Considerations for Reducing Complexity & Managing the Seller Experience

Hey, Enablers, Happy Friday. Mike Kunkle here. Welcome to this week’s edition of Sales Enablement Straight Talk!

Today, I want to share some considerations for reducing seller complexity and managing the seller experience.

INTRODUCTION

?Over 35 years ago, I heard Zig Ziglar say (paraphrased):

"You can get what you want in life, if you help enough other people get what they want."

The first time I heard this, I was driving and listening to an audio tape. It hit me so hard that I pulled the car over to the side of the road and stared at the cassette player for a bit, rewound it, and listened again. It was a real wake-up call for me, given what I was going through at the time and trying to accomplish in my life and career.

I later termed this "the pass-through effect" and have written about it here before.

• Executives want better company performance and need to support their employees to achieve their goals to deliver on company goals.
• Sales managers want results from their team and need to support them to get the results they want, which in turn delivers what the manager wants.
• Sellers want to exceed quota to earn more and achieve those goals by helping enough customers achieve theirs.

Not that hard to understand, is it? But it does change how you view things, when it sinks in.

A few years later, I think in the mid-nineties, I read a book by Hal Rosenbluth (of Rosenbluth Travel fame) called "The Customer Comes Second." His premise wasn't that customers were less important, but that if you wanted your employees to treat your customers like gold, you needed to treat your employees like gold.

All My Life's a Circle ~ Harry Chapin, from "Circle"

Okay, but what does this have to do with managing complexity and the seller experience?

Fair question.

While seller experience (or "sales experience," it's a toss-up) is important, and removing as much complexity as possible is a good goal, there needs to be a balance. Sharing the above perspective allows me to provide a caution that the seller experience or reduced complexity alone, aren't the end game.

Better buying and customer experience, and improved sales and company performance are the goal.

So, here is my caution. I'm going to talk about improving seller experience and reducing unnecessary complexity, with a reminder that:

• As enablers, we sometimes need to do the hard, complex stuff to make things easier for our sellers.
• As sellers, we sometimes need to do the hard, complex stuff to make things easier for our buyers.
• Even buyers sometimes need to do the hard, complex stuff to make things easier for others in their company or their end customers.

No one completely escapes hard stuff or complexity.

Some decisions are just plain hard work. Some things are just complicated and complex. Buyers (and your sellers) may be solving an adaptive problem (no easy, known solution) versus a technical problem (with a solution know to experts, at least).

So, I will endeavor to offers ideas to improve seller experience and reduce unnecessary complexity with that in mind, much like the quote often attributed to Einstein:

“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.”

Let's dig in.

First, what is "Seller Experience?"

The term "Seller Experience" (or "Sales Experience”) encompasses the internal processes, tools, and support systems that sellers interact with within their own company to effectively sell to buyers.

• A good Seller Experience is characterized by a smooth, easy, and (mostly) frictionless process that is well-supported by management and other departments. This includes having access to the right data, content, training, coaching, technology, resources, processes, and overall environment that enable sellers to focus on selling rather than being bogged down by administrative tasks or internal complexities.
• A poor Seller Experience can involve cumbersome processes, unnecessary complexity, and internal negotiations that can hinder sellers’ ability to do their jobs efficiently. (My dear ol' mom would have called this "rigmarole.") This can lead to frustration, increased complexity, decreased productivity, and ultimately, have a negative impact on the customer experience, sales effectiveness, and the company’s bottom line.

First, Do No Harm

The best approach to orchestrating a great seller experience is to align with what would make a great buyer and customer experience. This includes your sales process across the entire customer lifecycle and the sales methodology to support it. This is part of "the pass-through effect" I wrote about above.

Then, assess your training, content, policies, procedures (SOPs), and everything in your environment to ensure you're making it as easy as possible for your sellers to follow your sales processes and execute their methodology, in support of your buyers and customers.

Investing in a seller-centric sales experience that is intentionally designed to be seamless and complementary to the desired customer experience can create a competitive advantage. It allows sellers to be more effective in their interactions with prospects and customers, which can lead to improved top-line results and a better overall experience for both customers and sellers.

In summary, seller experience from an internal company perspective is crucial because it:

• Directly affects the efficiency and effectiveness of the sales process.
• Impacts the morale and retention of sales staff.
• Influences the customer experience through the quality of interactions with sellers.
• Drives business growth by enabling sellers to focus on what they do best: selling.

Back to my caution. Seller experience, as important as it is, must also be balanced and aligned with the buying or customer experience. Not that all complexity can ever be removed from both - some problems, solutions, or decisions, are, well, complex. But like the Einstein quote - we should make them as simple as possible, and no simpler. And when there is a toss-up between some complexity for sellers vs. buyers, I choose sellers every time. (Sorry sellers.)

How to Reduce Complexity & Improve Seller Experience

In addition to what I've already recommended with alignment, sales/revenue enablement and sales/revenue leaders can take several steps to reduce seller complexity and improve the seller experience, all while maintaining a positive buying and customer experience. Here are some strategies:

• Simplify Sales Processes: Align your sales process with the customer lifecycle and buying process to reduce friction with buyers and customers. Review and streamline sales processes to remove unnecessary steps and approvals that can slow down sales activities.
• Simplify Choices: Reduce the number of options available to sellers, focusing on offering the most relevant and effective choices. Limiting choices can help sellers make decisions faster and with more confidence, ultimately improving their productivity and the customer experience. In the same vein, do the same to the choices and options your sellers present to your buyers.
• Streamline Sales Tools: Simplify the sales stack by integrating or eliminating redundant tools. This reduces the time sellers spend navigating different platforms and allows them to focus more on selling. Use Single Sign-On (SSO) and integration as much as possible.
• Enhance Training and Support: Provide continuous training and support to ensure sellers are well-versed in the products and sales processes. This can include on-demand learning resources and coaching1.
• Optimize Content Management: Develop effective content and organize the materials so they are easy to find and use. A centralized content management system can save time and reduce frustration for sellers. I just wrote an entire newsletter dedicated to the effective use of content in your go-to-market motions, and you can review that here.
• Automate Administrative Tasks: Implement automation for routine tasks such as data entry, scheduling, and follow-ups. This frees up sellers to spend more time engaging with customers.
• Improve Internal Communication: Foster a culture of open communication where sellers can easily get help and share best practices. This can be facilitated through regular meetings and collaborative platforms. In my book, The Building Blocks of Sales Enablement, I talk about the Communication Management block, as well, where the Sales or Revenue Enablement function can become a conduit for communication to the sales force. This can streamline communication and make it as easily as possible for the sales force to assimilate things (coming from the same email, in the same structure and format, filed in the same storage area, at the same time weekly for updates, or whatever works for the business).
• Empower with Data: Equip sellers with data analytics tools that provide insights into customer behavior and preferences, enabling them to tailor their approach to each customer.
• Encourage Feedback: Create a feedback loop where sellers can share their experiences and suggest improvements to the sales process. Have a Sales Advisory Board, like you (hopefully) have a Customer Advisory Board.
• Align Goals and Incentives: Ensure that the company’s goals and the incentives for sellers are aligned, so that sellers are motivated to provide the best customer experience while achieving sales targets.
• Take a Customer-Centric Approach: Design sales strategies that keep your buyer's and customer’s needs at the forefront, ensuring that any changes to the seller experience also enhance the customer journey.

And finally, and perhaps most importantly...

• Get Out of the Sales Prevention Business: People should be encouraged and rewarded for pointing out corporate folly and things that get in the way of selling (I call it The Sales Prevention Business - and you should ensure you're not in it). Whenever reps, or worse, buyers or customers, have to jump through hoops in the course of normal business, it's like sand in gears. Don't be the sand. And don't tolerate sand. Be oil and grease. Make it easy to make things happen. Make it as easy as possible to sell. And especially be easy to buy from.

Two Service-Level Considerations

Here are two other considerations for supporting your sales force. I know that some enablers complain about sellers treating them as if they are a Help Desk, and when your function doesn't have the budget or resources or personnel for it, it can be daunting. But, if you do, or can cross-functionally collaborate to do it, you can consider either a Deal Desk or Sales Help Desk, or both.

Start a Deal Desk

A?deal desk?is a cross-functional team that works together to strategize and win deals more efficiently and effectively. It often involves stakeholders from sales, legal, revenue operations, finance, customer success, and more (although this can vary from business to business). Here are the key steps for setting up an effective deal desk:

• Set Expectations: Determine your deal desk goals. Understand the purpose of the deal desk within your organization.
• Identify Your Team: Once you’ve defined expectations, identify the team members you need. Consider involving individuals from marketing, sales, legal, finance, and other relevant departments.
• Set Deal Criteria: Define criteria for which deals should go through the deal desk. Typically, complex or high-value deals warrant deal desk involvement.
• Define Your Work Strategy: Establish workflows, approval guidelines, contract templates, and FAQs. Standardize processes to speed up the sales cycle.
• Analyze Your Success: Continuously assess the deal desk’s impact. Monitor metrics related to deal efficiency, cycle times, and overall effectiveness.
• Revise Your Strategy as Needed: Be agile.?Adapt your deal desk processes based on feedback, changing business needs, and performance data.

Remember, a well-structured deal desk empowers businesses to scale faster, reduces administrative work, and ensures that lean teams don’t become bottlenecks in the deal-making process.?By enabling sales to self-serve, mitigating risks, and focusing on strategic work, deal desks play a crucial role in achieving growth targets.

Start a Sales Help Desk

Creating an effective sales help desk involves several steps to ensure smooth interactions with customers and efficient support for your sales team. There's a sliding scale from "back of a napkin" approach to all-out Help Desk structure, so you'll need to decide what's right for your company. Here’s a guide of things to consider, to get you started, leaning toward all-out Help Desk structure (which you can scale back, as needed).

Define Your Sales Help Desk Goals and Team Structure:

• Clearly articulate the purpose of your sales help desk. Is this part of the Sales Support Services building block? How will it differ from your regular Help Desk (if you have one). What specific challenges do you want to address? Consider factors like response time, issue expertise, and sales productivity. The clearer you can be upfront while planning, the better.
• Determine the structure of your sales help desk team. Who will be responsible for handling sales-related inquiries? Will you have specialized agents for different types of requests (e.g., pre-sales, post-sales, technical sales/engineering)?

Choose the Right Software:

• If you're going all-out and making it official, select a suitable help desk software that aligns with your sales processes. Look for features like ticket management, automation, and reporting.
• Ensure that the software integrates well with your existing tools (such as CRM systems) to streamline workflows.

Set Up Your Support Channels:

• Link your support channels (e.g., email, chat, phone) to your sales help desk. Email is often a primary channel for sales inquiries.
• Configure your email settings, routing rules, and notifications.

Define Service Level Agreements (SLAs):

• Establish SLAs for response times, resolution times, and priority levels. These guidelines ensure consistent service delivery.
• Communicate SLAs clearly to your sales team and those providing services.

Automate Ticket Workflows:

• Create automated workflows for common sales scenarios. For example, automatically assign leads to the appropriate person based on criteria like region or product or sales issue.
• Use triggers and rules to route tickets efficiently.

Configure Agent Productivity Features:

• Set up canned responses, templates, and knowledge base articles. These resources help agents provide consistent and accurate information.
• Enable collaboration features so that agents can share insights and collaborate on complex cases.

Customize Your Self-Service Portal:

• Design a self-service portal where customers can find answers to common sales questions. Include FAQs, contact forms, and relevant resources.
• Brand the portal to match your company’s identity.

Integrate Existing Apps:

• Integrate your sales help desk with other tools your team uses. For instance, connect it to your CRM system, marketing automation platform, or e-commerce platform.
• Ensure data flows seamlessly between systems.

A well-structured, well-run sales help desk can enhance customer experiences, support your sales team, and contribute to overall business success.

But Mike, What About AI?

Saw that one coming. I still think it's "early days" for AI tools, but generative AI can be helpful now, and there are other current and emerging/evolving AI software and tools that can support seller's efforts. Here are some thoughts on using AI to improve seller experience, some of which tie into the above suggestions:

• Automated Data Analysis: AI can analyze vast amounts of data to provide sellers with actionable insights, helping them make informed decisions quickly and reducing the need for manual data analysis.
• Automated Prospect/Customer/Buyer Analysis: I've experimented by teaching ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot WSWTWAH (Who Sells What To Whom And How) and COIN-OP (Challenges, Opportunities, Impacts, Needs, Outcomes, and Priorities) and asked it to provide those summaries in tables, for a company I was researching. I then asked it to list the common personas in those companies who buy what we sell, and how the COIN-OP for each might be different. It's been pretty impressive.
• Optimized Product Listings: AI tools can assist sellers in creating optimized product listings by suggesting titles, descriptions, and keywords that improve search visibility and attract the right customers.
• Customer Service Automation: Chatbots and AI-powered customer service tools can handle routine inquiries, allowing sellers to focus on more complex customer interactions and sales activities.
• Predictive Analytics: AI can forecast market trends and customer behavior, enabling sellers to stock in-demand products and adjust their sales strategies accordingly.
• Prescriptive Sales Actions/Guided Selling: At SPARXiQ , we incorporate AI into a tool that analyzes large customer bases for our wholesale distributor clints, and what different types of products customers buy, to make prescriptive recommendations about 1) what to upsell and cross-sell, based on what similar companies purchase, or 2) which companies might be interesting in purchasing from you, who don't do business with you today. The AI algorithm analyzes large amounts of data to make these recommendations, significantly reducing work effort and complexity for the sellers using the tool.
• Streamlined CRM Platforms: AI can enhance CRM platforms by providing sellers with a daily stand-up of recommended actions, which can be crucial for high-velocity sales environments.
• Efficient Content Management: AI can help manage and organize sales materials, and make prescriptive recommendations about what to use when, making it easier for sellers to find and use the content they need.
• Reduced Administrative Burden: AI can automate administrative tasks such as scheduling, follow-ups, and even forecasting, freeing up sellers to concentrate on selling.

There are others who are following AI more closely, but those are a few suggestions that can be done right now. By integrating AI into the sales process, companies can provide a more seamless and efficient experience for sellers, which in turn can lead to a better buying experience for customers.

A Thought About Friction

Understanding Sales Friction: A Double-Edged Sword

In our profession, the term "friction" often carries a negative connotation, signifying the hurdles or resistance buyers and sellers encounter during the buying and sales processes. However, when strategically implemented, friction can serve as a catalyst for more thoughtful decision-making, for buyers, or improved sales performance, for sellers.

FOR BUYERS:

Creating Constructive Friction: Sometimes, it’s beneficial to introduce friction for buyers to encourage a pause in their purchasing journey. This can be achieved by:

• Providing Compelling Data: Sharing relevant statistics or case studies that highlight the value of your product can prompt buyers to include you in their purchase pursuit or reconsider their options.
• Offering Unique Insights: Presenting insights that challenge common perceptions can engage buyers intellectually, leading them to deliberate more deeply about their needs or recognize a potential issue that they hadn't considered (aka, foster an Aha Moment).
• Facilitating Informed Discussions: Encouraging buyers to involve key decision-makers (who aren't currently engaged) can ensure that all perspectives are considered, reducing the likelihood of future obstacles.

FOR SELLERS:

Friction can be a performance enhancer. Introducing friction in the seller’s experience isn’t always counterproductive. When used correctly, it can enhance sales methodology and outcomes.

• Implementing Guided Selling: Utilizing tools that guide sellers through the sales process can ensure consistency and adherence to best practices. When supporting a newer method, it may slow the rep down a bit, or even cause a dip in performance, until they develop more comfort with the method. (Aka, the "Danger Dip.")

• Enforcing Methodology Compliance: Reminders and checklists can help sellers internalize new methodologies, leading to better long-term results.
• Encouraging Reflective Practice: Completing worksheets or engaging in role-play exercises can sharpen sellers’ skills and prepare them for complex sales scenarios.

So, while friction is generally viewed as an obstacle to smooth transactions, "positive friction" can, paradoxically, streamline the sales process by ensuring thoroughness and higher level of sales effectiveness. By avoiding "negative friction" (jumping through hoops, unnecessary delays, bureaucratic processes) and embracing constructive friction as a tool, both buyers and sellers can achieve a more satisfying and successful experience.

Closing Thoughts

So, those are some considerations for reducing complexity and managing the seller experience. As always, you'll need to sort through options and select the ones, or the levels for them, that are right for your company. And whatever you do, remember "the pass-through effect" and keep the buyer and customer experience in mind.

RELATED OFFERS

Sales Enablement Course

If you'd like to learn how to maximize your enablement impact and improve the seller and buyer experience, check out The Building Blocks of Sales Enablement Learning Experience. It's based on my book and has videos, resources, and more.

• See: https://GoFFWD.com/Blocks

Sales Training Course

If you'd like to explore a sales methodology that aligns with improving the seller and buyer experience, you can:

• Explore the program here: Modern Sales Foundations website
• Ask for a free, self-directed preview of Modern Sales Foundations, right here: Free Preview of MSF

RESOURCES

Here are some additional resources on seller experience, including a few mentioned in the newsletter, for your convenience.

• Article: 4 steps to reduce complexity in B2B buying | HeadQ
• Article: Seller experience: The secret sauce for delighting customers | KPMG
• Article: CROs: Double Down on Seller Experience to Do More with Less | Spiff
• Article: Why the B2B Seller Experience is Key to Retaining Top Sales Talent | DealHub.io
• Article: Gartner Sales Survey Finds Nearly 90% of Sellers Feel Burned Out From Work
• eBook: Simplifying Sales eBook | LinkedIn
• eBook: The B2B Buying Journey: Key Stages and How to Optimize Them | Gartner (Gated)
• ?Book: The Customer Comes Second - Hal Rosenbluth & Diane McFerrin-Peters | Amazon.com
• Newsletter: Building Blocks, Close Up! Spotlight on Sales Support Services | Mike Kunkle
• Newsletter: The Role of Content in Your GTM Strategy | Mike Kunkle
• Newsletter: Building Blocks, Close Up! Spotlight on Sales Support Services | Mike Kunkle
• Article: The Surprising Power of Understanding ‘Who Sells What to Whom and How’ | Mike Kunkle via Distribution Strategy Group
• AI Solution: SalesGPS - SPARXiQ Sales Analytics (Guided Selling)

Well, that's it for this week, Enablers! Did you learn something new reading/watching this newsletter? If you did, or if it just made you think (and maybe chuckle from time to time - bonus points if you snorted), share it with your favorite enablement colleague, subscribe right here on LinkedIn, and check out The Building Blocks of Sales Enablement Learning Experience. Felix Krueger and Mike Kunkle are both Building Blocks Mentors, and we hope to see you there! For other courses and content from Mike, see: https://linktr.ee/mikekunkle

Until next time, stay the course, Enablers, and #MakeAnImpact With #Enablement!