In 2021, it’s more important than ever to equip sales reps with the content, guidance and training they need to effectively close deals. “Sales Enablement” is a broad category of software platforms designed to save salespeople time and help them close more deals. In its most specific definition, it usually covers software platforms that:

· automate sales activities

· set out sales sequences that involve both automated and manual actions

· enhance functionality from the CRM and lead management software

· connect sales reps with relevant content & data for each buyer

Sales Enablement platforms have capabilities of sharing and editing content, presentations, recording information to CRM, video and message chat, creating leads and contacts in CRM, microlearning, reporting, and more.

Additionally, some platforms under the “Sales Enablement” banner are essentially sales content databases that recommend or offer up relevant content (case studies, reports, etc.) to help close prospects.

Where does Sales Enablement Automation fit in the Marketing/Sales tech stack?

Sales Enablement Automation is a tool for both Sales and Marketing, and it fits somewhere between Marketing Automation and CRM. Because of the name — Sales Enablement Automation — it’s easiest to think about Sales Enablement in comparison to Marketing Automation. The goal of Marketing Automation platforms is to facilitate the communication between Marketing teams and many potential and existing customers, through landing pages, emails, forms, and more. On the other hand, the goal of a Sales Enablement Automation platform is to facilitate the communication between the Marketing and Sales teams, and between Sales and prospects, to make sure that buyers are engaged at the right time and place, and with the right assets, to provide a world class experience along the customer’s journey.

Two key distinctions between Marketing Automation and Sales Enablement Automation are who is sharing the content, and to how many people. For those who use Marketing Automation tools to generate leads, scoring and passing leads to sales for further interaction typically means losing all lead visibility. And the passing-over process isn’t smooth either: reps usually don’t fully know what content their leads have already been provided, information they’ve consumed or website pages they’ve visited. Lead engagement is poorly tracked and regulated by sales reps, either in the CRM or, more often than not, not tracked at all. Lack of marketing visibility means sales reps aren’t armed with the collateral needed to have a relevant conversation with a specific buyer. This disconnect is ultimately a dead-end for marketing content ROI; if you can’t see how leads that turn into customers are interacting with your marketing content, it’s impossible to measure how content is contributing to won deals.

Poor lead visibility is a double-edged sword, keeping both Sales and Marketing from success. This is where Sales Enablement comes in. A Sales Enablement tool should not only ensure that sales reps have the right content right when they need it, but it should help marketers understand what content is successfully supporting sales conversations. When Marketing is able to further support sales reps with the right content and insights in the customer-led buying process, sales interactions are more meaningful and relevant for buyers. Connecting Marketing Automation and Sales Enablement paints a more holistic lead view, so successful content, interactions and processes can be repeated for similar leads in the future. For example, the materials distributed to prospects via scheduled social posts, email blasts, and other types of Marketing Automation can also be turned into onboarding and training tools for Sales reps. These types of content will help push leads through to the final stages of the buying process, leading to increased alignment and visibility.

The success of your organization depends on the optimal alignment of Sales Enablement and Content Marketing. This involves making the most of everything these disciplines are, avoiding practices that try to turn them into something they are not, and using tools like enablement software to bridge the gaps between the two processes. Bonus points if the Sales Enablement solution also integrates with the CRM, so reps can access lead-specific content right from the opportunity and automatically track content usage. This will lead to less time spent searching for content, shortened sales cycles and higher win rates, not to mention better Sales and Marketing alignment.

Each team needs to be aligned at each point in the customer journey. Sales Enablement tools make it possible for this synergy to exist.

Knowing where your leads are and what they do after leaving Marketing’s hands can be the perfect push towards Sales and Marketing success. With Sales Enablement Automation, Marketing gets unprecedented insight into what content they’re creating is being used by Sales, and what content is progressing deals forward.