Is a Sales Enablement Consultant Right for You?
What is a Consultant?
A consultant is simply,
“A person who provides expert advice professionally” or “A third party that comes into your organization, evaluates your operations and processes, and recommends what you can do differently.”
What a consultant does will depend on the project as well as the client, not all projects will take the same amount of time or have the same end results. When you hire an outside consultant it is something to consider very strongly before jumping into.
Bringing in someone from the outside can create a number of concerns. You might pay a higher hourly rate than you’re used too, you may have limited control over the number of hours needed to complete the project, and your current sales team may feel threatened that this person is going to come in to abruptly change everything they’re used too, which could in turn impact overall team morale.
You might also be thinking, you can make these changes internally first and then bring someone in if that doesn’t work. That could very well work, your sales and leadership team could be equipped to make decisions such as; devising a workflow for an outreach campaign or deciding which training opportunities or tools to use, but when it comes to executing on those plans and implementing the processes, a consultant can make it more potent and productive.
A good consultant will have their client’s best interest at heart, there is no ego and their methods should not be forced on you; only what works best for you and your team. You are the expert of your own business, you have all of the insider knowledge about your processes, team, and every other facet of your business that you personally created and implemented. While a consultant is likely to have a lot of experience and knows what can work and be implemented, you should work together to forge the best path forward for the most optimal success. However, there is something to say about an outside perspective. Someone who isn’t as in the trenches with your current processes is able to see things with fresh eyes and point out areas of improvement that you may not have thought of.
Sales Enablement isn’t a quick fix to all your issues. It will take time with a number of meetings and working sessions to devise the best path forward. A consultant’s first goal should be gaining insight and a deep understanding of your current sales systems & processes, while also identifying areas of improvement for your sales team. This exploratory phase will allow you, together, to create tailored sales methodologies just for your organization. Then, creating and defining easy steps for your team to follow in order to achieve their sales quotas and hit company revenue targets. While also providing guidance, templates, metrics, and best practices for a cohesive structure.
Let’s not forget training, coaching, and empowering your team to thrive in this new environment, as well as, implement the sales productivity tools needed to give your sales process an instant boost in sales efficiency.
All of this can appear extremely overwhelming and honestly, it is. This is why most of these great intentions never come to fruition. A consultant is there to work with you every step of the way, on all of these things. Implementing changes within your team slowly to ensure everyone fully understands and embraces these changes. Your sales team will be able to work undisrupted while the issues and problems they were previously facing are cleaned up around them. Your sales managers can continue supporting and coaching the team on these changes and not feel overwhelmed.
Your sales team should focus on selling not spending time on administrative tasks or creating sales content. Most employees are not copywriters or designers and they likely don’t know how to use the platform correctly without training. A consultant can help you organize your sales content so your team is able to access the information they need when they need it. They can help clean up your CRM and layout workflows so our team is more efficient and cohesive. They’ll not only facilitate the process development and sales content build-out but also assess your team’s skillset to develop a training program tailored to your needs.
There are a number of circumstances when it is the right time to hire an outside consultant.
Your Sales and Marketing Team are misaligned.
The right process will align those teams to work together toward a united goal. The marketing team can gear their advertising towards the prospects the sales team is already nurturing to aid in conversion and the sales team can identify new prospects based on the findings from various marketing campaigns. Without the right systems in place, these results won’t be achieved. More often than not, marketing believes a lead to be this, but sales thinks a lead is that and the whole process gets disturbed by the confusion over this one little word.
You want to stay ahead of your competition and build stronger relationships with existing and new customers.
A consultant knows what to look for, the tools to use to find the information, as well as how all of it is used. This is becoming increasingly important as technology changes. Helping you in implementing the right platforms and social selling techniques, you can find just the information you need. That information is only good if it’s used. A consultant can put processes in place and teach your team how to use the information in an impactful way.
Your deal sizes are decreasing or the number of new customers isn’t growing as forecasted.
More than likely, it’s not your product or services as much as how it’s being positioned. Sales Enablement is all about the buyer and how you’re able to solve their problem. Your team may not understand the value of your product or understand how to present it as a solution to the customer. If your team can’t communicate value, your target market won’t understand and gravitate towards it. A consultant can help interpret your message to ensure your team is sharing the value you offer accurately.
Having a solid sales plan is essential because if you’re not setting your team up for success, you’re leaving money on the table. A lot of sales plans are generic and not tailored to the needs of the individual or focus on the details. A consultant will ensure you’re mindful of the entire journey the buyer goes through and addressing all of their pain points. With the right strategy, you will be able to target leads more effectively and ensure those leads convert into lifelong customers.
Without agreed-upon processes that are fully explained and understood, it will be next to impossible to hold anyone accountable. Being consistent with accountability can also be difficult due to a lack of time and proper reporting on activities and behaviors. While some think having rules and guidelines will create a negative work environment, if done correctly, this will create an environment that encourages success and creates clear lines of responsibility and your team will feel supported and set up to succeed. A consultant can help, leveraging their expertise and their ability to see your sales processes objectively, you can then build a process and sales content that breeds robust accountability.