5 Benefits of Sales Enablement and a Sales Playbook

Most managers and sellers have experienced a scenario very similar to this:

• A seller is moving a new business prospect through the sales process.

• All signs are positive.

• The prospect goes silent, and will not respond to email, phone calls, letters, or stop-ins.

• The seller goes to his/her manager and asks for advice.

• The manager spends time listening to the seller, conducting diagnostic work, and providing advice to the seller (what to do to restart the stalled sale).

On the surface, this sounds like a good system, but in reality, it's not. Managers work with multiple sellers—doing this for many sellers takes up a great deal of time and is often redundant (same problem… same solution). Also, sellers might not have easy or timely access to their managers—this delays the sales process and allows the sale to get further off track.

Benefits of Sales Enablement

The concepts of sales enablement and a sales playbook have been around for a while. However, sales organizations have been slow to embrace. If you are a manager, here are some reasons to take interest:

1. Accelerate the sales process by providing sales resources at a seller’s fingertips

2. Add consistency to the sales process because the steps are clearly defined and outlined

3. Add consistency to the sales story

4. Allow sellers to spend more time selling (less time creating a resource/story to overcome a sales objection or activate a stalled account)

5. Increase the speed of onboarding of new seller

What is a Sales Playbook?

A sales playbook helps align your salespeople's activities with the buyer’s journey. Like a football playbook, different plays are designed for different sales scenarios. For example, a play to set an initial meeting with a new prospect is a different play than restarting a stalled proposal. These plays will make it quick and easy for salespeople to know what to do with a prospect and when to do it, saving them time and improving results.

Here’s a sample of what a sales play to set an initial meeting might look like:

Note: Many of the steps in a sales play include links to prepared templates and scripts. This feature saves sellers time and adds consistency to the sales process!

What Does a Typical Sales Playbook Look Like?

A Sales Playbook should be customized to your organization, but here are some standard chapters a playbook should include:

• Company Overview

• Company Sales Process

• Sales Pipeline

• CRM Use

• Sales Collateral

• Overview of Products and Services

• Sales Plays

• Overcoming Objection Talk Tracks

• Competitive Analysis Battle Cards

• Videos, pdfs, ebooks, and success stories that address objections during the sales process.

• Email templates and phone scripts sellers use at different steps during the sales process.

Faster vs. Better? Or Both?

What can you expect from a Sales Playbook?

1. Increase the productivity and efficiency of your sales team

2. Increase conversion rates and revenue

3. Your sales team will sell smarter and faster

4. They'll have everything they need at their fingertips

There is an old saying that says, you can either have something faster OR better, but you can’t have both. Using sales enablement resources and a Sales Playbook actually provides your organization the ability to do both!

Faster and better! Sales enablement, do you get it?

Editor's Note: This blog was marginally published in 2019 and has since been updated.