What Is The Role Of a Sales Enablement Specialist In a Saas Company
In the modern day and age, many sales professionals have specific roles they fulfill in their sales teams. One of those roles is known as a sales enablement specialist.
What Is a Sales Enablement Specialist
A sales enablement specialist ensures that all aspects of the sales process are achieved through various means. For example training and coaching to improve customer engagement. This ultimately leads to higher conversion rates.
To be successful in this role, a person must have strong analytical skills, which allows them to provide insight into how people and their business goals change over time.
What Are The Responsibilities Of a Sales Enablement Specialist?
1. Train, Coach, And Develop The Team
A sales enablement specialist is responsible for ensuring the entire team is knowledgeable and ready to provide the best customer service possible. That means that they need to train their sales team members on up-to-date strategies, new products and services, and any changes made in the company or team.
Training can be done in several ways, such as online courses or written documents. It is critical for them to also get out into the field and coach each member of their team individually.
That allows them to see what works for each member and how they can work better together. The entire team should be on the same page because if they are not, it could lead to mistakes that affect sales.
The sales enablement specialist's job is to ensure everyone is on the same page and working together as a unit.
2. Understand What The Business Processes Are
The second thing a sales enablement specialist is responsible for, is to become familiar with their companies' business processes. And most importantly, what each sales professionals’ role in the team is.
These roles make up the entire sales process, and without a solid understanding of these processes and associated roles, it is difficult to perform sales on a consistent basis. Becoming familiar with your company's business processes will allow you to find out if there are any gaps in the process or other areas that need improvement.
That is where a sales enablement specialist can come in handy because if your company lacks experience in certain areas or needs sales reps' assistance, they will turn to you to fill in those gaps.
3. Create Sales Campaigns For Specific Needs
This is another area where a sales enablement specialist comes into play. Creating sales campaigns for specific needs within the company shows that you know how to create a plan. Preferably based on data that will help drive revenue and other related metrics.
This is also extremely critical because it shows that you can put together a plan based on specific data the company gathers. But only if you know how to properly use the data to your advantage.
Being proficient in this area will help the company's alignment with the sales process by increasing revenue and proper conversion rates.
4. Understand Tools And Software
Understanding tools and software includes one of the most critical responsibilities a sales enablement specialist has. Because this is where you find gaps in certain areas. You will find out what is missing or if there is potential for improvement in areas that the team may not be aware of.
Therefore, a sales enablement specialist should be asking questions, conducting interviews, and showing that he or she is willing to provide the best support to the company and the sales team.
What Skills Are Needed For a Sales Enablement Specialist?
Sales enablement is a relatively new position in the sales department. And as such, it is a competitive field to break into.
The major requirements and skills a sales enablement specialist needs to have, are excellent written and verbal communication skills. Also, ample knowledge of Microsoft Office and Excel is an absolute must for your resume.
As a sales enablement specialist, you will write sales presentations and present them to your colleagues and clients. That means, you will need strong presentation skills as well.
Most importantly, you should have a keen eye for detail and knowledge of interpersonal relationships. Since this job is about selling, you will be expected to have excellent people skills. A strong work ethic is also very helpful, since this highly demanding position can often have unpredictable schedules.
Knowledge of specific sales software or platforms is likewise beneficial. For example, knowing anything about sales automation software, AP automation software (Enterprise Contact Manager), or CRM software, will put you in a better position to succeed.
Educational Requirements
In most SaaS companies, you must have a bachelor's degree for a sales enablement specialists position. Most companies ask at least five years of professional experience in sales.
Experience Requirements
You will need experience in at least one of the following fields to be qualified for this position: marketing, sales support, customer service, software development, or curriculum design.
You also need to have experience with sales and marketing software because you will be responsible for the various sales programs your organization runs.
Sales enablement specialists are the individuals who assist salespeople with their work. For example, offering support to call centers, provide marketing and sales trainings, or deliver customer service to clients.
As a specialist in this field, you will handle tasks that span from strategy and curriculum planning for courseware content, to managing data analytics systems for sales staff. Also, supporting management and sales team members, and creating and implementing new sales programs for corporate clients is your responsibility.
You will also be responsible for identifying trends within your industry so that you can keep on top of the latest developments. Your role will include business development and sales administration duties to ensure your clients succeed.
What Is A Typical Salary For a Sales Enablement Specialist?
Every industry has a salary range for the average job position, and software or SaaS sales is no different. A sales enablement specialist typically earns between $50,000 and $80,000 as a combined salary for a full-time employee. Software sales salaries can be broken down into four categories: base salary, bonus potential, commission potential, and benefits.
Base salaries for entry-level sales jobs start at around $50,000 per year, with a generous commission plan. At higher levels of experience (especially those in high-end enterprise solutions), base salaries can exceed $80,000 per year with the same generous commission's structure.
SaaS sales professionals should know that the higher their salary and commission, the more they risk losing if their product fails to sell. Ideally, when a company invests in a sales professional, it projects its income for the next 3-5 years.
If a sales rep is hired on a salary, their income is now part of the company's expenses. That means they could be let go if they do not hit their goals (especially during year 1). Conversely, if one does achieve their goals and exceeds them, they can earn between five and six figures in bonuses and commissions.
Want To Start Working in SaaS Sales?
In a nutshell, SaaS Sales is a lucrative and rewarding industry that is not as difficult as it may seem. It requires a lot of dedication and hard work to succeed, but with the right amount of passion and commitment, anyone can become successful.