I recently came across an article by Brad Holmes at Forrester titled “Sales Enablement 2010: Is this the Year for Breakthrough?” I was struck by Brad’s very direct assertion that:
“Cool technology is dead, business outcomes are a must.” Today’s sales conversations are less about “the adjective-laden virtues of some engineering breakthrough “and instead “more meaty, grounded, and accountable. There is a solid transfer of value both in the discussion and in the outcomes from a transaction. Or there better be, else the buyer will drop the vendor like a stone.”
While this reality is evident among many of our customers, whether in the technology space or beyond, I couldn’t also help but think how the need to prove business outcomes relates to our business here at SAVO and to the decision makers out there evaluating our solution against others in the Sales Enablement space.
With more and more players trying to position themselves within the Sales Enablement space, it may be hard to decipher between the hype and whose solutions can actually deliver on what you are trying to accomplish. While every vendor is excited to bring to market the latest and greatest it has to offer, a quality vendor remembers – and reminds its customers – why these innovations really matter to the customer’s business. Good technology vendors exist to solve a specific business challenge, and they bring the right technology to bear to support this challenge. To put it another way, beware the “me too’s” and the technology for technology’s sake providers. Thinking through the one-on-one conversations you’re having with potential Sales enablement vendors, it may be helpful to ask: How does the sales person approach conversations with me? Does she share stories of how she’s solved my business problem in the past? Is Sales Enablement core to what she, and her colleagues do every day, or is this an add-on to something else she’s trying to pitch? Does she share proven quantitative and qualitative impact? Do I find myself thinking differently about my business after interacting with her?
Are you out there evaluating a technology vendor to achieve your own Sales Enablement objectives? What criteria are you using to evaluate potential vendors? What are the sales conversations like?
