Automated sales enablement programs cannot move with any energy; cannot be versatile or flexible; cannot meet their ROI objectives, and generally, grind to a faltering halt unless the fundamental aspect of “engagement” is at the forefront of all their strategies. Engagement itself is a far-reaching concept that at least embraces two key players in the sales enablement scenario: the customer on the one hand, and customer-interfacing professionals on the other.
Engagement is somewhat different, depending on which side of the coin you are looking at:
From the modern seller’s viewpoint
It’s the fuel that empowers the modern seller; it quickly onboards reps with lasting endurance, and it drives a more efficient and effective sales team.
From the modern B2B buyer’s viewpoint
Engagement is synonymous with his or her desired ability to buy smarter and faster. It epitomizes being sold to the way he or she likes to buy.
Interestingly, engaging buyers is to all intents and purposes unachievable unless the sales team is engaged in the process in the first place. It can’t be emphasized enough: engagement at every level, from every side – front, center, and back – is an essential ingredient if a favorable buying decision is to result.
This brings us to the crux of the matter: on the hierarchy of decisions in the sales enablement process the most crucial ones are the buying decisions, and needless to say, only the buyers make them. This means that all the way through the selling process, at every customer interface, whether directly or indirectly through other media, the rep has to ensure that the customer sees value in the proposition. This may seem simple but it’s not: value is dependent on relevancy, and relevancy, in turn, is dependent on picking one’s moments – delivering the right message at the right time (more often than not timing is everything). How many times is a sale lost because a compelling sell point is thrown into the conversation too early (to be appreciated) or too late (after every competitor has mentioned it) or through an inappropriate medium (that has little customer traction)?
After a negative sales enablement outcome, the question most asked is “Who or what lost the sale?” The answer may be any number of things but it’s our experience that that they all converge on one standout conclusion – Lack of Engagement. For example: tardy responses to customer questions (failure to deliver value fast); a humdrum presentation (inability to deliver a differentiated buyer experience); accessing pertinent information was too complicated for reps and/or customers (the communication media were either not intuitive, easy to navigate, or both); solution content lacked verification (ignoring the need to concentrate on data-driven recommendations); providing content that looks generic (ignorance of on-brand content that’s pedantically personalized); barging into sensitive issues too quickly (failure to build trust first), or provided solutions don’t connect clearly to customer profitability (bypassing ROI and revenue impact), etc., Making the sale treads a very thin line commonly referred to as the customer’s buying path, and even small missteps can make the difference between closing the deal or dealing with disappointment. The glue that integrates and keeps everything on track is engagement from end-to-end.
Pitcher understands that sales enablement, to be engaging, stands in its own space while drawing in sales, marketing, and customer service. As an expert advisor in constructing omnichannel solutions, Pitcher puts priority focus on customer preferences, most specifically on the way content is delivered, when it’s delivered, and what it contains. As a groundbreaking participant in the industry, Pitcher ensures that its clients constantly analyze planned actions from the customer’s perspective and that stakeholders, the entire customer-facing team, and all entities connected to the latter are on the same page. In short, they ensure that the sales enablement process engages and never stops engaging by delivering value where relevant in a differentiated way throughout the sales process. “Who or what lost the sale” is the one analysis Pitcher aims to eliminate from a client’s agenda forever.