Priming the Sales Force for the Age of Uncertainty

In August, the biggest Rallyware headlines revolved around how to empower sellers to drive results–like sales and repeat purchases–at a time of consumer hesitancy.?

For Training Industry, we wrote about skills development outside of the LMS/LXP paradigm. Sales force operations are turning away from simplistic “learning” and toward performance enablement, focusing on AI-guided activities in the flow of work and unlocking new skills.?

Meanwhile, we produced a comprehensive Sales Force Report for 2022-23, documenting trends and transformations in seller behaviors using exclusive data based on usage of the Rallyware suite. We uncovered some fascinating insights about how sellers are changing, what motivates performance today, and where sales force enablement is headed. In other articles, we wrote about back-to-school sales, securing buy-in for performance enablement software, overstock problems in retail, and more.?

Here are some highlights from Rallyware’s August content.

PARADIGM SHIFT: Centering Uncertainty: Rethinking Skills Development for the Sales Force

• The market in which LMSs and LXPs flourished was often enough to emphasize training for its own sake, with the crucial goal being training completion.?
• We need to move from the emphasis on lessons toward one on activities: targeted tasks and productivity-related suggestions that inculcate training by putting it into action.
• We can imagine technology that enables the sales force to respond to a variety of different scenarios by unlocking their abilities and reflexes using real activities in the flow of work, rather than tech that provides lessons untethered to business outcomes.?
• Ultimately, focusing on enablement rather than training alone helps not only sellers and companies themselves, but training leaders.

EXCLUSIVE RESEARCH: Rallyware’s 2022-23 Global Sales Force Report

• The Global Sales Force report assesses the business outcomes for sales forces using Rallyware’s native-built technology.
• When using technology that used just-in-time activities to drive sales force productivity in targeted ways, many enterprises saw strong sales numbers.?
• In 2022, based on customer data, Rallyware saw among the customer community 25% more workforce members overall than 2021.?
• 21% more members of the sales-based workforce actively engaged with the centralized app driving their learning, business management, and sales performance.?

RETHINK DESTOCKING: Using Frontline Technology to Solve Overstock

• 58% of retailers have said that they plan to liquidate excess stock if they can’t sell that merchandise.?
• Workforce enablement platforms play a significant role in solving overstock problems by facilitating better collaboration, data-driven activity recommendations in real time, and efficient inventory targeting.
• The technology helps individuals collaborate, fostering communication and messaging among teams, as well as messages from corporate or store leadership.?
• By setting up the right business rules, retailers can target specific merchandise and particular inventory levels.?

LEADERSHIP IDEAS: How to Secure Buy-in for Sales Performance Enablement Software

• While leaders are eager to invest in Customer Experience (CX technology), they might be much slower to engage frontline workers with sales enablement software and performance enablement tools.?
• The bridge between engaging customers and achieving targeted KPIs lies in the strategic empowerment of the frontline.
• Just as e-commerce platforms anticipate customer preferences, highlight how sales performance enablement software empowers sales teams to tailor their approach for maximum impact.
• By providing necessary data-driven features like segmentation and profiling, and personalized recommendations, these tools can deliver exceptionally personalized experiences to customers.

BUYING SEASON: Performance Enablement for Back-to-School Retail Sales

• In our current omnichannel age, it’s more important than ever to adapt to changing consumer behaviors.
• With inflation, the threat of recession, and shifting consumer preferences, back-to-school shoppers have become more cautious in their purchases.
• The current landscape gives rise not only to a surge in e-commerce but also to hybrid customer experience models, which integrate offline and online spending.
• By integrating online and offline efforts, retailers can create a seamless customer journey that drives traffic to physical stores during the back-to-school season.

PERSPECTIVE RESET: Are You Thinking About Sales Enablement in the Right Way?

• Investing on learning tools alone will not yield much ROI, but thinking of them strategically as an attribute to enhance data-driven performance management can yield results.
• PEPs offered real-time performance analytics, gamification and motivation elements, and the ability to improve performance based on data-driven achievements.?
• The correct approach involves integration with external systems, which monitor commissions level, retention tracking and much more.?
• Taking this innovative approach of merging training with live performance data, as well as integrating training and learning content with other types of enablement activities (sales incentives, for instance), expands possibilities.

FIELD EMPOWERMENT: PEPs as a Key to Success in Global Direct Selling Markets

• Operations leaders and sales executives in the field of direct selling face a particular set of challenges when it comes to international markets.
• Performance Enablement Platforms (PEPs) have emerged as a solution to unique global challenges.?
• We can see the success of PEPs in expanding global enterprises reflected in direct selling companies such as Avon, which adapted new technologies to streamline training of their distributed workforce.
• An ideal tech stack will go beyond the simple task of training and selling to help you strategize and support growth as it aligns with the company’s objectives.