Sales Enablement Must Start with Strategy and Planning!
Mike Kunkle
??Author/Advisor/Course Creator: The Building Blocks of Sales Enablement | Modern Sales Foundations | Sales Coaching Excellence
Hey, Enablers, happy Friday! Mike Kunkle here. Welcome to this week’s edition of Sales Enablement Straight Talk! Today, I want to remind you about something critical that I see being missed, in many enablement approaches that have not yet reached the Formal Maturity Model (or Adaptive, but Formal comes first).
Much like with the sales professionals we support, planning is a differentiator. And with almost anything in business, if we want to make an impact, it starts with strategy.
Sales Enablement Must Start With Strategy!
Here's this week's video. The written newsletter continues below.
VIDEO
Click the image to watch on YouTube and please Subscribe while you're there:
NEWSLETTER
In this newsletter, I want to emphasize the significance of strategy and planning in sales enablement. If you want to make a real impact with your enablement efforts, starting with a solid strategy is crucial.
Sales enablement does not exist in a vacuum. It is part of a larger organizational ecosystem. That's why I always stress the importance of systems thinking with The Building Blocks of Sales Enablement. To understand this concept better, take a look at the chart below.
As depicted in the chart, strategic planning forms the foundation of sales enablement. Without a clear strategic plan, effective tactical planning and execution are nearly impossible. Think of it as a prerequisite chain, with strategic planning leading to tactical planning, which eventually leads to talent development and execution.
As sales enablement professionals, we don't do all of this work; much of it on the left and some in the middle are handed off to us. Our job is to align ourselves with organizational strategies and objectives to ensure that our enablement efforts deliver results that matter to senior executives and sales leaders.
The next planning steps is a Situation Assessment of your very own sales force.
This assessment consists of analyzing the Current State (Point A) and the Desired Future State (Point B) of your sales force. By conducting a Situation Assessment, and using the COIN-OP model, you gain insights into the Challenges (C) and Opportunities (O) present in the Current State. You can identify the Impacts (I) of not addressing them and determine the Outcomes (O) and their Priorities (P) in the Desired Future State.
Next, you conduct a Gap Analysis to bridge the divide between the Current and Desired States. The gap analysis highlights the Needs (N) and requirements for achieving the Desired Future State. By identifying these gaps, you can determine the necessary capabilities and actions to move forward and close them. You can then do an Impact Analysis to document the reduction or avoidance of negative Impacts and the positive gains achieved by reaching the Prioritized, Desired Future Outcomes. This helps you create a compelling business case.
After that Gap Analysis, you can also analyze each Building Block of Sales Enablement in the same way.
For example, evaluate the Current State of Buyer Acumen and determine where it needs to be to achieve the Desired Future State. This evaluation can be done on a sliding scale or Likert scale, allowing you to clearly identify the gaps and needs associated with each building block, to achieve the strategic objectives and desired outcomes. This is the needle and thread that runs though these planning steps, to later ensure that your enablement initiatives will deliver the results everyone wants (assuming they are well executed).
Now, bringing all of these analyses together, it's time to perform a Force Field Analysis.
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This analysis incorporates the data and information gathered from the Situation Assessment and the related Gap and Impact Analyses into a comprehensive view, while also considering the gaps in the Building Blocks that will need to close, to support the Desired Future State Outcomes.
In a Force Field Analysis, you document the Driving Forces that push you towards the Desired Future State and the Restraining Forces that hold you back. Any missing information that you feel you should have, would automatically be a Restraining Force. By weighting these forces, you can prioritize the ones that require immediate action or will deliver the best results (and sometimes are the low-hanging fruit, as well).
To develop an actionable enablement plan, you need to answer two pivotal questions:
Answering these questions will guide you in creating a detailed action plan. This plan outlines who will be responsible for specific tasks, how they will be completed, and the timeframe within which they should be accomplished.
By following this needle-and-thread approach, you ensure that your enablement efforts are aligned with your organization's strategy and objectives. You have a thorough plan in place to achieve the desired results as expected by your executive team and senior sales leaders.
While this article provides a brief overview, there are plenty of resources available to support you on your sales enablement journey. For instance, my book, "The Building Blocks of Sales Enablement," explores the fundamental concepts in more detail. Additionally, you can refer to the accompanying eBook, which offers guidance on developing an enablement plan that delivers tangible results. Don't forget to explore our newsletter archive, which houses a wealth of useful information on various enablement topics. Links to these and the slides from the video are all available in the Resources section.
If you're interested in a more immersive learning experience, including (optional) weekly, virtual coaching sessions, I highly recommend our course, "The Building Blocks of Sales Enablement Learning Experience," available through Felix Krueger and FFWD. Visit GoFFWD.com/Blocks for more information.
Closing Thoughts
In conclusion, prioritizing strategy and planning in your sales enablement efforts is essential for achieving success. By taking a systematic approach that begins with a thorough understanding of your organization's strategy, conducting a situation assessment, performing gap and impact analyses in your situation assessment and of the building blocks, and conducting a force field analysis, you can create an actionable enablement plan that drives your sales team towards the desired future state.
Remember, enablement is a continuous journey, and following this loop is one way to ensure you keep your collective "foot" on the gas pedal until you reach your final destination. As the chart depicts, it's important to measure, evaluate results along the way, adjust and pivot as needed, and continue through the loop until you achieve your desired results.
RESOURCES
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 for the weekly group coaching sessions, 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!
Sellers deserve good leaders.
1 年Before execution and application, start with strategy. YES!