The Sales Enabler - Jeff Ernst - Sales Enablement Best Practices

You know you've been in sales too long when...

This week's Twitter Test...complete this sentence:

You know you've been in sales too long when ____________________.

Put your completions in a comment to this post, and suggest other "You knows" we should put out there.

Shouldn't we call it "Buying 2.0"?

I'll admit it, I've finally bought into "Sales 2.0".  I wrote earlier this week about how the "Sales 2.0" term is still not used or recognized by sales leaders, and it won't be until the definition of Sales 2.0 better reflects the new dynamics of the buying cycle.  But after attending the Sales 2.0 Conference in Boston this week, I think the definition is much closer to being there than it was when I first got exposed to it three years ago.

The best evidence of this was when hosts Gerhard Gschwandtner and David Thompson were giving the opening remarks, and one of them asked "Shouldn't we call it Buying 2.0".  (You had me at "Buying".)  David flashed a definition on the screen:

Sales 2.0 combines customer-focused processes with Web 2.0 productivity technologies to enhance the art and science of selling while creating customer value. 

Eric Berridge, co-founder of Bluewolf made a great point that the balance of information (between buyer and seller) hasn't changed...rather the buyer's information has gone up AND the seller's information has gone up.  The key is making sure the sellers have the right information at the right time for the current opportunity.

The elephant in the room: recession, fear, layoffs. 

The advice: Go on the offensive. 

I'm seeing that too many sales and marketing leaders are putting their heads down and adopting a "do nothing" strategy, thinking that this is the safe strategy.  Do you think if you go unnoticed, you won't get fired?  That's a sure way to miss your number.

I'm taking the opposite approach.  I'm talking with more than one of the "Sales 2.0" tool providers that I think can help me build pipeline this year.  As a VP of Marketing, if I take a "do nothing" strategy, I will not survive.

"Sales 2.0" term still not used or recognized by sales leaders

The Sales 2.0 Conference is coming up this week in Boston, and as a sponsor, I've been inviting my customers to attend the event.  What I've learned in talking with VPs of Sales and Marketing at my customer sites is that they aren't familiar with the "Sales 2.0" term.  It seems to only be used by vendors and authors, not practitioners.

This was validated at the SiriusDecisions Summit last week when a speaker asked a room full of sales and marketing folks "Who's heard of the term Sales 2.0?"  About 25% of the hands went up, almost entirely vendors.

My take on the reason for this is that the definitions of Sales 2.0 that the vendors are bandying about are too focused on the usage of Web 2.0 tools by sales reps...namely social networks, blogs, wikis, etc.  I've got a very different definition of Sales 2.0, and it starts with the buyer...

Because of all of the social media resources available to buyers today on the web, power has shifted from sellers to buyers.  No one can deny that buyers today are much better educated about a seller's offerings long before they talk with a sales rep. 

Sales 2.0 is all about how the changing buying process requires changes in how companies sell.  Buyers get frustrated if sales people are giving them the same general information they already have.  They are demanding that sellers add much more value, by giving them information that's tailored to their unique needs, at the exact time they need it. 

Once we stop talking about Sales 2.0 as Web 2.0 tools for sales reps, and start recognizing it as a fundamentally different way to sell, it will become more relevant to and recognized by sales and marketing practitioners.

In a Sales 2.0 world, sales reps need to be better prepared than ever.  What are you doing to prepare your reps?

The New Rules of Sales Enablement - ebook

I'm launching my new ebook today, entitled:

The New Rules of Sales Enablement: How to Stop Sabotaging Your Sales Team and Start Empowering Them for Success

In this ebook, I explain why the traditional things people do to enable sales are just plain broken, and often cause more harm than good.   The book challenges you to think about sales enablement in a new way, and shares a more effective approach that I’ve learned by trial and error during my 20 years of supporting sales teams.

You can download it by clicking on the image of the ebook over there in the right column.  Here's a snapshot of the rules.

Old Rule:
Sales enablement is about putting the sales and marketing collateral rack online.

NEW RULE:
Sales enablement is about ensuring salespeople are able to have valuable conversations that help buyers advance through their buying process.

Old Rule:
The folks in corporate know best what salespeople need in the field.

NEW RULE:
The most effective selling content, messages, and strategies are discovered from experience with buyers.

Old Rule:
If we implement a new sales methodology, every salesperson will become an “A” player.

NEW RULE:
Any salesperson can improve performance by following sales playbooks that are proven to work in winning deals.

Old Rule:
It takes a stick to get salespeople to use the tools we give them.

NEW RULE:
Adoption of sales enablement applications is driven by the value a salesperson gets out of it, not the data they key in.

Old Rule:
With this economy, we need to cut our spending on enabling sales.

NEW RULE:
In an economic crisis, it’s even more important to invest in knowledge enabling your salespeople to perform.

You may find some of my claims to be counterintuitive, or you may even disagree.  Tell me what you think by commenting here.