Sales Enablement, The Sales Caddie

This past summer, I went out of my comfort zone to try something new – golf. Much to my chagrin, I am not a hidden talent in the golf world and am just finishing up a series of lessons that has broadened my perspective on what a fun, challenging sport golf is. A few humble learnings along the way include:

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1. Professionals make golf look EXTREMELY easy

2. Like any sport, it takes time, dedication, and practice to get better

3. A good coach can make all the difference in helping you understand the mechanics of golf and how to develop proper technique

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My perspective was also broadened the other night watching a golf docuseries and what an important role the caddie plays for a professional golfer. It was then that I realized that my experience as a novice golfer and the experience of a caddie are much like sales teams and Sales Enablement.Sales Enablement is the Caddie for Sales! If you are shaking your head in disbelief, hear me out on these few of many parallels…

Insight,Strategy and Perspective 

Much of a professional golfer’s success relies on the expertise of their caddie. Certainly, the athletic ability and performance of the golfer play a role, but the caddie provides insight, strategy, and perspective to help build the golfer’s confidence and ignite their success. A caddie researches the course and studies the conditions of the environment to help the golfer understand how they will best succeed.

In sales, the deal team or the sales executive are the golfer – they have the knowledge and expertise of how to build a relationship with a client with the goal of winning the sale. Sales Enablement comes in as the “Sales Caddie” and provides insight into the trends and challenges that are impacting the client’s industry and coaching the team on how our product solution is the answer to those trends and challenges.

Assistance and Advice 

Caddies offer their golfer assistance in tracking a balls’ location on the course, recommending a club for each stoke that will deliver the desired result, and can provide direction on how to think about each swing based on factors like the desired distance for the ball to travel, terrain that the ball is being hit from, or what the weather is doing at that particular moment.

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The Sales Enablement Caddie does much of the same to support their sales executives and deal teams. Depending on how many meetings have taken place, who the attendees of the meeting will be, and what the sales objective of the meeting is, Sales Enablement is consulted to help “read the room” and prepare compelling materials that the team will be able to successfully execute on to achieve the desired results. In the instance of a stall in the sales pursuit or a situation that requires quick critical-thinking and problem-solving, Sales Enablement offers the holistic view that provides perspective that those very close to the deal may not see.

Relationship Building 

In several episodes of the docuseries, different golfers mentioned that their caddie was not only their coach but someone they also considered to be a close confidant and friend. Take it from me, the very novice golfer – golf can be an extremely frustrating sport and that frustration affects the pros as well. Being able to help a golfer reset their focus and successfully hit the next shot is often the difference between winning and losing a tournament. A golfer’s caddie is there to help bring optimism and positivity in those dark moments of frustration for a golfer, helping them to move on from the bad shot and center around how great the next shot will be. 

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Modern-day selling in a post-COVID world is different.Buyers aren’t duped by the old school sales tactics of “let me tell you what I am going to do for you” anymore and buy from people that they like, feel that they know fairly well, and most importantly, they buy from someone they trust.Sales Enablement helps sales to center their focus on the relationships they are building within their client’s buying-centers and the quality of those relationships. In situations where a meeting may fall flat or the sales cycle pauses, Sales Enablement can role play scenarios as the decision-maker, the adversary, and others, working to overcome objections and help coach sales in their relationships with the client to advocate for the team’s product solution when the sales team isn’t in the room.

Every successful sales organization needs its Sales Caddie—a role that Sales Enablement seamlessly fulfills. Remember that Sales Enablement is your trusted Caddie, guiding you through every “swing and putt”. By seamlessly integrating insights, strategies, and perspectives, Sales Enablement plays a pivotal role in building not just successful deals but lasting relationships. As your organization's Sales Caddie, Sales Enablement not only shares in your victories but transforms setbacks into stepping stones for improvement. How can you empower your Sales Caddie, ensuring that every conversation on the green of opportunity surpasses the last?

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Photo by Mick De Paola on Unsplash

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