“Always be closing.” This line from Glengarry Glen Ross is seared into the minds of salespeople all over the world, and given the global, 24/7 nature of sales today, it means more than it did when Alec Baldwin performed the classic scene. So how can a sales professional keep up on everything they must know while also staying one step ahead of their competitors? Enter in sales enablement and artificial intelligence.
So, what is sales enablement?
Sales enablement is the process of providing a sales organization with the:
- information
- content
- tools that help sales people sell more effectively
The foundation of sales enablement is simple: Give salespeople what they need to successfully engage the buyer throughout the entire buying process. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been lauded as the magic bullet to do just that.
However, the increasing use of AI to facilitate sales decisions along the buying journey has led to several unintended consequences, as the technology has progressed. Greater automation has led to the creation of more manual processes, not less.
In some cases, training of sales representatives in customer relationship management systems has been haphazard, leading to missed opportunities, an inefficient pipeline, demotivated staff, and subsequently high turnover. These are all challenges to overcome for the current crop of sales organizations as they look to compete in the future.
There is no such thing as a standard sales representative; they all vary in maturity, experience, types of sales portfolios, and approaches to selling.
For true sales enablement, the way to level up is to ensure training is highly focused on the individual needs of performers. The aim is to turn the average sales guy into a unicorn sales professional, capable of making intelligent decisions using machine learning software, and rolling through the buying journey with ease.
No more garbage in, garbage out
It is imperative that CRM data models be fit for purpose (sleek, simple, strategic) if the traditional process is to be transformed into an exceptional experience for the sales representative, and subsequently the customer.
Georg Kreimer, Head of SAP Customer Experience Labs is a data evangelist. He says, “With all the data we are able to capture about the sales process, there are interesting things we can do with AI … We want to employ a multi-faceted approach – very strong systems that will help the sales person use the right information at the right time, so they can work the sale efficiently.”
For high-performing sales professionals, it is this need to be strategic when using automated processes, yet ability to respond flexibly to challenges that make the difference between a mediocre sales experience and an outsize one.
Keep it human and keep them engaged with sales enablement
There will always be a need to keep a human professional engaged in the buying journey. True automation for a fantastic customer experience may not be possible, or even desired.
Sales enablement in the future should be about fixing a poor sales experience, capitalizing on missed opportunities, and retaining an engaged, motivated, and dedicated sales workforce. Cochrane recognizes that good salespeople naturally understand the rhythm and cadence to progress an opportunity and convert it to a sale.
Kevin says, “They are the ones who are excellent communicators, able to know when to push, when to send that text message, when to pull back, and when to go in for the kill. They have the zeitgeist of how to touch, when to touch, and how to close.”
Kreimer agrees, arguing that we need to consider the data not only in the amount that we collect, but also in how we categorize the data, and the intention and purpose behind data collection.
For example, interactions with customers will include transactional information, which is important, but more importantly as predictive learning takes hold in the marketplace, the emotions associated with touchpoints will become increasingly important to consider.
This means that with the inclusion of AI-driven CRM’s, successful sales enablement of the future will always require the human touch.
