Nowadays, 75% of B2B buyers want a sales-free experience[1] – but if you can’t sell to them, how can you sell to them? There is less and less space for traditional sales techniques in modern buying journeys. Instead, buyers want a holistic and independent journey, which is where an inclusive approach to sales and marketing alignment comes in. So, what does this mean?

Everyone is a company expert

A successful sales enablement strategy requires shared ownership from every employee – yep, from the top down. The buyer’s journey starts far before they speak with your sales team, and it’s largely down to marketing to ensure your brand is visible, and distinct from your competitors, at each touchpoint your buyer goes through. From paid campaigns on social media to attending the same event, your brand should be everywhere your buyer goes to seek insight/information.

In most cases, brands will use these touchpoints to position their brand as an expert in their industry – so the next logical step is to ensure every employee is an expert in your business. Creating a workforce that truly believes in your brand and product, and can freely talk about it, is an invaluable tool to attract new business and new talent. Your employees’ social media activity can increase a company’s reach by 561%[2].

It’s a movement, not a project

With the amount of collaboration and inter-departmental work that’s required to achieve success in modern sales enablement, it’s not something that can be started as a project. It needs to be a movement that starts at the top, is pushed forward by the C-suite and fully embraced by the whole business. Those at the top can create a culture where every employee understands their role in the collective achievement of winning new business. This mindset is a proven strategy: companies that provide optimal sales coaching realise 17% greater revenue growth annually.[3]

When the C-suite involves every member of the business in the sales enablement process, it encourages employees’ growth and development, helping them feel valued and encouraged to enhance their skills in sales, marketing, business advocacy and more.

The perfect formula: inter-department collaboration

Alignment of vision and objectives become the natural (and great) consequence of C-suite sales enablement, because they play a pivotal role in forming your company’s values and long-term goals. By advocating for sales enablement, they can lead by example and encourage the whole business to come together in defining audiences, refining strategies and sharing knowledge.

Frontline sales teams are often the first to notice changing trends or customer preferences, and the key is to feed these valuable insights to other departments like marketing, product development and customer support. The B2B landscape is never stagnant, so businesses that can keep up with its ever-evolving nature will ultimately succeed in understanding what buyers want, when they want it – even if the sentiment changes year on year. 

 

 

 

For more insight on the latest trends in sales enablement, take a look at our new infographic.

 

 

 

 

 

At ReallyB2B, we are the go-to B2B marketing experts. By blending emotional understanding and extensive expertise, we’ve not only supported and empowered global brands to accelerate their business growth, but we’ve also retained their partnerships thanks to our award-winning capabilities in strategy & research, content & creative, and data & delivery.

[1] What is Sales Enablement? The Ultimate Guide for 2023 & Beyond (gartner.com)

[2] Your Employees Are Your Best Brand Advocates (forbes.com)

[3] https://www.meetrecord.com/blog/5-reasons-why-sales-coaching-is-important-in-2023