Author Archives: Edge Coble
About the Author
Edge Coble is Research Analyst, Sales Operations Strategies and Sales Enablement Strategies, at SiriusDecisions. Throughout his 15 years of experience, Edge has focused on optimizing operational processes, improving personnel effectiveness, and implementing change management strategies to bridge the gap between sales and marketing teams. Follow Edge on Twitter @gecoble.
What Sales Enablement and Sales Operations Can Learn From Sales Reps
- 24th May 2013
Although we all agree that reinventing the wheel is a waste of time, we do it all the time at work. We would never expect a customer to buy a product or service sight unseen, yet that is typically what we do to our sales reps every time we introduce another process, program or tool intended to help them. Worse, many of these solutions are announced without any internal marketing plan. The assumption is that reps will either automatically want to use your solution or will be told to do so, so why bother marketing and selling it? Here are a few basic steps that can transform a mediocre introduction into one that is highly successful.
Continue Reading....Reflections on Summit 2013 Through a Sales Enablement Lens
- 17th May 2013
Last week, SiriusDecisions hosted more than 1,500 attendees at our annual Summit, held at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego. As a new member of the SiriusDecisions team, it was a wonderful experience to watch my colleagues in action as they presented our latest research and insights to the entire crowd. The presentations covered a wide range of topics important to b-to-b marketing, sales and product leaders, from the rearchitected waterfall to the unified integration model. But sprinkled throughout each presentation was a subject that is near and dear to me – sales enablement. As I made the rounds and introduced myself, the conversation consistently turned to sales enablement, even before I mentioned that I cover this area. Here are my answers to three of the questions I encountered most often during those discussions:
Continue Reading....Why Your Staff Needs to Go on a Sales Call Today
- 26th April 2013
Most reps adhere to the adage “Plan your work and work your plan.” But does your staff fully appreciate what that involves? From time to time, field marketing, sales operations and sales enablement should go on rep ride-alongs to observe and discover new ways to enable sales success. Here are some pointers to help you make the most of these ride-alongs (and to make sure you’re asked back).
Continue Reading....How Stopping Saturday Mail Delivery Impacts Your Sales Reps
- 22nd March 2013
The United States Postal Service recently announced that, effective August 10 of this year, Saturday mail delivery will be discontinued. Of course, this will not diminish the amount of junk mail I receive, only the day that it is delivered. When I read the news online, what I found interesting is that not all Saturday mail will stop. Delivery of packages, mail-order medicines, Priority Mail, and Express Mail will continue. I am sure that I will get an official notice from the post office, but for now, it’s a bit confusing. Here are some useful guidelines for communicating to and from sales reps.
Continue Reading....Is Email the Best Way for Sales to Communicate?
- 13th March 2013
Two years ago, Thierry Breton, the CEO of Atos, a European IT services and consulting provider, announced that in three years, Atos would no longer use internal email. Some viewed this statement with skepticism, while others called it visionary. Atos’ plan is to shift its internal communications from email to a social business solution. The Atos Zero-Email strategy is still active, but the company has not publicly announced which alternative tools it intends to use for internal communication. Some announcements have discussed the use of instant messaging along with social media platforms. What about your sales force? Could this be a reasonable course of action?
Continue Reading....Measuring the Success of Sales Assets
- 13th February 2013
During a recent visit to a travel agency, I was surprised by how little the agent knew about the destination I was considering. Let’s just say there are many TV ads for this kid-friendly vacation spot, but when I asked specific questions, the basic response was, “It is a really popular destination.” This was of little use in my decision process. I was expecting more insight – popular activities, comments from other vacationers, whether our travel dates coincide with the busy season. Instead, I am back at square one with too many choices and a fast-approaching vacation deadline. Reps often have this problem with their asset management tool. Listing what is hot or popular does have some benefits, but sales reps want content suggestions for their specific opportunities and sales stages. Needing to search for content on the system adds another administrative function to their already busy day.
Continue Reading....Get a Jump on Spring Cleaning, Starting With Your Sales Portal
- 16th January 2013
Think about your sales force. When reps ask where to find content, have you pointed them to the sales portal and given an answer that resembles the following: “It’s somewhere in there. Near the product brochures link, I think." Not only does this frustrate your reps, but you run the risk that reps will recreate content on their own, using outdated material and spreading the word that the portal is disorganized. Your content providers will also be frustrated, viewing the sales portal as a digital dumping ground that does not provide enough feedback to help them polish the material that already resides there.
Continue Reading....