Seismic-2021年年度销售基准报告（英文）-2021.4正式版

AnnualSales

Enablement

Benchmark

Report

DecodingtheBestPracticesofVisionaries

ASeismicWhitepaper

2020

2121

Tableof

contents

Introduction

3

Executivesummary

4

Methodology

5

Keyfindings

6

Positionsalesenablementasastrategicpriority

7

Drivego-to-marketalignment

10

Leveragewell-integratedgo-to-market

13

techstacks

Adoptsalesenablementplatformcapabilities

15

Useinsightstoscalebestpracticesacross

17

theorganization

Businessoutcomes

20

Lookingahead

22

SalesenablementpracticesinFinancialServices

24

Keyrecommendations

26

Conclusion

28

Introduction

Ithasneverbeenmoreimportanttocrackthecodeforeffectivesalesenablement.That’sbecauseB2Bbuyerpreferencesandbehaviorshavefundamentallychanged.

Face-to-face,transactionalexperienceshavebeenreplacedwithremoteselling,andB2BbuyersnowexpectaB2C-styleexperiencethatisengaging,timely,andpersonalized.ButsimplyreplicatingtheB2Capproachwon’twork.ComparedtotheirB2Ccounterparts,B2Bbuyershavelongerconsiderationcyclesandrequiremuchmoreresearchbeforeapurchasedecision.ThatmakestheB2Bbuyingexperiencesignificantlymorecomplex,withavarietyofstakeholders,eachwithdifferentprioritiesandneeds.Asaresult,B2Borganizationsareincreasinglyturningtosalesenablementtohelpthemoptimizesalesprocessesandstrategicallydeliverthebuyerexperiencesthatdriverevenue.

Butwhereexactlyshouldyoudirectyourattentionandinvestment?Whichsalesenablementprocessesaremosteffective?Readontodecodethesalesenablementpracticesofhigh-performingcompanies.You’lllearnthefivedimensionsofsalesenablementmaturityandhowyoucanusethemtoimprovebothcustomersatisfactionandsalesperformanceatyourorganization.

3

Executive

summary

TheSeismicAnnualSalesEnablementBenchmarkReport

(2021)identifiestheorganizationalenvironments,practices,andsalesenablementtechnologiesthataremostcorrelatedwithsuccessfulbusinessoutcomes.

Ourkeyfindingsshowthatthe

highest-performingcompanies:

11

22

33

44

55

Positionsalesenablementasastrategicpriority.

Drivego-to-marketalignmentbyapplyingsalesenablementacrosstheentirecustomerlifecycle.

Avoidtechsilosbyleveragingwell-integratedgo-to-markettechstacks.

Encouragetheadoptionofsalesenablementplatformcapabilities.

Useinsightstoscalebestpracticesacrosstheorganization.

4

Methodology

Firmographics

Thisreportisbasedonaseriesofonlinefocusgroupswithsalesenablementleaders,followedbyaglobalweb-basedsurveyofsalesenablementexecutives.Thefocusgroupsconsistedoftwelveexecutivesinchargeofsalesenablementinsalesandmarketingorganizationsforenterprisesspanningarangeofindustries,includingfinancialservices,media/entertainment,manufacturing,andtechnology.Thesurveywaswith1,090executiveswithsalesenablementdecision-makingresponsibilitiesatB2Bbusinesseswithatleast$10millionannualrevenueand50sellersormore.Theseorganizationsareheadquarteredinfivecountries—theUnitedStates,theUnitedKingdom,Germany,France,andAustralia—andspanarangeofindustries,withanemphasisonfinancialservices,technology,manufacturing,pharmaceuticals,lifesciences,andmedicaldevices.ThefocusgroupswereconductedinDecember2020,andthesurveywascompletedinJanuary2021.BothwereperformedbyCallanConsulting.

MaturityIndex

Ananalysisofthesurveyresponsesidentifiedtheorganizationalenvironments,practices,andsalesenablementtechnologiesthataremostcorrelatedwithsuccessfulbusinessoutcomes.Seismicusedtheseresultstoderiveoursalesenablementindex,groupingbusinessesintooneoffourmaturitycategories:Laggards,Novices,Performers,orVisionaries.

55

Maturitylevels

Thefourmaturitylevelsofsalesenablement

Laggards

Novices

Performers

Visionaries

Salesenablementinvolvesadhoc,informalprocesses,focusingprimarilyonthesalesfunction.Limitedgo-to-markettechstack.

Salesenablementprocessesaremoredefined,focusingonsalesandmarketing.Growinggo-to-markettechstackthatlacksintegration.Basiclevelofmetricsandreporting.

Salesenablementisastrategiccross-functionalpriority.Moderatego-to-markettechstackinte-grationwithsomedatasharing.Dataisroutinelyanalyzedandusedtomeasureeffectiveness.

Salesenablementisastrategicpriorityacrossallcustomer-facingteamswithanexecutivelevelchampionandcommensurateinvestment.Robust,well-integratedgo-to-markettechstackwithseamlessdatasharing.Insightsareusedtopowerandscalebestpracticesacrosstheorganization.

KeyFindings

Theremainderofthisreportdescribesthefivekeydimensionsofsalesenablementmaturityidentifiedbythestudyanddetailsactionablerecommendationsforeachofthem.

Thefivekeydimensionsofsalesenablement

1.

Positionsalesenablementasastrategicpriority.

2.

Drivego-to-marketalignmentbyapplyingsalesenablement

acrosstheentirecustomerlifecycle.

3.

Avoidtechsilosbyleveragingwell-integratedgo-to-markettech

stacks.

4.

Encouragetheadoptionofsalesenablementplatformcapabilities.

66

5. Useinsightstoscalebestpracticesacrosstheorganization.

Positionsalesenablementasastrategicpriority

Itisstandardpracticeforbusinessestoreviewtheirprocessesandmakedecisionsaboutstrategicpriorities;however,assessmentsliketheseareevenmoreusefulafteraperiodofdisruption.Theyidentifywhichinitiativesweremostusefulforweatheringthestormand—perhapsmostimportantly—whichonesrequirecontinuedinvestmentforfuturesuccess.

Theanalysisofthesurveyresponsesidentifiedtheorganizationalenvironments,practices,andsalesenablementtoolsandtechnologiesthataremostcorrelatedwithsuccessfulbusinessoutcomes.

Manybusinessesaccelerateddigitaltransformation,includinginvestmentsinsalesenablement,tomeetthedemandsof2020’snewB2Bvirtualsellingenvironment.Now,topavethewayforcontinuedperformancegains,theymustdeterminewhichoftheseinitiativesneedongoingsupport.Howissalesenablementpositionedatyourorganization?Whoisleadingthecharge?

7

Thepowerofexecutivechampions

Nearlyallsurveyrespondents(95%)haveadedicatedsalesenablementteamattheircompany,andmost(79%)reportedthatsalesenablementisstrategictotheirbusiness.Executiveswespokewithmadeitclearthateffectiveimplementationofsalesenablementstartsatthetopandinthisregard,Visionariesseparatedthemselvesfromthepack.Afull93%ofVisionariessaidseniorleadershipthinksofsalesenablementasabusinessenabler,and90%indicatedthatsalesenablementischampionedbythemostseniorleadershipintheircompany.

Visionariesseesalesenablementasabusinessenabler

thatischampionedbyseniorleadership

Source:SeismicAnnualSalesEnablementBenchmarkReport(2021)

8

Reportingtoexecutiveleadership

WithachampionintheC-suite,it’seasiertoestablishanorganizationalenvironmentthatreinforceseffectivesalesenablementpractices.SalesenablementismosteffectivewhenC-levelexecutivesresponsibleforrevenuearechampioningit.Thisisborneoutinoursurvey,whichshowedthatVisionariesarethemostlikelytohavesalesenablementteamsthatreporttoexecutiveleadershipandrevenueleaders.

Wheresalesenablementteamsreport

Byfar,withoutthe

properleadership,

noneofthiswouldbeabletobeaccomplished,I’mluckytosayourEVPgetsit.”

DirectorofSalesOperationsMediaandEntertainmentCompany

Source:SeismicAnnualSalesEnablementBenchmarkReport(2021)

42% 40%

958% 56%

Reportingstructurebyindustry

Salesenablementteamsatfinancialservices(42%)andpharma/medicaldevice/lifesciences(40%)organizationsarelesslikelythantheoverallglobalaverage(51%)toreporttoanexecutiveleader,whereasmanufacturing(58%)andtechnology(56%)companiesleadtheway.

Drivego-to-marketalignment

Go-to-marketalignmentisaperennialpainpointinorganizations,yetitisimperativetobusinesssuccess.Atitsmostfundamentallevel,go-to-marketalignmentmeansthatthereisconsistencyinmessagingandthateverycustomer-facingteamisinagreementaboutproductofferingsandpositioning,marketandcustomeropportunity,andwaystoachieverevenuetargets.Inotherwords,theyallknowwhatthecompanyisselling,whothecompanyissellingto,andhowtheproductorserviceisbeingsold.Thissharedunderstandingunifiesallcustomer-facingteamssotheycantellthemostcompellingandconsistentstoriesthroughoutthebuyer’sjourney.

Weareequallyonthehookformakingsurethatthedemandthat

wearecreatingisconvertingandcertainlynotjustturningintoafirst-timepurchaserbutalsoarepeatpurchaserfromacustomerstandpoint-sosalesenablementforusnowspanstheentirelifecycle.”

VPofMarketing

GlobalManufacturingCompany

SalesenablementuseacrossthecustomerlifecycleisparticularlystronginEMEA.85%ofEMEArespondentsusesalesenablementpre-sale,withFrance(92%)andGermany(89%)leadingtheway.Likewise,moreEMEArespondentsreportedusingsalesenablementatthepointofrenewal(75%vs.70%global)andpost-loss(73%vs.68%global).FranceandGermanywerealsotopinpointofrenewal(81%and85%,respectively)andpost-loss(78%and77%,respectively).Incomparison,

APACrespondentsareleastlikelyto

10

usesalesenablementpre-sale(68%)andatthepointofrenewal(67%).

Visionariesbegintheirsalesenablementeffortsearlyandthencontinuethemthroughouttheentirecustomerlifecycle.WefoundthatthevastmajorityofVisionariesusesalesenablementtosupportprospecting(97%),totargetcustomersatthepointofrenewal(80%),andasawaytowinbackbusinesspost-loss(75%).Thisattentiontopre-salesinitiativesandtargetingupfront,alongwithtimelyandtargetednurtureandnewscontentthroughouttherestofthecustomerlifecycle,maybeafundamentalreasonwhyVisionariesachievegreaterquotaattainment.

Stagesofcustomerlifecyclesupported

bysalesenablement

Source:SeismicAnnualSalesEnablementBenchmarkReport(2021)

Playbooksthatincludeallcustomer-facingroles

Go-to-marketalignmentcan’thappenwithoutrobustcommunicationandcollaborationamongallcustomer-facingteams.Processesprovidestructureandmodelsforworkingtogether,butafteraperiodofdisruption,thoseroutinesmayneedtobere-inventedtofacilitatecooperationandinformationsharing.ThesalesenablementteamsatVisionaryorganizationssupportallcustomer-facingroles,includingsales(76%),marketing(67%),customerservice(47%),operations(42%),customersupport(41%),andprofessionalservices(37%).ComparethattoLaggards,wheresalesenablementteamsfocusmostonthemarketingdepartment(76%),withsalesadistantsecond(56%).TheseresultssuggestthatLaggards’sales/marketingmessagingmaynotbealignedwiththerealityofcustomer/productexperience,leavingthematriskofclosingdealsthathaveahigherlikelihoodofquicklychurning.

Everybodyinthe

companysells.

Itisarelationshipbusiness.”

Customer-facingrolessupportedbysalesenablement

ChiefofGlobalSalesMajorTechnologyCompany

Rolessupportedbyindustry

Differencesinrolessupportedbysalesenablementwereobservedbyindustry.Pharma/medicaldevices/lifesciencesandmanufacturingaremostlikelytousesalesenablementtosupportthesalesorganizationat73%and72%respectively.Technologyrespondentsaremostlikelytousesalesenablementtosupportthemarketingorganization(78%)andprofessionalservices(44%).Manufacturingismostlikelytousesalesenablementtosupportcustomer11service(48%),operations(53%),andcustomersupport(43%).

Source:SeismicAnnualSalesEnablementBenchmarkReport(2021)

Trackingeffectivenesswithformalizedfeedback

Whenitcomestotrackingtheeffectivenessofthecontentprovidedbytheirsalesenablementtools,B2Borganizationslookatarangeofengagementmetrics,startingwithwhatcontentisaccessedbybuyersandsellersandextendingtocontent-influencedrevenueandopportunities.Visionarieswerethemostlikelytouseformalized,ongoingfeedbackmechanismsfromacrosstheirorganizationstotracktheeffectivenessoftheirsalesenablementtoolsandefforts.Laggardstendtorelyonadhocfeedbackandanecdotalobservationsdeliveredtocontentproducersacrossavarietyofcommunicationchannels.Solidsalesenablementtechnologycanaggregatefeedbackwithinasingleexperience,sovaluablequalitativeinformationisnotlost.

Useformalizedfeedbacktotrackeffectivenessofsales

enablementtoolsandefforts

Source:SeismicAnnualSalesEnablementBenchmarkReport(2021)

12

Leveragewell-integratedgo-to-markettechstacks

Technologyfacilitatesandmaintainsgo-to-marketalignment,butmanyorganizationsstrugglewithlegacysystemsandpointsolutionsthatpreventthemfromcollaboratingeffectively.Awell-integratedtechstackbothexpandsanddeepensthecapabilitiesofsalesenablementtechnology,whileextendingitsfunctionalityintootherenvironments.

Forexample,integrationbetweensalesintelligencedataorsalescontentthatsurfacesactionableinsightsintheCRMinanatural,unobtrusivewaystreamlinesworkflowsandenablessalesteamstobemoreproductive.Similarly,salesenablementtoolsintegratedwithofficeproductivitysuitessuchasMicrosoft365andGoogleWorkspaceseamlesslytrackiterationsandkeepallvitalbusinessdocumentsinasingleinterface.

Focusontoolsthatimproveday-to-daysaleseffectiveness

Alloftheorganizationsinourstudyusedabroadrangeofgo-to-markettechnologies.However,Visionariesarethemostlikelytousetoolsandtechnologiesthatimproveday-to-daysaleseffectiveness,suchassalescontentsolutionsandsalesintelligencedatasystems.Theyalsoboostefficiencyandscalabilitywithsalesengagementautomation.Infact,VisionariesusesalescontentsolutionsnearlyfourtimesmorethanLaggards,andtheyusesalesengagementautomationalmosttwiceasmuch.

Go-to-markettechnologiesinuse

Source:SeismicAnnualSalesEnablementBenchmarkReport(2021)

13

Thebenefitofawell-integratedtechstack

Eventhoughmostbusinessleaderswouldagreethattechnologysilosimpedesalesprocessesandreducesalesteamefficiencyandeffectiveness,onlyaboutonethirdofrespondents(35%)feelthattheirsalesenablementtechstackisverywellintegrated.Visionariesdramaticallyoutperformedinthisarea,however,andtheresultsshowthattheyareovertentimesaslikelythanLaggardstoreportthattheyhaveaverywell-integratedtechstackandsharedatainanautomatedmanner(70%vs.just6%).

Surveyrespondentsreportingwell-integratedtechstacks

Source:SeismicAnnualSalesEnablementBenchmarkReport(2021)

SalestechmustworkwellwithourCRMsystemasthatisthebackbonetoolforsales.Itneedseasyplugandplayforaddinginotherfunctionality.

Withouthavingthesetwothingsitmakesitdifficulttojustify.”

SVPSales

MajorInsuranceCompany

14

Adoptsalesenablementplatformcapabilities

Toolsarenoteffectiveiftheyarenotused.Torealizethegreatestbusinessimpactfromsalesenablement,organizationsmustencourageadoptionoftheirsalesenablementtechnologies,andthenusebothactivityandengagementmetricstomeasuretheefficiencyandeffectivenessoftheirefforts.Trackingresultsovertimeprovidesinsightsintohowyoucanincreasecapabilitiestomakesellersmoreproductive.

Adoptsalesenablementtools

Executiveswespokewithbelievethatleadersinsalesenablementarebetterabletodemonstratethevalueofsalesenablementtoolstotheirteams,createbuy-in,andachievewide-scaleadoption.Onaverage,justoverhalfoftheorganizationswesurveyed(52%)saidthattheirsalesteamshavefullyadoptedthesalesenablementtoolsintheirtechstack.Visionariesreportedthegreatestlevelsofadoptionand,whenassessingthecapabilitiesoftheirsalesenablementtechstacks,weremuchmorelikelythanLaggardstogivetheirtechnologieshighratingsintermsofcontentaccessandfindabilityforsellers(91%vs.48%)andleveragingdatatopredictthenextbestactionorcontent(91%vs53%).

Salesteamshavefullyadoptedsales

enablementtools

Source:SeismicAnnualSalesEnablementBenchmarkReport(2021)

Oftentimesitisreallyaboutthetoolsandtechnologiesinplacethatpeoplewillactuallyuse.Theyneedtobegoodtoolsofcoursebuttheymustalsobepositionedcorrectlytousers,andusersmustbeeducatedonhowtomakethe

mostofthemandseethepositiveresultsofdoingso.”

DirectorofSalesEnablement

MajorTechnologyCompany

15

Trackcontenteffectiveness

Metricsusedtotrackcontenteffectiveness

Contentdrivesrevenue;however,withoutthedatatoproveit,businessescan’tknowiftheyaremakingsmartdecisionsabouttheircontentstrategies.Salesenablementcanunlockthepotentialofcontentusagestatistics,engagementanalytics,andcontentvalueandROI.Whiletheorganizationswesurveyed

relyonavarietyofmetricstotrackcontenteffectiveness,wedetectedthatVisionariesaremorethantwiceaslikelyasLaggardstouseopensbybuyers(51%vs.22%)asameasure.

Source:SeismicAnnualSalesEnablementBenchmarkReport(2021)

Usingdatatotracktheeffectivenessofsalesenablement

Trackingtheeffectivenessofsalesenablementeffortsrevealstheimpactofyoureffortsandhelpsyoubuildonyourprogress.NearlyallVisionaries(94%)areconfidentinthedatatheyusetotracktheeffectivenessoftheirsalesenablementefforts,comparedtoonly28%forLaggardsand68%ofsurveyrespondentsoverall.

Youneedtoolsthatallowpropermeasurementand

analyticsthatbothgiveapictureofsuccessesbutalsotellthestoryofwhatyouneedtodobetter.”

SVP

MajorRetailBank

Visionarieshavehighconfidenceinthedatausedtotracksalesenablementeffectiveness

Source:SeismicAnnualSalesEnablementBenchmarkReport(2021)

16

Useinsightstoscalebestpracticesacrosstheorganization

Today’ssophisticatedsalesenablementtechnologiesgenerateinsightstohelporganizationsbetterunderstandandoptimizetheirgo-to-marketstrategies.Theseinsightsenablecontinuousimprovementand,inthenot-too-distantfuture,theywillfueladvancedapplicationssuchasartificialintelligenceandmachinelearningtoenhancesellerproductivityandeffectivenessevenmore.

Applyingdatatocontinuouslylearnandoptimizesales

Leveragingsalesandmarketingdatathroughcomprehensiveanalyticsimprovesvisibilityintostrategiesandactivitiesthatcontributetorevenue.Onaverage,mostrespondents(71%)saidtheyhaveorganized,ongoingprocessestoanalyzelearningsfromtheirtopsellersandincorporatethemintoregular,ongoingenablementefforts.However,bothVisionariesandPerformersaremorethanthreetimesaslikelyasLaggardstoreplicateandscaletheselearnings(94%and91%vs.29%).

Percentageofrespondentswithorganized,ongoingeffortstoreplicateandscalelearningsfromtheirtopperformers

Source:SeismicAnnualSalesEnablementBenchmarkReport(2021)

17

Visionariesalsosignificantlyoutperformintheuseofdatatocontinuouslylearnandoptimizesalesprocesses(84%vs.only19%forLaggards).Datatransportabilitylikethisisessential,andVisionariesunderstandthatsalesenablementdataispartofalargersetofcross-functionaldatathatwhenanalyzedtogethercanleadtogreateroptimizationacrossthebusiness.

Percentagemakingstronguseofdatatocontinuously

learnandoptimizesalesprocesses

Source:SeismicAnnualSalesEnablementBenchmarkReport(2021)

Whenyoulookatsalesreps,andyoulookatwhodoeswell,thosearetheguysyouwanttoreplicate.Salesenablement’sjobiskindoftomimicwhat

yourtopperformersaredoing.Tomimicthatatscale.”

DirectorofSalesEnablement

MajorTechnologyCompany

18

Improvedvisibilityofcustomer-facingcontentduetotechstack

Visibilityintotheapplicationsandservicesthatmanagecustomer-facingcontenthelpsB2Borganizationsbetterunderstandwhatresonateswithbuyers.Then,contentdevelopmentstrategiescanbeadjustedaccordingly.WefoundthatVisionariesexcelinthisarea,with90%ormoresayingtheyhavehighvisibilityintohowcontentisusedinindividualdeals,whatcontentissenttobuyers,andtheattributionofcontentusagetodealprogressionorrevenue.

Visionarieshaveahighlevelofvisibilityintocustomer-

facingcontentduetotheirtechstack

57%

Technologystandsout

57%oftechnologyorganizationsofferformallearningprogramsforsalesmessagingandconversation(vs.48%forallrespondents),likelyduetothecomplexnatureoftheirofferings.

Source:SeismicAnnualSalesEnablementBenchmarkReport(2021)

Frenchorganizations(81%)aremorelikelythanotherglobalorganizations(71%)tohaveorganized,ongoingeffortstoreplicateandscalesuccessfromtheirtopperformers.Australianrespondentsareleastlikely,at59%.

19

Businessoutcomes

Theresultsofourstudyarecompelling:Highsalesenablementmaturitydirectlycorrelateswithpositivebusinessoutcomes.Thatmeanssalesenablementdrivestheobjectivesprioritizedbyexecutiveleadership,includingmoreefficientlyandeffectivelyclosingdeals,keepingcustomershappierforlonger,and,ultimately,increasingprofitabilityforthebusiness.

Visionariesoutperformonallbusinessoutcomesmeasured

Visionariesoutperformedtheothercategoriesofcompaniesonallbusinessdimensionsmeasured.Forexample,salesteamsinVisionarycompaniesachieved121%oftheirsalesquotainthepastfiscalyear,comparedto97%forLaggards.

Percentofquotaattainedbysalesorganizationin

thepastfiscalyear

Source:SeismicAnnualSalesEnablementBenchmarkReport(2021)

Forus,salesenablementisallaboutdrivingprofits.”

DirectorofSalesOperations

MediaandEntertainmentCompany

20

Customersatisfaction

WealsofoundconsiderabledifferencesbetweenVisionariesandtheothermaturitycategoriesintermsofcustomersatisfaction.MorethanfouroutoftenVisionaries(43%)saidtheyrateinthetop10%oftheirindustryincustomersatisfaction/netpromoterscore,comparedtoonly14%forLaggardsand26%ofsurveyrespondentsoverall.

Respondentsreportingtheyrateintop10%oftheir

industryincustomersatisfaction(NetPromoterScore)

Source:SeismicAnnualSalesEnablementBenchmarkReport(2021)

Salesenablementimprovestheeffectivenessofourverylarge,costlysalesorganization.Andreally,that’sprobablythecoredriver.”

VPofMarketing

GlobalManufacturingCompany

21

Lookingahead

Thefutureforsalesenablementisbright.AsB2Bbusinessescontinuetoproveitsimpactonimprovinggo-to-marketalignment,increasingsales,anddrivingrevenue,organizationscanexpectsalesenablementtogrowinstrategicimportance.Watchforcompaniestostep-upsalesenablementinvestmentandexpandadoptionof“smart”features,includingartificialintelligenceandmachinelearning.

Rampupinvestmentinsalesenablement

GiventhecomplexitiesoftherapidlychangingB2Bmarketplaceandthedemandsoftoday’sbuyers,itcomesasnosurprisethatrespondentsacrossallmaturitylevelsreportedincreasingsalesenablementinvestmentinthenextyear.Visionariesexcelledonthismeasure,however,withnearlyall(97%)planningtoincreasetheirsalesenablementinvestment.

Plannedlevelsofsalesenablement

investmentinthenextyear

Source:SeismicAnnualSalesEnablementBenchmarkReport(2021)

69%

75%

Whatindustriesplantospend

Amongthosepolled,69%offinancial

servicesfirms,71%oftechcompanies,

and75%ofpharma/medicaldevice/life

sciencescompaniesplantoincreasesales

enablementspending.

22

71%

Anticipateadvancedsalesenablementfeaturesinthenext2-3years

Surveyrespondentsanticipatethatsalesenablementtechnologieswillcontinuetoevolve.Justoverthree-fourths(77%)feelthesalesenablementjourneyisconstantlychangingandevolvingandthattheirorganizationneedstocontinuallyaddnewtechnologiesandadjusttheirprocessestoadapt.Inparticular,Visionariesseeartificialintelligence,budgetandquotamanagement,RFIandRFPmanagement,andautomationasthetopcapabilitieslikelytobeaddedtosalesenablementtoolsinthenexttwotothreeyears.

Inthefuture,I

seeAIsurfacingthemostrelevant/clicked/viewed/downloadedassetsandalertingusastowhatcontentisunderperforming,alongwithsuggestionsofwhattouseinstead.”

Salesenablementfeaturesanticipatedinthenext2-3years

Director

MajorTechnologyCompany

Source:SeismicAnnualSalesEnablementBenchmarkReport(2021)

23

SalesenablementpracticesinFinancialServices

TocrackthecodeonthesalesenablementpracticesofVisionarycompaniesintheFinancialServicessector,355financialservicesandinsurancefirmswereincludedinthisstudy.Wefoundseveralkeydifferentiatorsbetweenthematuritylevels,includinghowVIsionaries:

Positionsalesenablementasastrategicpriority

Nearlynineoutoften(88%)FinancialServiceVisionariessaidthattheirseniorleadershipconsiderssalesenablementastrategicbusinessenablerandthatsalesenablementischampionedbythemostseniorleadershipintheircompany(87%).Incomparison,only66%ofFinancialServicesLaggards’seniorleadershipthinksofsalesenablementasastrategicpriority,andevenfewer(61%)haveseniorexecutivesthatchampionit.

Strengthengo-to-marketalignment

InFinancialServices,Visionariesaremorelikelytohavesalesenablementteamssupportingnotonlytheirsalesteams(87%,comparedto36%forLaggards),butalsocustomerservice(40%vs.27%),andcustomersupport(32%,vs.21%).Theyarealsosignificantlymorelikelytoemphasizesalesenablementpre-sale(96%vs.26%ofLaggards),post-saleduringthelifeofthecustomer(79%vs.34%),andatthepointofrenewal(75%vs.46%).

2424

Integratego-to-markettechstacks

Sixty-ninepercentofFinancialServicesVisionariessaidtheirtechstacksareverywellintegrated,sharingdatainanautomated/seamlessmanner.ThatwasmorethanseventimestheLaggards(9%).Vi