Let’s begin by stating the obvious: sales isn’t an easy job. In the first place, salespeople are confronted by a host of challenges, everything from following down unqualified leads to positioning products above those of competitors to knowing what questions to ask and responding effectively to prospective customer objections.
Second, salespeople too often get blamed for things that aren’t their fault. Sometimes the blame comes from marketers who complain they aren’t closing enough sales opportunities. Sometimes it comes from managers who feel they haven’t properly used the resources they’ve been given.
So, selling isn’t easy—but there are ways to overcome the challenges that salespeople face. That means, more than anything else, giving your salespeople all the training and tools they need to succeed.
What is a sales toolkit?
In the simplest sense, a sales toolkit contains all the resources your sales team needs to be effective, from a playbook to clear product descriptions and useful scripts for common sales call scenarios. The sales toolkit, in other words, contains the winning formula that optimizes the effectiveness of your sales reps.
As Insight Squared notes, a sales toolkit, when it includes the right tools, has everything your sales reps need to close more sales:
“A sales toolkit is designed to get new reps up to speed and make sure everyone on your sales team is on the same page. It contains everything a new sales rep needs to know about your sales process, buyer personas, sales metrics, and talk tracks before they get on the phones.”
What’s in your bag?
That of course begs the question of which tools your sales team needs most. Although every business—and every sales team—is different, most will increase their odds of success with a toolkit that contains (at minimum) the following 6 tools:
The sales playbook
The sales playbook summarizes the basics every salesperson needs to know. This includes your company’s buyer personas, sample call scripts, effective emails, product demos, guidelines for proposals, and key intelligence about your principal competitors. Said differently, the playbook is a basic primer on the best ways to close more sales.
Marketing collateral
This includes your most effective tools for lead generation, conversions, and closings. You should include both digital and print resources. You also need to thoughtfully train your sales reps to use these materials strategically. In other words, they need to know in which sales scenario a given video or product demo will be most effective to move a prospect through the sales funnel or to close a sale.
The pricing guide
Generally, prospects have 2 top-of-mind questions. First, “how will your product help me?” And second, “how much will it cost me?” Your sales team needs to be ready to answer both questions. Make sure your pricing guide is up to date—and that your sales team understands what (if any) leverage they have in negotiating price. Again, every aspect of pricing needs to be clear, direct, and precise.
Clear product descriptions
Nothing will kill a sale more quickly than a salesperson who doesn’t know how your product works. Product descriptions should include each product’s most saleable features, clear and concise explanations of how they work, and a persuasive script about what sets your product above similar products from your top competitors.
Persuasive social proof
This might include how many customers have already bought a product or subscribed to a service. Your salespeople should also be prepared (through reviews and testimonials) to describe how your products have helped other, similar customers.
Sales software reference guide
If you use software as part of the sales process—this could be customer relationship management (CRM) or other sales enabling software—your salespeople will need to be thoroughly conversant with its best practice use. Your sales kit, for this reason, should include a quick go-to guide that addresses the more typical issues your sales team has leveraging your software.
An effective, best practice sales enablement program can spell the difference between success and failure for your sales team—and for your business. Of course, optimizing the performance of salespeople in an increasingly complex (and at times confusing) digital landscape can be challenging. That’s where we can help. To learn more about the ways our advertising and sales enablement services can help you consistently meet sales quotas—and take your business to the next level—request a demo today.
