How an AI Coach Takes Your Sales Team’s Performance to the Next Level

Poornima Mohandas on January 15, 2025

The impact of sales coaching can’t be denied. Research tells us effective sales coaching can increase the metrics that matter most, including conversion rates and quota attainment.

But while traditional sales coaching practices may be effective, they’re often labor intensive. So when faced with countless competing priorities, it can feel impossible for a sales manager to deliver personalized coaching that’ll improve outcomes. This is especially true for the 70% of sales managers who say their teams have grown in the last year.

With an AI coach, you can be sure every seller gets consistent, relevant feedback and support – which they can use immediately to improve their skills and sales performance.

But what is an AI coach? You’ve come to the right place to find out.

In this post, we’ll discuss what an AI coach is and how it differs from traditional sales coaching approaches. We’ll also explore some key reasons you should consider incorporating an AI coach into your overall sales coaching strategy for 2025.

What is an AI coach?

Perhaps you’re not quite sure what an AI coach is. Or maybe you have some ideas – but could use some clarity on the topic. Whatever the case, let’s start by defining what an AI coach is.

An AI sales coach is a sales tool that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver personalized feedback and guidance to sales reps. When sellers apply the feedback from an AI sales coach, they can improve their skills and behaviors and boost their sales productivity and performance.

How AI sales coaching and training is different from traditional sales coaching

Now that we’ve shared a definition of the term “AI sales coach,” you may be wondering how it compares to more traditional sales coaching methods.

AI sales coaching and traditional sales coaching are both methods for delivering personalized feedback and guidance to sellers that help them be more successful in their roles. AI- and human-powered sales coaching can both be good ways to deliver:

  • Deal coaching: Guidance to improve the likelihood of a specific deal closing.
  • Skill coaching: Coaching and support to improve the skills and competencies needed for success in a specific sales role.

Ideally, both AI coaching and traditional coaching should be rooted in data. That way, coaching will be relevant to each sales rep’s strengths and weaknesses. Data can come from a variety of different sources, including:

  • Performance metrics: Some examples include conversion rates, sales cycle lengths, and quota attainment.
  • Readiness scores: How well a sales rep stacks up against your “Ideal Rep Profile.”
  • Role-play performance: AI can analyze performance and provide insight on what’s happening in the field.
  • In-field performance: This can be analyzed by sitting in on sales calls or using a conversation intelligence tool.

There are some similarities between an AI coach and more traditional sales coaching methods. However, there are also some key differences. Let’s look at some of the top factors that set an AI coach apart from traditional sales coaching methods.

Factor #1: Who delivers the coaching

Perhaps the most obvious difference between the two types of coaching is who delivers it.

A sales rep’s manager most often delivers traditional sales coaching. In some organizations, sales coaching is also delivered by:

  • A level-up manager (in other words, the manager of the manager)
  • A sales enablement professional or sales trainer
  • A peer mentor

AI training and coaching, on the other hand, is delivered via artificial intelligence that’s embedded within a specific tool or platform. For example, a revenue enablement platform may build an AI sales coach into the tool.

Factor #2: What channels are used for coaching

Traditional and AI coaching occur through different channels.

Traditional coaching can happen face-to-face if the seller and their manager are in the same office. It can also happen via digital channels. For example, if a sales rep and their manager aren’t in the same office, they might have a regularly scheduled video call in which the manager delivers coaching. Or, a seller could record a role-play and share it with the manager, who could then provide feedback via email or a sales coaching tool.

AI training and coaching happen exclusively via digital channels. For example, an AI assistant integrated into a conversation intelligence tool can deliver feedback and recommendations after a rep finishes a sales call. An AI coach can also provide feedback while a sales rep interacts with an AI bot in a virtual role-play exercise.

Some revenue enablement platforms also have an AI coach who provides suggested next steps for a deal based on factors like the deal’s stage, buyer engagement, and data on what has worked in similar scenarios in the past. For example, an AI coach can suggest that the seller share a specific content with a prospect to propel the deal forward.

Factor #3: Coaching timing

Another key difference between AI coaching and traditional coaching is when it is delivered.

When it comes to traditional sales coaching, reps are typically at the mercy of the manager’s schedule. Sellers may have to wait for a scheduled meeting to receive coaching. They can also reach out to a manager if they need guidance in between meetings. However, because managers have busy schedules, the seller may wait for a while, which can slow down the progress of a deal.

An AI coach delivers feedback in real-time. That means sellers can get the feedback and guidance they need whenever and wherever they need it. For example, an AI coach can deliver feedback to a seller immediately after a sales call. The seller can immediately implement this feedback to improve their performance on the next call and accelerate the deal.

Top benefits of AI-powered sales coaching

One-size-fits-all sales coaching isn’t effective. Instead, sales coaching must be personalized to be effective.

But it’s not always easy to deliver timely, relevant feedback that addresses the needs of every buyer.

Increasingly, revenue organizations are embracing AI coaches. Why? Incorporating an AI coach into your overall sales coaching strategy can deliver some significant benefits. Let’s take a look at a few.

Real-time feedback to improve behaviors and outcomes

When a seller has access to an AI coach, they don’t have to wait for their sales manager to have free time in their schedule. Instead, sellers can access relevant feedback and guidance right away – any time of day.

Sellers can then apply the feedback from an AI coach right away to improve outcomes faster. For example, if an AI coach suggests an action that’ll move a deal forward, the seller can immediately accelerate the deal. Or, if the AI coach flags a problematic behavior on a call, the seller can modify their behavior immediately and improve their performance on the next call.

Customized coaching for every seller

Traditional sales coaching methods are often one-size-fits-all. In other words, the same coaching is delivered to every seller, regardless of their unique strengths and weaknesses. This approach doesn’t work, but it continues to be common because personalized sales coaching requires a lot of time, and most sales managers are stretched thin.

AI coaching is customized to the seller’s unique needs. For example, an AI coach can deliver tips for improving objection handling if that’s an area where a seller struggles. It can also provide content recommendations based on how a buyer has engaged with other content they’ve received.

Scalability as team sizes change

The size of a sales team can fluctuate – a lot. This is especially true in today’s economic environment. If you’re solely using traditional coaching methods, scaling coaching as your team grows can be impossible.

When you incorporate an AI coach into your sales coaching strategy, you can provide effective, consistent coaching across your entire sales team – no matter how the team size fluctuates over time.

Judgement-free guidance

A seller might have a question for their manager. But they’re afraid to ask it for fear of being judged. Or, they might record a role-play but worry their sales manager or trainer will be overly critical.

With an AI coach, sellers can get the coaching and guidance they need—judgment-free. For example, sellers can engage with AI-powered role plays to practice their skills as much as they want. An AI coach will deliver feedback to help them improve their behaviors and performance.

Or, a sales rep can pose a question to an AI coach and get a judgment-free answer. For example, a seller can ask Mindtickle Copilot a question about a product – and AI will deliver an answer, along with supporting content.

More time for managers

Many sales managers are stretched thin. They simply don’t have the time to deliver personalized coaching to increasingly large sales teams.

AI coaches can ease the burden.

An AI coach can provide routine feedback and guidance to sellers. For example, an AI coach can flag that a seller uses many filler words during calls – and provide recommendations for improving that behavior.

Of course, that doesn’t mean sales managers should no longer be involved in sales coaching. However, when AI coaches can deliver ongoing, routine feedback and coaching, sales managers have more time to engage in strategic coaching conversations and deliver expertise that’s only available from a real-life human.

Embrace AI coaching with Mindtickle

When done well, sales coaching can significantly impact sales performance. A Mindtickle analysis found that top-performing sellers receive significantly more sales coaching than their lower-performing peers. That’s no coincidence.

But it’s hard to consistently deliver sales coaching that meets the needs of each sales rep.

By leveraging an AI coach, you can start delivering consistent, effective coaching that positively impacts performance across your entire sales team. With Mindtickle, it’s easy to incorporate an AI coach into your sales coaching strategy.

Mindtickle is an award-winning revenue enablement platform that’s enhanced with AI features to ensure your sellers always have real-time feedback and guidance to conquer any sales scenario.

With Mindtickle Copilot, sellers can ask questions and get real–time answers and guidance. Mindtickle Copilot also delivers real-time feedback and advice based on a seller’s performance on sales calls and role-plays. Sellers can even engage in two-way, AI-powered role-plays to practice their skills with an adaptive AI buyer.

In addition, Mindtickle Copilot helps sellers excel at every customer interaction. For example, Mindtickle Copilot can analyze data and use insights to recommend what step a seller should take next to move a deal forward. For example, Mindtickle Copilot can recommend that a seller share a specific piece of relevant content that’s known to improve outcomes in similar scenarios. Copilot can even draft a contextual email to accompany the sales content.

See Mindtickle Copilot for Yourself

Ready to revolutionize your sales team’s performance with AI-powered coaching? Mindtickle Copilot delivers real-time feedback, personalized guidance, and scalable support for every seller.

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Sales Negotiation Training: Transforming Your Approach to Closing Deals

Poornima Mohandas on January 14, 2025

In a perfect world, every prospect would accept your first offer as written. But every B2B seller in the world knows that’s not reality.

Instead, sales negotiations often happen until the buyer and seller reach a mutually beneficial agreement. B2B sellers must master the right sales skills to expertly navigate these negotiations and start closing more deals.

Some people find sales negotiations uncomfortable. Fortunately, with the right sales negotiation training, every seller on your team can confidently conquer any negotiation that comes their way.

In this post, we’ll explore how sales negotiation training can supercharge your team’s performance. We’ll answer questions including:

  • What is sales negotiation?
  • Why does sales negotiation training matter?
  • What skills do my sellers need to master to prepare for their next sales negotiation?
  • What are some winning sales negotiation training techniques that’ll equip my sellers for success?

What is sales negotiation?

Before delving into the key sales negotiation skills your reps must master, let’s first take a step back to answer the question, “What is sales negotiation?”

Sales negotiation is a term for the back-and-forth discussions between a buyer and a seller as they work to reach a mutually beneficial agreement.

Buyers and sellers may negotiate on several different factors, including (but not limited to):

  • Price: How much will the customer pay for the solution, and when will they expect to pay (for example, net 30 or 60).
  • Timing: For example, when a solution will be deployed.
  • Service and support: What kind of service and support can the customer expect for the price? For example, what will the service level agreement (SLA) be for service requests?
  • Customization: Buyers may want or need more customization than the solution offers out of the box.
  • Contact terms: For example, is the contract for one year or multiple years? Is there a termination clause?
  • Legal and compliance matters: Different industries will have different legal and compliance matters.

What is the outcome of sales negotiation?

Ideally, sales negotiation results in an agreement that reflects both parties’ needs and goals. In other words, both the buyer and the seller walk away feeling confident about the agreement.

Of course, sales negotiations don’t always end that way. In some cases, the buyer and seller never reach an agreement and eventually part ways.

How long should the sales negotiation process take?
You may be wondering how long the B2B sales negotiation process should take.

There’s no easy answer. In some cases, sales negotiations can be completed in a single discussion. In other instances, successful sales negotiations can require several discussions across weeks or months.

The length of sales negotiations depends on a number of different factors, including:

  • Company size
  • Deal size
  • Deal complexity
  • Industry
  • Number of people on the purchasing committee
  • Negotiation style and tactics of both parties

Generally, the simpler the deal, the shorter the sales negotiation process.

For example, suppose a sales rep sells a simple, straightforward solution to a smaller business with just two stakeholders. The sales negotiation process might take two or less weeks in that case. Suppose another rep is selling a solution to an enterprise organization with a large buying committee that requires a high level of customization. In that case, the process can take months or even longer.

When it comes to the length of sales negotiations, it’s important to strike the right balance. Of course, you ideally want the sales negotiation process to be as quick as possible. But if you rush through negotiations, you may lose your prospect’s trust – and their business.

Why sales negotiation training matters

Now we’re clear on what sales negotiation is. But why should sales negotiation training be a priority for revenue organizations?

There are several reasons why sales negotiation training matters. Let’s look at some of the top benefits of delivering training that ensures sellers can master the sales negotiation skills that matter most.

Benefit #1: Maximize revenue

Every organization wants to maximize revenue. But sellers may cave too easily if they haven’t mastered sales negotiation skills. It’ll cut profit margins if they cave too much in price.

By mastering the right sales skills, a seller can ensure that a buyer is confident that their needs are being met while maintaining healthy profit margins.

Benefit #2: Close more winnable deals

All too often, a deal progresses through the sales cycle, but then things go south during the negotiation process, and the deal is lost.

With the right sales negotiation skills, sellers can start closing more winnable deals – and your revenue will continue to grow.

Benefit #3: Build trust and foster long-term relationships

Throughout the sales negotiation process, sellers can build rapport with their buyers. If a seller demonstrates their commitment to arriving at a mutually beneficial agreement that’ll solve the buyer’s challenges, they’ll earn the buyer’s trust.

This trust can build the foundation for a long-term relationship, leading to higher retention and lower churn. In addition, if a buyer trusts you, they’re more likely to refer your business to others who may benefit from your solutions.

Benefit #4: Minimize misunderstanding

When misunderstandings happen, it can stall deals – or even kill them altogether.
Clear communication during the sales negotiation process ensures everyone is on the same page. This can reduce the likelihood of misunderstandings.

Benefit #5: Stand out from the competition

Many companies promise to solve any challenge a buyer faces. The sales negotiation process allows you to stand out from the competition.

During negotiations, you can demonstrate your willingness to work with the prospect to meet their needs. In addition, the sales negotiation process allows you to articulate the value your solution can deliver, which can set you apart from the competition.

The top sales negotiation skills every seller must master

Every sales rep must be ready and able to navigate sales negotiations. For that to happen, a seller must master certain sales negotiation skills.

The sales negotiation skills a seller needs depend on many factors, including company size, industry, sale complexity, and the size of the buying committee. However, every seller must learn certain skills to be successful.

Sales negotiation skill #1: Preparation

Preparation is key in sales negotiations. If you’re unprepared, the buyer may feel you’re wasting their time.

Be sure to do your research and properly prepare for any discussions. For example, you might use conversation intelligence tools and artificial intelligence to quickly surface key themes from a previous discussion. You can use this information to properly prepare for the next stage of sales negotiations.

Sales negotiation skill #2: Objection handling

Sellers are bound to face objections during the sales negotiation process. They must anticipate those objections – and be properly equipped to handle them.

Consider developing enablement resources that help sellers anticipate common objections. For example, your sales battle cards can include objections that often arise when sellers face specific competitors.

Sales negotiation skill #3: Active listening

No prospect wants to feel like they’re being steamrolled during a sales negotiation. So be sure your sellers have mastered the skill of active listening.

Sellers should ensure they’re truly present and paying attention during all negotiation discussions. Conversation intelligence tools can record and analyze calls so sellers can pay attention to the discussion at hand rather than getting distracted by taking notes. In addition, sellers should ask questions and summarize the prospect’s answers to ensure clarity.

mt-platform-conversation-intelligence-screen

Sales negotiation skill #4: Value articulation

Price is one of the most common elements buyers bring up during the sales negotiation process. Perhaps they want you to reduce the price to better fit their budget. Or, they have questions about why your solution is priced higher than competitors.

Sure, you may be willing and able to lower your price. But it’s critical to clearly articulate the value your solution delivers. When you can communicate ROI, your buyers may be willing to spend more than they initially intended.

For example, say your prospect is pushing back on price during sales negotiations. However, you can communicate how your solution can save them x% more time or money than their existing solution. Because of the value of your solution, they’re more likely to sign off on the higher price.

Sales negotiation skill #5: Understanding when to walk away

Not all sales negotiations are going to end in a closed deal. And if sellers don’t have the right sales negotiation skills, they may be wasting unnecessary time on a deal that’ll never close.

It is important to train your sellers to know when to persist and when to walk away from a deal. Though disappointing, walking away from a deal can free up time for more valuable opportunities.

Sales negotiation training strategies for your team

B2B sales negotiation training – when it’s done well – can help your sellers master the skills they need to be confident, successful negotiators. Research tells us that top-performing negotiators are 12.5 times more likely than the rest to feel satisfied with the outcomes of their negotiations.

Top-performing negotiators are

more likely to feel satisfied with negotiation outcomes
0 times

So, what does effective sales negotiation training look like? It varies from organization to organization. However, certain training strategies can be deployed at just about any B2B revenue organization.

#1 Define the sales negotiation skills that matter most in your organization

To be successful negotiators, sellers must master certain sales negotiation strategies and skills. These skills will vary from organization to organization.

As a first step, sure to define the sales negotiation skills the sellers at your organization need to master. A good way to identify must-have sales negotiation skills is to determine your top sellers’ skills. Then, you can incorporate these sales negotiation skills into your ideal rep profiles (IRP).

Ideal rep profile competencies

When (and only when) you’ve defined the sales negotiation skills your sellers need, you can start building programs to help them develop those skills.

#2 Deliver personalized sales negotiation training

Every seller is unique. Delivering one-size-fits-all sales negotiation training isn’t the best approach.

Instead, measure each seller against the IRP for their role. That way, sales managers can identify their strengths and weaknesses in sales negotiation. Once you have those insights, you can deliver targeted sales enablement training and coaching to help them bolster their weaker sales negotiation skills.

#3 Lean into bite-sized sales enablement

When you hear the phrase “sales negotiation training,” you might think of a classroom-style training led by a sales trainer or sales enablement professional. This type of training has a role to play. But often, in-person training isn’t practical. Furthermore, it’s not enough to drive behavior change and performance improvement.

Be sure to incorporate bite-sized learning and reinforcement into your sales negotiation training programs. That way, sellers can engage with sales negotiation training anytime, anywhere. Furthermore, periodic reinforcement will help ensure learning sticks.

#4 Provide practice opportunities

Just because a seller has aced an assessment on sales negotiation strategies doesn’t necessarily mean they know how to apply these strategies. So be sure your B2B sales negotiation training program includes opportunities for your sellers to practice what they’ve learned.

Role-plays are a great way for sellers to practice their sales negotiation strategies before entering the field. With AI-powered role-plays, sellers can practice their skills with a realistic, dynamic bot. AI delivers feedback throughout the role-play experience so sellers can sharpen their sales negotiation skills in real time – without waiting for a manager to provide feedback.

AI-Roleplay

#5 Deliver coaching

Sales coaching can help sellers master important negotiation skills. However, it must be personalized for it to be effective.

Sales managers can use the IRP to determine a seller’s strengths and weaknesses in sales negotiation. They can also leverage conversation intelligence tools to gain insight into how sellers navigate negotiations on calls. All of these insights enable sales leadership to deliver targeted sales coaching that addresses each seller’s needs.

#6 Tap into peer-to-peer learning

Learning doesn’t always have to be facilitated by a trainer or sales manager. Look for opportunities to incorporate peer-to-peer learning into your sales negotiation training programs.

For example, top sellers can share their tips and best practices for more effective sales negotiations. Or, sellers can submit recorded role-plays focused on sales negotiation strategies and get feedback from their peers.

#7 Provide recognition for mastering sales negotiation skills

Everyone likes to be recognized for the work they put in. Be sure to recognize your team members who are improving their sales negotiation skills and putting those skills to work in the field.

Master the sales negotiation skills that matter with Mindtickle

Sales negotiation skills aren’t nice to have. They’re a must-have for any seller who expects to close more deals and meet quota quarter after quarter.

But not all sellers are born negotiators. Fortunately, B2B sales negotiation skills can be taught.

With Mindtickle’s all-in-one revenue enablement platform, you can create and deliver targeted training, reinforcement, AI role-plays, and coaching that ensure all sellers have the right skills to navigate sales negotiations and close more deals expertly.

 

Close Every Deal with Mindtickle

Discover how Mindtickle can transform your team's sales negotiation skills and help them close more deals.

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What are Sales Battlecards and How Can Your Sales Team Benefit from Them?

Poornima Mohandas on December 10, 2024

B2B buyers are more informed than ever before. Just ask any sales rep.

Sure, most prospects are researching your company before reaching out. But they’re scoping out your competitors, too.

Recent research found 57% of all sales deals are competitive. That means your sellers will encounter questions about your competitors and how you stack up.

Percentage of sales deals that are competitive
0 %

Ensuring your sellers are properly equipped to address (and overcome) any competitive queries is critical. That’s where sales battlecards come in.

In this post, we’ll explore everything you need to know about sales battlecards, including what they are and why they’re important. We’ll also share plenty of tips and best practices for creating sales battlecards that help your sellers conquer any competitive deal that comes their way.

What are sales battlecards?

Sales battlecards are an effective tool for ensuring reps are experts on their competitors’ offerings. But what are sales battlecards?

They provide an overview of how your company stacks up against the competition. Sales battlecards distill key factors about your own company and your competitors, which may include:

Products

Services

Features + functionality

Pricing

A sales battlecard may compare your company to a single competitor. For example, HubSpot might create one comparing their marketing automation offering to that of ActiveCampaign.

Other sales battlecards compare a company against multiple competitors. For example, a multi-competitor one might show how HubSpot stacks up against ActiveCampaign, Mailchimp, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, and Marketo Engage.

Some sales battlecards are created as an internal resource for sellers to use. Others are developed as customer-facing collateral. We’ll explore the different types later on.

How are sales battlecards important for competitive selling?

Creating battlecards takes time. Is it really worth the effort?

Yes, without a doubt.

Competitive intelligence battlecards are a powerful tool for competitive selling. In fact, they’re proven to improve sales outcomes. According to research from Crayon, seven in 10 businesses that use them say they’ve boosted their win rates.

Competitive knowledge is key to sales success. But sales reps are busy people. They simply don’t have the time to keep up with every product or feature change announced by a competitor. Sales battlecards can help bridge the gap.

Here’s how battlecards help reps during the course of a deal:

Product and service offerings are always changing and evolving. Competitive intelligence battlecards help ensure sellers always have the latest information about their competitors – and how their own offerings stack up. However, it’s essential they’re updated on a regular basis.

One-size-fits all pitches don’t work. Instead, sellers must develop pitches that address the unique needs and challenges of each seller.

In some cases, a sales rep knows which competitors a prospect is considering. Sales battlecards can help reps tailor their pitches in a way that addresses how their offerings are a better solution than what the competition has to offer.

Sellers are no strangers to objections. A recent analysis found that 63% of sales calls have more negative sentiment than positive. Competitive mentions are one example of negative sentiment.

As such, objection handling is a key sales skill. Specifically, reps must be prepared to address objections related to competitors.

Imagine a prospect considering two competing products. They might raise objections such as:

  • Why does the competitor’s product have these features – and yours doesn’t?
  • Why are these product features important when your competitors don’t have them?
  • Why is the competitor’s product less expensive?

Battlecards help sellers understand how their offerings stack up against a competitor. That way, they can anticipate buyers’ objections – and be equipped to address them head-on.

What are the types of sales battlecards?

There are many different types of sales battlecards. Each type is used in different circumstances.

Single competitor vs. multi-competitor

You might develop a sales battlecard that compares your business to one competitor. These can be a great resource for sellers who are working with prospects who are further along in the sales funnel and have shared what other options they are considering. These single-competitor sales battlecards provide a detailed look at a competitor’s strengths and weaknesses.

Some organizations also develop a sales battlecard that pits the company against multiple competitors. They can be a great resource for reps when they’re working on deals that are higher up in the sales funnel. Typically, they include less detail than a single competitor battlecard.

Competitive

Competitive battlecards provide information on a company’s key competitors. This information might include:

  • Company information
  • Product and service information
  • Pricing
  • Target audience

They are a great resource for ensuring sales reps know how your company stacks up. Competitive battlecards also help sellers anticipate objections so they can be prepared to address them.

Product

These ensure sales reps know the ins and outs of the products they’re selling. These battlecards may incorporate information including:

  • Customer challenges
  • How the product helps address these challenges

Some product battlecards focus on a single product offering. Others compare multiple product offerings – and how they each address specific use cases.

Marketing

Marketing battlecards focus on the marketing strategies of key competitors. These zero in on who the competition is marketing to and what strategies they’re using to position themselves as the right choice for that market.

For example, one competitor may position themselves as the lowest-cost option. If your solutions are more expensive, your reps must be prepared to articulate why that is the case.

Marketing battlecards may also incorporate other information on competitors’ marketing strategies, including:

  • Strategic partners
  • Key marketing channels

Prospect-specific sales

Some battlecards can be used more generally. For example, a multi-competitor, customer-facing sales battlecard can provide a great overview of how your company differs from its key competitors.

However, there are times when it makes sense to create a prospect-specific sales battlecard. This sales enablement battlecard can address the specific, unique pain points of the prospect – and how your solutions stack up to your competitors in terms of solving those pain points.

How to create effective sales battlecards

Sales battlecards are a great resource for your reps. They can have a positive impact on sales outcomes – when they’re thoughtfully created and your sales reps know how to use them.

So, how exactly should you go about creating one? Here are a few best practices to guide the process.

Step 1
Start with a template
Step 2
Determine your competitors
Step 3
Chose your focus areas
Step 4
Do your research
Step 5
Revisit them often

Start with a template

Starting your sales battlecard from scratch can seem overwhelming. Instead, consider starting with a template that suits your needs and use case. Using a template will save time – and it’ll help ensure they all have a consistent look and feel.

Remember: a template should only be a starting point. Be sure to adapt the template as needed so it meets your needs.

Choose your competitors

Start by making a list of your key competitors. Then, add details about how often and when each typically comes up in the sales process. If you’re not sure, ask your sales team for insights.

These insights can help you determine what type is needed for each competitor. For example, if your sellers often lose deals to a specific competitor, it makes sense to develop a battlecard focused solely on that competitor. However, if another competitor is brought up earlier in the purchase journey – but you don’t often lose deals to them – you can include them in a multi-competitor sales battlecard.

Determine your sales battlecard focus areas

Next, you must determine the categories to include in your sales enablement battlecard. Some focus areas to consider are:

  • Product features
  • Cost
  • ROI
  • Customer support
  • Customization options

The focus areas of your sales battlecard will depend on the type you’re developing and the intended audience. For example, a customer-facing multi-competitor battlecard will likely include fewer focus areas than an internal, single competitor version.

Of course, you want to develop battlecards that put your brand and offerings in the best light. However, it’s important to be honest, too. If there’s an area where a competitor outshines you, be sure your sellers know how to articulate why this is the case.

Do your research

It’s important to ensure the information on your sales battlecards is accurate. If a prospect notices an error, you’ll lose your credibility – and likely, the sale.

As such, it’s important to do plenty of research when developing them. Much of your research can be done online. For example, you can find product feature information on your competitors’ websites. In addition, you can read reviews from current and past customers to gain insight into user experience. A generative AI tool like ChatGPT can also be a great tool for conducting high-level competitor research.

In addition, ask for feedback from teams throughout the organization. For example, the sales team can explain why deals are often lost to a specific customer. Marketing teams, on the other hand, likely have insight into a competitor’s online presence and marketing strategy.

Revisit them regularly

Sales battlecards aren’t a one-time project. Instead, they need to be revisited often.

Why? Your products and features will change and evolve in the future. So will that of your competitors.

It’s important to ensure they always reflect the latest and greatest information about your business and your competitors. That way, your sales reps can confidently share their knowledge and be equipped to overcome objections.

How to use them

Creating great battlecards is foundational. But it’s also important to ensure your sales reps know they exist and how to use them. Otherwise, the time and effort spent creating them will be wasted.

With that in mind, here are a few best practices for using them.

Do's

Don'ts

  • Store your them in a single location
  • Provide training, enablement, and coaching on how to use them
  • Ensure sellers know which ones are internal and which are customer-facing
  • Leverage conversation intelligence to ensure sellers are putting their knowledge into practice in the field
  • Communicate when a new one is available
  • Welcome feedback – especially from top sellers – and incorporate this feedback into new versions

 

  • Distribute them via email or store via disparate platforms
  • Assume sellers know how to use sales them
  • Distribute internal sales battlecards to prospects
  • Assume sellers are applying their competitive knowledge in the field
  • Make your reps find them on their own
  • Create the sales battlecards once and never revisit

 

#1: Ensure they are centrally located and easily accessible

Some sales organizations may still use printed sales battlecards. But most have made the transition to digital sales enablement battlecards. It’s important to ensure they are housed in a central location so your sales reps know exactly where to find them.

Some organizations opt to store them in Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, or a similar solution. However, a better approach is to store your sales battlecards within your revenue enablement platform. That way, sales reps can easily find exactly what they’re looking for – anytime and from any device.

In addition, a sales productivity tool with content management capabilities makes it easy to make updates to them. That means your sales reps can always access the latest and greatest versions of each sales one. You no longer have to worry about them using an outdated sales versions.

Empower your sellers to win more competitive deals
Sales reps must have deep knowledge of their own products. But they must also become experts on their competitors’ offerings.

Sales battlecards are a great resource for both new and veteran sellers. They provide reps with the information they need to confidently articulate how they differ from the competition. They also help sellers anticipate buyers’ objections – and ensure they’re ready to overcome those objections.

The best place to house your sales battlecards is within a revenue intelligence platform like Mindtickle. That way, your sales teams can access the sales training, sales enablement, sales content, and conversation intelligence they need to win against the competition – all in one place.

Salesforce - Asset Hub

#2: Provide enablement and coaching on how to use them

You’ve created a collection of sales battlecards. But you shouldn’t assume your sellers know what to do with them.

It’s important to provide sales training, sales enablement, and coaching to ensure your reps know how and when to use the sales battlecards available to them. Training, bite-sized exercises, and practice opportunities can help ensure sellers understand:

  • Which ones are available to them
  • The intended audience for each one (internal vs. external)
  • Which ones they should use in which sales scenarios

Sales managers can also leverage conversation intelligence to ensure sales reps are actually putting their knowledge into practice in the field. If there are knowledge gaps, sales managers can provide additional coaching to close those gaps – and improve sales outcomes.

#3: Communicate when there are new ones available

Over time, there may be a need to create additional versions. Each time a new one is available, make sure to let the sales team know. That new sales battlecard may just be the ticket to winning their next competitive deal.

#4: Ask for feedback

Your customer-facing teams interact with prospects day in and day out. They’re well aware of your key competitors and why they’re losing deals to them. So be sure to ask for their feedback on a regular basis. Incorporating feedback from your top sales reps can help improve the effectiveness of your sales battlecards.

Best practices to create sales battlecards

Sales battlecards can equip your sellers to effectively address competitive questions and objections – and come out on top. But simply creating a them doesn’t guarantee it’ll be effective.

So how can you create more effective sales battlecards? Here are a few best practices to consider.

Focus on the right competitors

You might spend a lot of time creating outstanding battlecards. But they’ll sit unused if they don’t include the competitors your sellers most often encounter in the field.

Be sure to create them for the competitors you’re most often up against. But don’t just guess. Instead, analyze data and ask the experts: your sellers.

Include top competitive objections

Your sellers are bound to encounter objections related to a competitor. Your sales battlecards can help sellers anticipate objections and understand how to address them effectively.

Be sure to include common competitive objections in your sales battlecards. It’s also a good idea to provide recommended responses for each common objection.

Consider the format

Sales battlecards can take several different formats. Be strategic about what format you use.

It’s a best practice to use digital sales battlecards. That way, you can store them in a sales content management system so sellers can easily find them. In addition, you can make updates in real-time so you know your sellers are always using the latest and greatest versions.

Make the content easily digestible

Often, sellers need to quickly access competitive information on the fly. They don’t have time to read and comprehend lengthy reports about each competitor. Instead, they need to be able to quickly scan the battlecards to find the information they need.

Be as concise as possible and use techniques like headings, bullet points, and numbering to make the content as easy to scan as possible.

Welcome feedback

Sales battlecards are a tool to make your sellers more effective at overcoming competitive questions and objections. But how do you know if they’re making sellers’ lives easier? By asking the sellers themselves.

Be open to feedback from your sales team. They have unique insight into what’s working and what’s not. You can use these insights to optimize your battlecards for maximum effectiveness.

Update regularly

Products, competitors, and market dynamics are always in flux. It’s important to regularly review and update your battlecards to reflect these changes. That way, your sellers are always equipped with the most accurate, up-to-date information.

Empower your sellers to win more competitive deals

Sales reps must have deep knowledge of their own products. But they must also become experts on their competitors’ offerings.

Sales battlecards are a great resource for both new and veteran sellers. They provide reps with the information they need to confidently articulate how they differ from the competition. They also help sellers anticipate buyers’ objections – and ensure they’re ready to overcome those objections.

The best place to house your sales battlecards is within a revenue enablement platform like Mindtickle. That way, your sales teams can access the sales training, sales enablement, sales content, and conversation intelligence they need to win against the competition – all in one place.

Close every winnable deal

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This post was originally published in November 2023 and was updated in December 2024. 

What is the Difference Between Training and Development?

Poornima Mohandas on October 21, 2024

The life of a B2B sales rep isn’t easy. Sellers must consistently meet buyers’ lofty expectations – which gets complicated when products, markets, competitors, and customer preferences are constantly in flux.

It’s no wonder why less than half of B2B sales reps make quota.

of B2B reps make quota
< 0 %

Sales training and development equip sellers to overcome challenges and effectively engage buyers. Every sales rep—from your top performers to your newbies—needs workplace training and development to be successful.

But what is training and development?

Training and development are two words we hear a lot. Yet, there’s a lot of confusion about how sales training and development are similar, how they’re different, and why each is important to the success of a revenue organization. In this post, we’ll clear up that confusion.

What is training and development?

First things first: what is training and development?

While these two words are often used interchangeably, but they’re different. Let’s start by defining both training and development.

What is training?

In sales, training teaches sellers the skills and information they need to perform their jobs. In other words, sales training is focused on ensuring sellers have what they need to do their jobs well.

Often, organizations take a structured approach to learning. For example, new sellers may be required to complete sales onboarding to ensure they’re up to speed and understand the skills and knowledge they’ll need in their new role.

Sales training programs can be delivered to a larger group of people—like a specific team or a group of new hires—or to individual sellers. For example, a seller may undergo additional sales training on objection handling if this is an area where they struggle.

What is development?

Every seller has unique skills and knowledge. Development is a practice focused on building off existing skills and knowledge.

Effective development empowers sellers to improve and grow. Of course, this growth enables them to be more effective in their current role. It can also prepare them to take the next step in their career path within the organization.

For example, a sales rep may focus on developing their leadership skills so they can apply for a sales manager job within the next year.

What is the difference between training and development?

The definitions we shared for training and development make it clear that these concepts are related, but they’re not synonymous.

So, what’s the difference between training and development?

The best way to answer that question is to examine the key factors that distinguish these two practices. We’ll also examine training and development examples to clarify the differences further.

Factor #1: Focus

Sales training focuses on providing employees with the skills and knowledge they need to excel in the role they were hired for.

Development is focused on growing capabilities so employees can improve their performance in their current roles and potentially explore more advanced roles within the organization.

Factor #2: Objectives

Sales training empowers employees to grow the skills and competencies necessary for success in their current roles. Development aims to strengthen an employee’s capabilities and unlock advancement opportunities.

Factor #3: Audience

Sales training programs are typically created and delivered to a specific group. For example, new hires must complete a training program. Or, sellers in certain roles may be required to complete a role-specific sales training program.

On the other hand, development is tailored for each employee. Each seller has a unique background, set of skills, and goals. Development opportunities are tailored to address the needs of each employee.

Factor #4: Timing

Training is typically time-bound. For example, new sellers may undergo onboarding within 90 days of joining the company. Or, all sellers may be required to complete training before a new product launch or when a new CRM is rolled out.

Development, on the other hand, is typically a long-term process. For example, a sales rep may express interest in moving into a managerial role and seek out relevant development opportunities over the next two years.

Factor #5: Tactics

Workplace training and development employ different tactics.

Onboarding is one type of training. However the best revenue organizations also deliver ongoing training to ensure sellers have up-to-date knowledge and opportunities to learn key skills.

Some examples of training topics include:

  • Company training
  • Product training
  • Industry training
  • Sales technique training
  • Technology training (ie when onboarding a new CRM)

Some examples of development include:

  • Career path discussions
  • Mentoring
  • Job shadowing
  • Performance reviews
  • Networking at industry events

Factor #6: Who takes the lead

The employer typically leads training. For example, sales enablement teams may lead new sales rep training with support from other teams, including HR, sales, marketing, and sales operations.

In development, sellers take a more active role. They must take the initiative to set goals, communicate them to their manager, and identify opportunities to grow their skills to improve performance in their current role and be prepared to step into the next one.

Factor #7: Measurement

Training is measured by knowledge and skills mastery – and determining how that mastery impacts job performance. For example, quizzes and tests can gauge a rep’s mastery of new material. Role-play and sales call recording scores can measure a rep’s mastery of skills and behaviors. Sales certification programs can help gauge a seller’s readiness.

Organizations must also determine how mastery of key knowledge and behaviors correlates with job performance. For example, does a sales rep close more deals after mastering their objection-handling skills?

On the other hand, development is measured by examining a seller’s long-term growth and career progression within the organization. For example, an organization can gauge how an employee’s performance has improved over time and how many promotions they’ve earned within a certain time period.

Factor #8: How a revenue enablement platform is used

A revenue enablement platform is an important training and development tool. But the way the tool is used varies.

A revenue enablement platform can deliver onboarding and ongoing training to ensure sellers have the right skills and knowledge for their roles. The right tool can help you measure sellers’ mastery of knowledge and skills and how that mastery correlates with sales outcomes.

A revenue enablement platform is also a powerful tool for development initiatives. One way a platform can be used for development is to deliver personalized coaching to help sellers grow their skills and competencies. Sales leaders can also use the revenue enablement platform to track a sales rep’s growth over time.

Training Development
Focus area Equip reps with the skills and knowledge they need for the role they were hired for Build upon existing skills and competencies to improve job performance and prepare sellers for future growth opportunities
Objectives Build new skills and competencies Enhance existing skills and competencies
Audience Specific groups or teams, such as new hires or sellers in a specific role Tailored to the individual
Timing Short-term and time bound Ongoing
Examples of tactics
  • Company training
  • Product training
  • Market training
  • Competitive training
  • Sales skill training
  • Software training
  • Career path discussions
  • Mentoring
  • Job shadowing
  • Performance reviews and ongoing feedback
  • Networking
Who leads the charge? Employer, including sales enablement teams, HR, and sales trainers Employee
Measurement Mastery of knowledge, which can be measured via quizzes and assessments. Mastery of skills, which can be measured through role-play, call scores, and sales performance. Improvements in job performance. Internal career advancement
How a revenue enablement platform is used
  • Delivering onboarding and ongoing training
  • Measuring knowledge retention with quizzes, assessments, and sales certifications
  • Measuring improvement of skills
  • Determining impact of training on job performance
  • Delivering targeted coaching
  • Measuring performance over time

Why is training and development important for revenue organizations?

We’ve now answered the questions “what is training and development?” And, we’ve explored the similarities and differences of these two practices.

So, when it comes to training and development, which is the better option? The truth is revenue organizations need both.

There are a few key reasons why workplace training and development are both important for revenue organizations.

Training and development helps reps ramp faster

The sooner new reps are ramped up, the sooner they can start contributing to revenue growth. With a strong training program, your sellers will be ready to hit the ground running—faster.

For example, MongoDB has reduced ramp time by 45% by revamping the way it onboards new customer-facing roles. This means that sellers can get out in the field and start selling faster.

reduction in ramp time
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Aurigo is another company that has seen big benefits from optimized sales training. The company created structured onboarding and sales enablement processes for reps using Mindtickle, and as a result, they’ve reduced the average number of days to the first opportunity from 25 days to 16 days.

improvement in time to first opportunity
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Training and development boosts job performance

When sellers have the right skills and knowledge (and opportunities to level up their existing skills and knowledge) they’re better equipped to perform in their roles. Your go-to-market teams will have what it takes to win and retain more customers. And that means your revenue will grow.

For example, Trimble Viewpoint, a software solution provider for the construction industry, finds that sellers engaged with training via the Mindtickle platform are 50% more likely to exceed quota.

In addition, Juniper Networks revamped its training and development programs, contributing to 47% year-over-year sales growth.

Training and development programs increase employee satisfaction and retention

When employees are dissatisfied at work, they’re likely to jump ship. That means you’ll have to spend time and effort filling vacant roles.

On the other hand, when you provide your teams with training, development, and career growth opportunities, their satisfaction will grow. Happy employees are more likely to perform well – and stick around long-term.

When employees are dissatisfied at work, they’re likely to jump ship. That means you’ll have to spend time and effort filling vacant roles.

On the other hand, when you provide your teams with training, development, and career growth opportunities, their satisfaction will grow. Happy employees are more likely to perform well – and stick around long-term.

A LinkedIn report states eight in 10 people say learning adds purpose to their work. The report also found that organizations with strong learning cultures see significantly higher employee retention rates.

Deliver effective training and development at scale with Mindtickle

Training and development are both key to the success of any go-to-market team. Now’s the time to build a culture of learning at your organization.

If you’re looking to deliver effective training and development that improves seller performance and retention, Mindtickle can help.

With Mindtickle’s all-in-one revenue enablement platform, you can deliver winning onboarding programs that set new sales reps up for success at your organization. You can also deliver ongoing sales training, enablement, and learning paths personalized to each seller’s needs – wherever they are on their career path. Your sellers will master the skills and competencies they need to close more deals faster. And that means your revenue will grow.

Mindtickle also features AI-powered role-plays, enabling new and veteran sellers to develop and perfect key skills. Sellers engage with an AI bot in a realistic sales scenario and get real-time coaching to improve their performance before money is on the line.

Sales training in Mindtickle

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The Complete Guide to AI Sales Assistants 

Poornima Mohandas on September 4, 2024

In the past, artificial intelligence was nothing more than a nebulous concept for most people. But today, it’s a must-have technology for any organization looking to stand out and grow in an increasingly competitive market.

In fact, a recent survey found that most revenue organizations already use AI sales assistants and other AI sales tools; only 24% don’t.

of orgs already use AI sales tools
0 %

It’s no wonder why so many revenue leaders are investing in AI. AI sales assistants streamline and automate tasks and processes so sellers have more time to engage with buyers. When sellers have more time to engage with buyers, they can close more deals faster.

But what is an AI sales assistant – and how does this technology boost sales productivity and performance? You’ve come to the right place to find out.

In this post, we’ll explore everything you need to know about AI sales assistants, including:

  • What an AI sales assistant is and how it works
  • How this technology compares to conversation intelligence
  • Why a growing number of revenue teams are embracing AI-powered sales assistants
  • Some of the best AI sales assistant software options on the market today

What is an AI sales assistant?

First things first: what is an AI sales assistant?

The sales cycle consists of countless tasks and processes. Each one is necessary, but it requires a lot of time and effort.

An AI sales assistant is a tool or application that leverages artificial intelligence (including machine learning, natural language processing, and predictive analytics) to streamline and simplify the sales process and support sellers. AI sales assistants are also referred to by other names including

  • Virtual sales assistants
  • AI-powered sales assistants
  • AI virtual sales assistants

AI-guided selling tools can streamline simple yet time-consuming tasks like data entry and meeting scheduling. This technology can also be used for more complex tasks, including prospecting, meeting preparation, and follow-up. We’ll look closely at specific use cases for AI sales assistants later.

Why are so many revenue organizations embracing AI sales assistants?

Why are so many revenue organizations embracing AI sales assistants?

AI virtual sales assistants streamline and automate many tasks that sellers once had to do independently. That means sellers have more time to provide personalized experiences that resonate with buyers and earn their business. Sellers can close more deals faster.

Furthermore, AI-powered sales assistants take the guesswork out of the sales process. Rather than acting on a hunch or gut feeling, sales reps can leverage data to determine what action to take next. This improves outcomes and accelerates the sales cycle.

The bottom line? AI sales assistants can increase the effectiveness and efficiency of your sales reps and streamline the sales cycle. Your sellers will be better equipped to engage buyers and close deals, and your bottom line will grow.

Conversation intelligence vs. AI sales assistants

You’ve probably heard the term “conversation intelligence” at least once or twice. But is conversation intelligence the sales thing as an AI sales assistant?

Conversation intelligence and AI sales assistants are certainly related, but they’re not the same.

What is conversation intelligence?

Conversation intelligence (or an AI sales call assistant) is a technology that leverages AI to record, transcribe, and analyze sales calls to provide more insight into customer interactions.

A conversation intelligence solution like Mindtickle’s Call AI analyzes each call and provides a score as well as feedback on things like:

  • Sentiment
  • Questions asked and answered
  • Monologues
  • Use of filler words
  • Competitor mentions
  • Objections
  • Pain points

With a conversation intelligence solution, sales reps can focus on the call rather than taking notes. Reps can use conversation intelligence to review calls and follow up with AI-generated action items. In addition, conversation intelligence provides sales reps with real-time feedback on each call, which they can use to improve their behaviors and chances of closing the deal.

Sales managers can also use AI sales call assistants to see how things are going in the field without sitting in on sales reps’ calls. Managers can use the insights from conversation intelligence to provide targeted coaching that improves sales reps’ skills and behaviors.

What’s the difference between conversation intelligence and AI sales assistants?

AI-powered sales assistants are a technology category that streamlines sales processes and tasks and supports sellers. Conversation intelligence is one type of AI sales assistant specifically addressing customer interactions.

However, other AI sales assistants address another element (or elements) of the sales process.

AI sales assistant Conversation intelligence
What it is A tool that leverages AI to simplify and streamline the sales process and support sellers. A tool that records and analyzes sales conversations to help revenue teams better understand customer interactions.
Goals To improve sales processes and free up reps’ time so they can spend more time on revenue generating activities.
  • Enable rep to focus on calls
  • Provide the sales rep with real-time feedback for improvement
  • Identify coaching opportunities
  • Simplify meeting prep
Who uses it Revenue teams Revenue teams
Tools AI sales assistants may be standalone solutions or incorporated into existing sales tools and technologies Conversation intelligence software, which may be a standalone solution or part of an integrated revenue enablement platform.

How can you use an AI sales assistant to support your sales team?

AI sales assistants can improve the effectiveness and efficiency of your sellers. But getting started with an AI-powered sales assistant can seem overwhelming.

It doesn’t have to be. Start with one or two use cases, optimize them, and grow from there.

Here’s how AI sales assistants can empower your sellers to close more deals.

Delivering powerful insights for data-driven decision-making

Chances are, you have no shortage of data. But analyzing it and determining how to act on it can seem impossible.

AI sales assistants can analyze data from disparate sources and provide meaningful insights, fueling better decision-making.

Enabling sellers to prioritize their time properly

Sales reps only have so many hours in the day. Of course, you want them to spend their time with prospects most likely to convert. But often, this requires a lot of guesswork.

An AI sales assistant can leverage predictive analytics to determine which leads will likely convert to customers. Then, your teams can use that insight to prioritize properly.

Analyzing customer interactions

Every interaction with a customer is rich with insight. An AI sales assistant can transcribe and analyze each interaction to deliver insights that enable sales reps to improve the customer experience and sales outcomes. Sales reps can also use these insights to determine next steps and prepare for future meetings.
Accessing real-time feedback to improve skills

Sales coaching is key to improving performance, but sales reps can’t afford to sit around and wait for feedback from their managers.

An AI sales assistant can analyze client interactions and recorded role-plays and provide real-time feedback for improvement. Sales reps can use feedback delivered via AI sales coaching to sharpen their skills and increase their likelihood of closing deals.

Some innovative vendors also offer interactive, AI-powered role-plays, which allow sales reps to practice their skills in realistic scenarios with an AI bot.

Getting proven content recommendations

Content is an important part of the B2B sales process. But often, sales reps waste precious time searching for content – which may or may not work for a specific sales scenario.

An AI assistant can leverage data and buyer signals to recommend the right content for every situation. Rather than guessing what will work, sales reps can use content that’s proven to work. An AI sales assistant can even draft a contextual message for the sales rep to send alongside the content.

Answering customers’ questions – quickly

Prospects are bound to have questions. It’s important to get them accurate answers – quickly.

In the past, a sales rep would pose a question (perhaps on Slack or another communication channel) and then wait for a response from a subject matter expert. With an AI sales assistant, the rep can ask their question and get an answer—along with approved, relevant resources to share with the customer.

Automating tedious tasks

According to Salesforce research, sales reps spend less than 30% of their time selling. That’s because tedious (but necessary) tasks often bog them down.

Sales reps spend only

of their time selling
0 %

An AI sales assistant can automate many of these mundane tasks. That means sellers can spend more time engaging buyers, delivering great experiences, and closing deals.

What is the best AI sales assistant software?

With the right AI sales assistant software, you can significantly improve the performance of your entire sales team. But what’s the best AI sales assistant software available today?

There’s no easy answer. The best AI sales assistant software is the one that addresses the needs and goals of your organization.

However, some AI sales assistant software tools are particularly popular.

Mindtickle

Some AI sales assistant software addresses a single challenge or pain point. Mindtickle addresses several.

Mindtickle is an integrated revenue enablement platform that incorporates onboarding, sales training, content, coaching, conversation intelligence, and more—all from one platform. Revenue enablement teams can build, deliver, and measure personalized programs that address the needs of each seller. Sellers can access everything they need to be ready for any deal—all from one platform.

Mindtickle Copilot, Mindtickle’s AI sales assistant tool, enables sales reps to work smarter and faster.

With Mindtickle Copilot, sales reps can automate tedious tasks, freeing up their time to delight customers. For example, sales reps can use Mindtickle Copilot to draft follow-up messages and identify insights from previous customer interactions. They can also ask questions and get real-time answers, along with supporting resources.

In addition, Mindtickle Copilot enables sellers to leverage data to make better decisions. Sales reps can determine what action to take next to move a deal forward or get suggestions for content that has resonated in similar scenarios to share with a seller.

Mindtickle also leverages AI to deliver real-time feedback to sales reps. For example, a seller receives a score and feedback from each sales conversation via conversation intelligence. They can use this feedback to improve and increase their chances of closing the deal.

Sales reps can also submit recorded role-plays or engage in interactive, AI-powered role-plays. In either case, the rep gets immediate feedback for improving their behaviors without having to wait around for a sales manager.

interactive role-play

Drift

Increasingly, B2B buyers make decisions based on their experiences with a business. Drift is an AI sales assistant tool that listens and learns from buyers. It uses this data to provide personalized experiences to buyers throughout the purchase journey. Revenue teams use Drift to engage with prospects, book meetings, and pre-qualify leads.

Clari

Clari is a popular revenue platform that helps teams engage buyers, optimize the sales process, and predict revenue outcomes. It incorporates Clari Copilot, an AI sales assistant that makes it easier for teams to make revenue calls, analyze deals, forecast sales, and more.

ZoomInfo

Any sales rep knows that prospecting is important. But it can take a lot of time and effort to ensure you’re connecting with the right people at the right companies. ZoomInfo is a popular prospecting platform that helps sales reps ensure they’re connecting with people who are a good fit for their products or services. ZoomInfo Copilot is an AI sales assistant that helps sellers know which accounts to prioritize and how best to engage them.

Gong

Gong is a popular revenue intelligence platform that helps teams better understand customer interactions. It leverages AI to deliver insights based on customer interactions. When you better understand your customer interactions, you can more effectively act on them and know what step to take next to engage them.

It’s time to embrace AI sales assistants to supercharge sales performance

Already, winning revenue organizations are tapping into AI sales assistants to boost the effectiveness and efficiency of their sales teams and deliver winning experiences that delight customers.

Competition is fierce. You risk getting left behind if you’re not already leveraging AI today.

Now’s the time to identify ways your organization can leverage AI sales assistants to streamline the sales process and support sellers as they engage buyers and close deals.

AI in action with Mindtickle

Ready to get a firsthand look at how Mindtickle’s AI features and functionality can supercharge your revenue growth?

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How AI Sales Role-Plays Elevate Your Sales Enablement Game

Poornima Mohandas on August 20, 2024

In sales enablement, you spend a lot of time designing and rolling out training programs for your sales teams. But how much time do you spend to ensure sellers practice what they learned?

If you want your training to stick, practice should be essential to your sales enablement strategy. So, what’s the best way for a sales rep to practice a pitch?

Role-plays.

While training is typically passive learning, where the learner watches a video or reads a PDF, AI sales role-plays are an active form of learning and allow the learner to apply what they learned in a realistic selling scenario.

Like a pilot trains on a flight simulator, a sales rep can practice using role-plays. Be it a new messaging talk track or objection handling with a customer, sellers need to get comfortable using the talk track to perfect their game. And practice makes perfect.

While role-plays are typically rolled out at in-person events like an SKO or conference, AI can make them more scalable and more frequently used.

What is an AI sales role-play?

Traditionally, sellers do role-plays with their managers in person in a pre-defined scenario. Add AI to the mix, and AI can don multiple hats. While there are a few different flavors of AI role-plays available in the market today, Mindtickle role-plays use Copilot extensively in three distinct roles:

Copilot helps create the role-play scenario with just a few simple prompts.

Sellers can practice realistic selling scenarios with an AI buyer that has a distinct human-like voice and personality.

Copilot gives immediate qualitative and quantitative feedback, suggests areas for improvement, and even grades role-play submissions.

interactive role-play

What are the benefits of AI role-plays for sales training and coaching?

AI-powered practice tools transform sales training, offering opportunities for sellers to hone their skills, boost deal sizes, and streamline role-plays. Here are some of the top benefits:

#1. Safe space to practice for sellers

When sellers role-play with their boss or sales leader, it can be a high-pressure situation that does not always yield the best results. But when sellers practice with an AI buyer, the pressure is off, and they can focus on mastering the pitch.

#2. Unlimited practice

Sellers can practice as often as they like with AI because AI doesn’t have any meetings to run, unlike their sales manager. We see sellers practice 4-6 times before they submit their role-play. Practice, not perfection, is the goal.

#3. Immediate feedback

Unlike in old-school role-plays where constructive feedback may be given in passing or not at all, Copilot gives sellers immediate qualitative and quantitative feedback and even suggests areas for improvement. Copilot assesses your rep’s sentiment, pace of speech, filler words used, and much more.

The scores create a gamified environment in which sellers want to keep trying until they have a product they’re satisfied with. This gamification works well for sellers who are, by nature, competitive.

enablement-certification-white

#4. Increased deal sizes

Cisco held the largest pitch contest in its history for its security product line using Copilot and saw some fantastic results such as:

rise in average deal size
0 %
increase in value of booked deals
0 %
average increase in bookings
$ 0 k

#5. Scalable role-plays

Most enablement practitioners love role-plays and see their value, but they find extensive exercises across large organizations extremely challenging to execute. It involves coordinating with several sales managers and getting their time to review the recorded role-plays.

AI can be extremely handy here because it removes this dependency on sales managers. It grades role-play submissions for you in a matter of minutes and has none of the bias that real managers may have.

Cisco saved 38 weeks of manager time by using AI to review role-plays from 3,500 sellers.

"The pitch perfect program would not have met the deadline without AI."
Teresa Lubeck
Teresa Lubeck
Senior Manager, Strategy and Offers, Learning at Cisco

#6. Role-plays make practice possible

Passive learning doesn’t cut it when it comes to sales training. Listening to a product launch webinar training session doesn’t equip a seller to ask the right questions and use the right talk track when talking to real customers. Practice and reinforcement are a crucial part of your sales enablement strategy. While quizzes and assessments can help with reinforcements, practice is best served with AI role-plays.

How to create an AI role-play

Let’s explore the step-by-step process of crafting an AI-driven role-play that tackles specific problem areas within your sales strategy. From identifying the exact issues your team faces to building realistic scenarios and testing them for effectiveness, we’ll guide you through creating a role-play experience that delivers impactful results.

Identify problem areas

What are the problems your sellers, BDRs, or customer success managers are grappling with? Do they need help to qualify customers or is the problem around adopting a new sales methodology? Or do they need help to renew deals?

Whether the problem is at the top or at the bottom of the sales funnel, you can use role-plays to solve it.

Build out scenarios

You want to outline the typical scenario your reps face by listening to relevant customer conversations and talking to a few sellers. The scenario should typically cover:

  • The buyer persona your sellers typically talk to
  • The context in this case around discovery
  • The goal your seller should try to achieve
  • A time limit

For instance, if you are a car maker, your scenario may look something like this:

AI persona Context Goal
Male senior citizen looking for a second-hand yet safe and reliable car You are a sales rep. Do a detailed discovery conversation to see if the buyer is a good fit. Understand the buyer’s requirements, budget, and financing eligibility and suggest some suitable options. Time limit: 5 mins.

Test the role-play

Once you have built out the role-play, send it to a few internal testers to ensure everything works just how you want it to. These could be folks within the sales enablement team or a few friendly sellers willing to give you feedback.

Allow reps to practice

Once you are happy with the initial results, you can roll this out to your field and allow them to practice the scenario as often as they like.

Interactive role plays using Mindtickle Copilot

In Mindtickle’s interactive AI role-plays, we have used Copilot as a creator, an AI buyer persona to practice with, and a coach to evaluate and give feedback on role-plays.

We serve different personas ranging from BDRs, sellers, and partners to customer success managers. Our customers have used AI role-plays for a range of use cases such as:

  • Onboarding new reps
  • Cold calling practice
  • Discovery calls
  • Objection handling
  • Competitive displacement and much more…

As you move forward, consider how AI can be integrated into your sales enablement strategy to meet and exceed your training goals. Embracing this technology empowers your team, optimizes performance, and makes reps more productive. 

Mindtickle Copilot in Action

Ready to see how Copilot powers better role-plays and prepares your sellers for real-world scenarios? Visit our interactive role-play experience to see how Mindtickle makes it happen. 

Test Your Skills

Video: How an AI-Driven Pitch Contest at Cisco Saved Managers 38 Weeks

Poornima Mohandas on August 5, 2024

What are interactive role plays?

Interactive role-plays are training simulations where reps can practice their pitches, objection handling, and other sales skills in a safe, controlled environment. These role-plays often involve AI-driven scenarios that mimic real-life conversations with buyers, allowing sellers to refine their skills without the pressure of a live sales situation.

Key aspects include:

  • Sellers can engage in simulated conversations that resemble real-world interactions with customers, allowing them to practice and improve their techniques.
  • These role-plays use AI to provide feedback on the seller’s performance, highlighting areas for improvement and helping them fine-tune their approach.
  • By incorporating AI, companies can scale role-play sessions across large teams without requiring significant time from managers.
  • Interactive role-plays can be used in various scenarios, including onboarding new reps, practicing for specific sales calls, and certifying sellers on new products or sales methodologies​

Key highlights

  • Cisco ran a sales pitch contest involving around 3,500 sellers. The winner received a lease for a Porsche. The contest was designed to drive adoption and engagement among the sellers.
  • They used Mindtickle Copilot to help sellers practice their pitches. The AI provided feedback, allowing sellers to refine their pitches in three parts before submitting a final version.
  • AI was crucial in reducing the burden on managers. Reviewing all pitches would have taken an estimated 38 weeks of manager time.
  • Analysis revealed that sellers who continued to practice and refine their pitches were more successful. These sellers moved up in the competition brackets and generated larger sales opportunities than those who practiced less.

Video transcription

[For our] “Sales Superstar” pitch contest – the winner actually won a lease of a Porsche. It was a big deal, you could say. That got a lot of attention. And there was a good way to drive adoption.

[There were] some good rewards. It was a little bit shocking for all of us. Obviously, there were other rewards for being nurturers for coaching. And I’ll explain a couple things.

With the pitch contest, we started by targeting our technical sellers. The goal was to have a 10-minute pitch that was decided by an EVP and targeted at a specific customer. The goal was really to make it focus on the customer. As we were rolling it out, we got a lot of other teams interested in participating as well, so we had to come up with different alternatives.

One of the things that Leah Madson, our senior PS consultant from Mindtickle, worked with Cameron to calculate, okay, how the heck are we going to get all this done? And it came out that it would take 38 weeks of manager time to do the reviews, because earlier, you talked about manager time and reduce. And that’s a real number. Part of the decision was how can we use AI to reduce that burden on the managers.

We did a couple of things. We used the traditional AI already built into Mindtickle, but then we also used Copilot. We allowed the sellers and technical sellers to do practice pitches and get feedback. Because the pitch has three different parts, they had three different options. They could practice each and finally submit a final pitch once they were done.

We’ve found some interesting behaviors by the sellers. In the data analysis, some of the interesting things we found were that those sellers who continued to practice would get better. If they moved up as far as moving in the brackets, we got on the outcome side that they created larger opportunities than those who were lower down. So it does show that practice does make perfect.

Interactive Role-Plays with Mindtickle

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What Makes a Successful Sales Training Program?

Poornima Mohandas on May 17, 2024

Every revenue leader will tell you that ongoing training is key to getting reps the skills and knowledge they need to close deals. 

While most organizations invest in a sales enablement department (84%), according to our 2024-2025 Chief Revenue Officer + Sales Leader Outlook Report, only 40% of these C-level executives said they can identify rep strengths and weaknesses for customized training.

According to research, only

of C-level execs can identify rep strengths and weaknesses
0 %

So, while leaders know that training is necessary, they lack visibility into where to focus training efforts. 

When effective, sales training becomes one of the most important investments in your sellers and an invaluable use of their time. In this blog post, we’ll define sales training and programs and why they’re important. We’ll then outline:

  • Why one-size-fits-all sales training won’t work
  • The essentials for a successful sales training program
  • Different types of sales training programs
  • How sales training technology helps
  • How to use Mindtickle for sales training.

What is sales training?

A sales training program teaches sales reps the skills needed for every step of the sales journey—from first contact through the close of a sale. It’s the ongoing process of teaching sales teams how to create deal-closing interactions with buyers. This includes in-person learning, e-learning, micro-learning, gamification, or other training techniques to help sales reps improve performance.

Although sometimes used interchangeably, sales training is not the same as sales enablement or sales coaching.

What is a sales training program and why is it needed?

Organizations need to develop personalized sales training programs for their sales teams so they can achieve and maintain sales excellence across the organization.

Ideal rep profile competencies

Once you’ve mapped out your ideal rep profile and understand the specific selling skills, behaviors, and knowledge your salespeople need to succeed, you can plan out courses and programs that focus on each area.

Start by defining the outcomes for each training program. For example:

Focus on on different product features to help reps run product demos tailored to prospects’ needs

Help reps spot when they’re using filler words so they can reduce the frequency of using them on calls

Focus on on common objections to help reps handle prospects’ objections confidently

Why one-size-fits-all training won’t work

If you choose a sales training program with a one-size-fits-all manual, you may be throwing away time and money.

Despite significant investments in sales training programs, the average rate of quota attainment has been declining for years. In fact, according to some research, only 42.8% of reps met their quotas last year. One-size-fits-all training programs assume there is just one way to sell and therefore fail at the very thing they are teaching.

According to research, only

of reps met their quotas last year
0 %

No two sales reps have the same needs or experience. Similarly, no two businesses are alike—a technology company and a retailer have different needs relevant to the industry and each has a unique sales process.

For example:

  • A retail sale — B2C —might require a shorter, but more personal interaction.
  • Reps selling products in B2B, like technology, require an intricate knowledge of customers, products, trends, and advancement in the industry.

In both examples, the sales rep must deliver a modern sales approach that can compete with information available online, and the complexities of each product require specific understanding. But the approach to these differing sales requires unique knowledge and techniques, meaning training must be suited to the individual rep, business, product, and customer.

While there is some benefit to be gained from any initiative, the results won’t be nearly as effective as those from an individually designed program that incorporates your company’s methodology and provides ongoing training and coaching opportunities.

The essentials for a successful sales training program

What are “the essentials” of choosing a sales training program, and why do they matter? Conventional training programs focus on behavior modification, communication, and negotiation skills. Those things play an important role in sales success, but other strategies can improve results faster and give your sales reps an advantage in the field.

The best sales training program for your company should include these essential features.

#1 Diverse training formats

Offering several different formats for presenting training material means teaching sales reps in the manner that they learn best.

Video provides a forum for role-play and live lectures, as well as narrated slide presentations to keep reps engaged.

Audio recordings work well for delivering training when complete attention is not necessary, like while driving or completing other activities.

Written materials allow reps to review and study resources in a written form with PDF files that can be made available for easy download and/or printing.

Gamification turns lackluster training modules into a fun, competitive learning opportunity. Video games, quizzes, and more can keep reps engaged and eager to continue their training.

#2. Customizable platform

While standard training programs can offer the basics, a customizable program allows you to add content specific to your business, including techniques that work well in your market or with your product, and change and grow with your needs.

At the program’s onset, expect a framework driven by your organization’s sales strategy and a practical understanding of your products, services, and process. Intuitive real-time editing means the program adjusts via sales rep input, evaluating what reps need according to what they have completed, how they learn, and even existing or desired customers. Front-line managers can coach teams and review analytics by utilizing easy-to-use mobile tools.

#3. Real-world scenarios

A successful sales training program uses real-world buying scenarios (and proven solutions) to train the team to handle any common situation. It must offer the flexibility to successfully address every aspect of a business reality. This type of program allows reps to practice real-world scenarios before they actually enter a high-stakes conversation with prospects or customers.

#4. Structured reinforcement

Effective training requires time, repetition, and detailed individuality. A customized training program enables your sales team to achieve milestones while continuing to sell successfully.

Reinforcement is key to helping salespeople retain what they’ve learned. Without systematic, continual learning and reinforcement, sales reps forget 70% of information within one week of training, and 87% within one month.

#5. Tracking and metrics

How do you know if reps use the program and if it’s working? A good sales training program should include progress tracking for each sales rep and analysis through quizzes, tests, and other assessments. This information should be used to generate performance metrics and continually improve the program.

#6. Different instructional modalities

Providing learning opportunities that meet your sales team where they are, physically and mentally, is the best way to get their attention and make learning fun and interactive.

Your sales team is always on the go. Training materials should be agile, available via streaming or download to mobile devices for use when the time is right.

Online lectures and virtual conferences provide a forum where everyone can participate without being in the same physical location.

Discussion forums, chat capabilities, and social interactions provide learning in an environment that enhances engagement through connection and discussion.

#7. Micro-learning capabilities

Micro-learning offers information as bite-sized, easily accessed, individualized content for sales reps. Usually focused on one topic or problem, it is presented in various ways like quizzes, videos, games, or simulations. Micro-learning uses information about how our long-term memory performs and incorporates the use of repetition over time. Learning that is fun and engaging—presented over time—helps learners avoid information overload and increases retained information. It is quick and easy to complete and provides the opportunity for tracking progress and identifying gaps for future learning.

#8. Gamification

When learning is less tedious and more fun, information is retained better. Reps are more likely to complete training modules involving video games, leaderboards, social networking, and gamified quizzes, even when they aren’t assigned. Sales reps are motivated to do the work, becoming increasingly skilled in the process, which drives revenue growth.

Different types of sales training programs

General sales skills include relationship-building, questioning, solution-building, negotiation, problem-solving, and proposal writing. Different types of sales training programs focus on different areas. When you choose just one area to focus on, not all reps on your sales team will benefit.

Here are a few types of sales training.

Teaches information or steps that improve the chance of a positive outcome. Usually a standard format, it creates a common approach and language for sales reps and emphasizes skill development.

Long-form modules with in-depth subject knowledge that teach essential sales skills. Reps learn how to sell with fundamental skills like finding prospects, active listening, asking questions, negotiation, sidestepping objections, giving presentations, follow-up, and other administrative communication skills. These skills have no expiration date and continue to evolve over time, as your reps’ confidence and knowledge grows.

Focuses on the product features and benefits, giving a sales rep a solid foundation regarding what they are selling, so they can focus on the customers’ needs.

Information refreshers that reinforce knowledge from training modules. Small, frequent updates prompt knowledge retention and connect information that reps have already learned for improved results.

 

How sales training technology helps

Enlisting a data-driven sales training program can change the game for your business. Technology-based onboarding alone can propel your success rate forward. A quality, customizable program offers cost-savings, flexibility, logistical simplicity, accessibility, and the chance for self-paced learning and repetition as needed.

Online or off, effective sales training programs should be customizable to adapt to the changing needs of any business. Key metrics provide a barometer for results. Diverse training opportunities coupled with a variety of learning modalities can help you reach your sales rep and improve retention. Micro-learning and bite-sized updates provide refreshers and continual learning.

Choose a training program that uses technology to make learning easier, empowers sales reps, and drives excellence.

Mindtickle for sales training

With a comprehensive suite of sales productivity applications, Mindtickle provides your sales team with a positive learning environment and never-ending learning. Sales reps learn and practice concepts from engaging, accessible delivery platforms that convey knowledge, offer role-play opportunities for eventual success in the field, and improve mastery for customer engagement.

Tracked usage offers accessibility and visibility—a window into progress and performance, that emphasizes knowledge retention through quizzes, gamification, and coaching. Mindtickle’s data-driven approach provides easy mobile access that ties individual performance to revenue growth with metrics that reveal what’s working, what needs adjusting, where gaps exist, and how training is affecting sales outcomes.

See Sales Training in Mindtickle

Build a sales training program that actually helps your reps close more deals. 

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This post was originally published in April 2020, updated in November 2022, October 2023, and May 2024. 

Change Sales Behaviors Using AI with the Mindtickle Spring 2024 Launch

Poornima Mohandas on May 15, 2024

Forward-thinking GTM teams today focus on driving behavior change to achieve superior seller performance.

With Mindtickle’s Spring 2024 launch, we want to give you the power of generative AI and analytics to make behavior change easy, convenient, and at your fingertips. With this launch, you can:

  • Give your sellers superpowers
  • Enable your teams in the flow of work
  • Empower your sales managers

Mindtickle has been a consistent innovator in the revenue productivity space, and we strive to give you the best that technology offers. Here’s what Nishant Mungali, Mindtickle’s co-founder and Chief Product Officer, said about the Spring launch:

“As AI technology progresses and matures, our product team will be at the forefront, putting it to good use to serve our customers. In our first iteration, we made revenue teams more efficient. With every subsequent iteration we will make them more effective as well. This will give valuable time back to our customers so they can do more long-term, strategic thinking.”
Nishant Mungali headshot
Nishant Mungali
Mindtickle Co-Founder + Chief Product Officer

Give your reps superpowers

According to the Harvard Business Review, in the B2B buying journey, buyers spend just 5% of their time with sellers. With so much information easily available online, buyers want to engage with sellers less and less.

So, how can your sellers engage buyers better? With AI superpowers, they can. Introducing Copilot for sellers, giving them the power of AI so they can be on their A game anytime, all the time.

Buyers constantly have questions and curveballs for sellers.

  • “How are you different from Competitor X?”
  • “I don’t have budget this quarter.”
  • “Can you integrate into my system of record?”

With Mindtickle Copilot for sellers, your sellers can strategize deals, tackle objections, and find answers to complex questions at their fingertips. Sellers will be more responsive to customers, seem like the smartest person in the room, and close deals faster.

What’s more, sellers also become more productive as Copilot for Sellers automates the grunt work of drafting emails and updating CRM.

Let your sellers practice their craft in a scalable way

Another way to drive seller behavior change is through role-plays. Sellers want to practice their pitches, but sales managers have little time to practice, review pitches, and give constructive feedback. Many role-play initiatives at large organizations fail because managers don’t have the time to review hundreds of pitches.

To solve this problem, we put AI to work at multiple levels. First, we got it to grade pitches, and now, in the Spring launch, we made it interactive, which means sellers can practice with AI live and have engaging conversations in realistic selling scenarios.

interactive role-play

Just last month, a large Fortune 100 tech customer put the AI grading to test. They launched a pitch contest for a new product line. About 3,500 sellers submitted over 6,000 pitches and the contest got a 95% adoption. Sales managers couldn’t review these 6,000 pitches, so AI did the heavy lifting, giving the reps textual, keyword, and emotional feedback for every submission. 

This saved over 30 weeks of sales managers’ time, and the reps got plenty of practice on their new pitch. Over the last six months, Mindtickle received more than 100,000 video role-play submissions that AI reviewed and graded fully. 

weeks saved when Copilot reviewed pitches + gave feedback
0

After this success, our product teams continued to iterate with AI. We know sellers crave immersive learning experiences, so we wanted to deliver something truly immersive and impressive.

With the newly launched interactive AI role-play, sellers can practice with an AI avatar and focus on beating the bot. They can practice pitches, objection handling, and difficult conversations endlessly with the avatar to become their best version in a safe and scalable environment.

Here’s what the head of enablement at a Fortune 500 chemicals company had to say after checking out the Interactive AI role-play capability,

"That was awesome. I can see how we can use it to help in teaching our negotiation program. We have super manual two-way role-play at the moment, this interactive AI role-play way exceeded my expectations. I had more lag time than it did."
Head of Enablement
Fortune 500 Chemicals Company

Sellers benefit in three ways:

  • They can become the best version of themselves without depending on their managers for feedback
  • They get immersive, on-the-job learning 
  • They are motivated to keep practicing their pitches till they score 100%

Empower your sales managers

Frontline sales managers have one of the toughest jobs across your company. They are always hard-pressed for time between account planning, trying to keep their forecast from slipping, and rolling up their sleeves to save at-risk deals.

Despite their obvious pains, they have been an underserved persona in technology. With the launch of the Manager Command Center, we want to change that.

product screenshots from Mindtickle's manager command center

When sales managers log into Mindtickle, they will get an experience tailored to their daily needs and priorities. They get prescriptive and actionable insights that drive team performance and behavioral change. At a glance, managers can see:

  • The team’s activities, be it meetings and calls
  • Who needs coaching, and on what
  • Who’s behind on training completion
  • The team’s skill gaps

The idea is that even if a sales manager gets 30 minutes of free time, they can effectively coach a B player into an A player and drive team performance.

Give time back to sales enablement teams with AI

We often hear sales enablement teams are short-staffed and spend the bulk of their time creating content. Creating content from scratch takes too long and is very labor-intensive. So, we put AI to work for our third persona.

With this new feature, AI-program outline creation, enablement admins can give a few simple prompts and get a very well-fleshed-out AI-generated course outline that includes passive and active learning such as courses, role-plays, coaching sessions, and assessments. You can customize the program outline to meet your organization’s needs.

Mindtickle Copilot

This is on the back of AI for assessment creation which has become quite popular with our customers. As per the 2024 State of Revenue Productivity Report, at least 5% of all assessments in Mindtickle are created by AI.

With this capability, enablement managers can simply point to a course and ask AI to create an assessment for it. AI will create it quickly, resulting in significant time savings.

Time to create an assessment

minutes without Copilot
0
minutes with Copilot
0

Have fun using AI

We had fun building these cool new capabilities using the latest technologies to serve sellers, sales managers, and sales enablement teams. We hope you have as much fun using it.

Register for the upcoming webinar, “Sales Superheroes Unleashed: Transforming Sellers into Superstars with AI,” on June 5, 2024, to learn more about the Spring launch and hear customer stories firsthand.

Unleash Your Sales Superheroes

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Enterprise Sales Enablement: What is it and Why is it Important?

Poornima Mohandas on May 8, 2024

Enterprise sales play an important role in many organizations’ growth strategies. That’s not surprising. Enterprise deals are typically large, which means even a single deal can significantly impact revenue growth.

While the benefits of enterprise sales are clear, navigating these deals isn’t easy. Sales reps must contend with large (and growing) buying committees, long sales cycles, evolving markets, shrinking budgets, and many other challenges.

With enterprise sales enablement, your sales reps can overcome these challenges, deliver engaging experiences to each buyer, and, ultimately, close more enterprise deals.

In this post, we’ll explore:

  • What is enterprise selling?
  • What are the key challenges of enterprise sales?
  • What is the importance of enterprise sales enablement?
  • What is enterprise selling?

B2B sales enablement is key to enterprise sales success. But what exactly is enterprise sales enablement?

Let’s break it down.

Enterprise selling defined

First things first: what is enterprise sales?

Enterprise sales involves selling products and services to large companies, often called enterprises.

Enterprise sales are often referred to as complex sales. That makes sense, as enterprise deals involve a lot of complexity, including longer sales cycles and large buying committees. We’ll explore some of these challenges and complexities in more detail later.
Enterprise sales enablement, defined

Mindtickle defines sales enablement as “a practice that provides members of the sales team with learning, content, and tools that allow them to succeed at their job.”

Enterprise sales enablement supports sales reps who engage with enterprise organizations. With enterprise sales enablement, sales reps can build the skills and behaviors needed to be successful in enterprise SaaS sales. With the right sales enablement, these enterprise sales reps can close more deals faster.

Today, the impact of sales enablement is well understood. According to the 2024-2025 Chief Revenue Officer + Sales Leader Outlook Report, the vast majority – 84% – of organizations invest in a sales enablement department.

According the resaerch,

of orgs invest in sales enablement
0 %

Yet many organizations continue to take a one-size-fits-all approach to sales enablement. They build and deliver generic sales enablement initiatives that may or may not address sellers’ needs. Often, this is because organizations don’t know what those needs are. The same report found that just 40% of C-level executives can identify rep strengths and weaknesses for customized training.

According to the same research, only

of C-level leaders can identify rep strengths + weaknesses
0 %

Enterprise sales enablement must be personalized to be effective. The first step is to determine the skills and behaviors enterprise sales reps need to be successful in your organization. Then, the enablement team can develop and deliver initiatives to help each rep hone those skills.

What are the challenges of enterprise sales?

Enterprise sales deliver many benefits to revenue organizations. For starters, these deals are often large, which boosts revenue. In addition, adding recognizable enterprise logos to your client roster can increase your credibility, which will help you build trust with other large organizations.

But enterprise SaaS sales also presents a whole host of challenges. A generic sales playbook may not address these challenges.

Some of the top enterprise sales challenges include:

Change #1: Large (and growing) buying committees

Many people are involved in enterprise sales, and that number continues to grow. Per the Gartner B2B Buying Report, the typical B2B enterprise buying group includes as many as 11 stakeholders. Those stakeholders represent an average of five different business functions.

The typical B2B enterprise buying group includes

stakeholders
0 +

Each stakeholder has different priorities and different requests. Meeting the expectations of each of these stakeholders can be a lot for a B2B sales rep to juggle.

Challenge #2: Long sales cycles

The sales cycle can take weeks or months when selling to small businesses, or it can take days.

The enterprise sales cycle typically takes much longer. It can take several months or even a year to close a deal.

Keeping everything on track and buyers engaged during such a lengthy sales cycle is challenging.

Furthermore, your chosen sales methodology may not be the right fit for long sales cycles.

Challenge #3: Constant change

Because enterprise sales cycles are long, change is guaranteed. Members of the buying committee may leave the company, while others are added. Customers’ needs and budgets can change. Your products and pricing (as well as that of your competitors) may change. A sales rep assigned to an enterprise account may leave their position for another company.

It can be tough to stay on top of rapid change and adapt accordingly to keep buyers engaged.

Challenge #4: Fierce competition

Competitors present challenges to all sellers. Enterprise sales reps are no exception.

Enterprise sales reps must understand their competitors’ offerings well and be prepared to overcome customers’ objections.

What is the importance of enterprise sales enablement?

Why is sales enablement important for enterprises? In short, it positively impacts customers’ experiences and sales performance.

With a strong enterprise sales enablement strategy, sellers are equipped to deliver outstanding experiences that meet customers’ expectations. This is key to closing more deals.

Let’s look at some of the key benefits of enterprise sales enablement.

Alignment between sales and marketing teams

A top goal of sales and marketing teams alike is to increase sales. But often, the two teams work in silos. Sales and marketing often have little visibility into each other’s goals and priorities, and they act as advisors rather than partners.

Enterprise sales enablement must be a cross-functional effort that requires sales and marketing alignment. When these two teams work together, the company can achieve its sales goals faster.

Content that resonates with customers

B2B buyers rely on content to make informed purchase decisions. A recent survey found that over half of B2B buyers now rely on sales content more than they did in the past.

But generic content won’t cut it. Modern enterprise buyers expect personalized content that’s relevant to their needs.

With enterprise sales enablement, sellers can easily access content that will resonate with each buyer – wherever they are in the sales cycle. In addition, sales enablement teams can deliver training to ensure enterprise sellers know how and when to use the available content.

Tailored training and enablement for each rep

Your enterprise sales reps need certain skills and competencies to be successful in their roles. Documenting these must-have skills is foundational to any sales enablement strategy.

Once you’ve documented your ideal rep profile, you can measure your enterprise sales reps against it. That way, you can identify their strengths and weaknesses and deliver personalized training that addresses the needs of each sales rep.

Mindtickle sales enablement demo missions

Personalized coaching to improve sales skills

Sales coaching is a key pillar of any B2B sales enablement program. It’s also a proven, powerful tool for improving enterprise sales rep performance.

But generic sales coaching isn’t effective. Sales coaching must be customized to the needs of each seller.

With the right B2B sales enablement tools, sales managers can identify each seller’s strengths and weaknesses. Then, enterprise sales reps can receive customized coaching that’ll help them strengthen lagging skills.

Insights to inform next steps and improve sales outcomes

Enterprise sales cycles are often quite long. It can be challenging for sellers to determine what steps to take to keep buyers engaged – and when to do so.

A winning sales enablement program—complete with an integrated sales enablement platform—equips sales teams with insights they can use to determine the next best step in any deal. Today, some sales enablement platforms use AI to deliver data-based recommendations.

For example, B2B sales enablement software can capture much data about how customers interact with different pieces of sales content and how (or whether) this content impacts sales outcomes. The sales enablement platform can analyze this data and data about the specific customer to suggest content that will resonate with the buyer.

Increased customer engagement

B2B buyers have high expectations for outstanding buying experiences. An integrated sales enablement program ensures sellers have the knowledge, tools, and resources to deliver experiences that meet those expectations. This increases customer engagement and the likelihood of the prospect making a purchase.

Build an entire team of top enterprise sellers with enterprise sales enablement

Enterprise sales can be lucrative. But these complex deals are also challenging.

Sales reps must develop the right skills to succeed in enterprise sales. Enterprise sales enablement ensures your teams have what they need to engage customers and close more enterprise deals.

A solid enterprise sales enablement strategy requires the right technology.

Today, many technologies address a single pillar of sales enablement – for example, sales content management. However, a better option is to choose an integrated solution that incorporates all the key pillars of sales enablement.

Mindtickle is an integrated revenue productivity solution incorporating all essential sales enablement components. With Mindtickle, sales reps have easy access to training, coaching, enablement, and sales content – all from one platform. In addition, sales teams have access to robust insights that can help them determine what steps to take to keep deals on track – and moving toward the finish line. Sales managers also have visibility into their reps’ in-field performance so they can identify where additional coaching is needed.

Enterprise Sales Enablement with Mindtickle

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