No industry is safe from an ever-changing shift in its business models and customer base. As the corporate world evolves, a strategy that is facing a downhill trend and may eventually become obsolete is the need for an outside marketing agency. According to AdAge, nearly 40% of brands are planning to ditch their agency in mid-2023. This sudden shift is largely due to companies investing in their own teams and developing in-house strategies with sales enablement consultants.
Sales enablement is a blueprint used to educate staff on the best practices in both sales and marketing. Rather than signing an annual contract with a marketing agency, companies save time and money by introducing its team to the tools and resources needed for success. With personalized guidelines based on your specific industry, employees learn proven and repeatable skills that increase profits and build on customer loyalty.
Find out why companies are proclaiming 2023 as the year to leave the marketing agency behind and put their faith in their own team.
Marketing Agencies are Slow
Successful marketing agencies must juggle multiple clients to stay afloat. Unfortunately, this means reaching your hired help can be difficult when you need their input. Since the digital age operates at a lightning-fast pace, quick communication is crucial. Have you ever had an idea that you urgently needed to discuss with your marketing agency? Many times you have likely been left waiting on slow email responses or a returned phone call.
When you invest in enabling your in-house team to navigate the marketing and sales processes, calling an impromptu meeting provides quicker results.
Focus on Your Sales Process
Sales enablement consultants are experts in building a personalized plan that focuses on the sales process that makes the most sense for your business. One notable difference you will find within marketing agencies is they tend to concentrate on driving brand awareness and lead generation. The campaigns an agency creates are often meant to draw eyes to your business, but are ineffective when closing deals—that’s where sales enablement (and a highly motivated staff) comes in.
In many cases, the strategies built by marketing agencies force staff to adapt and relearn new sales techniques. With sales enablement, experts work closely with your sales and marketing staff to incorporate effective tools and resources that create success. These personalized strategies include details like coaching, technology, and understanding analytics that are designed to support your sales process.
Focus on Data and Analytics
A company’s performance is driven by understanding the numbers. When a team has a stronghold of analyzing data and analytics, they can identify trends of success and patterns of challenges during the sales process. While marketing agencies also follow data, they are generally more interested in factors like brand awareness and website traffic. Again, closing the deal is typically out of sight, out of mind.
To truly understand how your company is performing, someone must analyze metrics that directly impact sales like conversion rates, customer behavior, and sales activity. Identifying the issues before they become significant hurdles is key to increasing revenue and organically building your brand.
Advertising Isn’t Everything
If you’ve worked with a marketing agency, you know they are passionate about widespread advertising campaigns. While these efforts may draw eyes to your brand, they also negatively impact your budget without a guaranteed ROI. While there will always be a place for advertising in different industries, gaining the public’s trust and loyalty through organic tactics is just as essential.
Sales enablement strategies coach your staff to be more hands-on when engaging with their client base. From following and acknowledging engagement on social media to addressing both positive and negative online reviews, buyers are given a more personalized experience with your team.
Is Sales Enablement the Future that Your Company Needs?
Who wouldn’t want to skip out on paying a marketing agency when you can instead invest in your own loyal employees? If you’re struggling to close deals or if your sales team is not performing as well as you would like, sales enablement is worth considering. By providing your staff with the right coaching, training, tools, and support, you will create a more effective sales team and a better experience for buyers.
Ultimately, whether or not sales enablement is the right approach for your business demands will depend on your specific situation and current performance. Before reaching out to a marketing agency to boost your brand awareness, consider contacting a sales enablement team for a personalized consultation.
Looking for a partner in this area? The UpWrite Group has been developing high-ROI content and thought leadership materials since 2008. We have supported Fortune 100 conglomerates, midsize organizations, startups, and family-owned small businesses. Reach out to Joe Szynkowski on his mobile to learn more: 618-521-7483.