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What to Look for in Sales Enablement Software

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Kris Sæther

22.06.2021

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6 min

The shift toward remote/virtual selling means that sales teams require solutions that align them with up-to-date sales content and ensure they have the materials they need – at precisely the right time.

This makes sales teams more agile, enabling them to make more sales with less effort and more quickly. As a result, it is easier to buy from these companies.

Therefore, it is crucial for any company that seeks to gain a competitive advantage to leverage top-notch sales enablement software.

 

What is Sales Enablement Software?

Sales enablement software consists of a wide range of tools that provide essential functionality to support sales organizations and help them sell more. Sales enablement software is more than a single tool; it is a combination of two or more software solutions that work together as a platform to improve sales team productivity, efficiency, and revenue.

In the 2020 Market Guide for Sales Enablement Platforms, Gartner defines sales enablement platforms as tools that unite sales enablement functions with customer-facing sales execution.

In essence, high-quality sales enablement software provides a sales team with the tools and resources they need to successfully close a deal.

Read more: Proposal Software + CPQ Software: A Sales Enablement Powerhouse

 

Choosing the Right Software Solution for Your Business

Choosing the right sales enablement software can be difficult or even daunting because there are so many solutions on the market, making it hard to determine where to start.

An article we posted last year discussed how a buyer discovery platform like G2  can help you find the right software for your business.

You may want to reflect on exactly what you are looking for from the purchase/partnership before beginning to look at specific solutions. During the evaluation process, consider your specific needs and use case.

The following are the key factors you should consider when evaluating sales enablement software for your company:

Functionality

It is critical to evaluate whether a solution provides the features and functionality that you require. A list of functional requirements can be helpful when assessing solutions. Evaluate and weigh these requirements, and distinguish clearly between must-have and nice-to-have features.

In addition, there are so-called non-functional requirements. They usually relate to quality aspects, such as: "How well does the solution perform?"? Does it work reliably and predictably, without interrupting your sales processes? Security and operational stability are critical in complex, competitive environments such as B2B sales.

Content Accessibility and Creation 

To be successful, sales teams need to assemble the right information, efficiently and effectively, and present it in the form of polished, high-impact proposals. Therefore, ensuring that sales teams have access to relevant content and that it is readily discoverable, when needed, is vital.

An enterprise-grade sales enablement solution offers functionality for creating, storing, curating and distributing sales materials to sellers and buyers. One example is a centralized content library, which teams can access for accurate, up-to-date sales content.

Additionally, sales enablement software streamlines your processes by modernizing your information infrastructure and leveraging a "single source of truth" where all content is managed.

A good sales enablement solution helps sales team members add value to content creation, not just manage it. So, look for systems that allow your salespeople to access and create content that's accurate, compelling, and timely,

Centralized Pricing Data 

It is essential to have centralized pricing and configuration data that can be seamlessly integrated and deployed within your CRM system.

By using templates that are pre-loaded and pre-vetted, you can quickly and easily populate and edit a proposal or other business-critical document while ensuring all essential elements are current and accurate. With this, important efficiencies are created where they are most needed...in closing the deal.

Flexibility and Scalability

With technology and COVID-19 changing the sales landscape, your needs as a company never stay the same. So neither can the software solution you choose. As your company grows and customer demands change rapidly, you need a flexible and tailored software solution that can adapt to market conditions and the evolving nature of your business model.

Will you be locked into a legacy system with little plans to modernize it if the vendor isn't staying on top of technological advances?

The solution must be agile and able to grow along with your business, at a pace that suits the business. Hence, you must anticipate emerging needs beyond the ones that are evident today.

Integration Capability

Requirements change over time. Make sure that the sales enablement software solution you choose offers a decent API, which supports your business case today and in the future.

The software must integrate seamlessly with your existing systems, such as CRM (i.e. Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics), contract management, ERP, or project systems. It should also be able to gather information and templates from integrated CRMs.

User-Friendliness / UX Quality

A sales enablement system aims to eliminate waste and streamline selling. Using the solution and understanding how it works must be easy for your team. The functionality may be great in theory, but if the software is difficult to understand or requires additional skills to operate, then it won't be used efficiently, or at all.

Training should be provided by the vendor as a part of the implementation. You must be able to adapt the system yourself after "go live", without involving the vendor. However, if you need assistance, they must provide it.

Test out the software to see just how easy-to-use and intuitive it is in your real-world use case.

Anywhere, Anytime, Any Device Access 

An increasing number of companies enable mobile workforces to enhance their competitiveness. Mobility allows you to be more agile and responsive, and to access people and resources from anywhere in the world.

A powerful sales enablement solution allows sales teams to collaborate easily across departments, time zones and geographical regions without the hassle of travelling and scheduling on-site meetings.

You must ensure that the sales enablement software you choose is accessible and works on the devices that your sales team wants to use, at the time they need it. This allows them to collaborate on a deal in real time – both internally with colleagues and externally with partners, customers and prospects.

Security

Last but not least: It is imperative to safeguard your confidential information. So pay close attention to the security measures provided by the software.

Make sure that the information and data are stored in a secure database that can only be accessed by the software. You should also be able to restrict access to the appropriate team members only.

 

Summary

With sales enablement software, your sales team can make more sales quickly and with less effort.

You should consider your overall business needs when evaluating the right sales enablement solution for your company. Create a list of high-level requirements that can help you reach your business goals. In this way, you can eliminate systems that don't have the features you require.

Research your options thoroughly. It is important to clearly communicate your expectations, as well as your specific service and system requirements.

Beyond features and functionality, the most important aspect of choosing a software solution is communicating well with the vendor, and having the confidence that they can be trusted.

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Kris Sæther

Kris Sæther is Chief Commercial Officer of Xait. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Graphic Media Studies, and has worked in financial communication in London and Frankfurt prior to joining Xait. He has 20+ years experience from the information management industry. Kris is an avid runner and skier, and a passionate fan of the world’s coolest soccer team, Tottenham. If he is not working or running you will find him cheering for his two daughters on the handball court.

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