In my experience serving + training agencies and b2b service providers across the globe, I define sales enablement as a three-part strategy that combines:
• sales
• operations
• business strategy
All 3 have to overlap to give you the green light to move forward.
The first key is to identify your best customer segments. If you already have a specific market niche, then that’s easy.
If you’re a generalist, you have to identify which clients:
• get the most value from working with you
• fit your team’s culture (this is critical: if your clients don’t support the culture you’re building, or your team isn’t fit to match the culture your clients exhibit, this won’t fit long term)
• fit your business model ideally with higher margins (since you provide more value to them)
Next, identify the business cases and problems you solve for your customer segments.
Remember, clients buy outcomes, not services.
Now, here comes the real kicker: you have to match your customer segments, business cases, and operations to create a productized offering.
This means having clear deadlines, expectations, frameworks, personnel, accountability, and communication lines for each solution you provide.
That way you empower sales to create what looks to clients “bespoke” offerings, when in reality you are just bundling different solutions into 1 packaged offering.
This avoids
• overselling
• going negative on a deal
• stressful handoffs between sales and fulfillment
Sales enablement is about strategically going to market, profitably, and with less stress.