Sales Enablement is becoming an active initiative within companies in just about every industry. When evaluating Sales Enablement Platforms (SEPs), it is important to understand the different use cases for field and inside sales reps.
Field Sales
Field sales reps are constantly on the go and need direct access to the material needed for the client they are visiting.
Instead of arriving to the meeting after traveling all day and frantically shuffling through folders of content, a proper SEP will recommend the right content for field reps to access or allow them to find what they need within a few clicks.
With a mobile-first platform like Bigtincan, field reps can also prep for meeting and access training collateral while in transit, regardless of network connectivity.
Another major challenge SEP's need to address for field sales reps is content access at trade shows. Most of the time the internet connection is less than stellar, which can make finding prospect facing content difficult. On the floor at trade shows field reps should be able to access content in their SEP without the need for connectivity or downloading to their hard drive, allowing them to present the right materials to the prospect in real time.
For a field sales rep, being prepared is crucial to the success of their in-person engagements, and with the proper Sales Enablement tools in place, the rep will feel confident and be ready “wow” the client.
Inside Sales
Unlike field sales reps, inside sales reps spend most of their time in the office talking to prospects via phone, email, video conferencing, and social media.
Whether it be cold prospecting, a discovery call, or a demo, inside sales reps need easy access to content to share with the prospect before, during, and after their engagements.
A Sales Enablement Platform puts all of this material at their fingertips, while also allowing them to share content directly from the platform to the prospect.
Inside sales reps focus on making a high volume of phone calls. In reality, reps are not always prepared for the question a prospect may ask, which can catch them off guard. In real time, a Sales Enablement Platform needs to deliver the right material in order to answer the question correctly.
A platform like Bigtincan then tracks this content, giving the rep visibility into if/when the content has been viewed and/or shared within an organization. This is especially important for inside sales because it gives them a better idea of when to re-engage.
Similarities and Differences
Let’s take a closer look at how inside and field sales reps leverage Sales Enablement Platforms.
The end goal of the Sales Enablement Platform is to empower all of your reps with the collateral they need to be as effective as possible.
However, every organization is different. Before implementing a platform, understand how you sales teams are structured and work. Also, take the time to discover the learning, training, and on-boarding needs.
Download our Sales Enablement Vendor Evaluation Guide to discover other key areas you should evaluate a Sales Enablement vendor in before buying.
