Imagine yourself in early January when you set business goals for the new year.

If one of your main goals for 2021 and beyond was to build a high-performing sales team and improve sales performance to drive revenue growth, you should consider (or perhaps you already have) the evolving role of technology.

Today’s sales enablement and sales readiness technologies can unleash the full potential of sales reps, transforming them into stars that can make a significant impact on the bottom line.

It may be time to reimagine your current processes for onboarding, training, coaching, and evaluating your sales force, especially because technology can play a crucial role in each one of these areas. Modern technologies offer a wealth of tools and resources that help your teams enhance customer relationships and deliver a rewarding buying experience.

While reviewing and reworking your technology strategy and tools may feel like a daunting task, it is important to remember its value to your internal team and your customers.

Within most organizations, technology can enhance two main areas of sales: sales enablement and sales readiness.

Sales enablement is about enabling the sales team to be trained and positioned for a positive and successful sales experience. Sales enablement technologies organize, engage, and manage content to help sales teams gain knowledge about the company, the sales process, the products, and the sales funnel. Technology can often create a one-stop shop or destination for the sales team to access tools that will ensure they communicate effectively and maximize their hours of the day.

Sales readiness uses technology to equip and support the user with the tools to practice, apply, assess, and verify sales skills so that the user can engage with customers in an efficient, professional selling experience. Sales readiness tools include a wide array of resources such as onboarding for new hires on the sales team, customized coaching based on AI analysis of sales pitches, and microlearning opportunities like short, digestible refreshers on mobile devices. These tools reinforce the material on an ongoing basis so that your sales team members are constantly optimizing their sales skills to maximize results.

Another game-changer in sales technologies today is AI (artificial intelligence). AI-driven sales enablement and sales readiness technologies help revenue teams have more effective customer conversations, which results in increased customer satisfaction and revenue growth. AI is being used to help sales team members qualify customers, bring relevant resources to the table, and progress deals forward. AI also can analyze customer interactions and serve as a useful coach to the salesperson.

So, how do you determine the best sales technology for your business?

To facilitate the selection process, Sandler has previewed a checklist below of questions to help you pinpoint the best solution for your organization:

1. Is it a unified solution that will offer a seamless experience for both users and admins?

2. Does it integrate with your existing tools, or will it be another single tool that you will struggle to embrace?

3. As your company grows, can this platform easily scale in all respects?

4. How does the solution integrate the platform with CRMs and with other technologies?

5. What types of analytics reporting can you expect from the platform to prove ROI?

As you revisit your own technology, remember that to thrive in 2021 and beyond, an investment in sales enablement and sales readiness tools can keep sales velocity high and increase win rates for your team.

For more information on how to embrace sales technology, visit enterprise.sandler.com/sales\_technology today to download our free guide.