Brandon Hall Group’s Latest eBook Asks Us to Reimagine Sales Enablement
Sales enablement has undergone a significant transformation over the years.
Revenue leaders have learned that maximizing revenue requires more than sales training for individual employees. Many are taking a more holistic, revenue enablement approach: providing training, just-in-time resources, coaching, and other development and upskilling opportunities to every customer-facing individual in their organizations – from CX teams, to vendors and partner re-sellers, to marketing specialists and account executives.
A recent eBook from Brandon Hall Group™ – “Rev Up Revenue: Reimagining Sales Enablement Through Breakthrough Results” – explores this transformation and offers insightful strategies for driving revenue growth.
This eBook is the product of a virtual roundtable featuring industry experts discussing the evolution of sales training and revenue enablement. In this article, we’ll summarize the key themes and takeaways from this eBook, and we’ll also explore some of the suggested revenue enablement strategies included therein.
Understanding the evolution of sales enablement
To unlock the full potential of their sales organizations, Brandon Hall Group™ argues that revenue leaders need to rethink their approach to enablement.
The eBook begins with a visualization of the wider shift from sales training to sales enablement, and now to revenue enablement. This evolution, according to the authors, is driven by the need for coordinated, customer-centric efforts from departments that shape the buying journey – not just sales teams, but marketing, customer success, and external partners as well.
Successful revenue generation now hinges on aligning these teams to optimize the entire customer journey from initial awareness to post-sale support.
Fighting “the forgetting curve” with continuous onboarding
Fostering culture of continuous learning is essential for effective enablement. To begin building this kind of learning-focused culture, value must be placed on continuous development and adaptability. This starts with senior leaders championing learning as a priority, allocating resources and removing barriers to L&D, to ensure the entire organization is on board.
Communicating your L&D vision is key for cultivating a learning-focused workplace culture and the authors recommend doing so by clearly articulating the value of continuous learning and enablement to key stakeholders, to ensure top-down support of training initiatives. Leading by example is another way that the authors recommend reinforcing the importance of continuous learning within your organization. Senior leaders should look for ways to model desired behaviors and mindsets, and opportunities to illustrate the importance of learning to employees throughout their organizations.
Continuous sales onboarding is another critical component for creating a continuous learning culture, and panelists argue that regular reinforcement and practice can help combat the natural decay of knowledge over time. While effective onboarding translates to quicker productivity and a significant return on investment, it also empowers sales representatives with the knowledge and confidence they need to adapt to market changes. The eBook also advocates for recognizing and rewarding those who embrace continuous learning.
Leveraging the potential of AI in sales enablement
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing sales enablement by processing vast amounts of data, identifying patterns, and providing actionable insights. AI can automate repetitive tasks, personalize learning experiences, and enhance decision-making. However, it should complement human expertise rather than replace it. Organizations that successfully integrate AI into their training and enablement strategies can optimize their sales processes and boost revenue.
However, the authors of this eBook advocate for defining your AI use cases before rolling out AI solutions more broadly. Start by identifying specific problems your organization needs to solve, before choosing AI as the solution.
Strategies for better revenue enablement
Most sales leaders know that leveraging data and analytics tools can take training to the next level. The same is true for revenue enablement.
With insights from their LMS, CRM, or marketing platforms – as well as qualitative data, like customer feedback – sales and learning leaders make informed revenue enablement decisions that can yield positive business outcomes.
The eBook also points out that data-driven enablement can break down silos within an organization and can lead to more personalized and effective customer interactions. Likewise, collecting data can help revenue leaders iterate and optimize their enablement programs by giving them the information they need to regularly assess and refine their initiatives based on sales performance and other metrics.
The core message of the eBook and the panel discussion it explores, is the need for revenue leaders to adopt a more holistic, data-driven approach to enablement. By fostering a culture of continuous learning, leveraging AI, and ensuring cross-functional alignment, organizations can drive significant revenue growth and stay ahead in a rapidly changing business environment.
This eBook is a valuable resource for any company looking to enhance its sales enablement strategies and achieve breakthrough results. Access the eBook today.
