Sales technology | Sales Enablement Collective

Where would we be without technology? The sales department has been at the forefront of technological innovation for a long time, and every year there are new, creative solutions and platforms helping to streamline, automate, or otherwise assist sellers and sales managers.

However, modern sales teams are often overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices on the market.

If you're a sales enablement professional, you need to have your finger on the pulse when it comes to the latest technological developments and trends. Whether it's CRM integrations or the latest in AI-guided selling, you should be in-the-know and ready to bring the best technological support to your sales teams.

Sales enablement software

Sales tech stack

The tech stack is one of those tricky sales subjects. In some ways, it's a fantastic resource that helps the sales team and the enablement department be more effective and efficient.

In other ways, it can be an overwhelming, disorganized jumble of hard-to-use programs that only slows the sales department down.

As a result, if you're looking to take your sales enablement expertise to the next level the tech stack is something you have to nail down.

There are certain items in a tech stack that you really can't do without in this day and age. Customer relationship management (CRM) systems are pretty much standard, but conversational intelligence tools, learning management systems (LMS), AI automated solutions, and more are all making their case to be part of your tech stack.

If you're leading a sales enablement department, a major part of your role is going to be analyzing what you actually need, what would be nice to have, and what tools are totally unnecessary.

Remember that there is a point where technology is good and useful, but when you have too many tools (and they're all disconnected and confusing) it'll serve only to slow and confuse reps. Your job is to find that ideal balance, and create the perfect tech stack.

When it's functioning well, a tech stack will save your reps an incredible amount of time. That means you'll have more opportunites to provide coaching and training and your reps will have more time to dedicate towards selling. A well-balanced tech stack is a win-win.

As time goes on, more and more advanced and modern technology options will pop up. A vital part of your role as a sales enabler is remaining proactive. Don't allow your tech stack to stagnate and become outdated.

Be on the constant lookout for upgrades to your current tools, or new tools which may benefit you or your sellers tremendously.

One example, above, shows how something which a decade ago may have been dismissed like chatbots, can have a big impact on your enablement efforts when executed correctly.

The moral of the story when it comes to building a tech stack and picking sales software? Continue exploring, evaluating, and assessing your options as the landscape is ever-changing.

Artificial intelligence and sales enablement

Some of the most exciting additions to sales and enablement tech stacks over the past few years are tools which incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) into their solutions.

Sales enablement stands to benefit. For example, AI-guided selling is an area which has the potential to amplify enablement content's efficiency and usage.

What is important to remember is that none of these AI-based solutions are here to replace sales enablement professionals, they exist as tools which give sales enablers more time, more power, and more ways to support their reps.

Some of the potential applications, which focus on the automation of repetitive, administrative-style tasks, will result in sellers having far more time to actually sell and sell well.

Sales enablement supports reps in order to maximize their ability to get deals done and bring in revenue, so incorporating AI time-saving solutions like these into the tech stack is a huge benefit.

Adopting AI now will still make you an early adopter. While the technology is by no means brand new, it's constantly evolving and growing and has yet to reach widespread adoption.

Whether it's hesitancy or not is unclear, as worldwide we've welcomed AI assistants like Siri and Alexa into our homes for some time now. Either way, do your due diligence as a sales enablement professional and explore AI-based solutions.

If they're right for you and your organization, you might find yourself with a leg up on your competition. Stay ahead of the curve and your revenue numbers might just soar.

SEC's Sales Enablement Forecast 2022 report asked 400+ sales enablement practitioners about the type of technology they're using, what technology they plan on investing in, and more. Get the report below:

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