3 Sales Enablement Obstacles in 2021 and How to Overcome Them

With the fast emergence of sales enablement trends and the rise of remote selling, it became easy for sales professionals to overlook what NOT to do when developing successful enablement strategies. 

When the goal is solely improving your bottom line, anticipating a global pandemic and the exponential growth of the remote selling economy can seem impossible, because it is. The second half of 2020 consisted of all businesses scrambling to make life-changing decisions in an effort to stay afloat. But as we begin to come out on the other side, it is vital to understand which trends are tried and true and which are merely hype in the realm of sales. 

1. “Remote selling is only temporary...we will be back to selling in person soon.”
   

This highly debated argument was put to the test through the duration of the pandemic, and the success of the remote selling economy proved its worth, and its longevity. A study conducted by Upwork reported that by the end of 2021, 1 in 4 Americans will be working remotely. Successful sellers have been able to leverage the power of selling to any prospect anywhere in the world to increase their margins. According to research from HubSpot, 64% of teams who transitioned to virtual sales (or a hybrid model) met or exceeded their revenue targets for 2020, compared to 50% of those who did not change their sales practices. This translates heavily to virtual sales training and top-down leadership practices as well; HubSpot also found that 63% of sales leaders believe virtual sales meetings are equally effective or more effective than traditional, face-to-face meetings. 

A great way to overlook this past-oriented way of thinking is to focus on growth and development. We saw the world completely turn upside down in early 2020, and as sales professionals, we must accept and adapt to what that change brought in the world of remote sales and beyond. The top priority for any sales professional should be to understand the wants and needs of your customers and catering to them as effectively as possible. 

2. “I am going to wear as many hats as possible in my department in order to support my team.” 
   

You may have a strong work ethic and a high level of involvement, but overcommitting on too many tasks and projects can lead to low quality work and increase the chances of experiencing burnout. When it comes to sales enablement development strategies, the number one priority of “scaling” can hinder sales leaders and team members effectiveness within their respective roles through the pressure of growing as quickly as possible. 

To address this pain point, make sure to consciously implement enablement strategies through effective communication and a clear separation of tasks among team members. A study conducted by SHRM found that miscommunication costs companies with 100 employees an average of $420,000 per year. Not making an effort of growing with your enablement strategies and focusing on what each team member does best will divert sales departments from their goals and quotas, which can deteriorate trust and satisfaction from both customers and team members. 

3. “I focus on completing tasks on my own rather than working with others and the overall success of the department.”
   

Teamwork in sales not only can increase numbers, but more importantly leads to an overall better work environment and higher customer satisfaction. The concept of teamwork translates into sales enablement and team selling practices. Gong recently found that “having at least one call that contains multiple participants from the seller organization correlates with a 258% higher likelihood of closing that deal.” 

Instead of flying solo in your sales department, work to understand and support your fellow reps throughout the entire sales cycle by listening to previous calls, attending workshops, and constantly communicating positive and negative customer conversations and outcomes to fellow reps. These practices lead to stronger culture and a more seamless enablement implementation process. 

Looking to learn more about the art of team selling? Check out our blog post here. 

It’s All About Improvement 

Industries evolve. Buyers’ tastes change. And the modern sales team looks different with every new year at this point. A seismic shift happened in the sales industry, so these thoughts are simply a reminder to remember the power of your team and the resources that sales enablement can bring when it comes to growth and scaling. Embrace the changes and try to look more at what future relationships will look like. Don’t bite off more than you can chew when it comes to tasks and projects. Use the top tools. And let’s all take a moment to celebrate this new wave of selling that offers every forward-thinking team a chance to win that much more.