest, and on demand, high quality video is a perfect format for getting important messages across quickly. It makes content simple to find and access. Reps shouldn t have to waste time searching for the resources they need. Sales content should be organized in context with training requirements and sales processes. This way, salespeople always have access to the right content for the right situation. It enables you to create content that is mobile ready. Both prospects and reps use their mobile devices to access a great deal of their information. You need to ensure that everyone can find what they need anytime, anywhere. It provides content messaging in context with the sales cycle. In order to assist the rep in winning the sale, she must have access to content that addresses each phase of the sales process. She can then personalize the content without having to start from scratch, which is a waste of time and money. I cover each of these sales enablement topics in depth in this book. So, let s get started!

15 Chapter 2 Creating Your Strategy In This Chapter Determining your mission Conducting a needs assessment Getting buy in from key stakeholders Building the strategy for your sales enablement system is a complex problem. You need to pick the system that meets all your important needs. This requires a clear eyed look at what you re doing now and what s missing. But you also need to get buy in from C level executives and your sales and marketing departments. Without their buy in, you ll miss reaping the benefits of a good sales enablement system. This situation is made even more complicated by the fact that Forrester Research reports that 89 percent of sales calls provide no value to buyers the salesperson merely repeats what the buyer already knows instead of redefining the vision for the product. Now, that s a problem that needs your attention! In this chapter, I explain how to create a strategy for a sales enablement system that helps your sales force meet your corporate goals. Focusing on Your Mission New strategic initiatives often aren t met with great enthusiasm by sales and marketing organizations. They typically want to know how changing their behavior will help them in the trenches. So, to get buy in from stakeholders, you need to articulate direct value for them as you begin the process of uncovering the critical components of your strategy.

16 10 Sales Enablement For Dummies, Brainshark Special Edition A good sales enablement system will involve putting a strong onboarding/training system in place and solidifying the messaging you need to win the sale. So, how can you do this? To determine what needs to be done, you need to begin with a needs assessment, which will help you detail how sales enablement fits into your organization. In this section, I walk you through how to perform this kind of assessment, but before you start asking questions, you need to take a couple preliminary steps: Determine who should weigh in. Look at your list of stakeholders and make sure to get a representative sample. You ll want to hear from top management, as well as reps from all the functional groups that will be affected, to ensure that you get a big picture view. Determine what you need to ask to get the most effective responses. You re probably familiar with some of the problems that exist in your organization, but make sure to develop a sampling of questions that probe all facets of the sales cycle, as well as management s understanding of why they think changes are needed. Tabulate the results before deciding to pick a solution. You want your solution to meet your very specific needs. By collecting data and analyzing it, you ll be able to take actions that will solve real problems. Uncovering the critical components Let s look at some suggested questions you can ask to build your strategy and uncover the critical components. From those answers, you can also develop the messages to encourage buy in. I look at both here. Begin by asking the following: How will this system help us generate more high quality leads? An effective sales enablement system will allow you to collect data and analyze your prospects viewing habits and retention rates. What are you doing now and how is it failing you?

17 Chapter 2: Creating Your Strategy 11 Message to stakeholders: We ll be able to provide you with the leads that have the best chance of succeeding. How will this system enable us to communicate value at every stage of the sales process? An effective sales enablement system should allow you to create and deliver content in context with every stage of the sales process. Do you have that kind of content now and can it be found? Message to stakeholders: This will help reps establish trust and win the sale. What are our content needs? An effective sales enablement system will help you determine the content that succeeds. You ll be able to produce more of it to support your training and engage prospects. What kind of content creation system are you using? Does it enable you to produce the kind of videos and high quality graphics that your audiences expect? Message to stakeholders: This system will help reps become more productive. They ll be able to find the right material when they need it. You ll also have the tools you need to develop effective content. How will sales reps access the resources they need? An effective sales enablement system integrates with your company s CRM (for example, Salesforce.com). This enables you to provide content and training in a place salespeople are already familiar with, so they can find what they need quickly without having to search other systems or locations. Relevant content can also be mapped to specific leads and contacts within the CRM, so reps always know what to use in every situation. Message to stakeholders: This system will help add more value to our CRM, further enabling effective sales activities and making it a place reps want to spend more time. Who will be responsible for the sales enablement process? An effective sales enablement system needs to have designated managers who will ensure that the system is being used properly and that all standards are maintained. Do you currently have people who are directly responsible for your systems or do you assume everyone will pitch in to help?

18 12 Sales Enablement For Dummies, Brainshark Special Edition Message to stakeholders: This system will provide you with identified managers to whom you can turn if you have questions. How will we measure success? An effective sales enablement system helps you put the right metrics in place to ensure that you know which content and tactics are most effective. Message to stakeholders: This system will allow us to identify the sales approaches that really work, so we can increase productivity and improve win rates. How will this help us more effectively coach reps through the sales cycle? An effective sales enablement system will allow you to track each sales rep s success at every stage of the sales cycle so you ll know what works and what doesn t. Do you currently collect these kinds of metrics, and does it inform your coaching system? Do you even have a coaching system, or is it informal and haphazard? Message to stakeholders: This system will allow us to coach B and C reps to use the tactics and content that the A players are using to succeed. When you put a new sales enablement system in place, it may take several months to show financial results, so don t assume your efforts aren t working. Tapping into your resources When assessing what needs to go into a sales enablement system, you need to look at what internal resources you have and what you ll need to rely on from external sources. Some sales enablement systems make it easy for you to create and produce your content. Evaluate this feature when you look at available resources. Do you have subject matter experts who can develop the material needed for training and messaging? What about people who can do script writing, storyboarding, designing, and editing? In the next chapter, you look at what types of content are required to support your system and ensure that you can engage your customers.

19 Chapter 3 Discovering the Role of Content In This Chapter Defining sales enablement content Planning content that meet sales needs Tracking content for sales training and prospect engagement Savvy sales organizations know that the right content is one of the key determinates to winning the sale. This includes content for both sales training and prospect engagement. A strong sales enablement system will allow you to create engaging content in a way that is cost effective and deliver the information that buyers need to make a decision. If it doesn t, your organization will waste a great deal of time and money with very little to show for its efforts. Many organizations find themselves in this position today. They have content that is disorganized, outdated, and ineffective. Using their current systems, they re unable to identify their most valuable prospects, improve conversion rates, or provide the best content in a cost effective way. Brendan Cournoyer, Director of Content Marketing at Brainshark, says that when it comes to content, Everything you do has to have a purpose, whether it s an inbound marketing asset, sales, or demand gen. You need to have a strategic goal for that. So, what can you do to ensure that your organization gets the full benefit of your content? In this chapter, I look at the elements that go into creating effective sales enablement content.

20 14 Sales Enablement For Dummies, Brainshark Special Edition Describing a Sales Enablement Content System In its most basic form, sales enablement content is any material that allows the sales organization to win the deal. This encompasses a huge amount of material. A content program for sales enablement has many moving parts and is used by all customer facing employees. Marketing content has continued to grow in importance. Brainshark found that 25 percent of the sales and marketing budgets of American companies is spent on content production and distribution. This significant outlay is usually rife with inefficient and wasteful activities. A sales enablement system allows you to gain an understanding of how the money is being spent and how it can be made more efficient. In this section, I fill you in on the types of content required, what makes great content, and the key components of a sales enablement content system. Defining sales enablement content According to Forrester Research and the American Marketing Association, the following types of content are required: Onboarding: Product training, sales methodology training, CRM/system training, sales skills, corporate policies, compliance procedures Continuous training: Sales skills, new product introductions, regulatory updates Lead gen: Events and webinars, whitepapers, on demand videos, podcasts, tips and how to s, e books, online surveys Sales communications: Prospecting resources, PowerPoint slide decks, product demos, templates Closed deals and follow up: Customer testimonials, additional product info, proposal documents

21 Chapter 3: Discovering the Role of Content 15 Even if you think you have most of this content, can you easily locate it? Do you know if it s up to date or of any real value? Sorting all that out is a monumental task. The hallmark of an effective sales enablement system is its ability to organize and deliver the most up to date content every time. When you have the right content in place, you may still face a few issues that prevent your employees from utilizing it. For example, there may be no clear strategic direction. There must be a strategy for content development in place and known to everyone. Another well known problem is that sales and marketing departments don t always collaborate well. Clear communication between sales and marketing is essential to ensure that the content being created is truly valuable for sales. A good sales enablement system simplifies that communication. Examining the attributes of great content Now that you ve seen what content formats need to be created, let s see what makes content great. An effective sales enablement system allows anyone who perceives a need to create content. However, not everyone who wants to create content can successfully develop something that is useful to others. To create either training or prospect materials that are valuable and shareable, reps need to be able to use the tools available to them to develop high quality material. Subject matter experts are available in most companies, but customer facing employees should also be able to personalize the content they need for an immediate situation. When creating content for prospects, remember that all content begins and ends with the buyer. You need to know who the buyers are, their needs, their industry, and what will help them make a buying decision. This is done by creating what is called a persona (the profile of a segmented group of your

22 16 Sales Enablement For Dummies, Brainshark Special Edition customers). If you take the time to create these profiles, you can target your content more effectively. You can map your content to the sales cycle or buyer s journey that a persona may go through. This helps your reps have better, more relevant sales conversations. An effective sales enablement system helps you create these personas by giving you the data you need to learn about who your customers are and what they want. Here are some of the attributes of great content: It should tell a story that can be identified with your brand and customer successes. People love stories. They re interested in engaging with them and can remember them. Knowing this should encourage you to build stories about your company and its products. It should tell their story, not yours. Customers don t care about you they care about their own problems and challenges. Don t bore them with a bunch of marketing speak; me first sales and marketing content is too easily ignored. Make the buyer the star of your content. Tell their story and show that you understand the challenges they face and how to solve them. In this way, you re not selling a product; you re selling a solution to a problem. It needs to be simple, engaging, and to the point. Because people are reading large amounts of text on the web, they ve become accustomed to quickly skimming vertically as well as horizontally before reading. Then they look at bullets and headings. Text that s dense and long that doesn t use these devices is not often read. Short videos and infographics can help bring a more visual element to dense or boring text. For example, Brainshark makes it easy to take existing documents like PowerPoint presentations or PDFs and transform them into simple, voice enriched video presentations. It must be interactive. Content can keep the reader engaged by using such interactive devices as polls, fill inthe blank tests, multiple choice, true or false questions, and links to external content for further learning. It should be easy to update. One of the worst things you can do is allow your materials to become outdated.

23 Chapter 3: Discovering the Role of Content 17 Content must be tagged so that it can be refreshed when needed. This includes things like product overviews and sales messaging. It has to be mobile ready. All content for both sales training and customer engagement needs to be centrally located and available to be read on mobile devices. Identifying the key components of a sales enablement content system Here are some of the major components that must be included in a sales enablement content system: Content creation: There needs to be a system in place to quickly create content in engaging formats such as video. There should be a clear understanding of who the subject matter experts are and how to reach them. In addition, there has to be a way for others in the company to easily create new content when needed. Messaging for customers: Content needs to be created that is mapped in context with the sales cycle. As messages change, you need a way to update material with new messages so that reps can grab them on a just in time basis. Distribution of content within the CRM: Every employee who plays a customer facing role must have access to the most up to date information. That means there needs to be a central repository where all the content can be found, also known as sales asset management (SAM). A major complaint of sales reps is that they spend too much time hunting for the content they need. Your content system needs to solve that problem in a place reps already work. Tracking for training and customers: There are two tracking components to a sales enablement content system: Tracking to enable managers to know what training sales reps are consuming Tracking the specific content reps are using and potential customers are downloading and watching

24 18 Sales Enablement For Dummies, Brainshark Special Edition Automated analytics is key to knowing what resonates with prospects and which assets your sales teams find most valuable. Mobile tools for sales and prospects: All content must be mobile ready so that everyone prospect and rep alike can access it when they need it. Editorial oversight: Someone must be responsible for determining what content needs to be created and on what schedule. This will ensure that both sales training and customer materials are available and the right content is being developed. Governance for all sales materials: You need clear standards by which content can be judged, developed, and updated. If reps can t determine what sales materials are usable, they ll create their own, which is unproductive and devalues your content assets. In addition, onboarding and training materials must meet the same standards and come under the same scrutiny. As you can see, content creation and distribution is a complex undertaking. Without the right sales enablement system in place, companies find themselves struggling to meet their needs, wasting both time and money. Planning and Creating Your Content Imagine the pace at which content is needed for a sales enablement system. Communications are happening in real time and require an immediate response. In addition, regularly scheduled content is also being created or revised. Everything is moving at lightning speed with the expectation that it will be accurate and up to date. The importance of content planning cannot be overestimated so that these very crucial needs are met. A recent report jointly issued by the Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs found that marketers with a documented content strategy are far more likely to consider themselves effective at content marketing. So, what goes into your plan? Let s look at how to approach it.

25 Chapter 3: Discovering the Role of Content 19 Developing your content plan When you re evaluating your content, you need to look at what already exists by doing a content audit. The person responsible for the effort will need to set out different repositories for the information that is used for training and the information that is used for prospect engagement. With regard to your content, a research brief from SiriusDecisions called Sales Enablement and Content Operations: Building the Relationship states that you should Ensure that content assets are aligned to selling stages, personas, products and market segments, and retire content that never gets used. The content audit will tell you what you already have and let you see what s missing. In addition to determining the content topics for training and prospect engagement, you ll also need to know the format of the content and how recently it was updated. Next, you ll need to produce a regular schedule for developing the content that needs to be created for onboarding and training and a schedule for developing your prospect content. This is particularly important for the social selling aspects of the plan. You want to have regularly scheduled content that goes out on social media platforms. You also need prepackaged messages to be used by reps to send to prospects. One of the great benefits of a content schedule is that it keeps everyone apprised of what s available and what s coming. Instead of creating something on their own, customer facing employees can see that content they need is being created. As I note throughout this book, you want to map your content to the sales process (stage of the buying cycle, persona, use case, and so on) so that your reps can easily find the right resource for the right situation and be more productive. Producing your content Making it easy to produce content is a key focus of any good sales enablement system. You need a system that identifies the workflow process and makes it transparent to everyone.

26 20 Sales Enablement For Dummies, Brainshark Special Edition As you look at your staff, you may have a few employees who are capable of producing content, but if you don t identify all the subject matter experts, writers, designers, and producers who need to be involved, you re risking a less than productive system. The tools also play a huge role. The right tools create content that is easy to produce and looks professional. In addition, you want to ensure that the content you already have is identified to be repurposed. If you already have usable content, you should just repurpose it. Video content has been steadily growing in popularity. You want to be sure that your sales enablement system allows for the easy production of engaging video content. According to a report by Invodo called Video Statistics: The Marketer s Summary 2014, 52 percent of marketers around the world cited video as content with the best return on investment (ROI). Integrating with your CRM Integrating your content with your CRM system is crucial. You need to make it easy for your rep to stay in her daily environment and see things such as The training that is available to her The training she has completed and what she needs to do next The ability to identify subject matter experts she can consult for answers The ability to find the most appropriate content to prepare for meetings and share with prospects The sales materials that her current prospects and customers are consuming Do your current systems work together as seamlessly as this? If not, you need to look at ways to integrate your CRM with your sales content.

27 Chapter 4 Delving into Onboarding and Training In This Chapter Implementing formal and informal training Looking at blended learning Adding CRM integration Most organizations agree that training their sales reps is essential to meeting revenue goals. The question becomes what kind of training and under what circumstances? Clearly the answer depends on the challenges and goals facing your organization. In this chapter, I introduce you to the types of sales enablement training you should consider and the benefits of using a blended approach to onboard and train your sales force. Using Formal and Informal Training When evaluating your own training systems, you need to determine how well you re currently meeting the needs of your salespeople. Onboarding and training systems must deliver a cohesive approach to group learning and meet the individual needs of each salesperson. For this reason, both formal and informal learning is recommended. To understand why, let s look at the characteristics of each type.

28 22 Sales Enablement For Dummies, Brainshark Special Edition Looking at formal learning Formal learning provides a sales rep with a set curriculum with predefined lessons. These lessons are often presented in a classroomlike setting during new hire onboarding but can also be delivered on demand. Here are the characteristics of formal learning: Formal training is created by subject matter experts and instructional designers. The process can be a long one and may be delivered from within a learning management system (LMS). The content may include such things as lectures, required reading, and tests. The sales rep is usually expected to complete the training in a designated amount of time. Formal learning can be on demand for individuals, but is also often conducted in a group setting at a specific time. This requires reps to be at a designated place at a specific time, preventing them from consuming the information at their convenience. This type of training allows you to exercise control over the curriculum and how and when it s delivered. It provides a structured learning environment where training is delivered via planned programs and course criteria. Utilizing informal learning Informal learning is not as tightly structured as formal learning, and it doesn t necessarily prescribe how and where it will be consumed. This is typically the ideal format for continuous learning and preparation after a rep has been onboarded. Here are the characteristics of informal learning: If you re using an efficient sales enablement system, informal training can be created quickly by anyone in the organization who discovers a need. This usually means that there will be more content created to serve a variety of different needs.

29 Chapter 4: Delving into Onboarding and Training 23 The content can include a variety of formats video presentations, polls, hyperlinks, and other learning materials that suit a specific, immediate need. Informal training can be conducted in a group setting (for example, a meeting to role play and exchange tactics), but it s more often conducted individually. The strongest value of informal training to the organization is the fact that it s flexible and can be consumed any time on mobile devices out in the field by individual sales reps. This type of training allows sales reps to access it whenever they have time, making it more accessible. It can be viewed when needed instead of on a rigid schedule. It can be segmented and used to suit the sales reps immediate needs. It can also be shared via internal social platforms (like Salesforce Chatter) so reps can share and comment on learning content they ve found most valuable. Adopting a Blended Learning Approach In the previous section, I explain the distinction between formal and informal learning. In this section, I show you how technology enables us to enjoy the best of both worlds by using what is known as blended learning. Blended learning combines the energy of live training sessions with the convenience and practicality of on demand e learning. A blended approach reduces the challenges of live training. These challenges include scheduling conflicts, travel costs, the need to give the same live training repeatedly to new hires, and live, lengthy training sessions that cut into selling time. A blended approach has several benefits: Reps can supplement their live training with a refresher about things they ve forgotten. You can accommodate the learning styles and attention spans of each rep.

30 24 Sales Enablement For Dummies, Brainshark Special Edition Reps can maximize their time by reviewing learning content at their convenience without having to stop for live scheduled training that cuts into their productivity and work flow. Managers maximize their time by not having to conduct frequent, long, face to face meetings in order to ensure that everyone is trained. You don t ever want to do away with live training completely, but supplementing with on demand learning when it makes sense has a lot of value. So, what does a blended approach look like? It s an approach that allows sales reps to Attend classroom style meetings that deliver a formal curriculum while they use self paced e learning modules to supplement live meetings. Attend live training sessions that incorporate such tactics as role playing and sharing of best practices through face to face or in person interactions. Get sales coaching sessions from their manager on skills development or find answers to questions directly from on demand e learning materials. Receive timely updates with the current messaging via or on demand portal or receive product release information delivered during live meetings. Supplement their live training with on demand learning that they can view at their convenience. The freedom that a blended learning approach provides makes it better than just using live or on demand training alone. Deploying Just in Time Training and Reinforcement The concept of just in time (JIT) training is not a new one. It originated at Toyota in the 1970s. Taiichi Ohno, then president of Toyota, devised a system to produce and deliver exactly what was needed, when it was needed. This cut down

31 Chapter 4: Delving into Onboarding and Training 25 on both costs and corporate waste. The concept gained popularity among business executives who saw the value of producing only the inventory that would be consumed in a specific timeframe. The development of mobile technology like ipads and smartphones has revived the interest in JIT training and made it a powerful tool for sales enablement. JIT training allows salespeople to learn and prepare at their own pace in conjunction with their schedules. It allows reps to focus on a specific problem they re having and solve it. The right learning materials are ready where and when they need it. A rep can sit in his car outside a client s office and grab the content he needs to deliver an up to date and relevant presentation. Claire Schooley cites JIT training as an important factor in employee development. In her 2014 Forrester Report called Create a Learning Culture to Jumpstart Employee Development, she writes, Employees must have access to knowledge at the moment of need. JIT training is best when it delivers simple, quick content in the form of a video or other interactive format that shortens learning time. JIT training is now viewed as a critical component of sales enablement systems and should be a part of any training program you deliver. Integrating with Your CRM System Another critical aspect of sales enablement is providing integration with your internal customer relationship management (CRM) system, or what some refer to as sales force automation (SFA). Most salespeople live in their CRM systems. Some may even log in and stay there throughout the day. This means they have one place where they get all their leads and customer information. From their CRM, they send their s, manage their to do lists, and more.

32 26 Sales Enablement For Dummies, Brainshark Special Edition So, what are some of the training benefits your company gets from using a sales enablement system that integrates with your CRM? CRM integration allows you to Save time and increase productivity. Reps don t have to log into a separate LMS to get their formal training or JIT materials. Maintain oversight. Managers can use the CRM to monitor the progress of new reps by seeing what courses they ve taken and when. Organize sales training in an effective way. It ensures that informal and JIT learning content is mapped to your sales process and will easily be found when needed. Produce detailed analytics. Trainers and managers have a single dashboard to monitor progress and determine learning content effectiveness. Brainshark delivers formal e learning courses and curriculums right from within Salesforce.com. New reps can access formal training as soon as they get their Salesforce login, while informal JIT training can be mapped to leads, contacts, and opportunities inside the CRM. Asking the Right Training Questions At this point, you re ready to look more closely at the training needs of your specific organization. Here are some questions to ask yourself: Are salespeople wasting too much time in formal training sessions? Are training sessions delivering the right value? Can reps get updated content from anywhere, anytime? Is everyone in your company with expertise able to create content easily? Do you need to frequently update your content?

33 Chapter 4: Delving into Onboarding and Training 27 Do you have a content system that makes it easy to deliver everything a sales rep needs at every stage of the buyer s journey? Are you clear about what actually needs to be tracked? How much control do you need when tracking your reps training activities? Do you know who needs to receive reports and how often? Spend some time thinking about and answering these questions, and you ll get a clearer look at your onboarding/ training needs.

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35 Chapter 5 Extending Prospect Engagement In This Chapter Understanding your reps challenges Demonstrating value at each stage of the sales process Harnessing the power of mobile The age old question of how to get your prospects attention and keep it has been further complicated by the overwhelming availability of information online. Your customers expect to be able to find solution information before they ever think of contacting you. In addition, your competitors are working very hard to grab your customers attention and hold it. They want to create a vision for the customer that ensures that your solution is never the right choice. If they have a good sales enablement system, they can reach the customer through a variety of channels and great looking sales materials that broadcast their message. So, what should you do to compete and win? In this chapter, I look at the issue of prospect engagement and how a sales enablement system helps you up your game.

36 30 Sales Enablement For Dummies, Brainshark Special Edition Identifying Rep Challenges and Pain Points As we all know, it s no longer possible to drop a packet of sales brochures in the mail and expect to schedule a meeting with your targeted prospect. In fact, when you look at what s required today, it s hard to believe that such a process ever succeeded. Selling has become an increasingly more complex endeavor. According to Brainshark s report called State of the Sales Rep: Benchmarks for the Way Reps Prepare for, Present at, and Follow Up after Sales Meetings, the top three ways sales reps follow up with their prospects is by (92 percent), by phone (70 percent), and via sales/marketing collateral (37 percent). However, we know that these methods are not always successful. We know this because sales reps report that their top three follow up challenges are Reaching their prospects after the meeting (55 percent) Knowing who else is influencing purchasing decisions (49 percent) Dealing with a contact who is not a key decision maker in the organization (38 percent) So, what does a sales enablement system do to eliminate the kinds of pain points and challenges a rep faces when engaging with prospects? It provides the content and supports delivery of value to the prospect at every stage of the buyer s journey so that trust is developed and a solid relationship is built. When that happens, the rep has access to the real decision makers who can influence the sale. It extends the conversation beyond the live meetings and phone calls to virtual interactions. It also creates a clear picture of the prospects interests and needs, while providing visibility into the sales process for management.