Analysis from LinkedIn discovered that 54% of sellers say gross sales instruments allow them to construct belief and shut offers with consumers. So, what function does an environment friendly tech stack play in creating an efficient enablement technique?

Shawnna Sumaoang: Hello and welcome to the Win Win Podcast. I’m your host, Shawnna Sumaoang. Be part of us as we dive into altering tendencies within the office and methods to navigate them efficiently. Right here to debate this matter is Rey Espinosa, senior product advisor at ODP Enterprise Options. Thanks for becoming a member of, Rey! I’d love so that you can inform us about your self, your background, and your function.

Rey Espinosa: Completely. I positively need to prolong my thanks and gratitude for having me be part of the podcast. As for myself, I’ve truly obtained about near 30 years of expertise in gross sales and sales-related roles. I spent about 10 years truly as a frontline gross sales rep or account supervisor, and I managed some gross sales groups. The majority of my tenure has truly been in a company coaching function, sporting any and all of the completely different hats that trainers put on, facilitator, licensed gross sales teacher, content material and rhythm creator, coach, and simply every part that’s concerned with that. That’s the majority of my expertise. About simply over a 12 months in the past, our group adopted Highspot and really invited me to be the Highspot answer proprietor for ODP Enterprise Options. That’s my present aim and I’m loving each second of it.

SS: Nicely, thanks once more a lot for becoming a member of us right this moment, Ray. I actually admire it. Now, I need to get began with clearly understanding what the panorama appeared like earlier than. Earlier than Highspot, what had been some challenges your group was experiencing? How have you ever been in a position to remedy these challenges since having Highspot in your tech stack?

RE: Nicely, the place to start on this one? The challenges that we’re actually dealing with in our group with our previous content material administration system actually had been primary. There was simply an amazing quantity of content material on the platform. Our gross sales groups had been challenged with looking for the content material. Even so as to add to that, once they would discover content material, plenty of it was old-fashioned, it was previous, it was irrelevant, and never usable to share with our prospects.

Implementing Highspot, afforded us the chance to actually wipe the slate clear, which is a superb profit for the group. We actually took a tough have a look at the content material that we had, and we made that aware resolution to be very intentional about what we introduced into Highspot. We made certain we solely introduced in the latest and related content material. Just a few belongings had been up to date to guarantee that they had been up-to-date and related, after which we excluded plenty of content material. That allowed us to begin from a extremely nice level with our content material. We knew the content material that was getting uploaded was updated, it was related, it was actually wholesome.

Additionally, with this smaller quantity of content material, it addressed the problem that our gross sales groups had with looking for content material simply and shortly, and so they knew no matter they might discover in Highspot was going to be up-to-date and it was going to be related for right this moment’s enterprise panorama. Going by means of this course of, simply helped to enhance efficiencies and the general perspective that our customers had on the content material that we had out there for them to make use of with their prospects.

SS: I like to listen to that. Now you may have additionally been doing wonderful inside your group at ODP Enterprise Options. You may have an 81% recurring utilization fee of the Highspot platform, which, as I mentioned, is excellent. I’d like to study from you. What are some key methods you combine Highspot into vendor’s workflows and the way has that helped to drive adoption?

RE: Nicely, there’s a few completely different ways in which we’ve performed this. From its inception, Highspot has had some actually nice integration instruments and capabilities into the opposite software program instruments in our tech stack. That actually helped to advertise and drive the adoption of the platform. We’re in a position to present them entry to the content material from Highspot by means of Outlook, by means of our CRM, and thru a few of our different gross sales instruments that we’re utilizing. That actually helped with adoption. It was simple to get to and simple to make use of from whichever device they occurred to be utilizing of their workflow.

The opposite factor that basically helped out is we made certain that we had fixed and constant messaging about Highspot to all of our groups. We made certain that they understood that Highspot is out of 1 supply of reality, the content material, whether or not it’s advertising content material, product info, course of paperwork, coaching, or what we wished our gross sales groups to know, and so they’ve realized that in the event you’re in search of something, begin with Highspot.

SS: I like that precept. What are a few of the advantages of integrating Highspot with a few of the different core instruments in your tech stack, like Salesforce CRM, for instance? What are a few of the key enterprise outcomes that you just’ve seen on account of that integration?

RE: Nicely, once more, it goes again to actually the sturdy partnerships that Highspot has with plenty of the opposite distributors and corporations on the market. The most important and most seamless integration that now we have with Highspot is inside our CRM. The combination that Highspot has with Salesforce permits us the power to serve up content material to the reps whereas they’re in Salesforce throughout their regular movement of enterprise and processes.

We have now the power to serve up content material on the account information, that chance, and phone information, and we are able to decide and select what content material we need to present for various accounts or completely different phases in a possibility or completely different merchandise which can be related to a possibility. That was one of many core integration items that we love about Highspot. Simply so as to add icing to the cake, you may have that integration with Outlook. As a gross sales rep is beginning to create an e mail interplay or engagement with the shopper, they’ll simply drop in related content material. The identical goes for one more device that we use referred to as Gross sales Regulation. There’s one other nice easy integration to usher in content material from Highspot once they’re utilizing that device.

That integration actually simply permeated by means of the entire instruments that we actually use and that our gross sales groups use on a day-to-day foundation. The most important profit was that our gross sales groups didn’t have to regulate or change their processes drastically. It was only a small tweak right here and a small tweak there to verify they’re conscious, that is how simply and shortly you may get to the content material you must share along with your prospects.

The most important key enterprise outcomes that we’ve seen are improved efficiencies. Reps are in a position to go in, discover content material that they want, or we serve up the content material that’s most related at that second in time once they really want it for his or her prospects. They’re spending much less time doing what we name admin duties. They’re not having to seek for content material or determine what content material to make use of, and even make the most of the template capabilities, or pitch templates inside Highspot. Now we’re presenting these messages the place they’re merely simply personalizing it a bit bit and sending it out to the shoppers. It’s an enormous enchancment in efficiencies, which frees up time to let our sellers do what they’re paid to do, which is have interaction with our prospects, carry the worth of a partnership between our organizations, and drive profitability and income.

SS: That’s completely what the aim must be by way of the place reps are spending and focusing their time as a result of it in the end drives productiveness. Now, I do know that, particularly in Salesforce, you may have been engaged on an enormous mission to mainly construct in concentrating on in Salesforce to make sure that you may ship that just-in-time content material on your reps. Are you able to inform us a bit bit extra about this mission and the way you’re leveraging the Salesforce integration to proceed to additional enhance rep workflows and efficiencies?

RE: Completely. With the adoption of Highspot, the primary steps are actually getting the platform stood up and ensuring that the framework is there, you may have the best spots, lists, filters, and simply every part is all arrange so to handle that content material. The subsequent massive step that we’re taking a look at is now serving up that content material, and enhancing these efficiencies with our customers, that are our gross sales groups.

I assume the best technique to put that is as you begin to need to drive enterprise, companies have campaigns and initiatives, completely different pages or completely different performs that they need to push out the place we really feel we are able to generate income and convey extra worth to our prospects and with Salesforce and the mixing that Highspot has with Salesforce, it permits us to current these initiatives or these campaigns. The entire info that’s related to these campaigns and initiatives will be proper there on the focused account. By bringing it up and integrating it into the account report, we now current that information or serve up that info proper there on the account and make the gross sales groups conscious, hey, this explicit account is admittedly primed and focused for this initiative. Begin to speak to them about these merchandise or these providers and options.

The nice factor is we use play pages from Highspot and we leverage that to know, say, present, and do construction in order that they’ll shortly go to that web page, learn by means of it and actually perceive what they should do. This actually ups their competency degree about speaking to their prospects and the way they need to speak to their prospects, what they want to present, and the way they’ll actually place the worth that we are able to carry. That’s one of many first actual heavy integrations that we’re doing at that account degree inside Salesforce. Proper on its heels goes to be that very same sort of serving up of content material and data on the alternatives. We will serve that up relying on the stage of the chance, relying on the product that’s associated to that chance.

The subsequent step past that’s wanting on the contact degree. The person individual that we’re coping with. We will see what they’re partaking with as a result of we need to leverage and serve up the best content material on the proper time, provided that the shopper’s title or the trade they’re in, is the choice maker, there are numerous items of knowledge which can be out there inside Salesforce that may enable us to serve that content material up that’s going to resonate with that buyer, given their purchaser persona or their purchaser sort. It’s a must to converse to a C-suite particular person quite a bit in a different way from an finish consumer or mid-level supervisor that has completely different priorities. Various things resonate with completely different prospects and being able to serve up content material, we all know, goes to resonate with that individual sort of purchaser is admittedly going to assist to generate the curiosity from that buyer and need to even have these conversations with our gross sales groups.

SS: That’s a tremendous enterprise of labor although, Ray, so congratulations on that mission. I believe it’s going to be extraordinarily helpful to your gross sales groups. Now, one other matter that I do know is close to and pricey to you, and in addition a method to assist your groups enhance effectivity, is thru this notion of governance. You truly shared your insights in your governance technique at our annual consumer convention, Spark ‘22, final fall. Out of your expertise, and for the podcast viewers that won’t have been in a position to be part of that session, what’s the significance of content material governance, particularly when productiveness is so essential to an organization’s success?

RE: In a nutshell, the significance is admittedly having up-to-date, related, and what we prefer to form of name wholesome content material. You need to guarantee that no matter info you’re offering to your buyer, it’s going to be related for right this moment’s enterprise panorama. As everyone knows, over these final couple of years with every part that’s been occurring on the planet, enterprise has modified dramatically. Ensuring that the content material that you’ve got, the knowledge that you just’re sharing along with your buyer is updated and displays how that panorama has modified goes to resonate extra with them than only a flier or a brochure that you just printed again in 2018 or 2019. The identical key factors and worth that you just had been making an attempt to current at that second in time aren’t actually related anymore given the panorama and the shift in how we’re doing enterprise right this moment.

All of it begins with that content material governance and ensuring that the belongings and the content material that you just’re loading into Highspot it’s updated, related, and wholesome. For me, it even goes past that. There’s extra to contemplate than simply ensuring that you just’ve obtained a related title and an outline, expiry date, and that it’s tagged appropriately for listing builders in Highspot. We have to have a look at the general spots. The listing that you just’ve created, the pages that you just’re creating from a touchdown web page to a spot overview, to a listing overview web page, the completely different play pages, all of that I believe is inside that realm of governance. I imply, it’s nice in the event you write a extremely nice e-book, an superior novel, however in the event you go right into a library and you may’t discover that e-book, no person’s ever going to realize it’s there.

The best way that you just construction the framework of Highspot is a part of that governance as effectively. If you are able to do that proper and hold it up to date, you’ll must refresh it. It’s not one thing the place it’s one-and-done. It’s a must to revisit it and just be sure you’re maintaining with the way you’re doing enterprise and your buyer base and your product traces and issues like that, however in the event you hold it updated, it’s a lot simpler for reps to seek out what they want. It includes much more than simply the importing of content material and tagging that and placing an applicable title on it, it additionally includes a few of the format and construction of the atmosphere. You need to guarantee that once you’re creating your framework and the technique for presenting content material to your sellers that it is sensible, that it’s intuitive, and that it’s simple for the top customers to seek out that info. That’s actually what’s going to drive the efficiencies, drive productiveness, drive income. All of it begins with governance, nevertheless it goes past simply ensuring that you just’re checking a few packing containers on the content material properties. It goes effectively past that to actually drive that dwelling.

SS: Superb. You guys, as I mentioned, have been doing phenomenal with governance inside your occasion. Your governance well being rating constantly stays at 75% or above, which, as I mentioned, is completely unimaginable Ray. Implausible job. I’d like to study a bit bit extra about our different prospects which can be actually eager to implement governance finest practices. How do you companion with spot house owners and publishers within Highspot to make sure that Highspot is crammed with related content material on your sellers?

RE: It’s a mix of conferences, collaboration, and partnership. With our spot house owners and our publishers, we meet with them month-to-month. As I discussed earlier than, we’ve solely had Highspot for a couple of 12 months, however these month-to-month conferences actually assist to guarantee that our spot house owners and our publishers, primary, are keenly conscious of how vital their function is within the Highspot platform and our governance and simply total content material administration technique. They should understand how vital they’re. Having that fixed constant communication and two-way communication actually helps us out.

It makes certain that the spot house owners and the publishers really feel as if they form of personal part of Highspot. It’s not simply one other course of that they’ve to include. It’s their child, as a lot as it’s mine. That fixed assembly with them on a month-to-month foundation helps out. Past that, we even have applied a Highspot finish consumer committee and a Highspot gross sales chief committee in order that we are able to meet on a month-to-month foundation with our customers. We get their suggestions, we guarantee that they’re conscious of latest options, new capabilities, new methods that we’re implementing options in and capabilities which can be built-in into Salesforce. This manner they know what they’re going to see and the way simple and fast it’s going to be to get to related content material, however then permitting them to present that suggestions as effectively.

Now, as a part of the gross sales enablement group and proprietor of Highspot, we are able to take the suggestions from the customers, spot house owners, and publishers to vet that out to determine what we are able to actually do. As soon as we perceive that, now we assist to companion with our advertising, our product, our merchandising, our gross sales op groups, and help groups, and our coaching groups to say, okay, that is what we actually have to do. That is the path that we have to drive Highspot as a result of it’s going to actually assist from a content material administration add course of for our publishers and our spot house owners, nevertheless it’s additionally going to have a really constructive impression on our customers. It’s a must to control each of these teams. One lets you keep the well being and construction of the platform, however the different one is the customers.

You may construct this nice environment friendly automobile, but when it’s ugly and it’s cramped and also you’re not comfy sitting in it, many individuals aren’t going to purchase it and use it. On the opposite aspect of that coin, if it’s actually a great-looking automobile and it’s comfy and all that nice stuff, good, you’re going to get lots of people shopping for it, however in the event you didn’t construct it the best method, it’s going to interrupt down shortly, so it’s important to steadiness these two. I believe we’ve performed an awesome job at our firm to guarantee that we’re facilitating this two-way communication and suggestions loop to verify all people’s voice is heard and that they perceive that your concept, as wild as it’s possible you’ll suppose it’s, is possibly the right answer for what we have to proceed to drive Highspot to drive efficiencies and productivities and drive income.

I do know that they really feel that method as a result of they’re greater than welcome to throw out concepts throughout our conferences and simply say, hey, it will be nice if we may do that if we may have that. Numerous instances we speak to our Highspot help group, which is nice, they’re superior, and so they say, yeah, we are able to do this. Highspot once more, simply reveals its colours and it shines vivid at every part that it might probably do to assist help our enterprise.

SS: I like that, Ray. Now one other space, since you introduced up the subject of partnership that has been essential to your enablement technique is coaching. Are you able to inform us about the way you companion along with your coaching group to optimize coaching packages utilizing Highspot?

RE: Completely. Yeah. I do have possibly an ace up my sleeve on this one, simply because I truly was a part of the coaching group and, once more, my years of expertise in coaching, however the capabilities that Highspot has actually got here on the opportune time. We truly don’t have a proper studying administration system right here at ODP Enterprise Options. We had been making do with what we may and creating some advert hoc packages to satisfy our coaching wants. With the implementation of Highspot, it gave us just about every part that we would have liked throughout the platform to help our coaching groups.

Once I first got here in and began to handle the implementation and actually began to drive the answer for our group, studying increasingly more concerning the capabilities of coaching, I couldn’t wait to get again in contact with the coaching group to say, hey guys, we now have a device that may do proper out of the field 85 to 90% of what we had been making an attempt to do as a gross sales group. Let’s meet and let’s begin displaying you the options and capabilities and let’s begin constructing out our coaching packages. We now have an onboarding coaching program, as effectively, as a extremely good technique for our steady teaching programs inside Highspot.

We’re additionally benefiting from a few of the new options. We’re actually, once more, leveraging, and I’m going to tout our Highspot success group. They’re all the time keen to satisfy with us and guarantee that we’re conscious of options and performance that they really feel are going to profit us. We meet with them each two weeks, rain or shine. They actually take the time to know, from a coaching perspective, what our coaching group is making an attempt to do. They will actually spotlight the options, capabilities, and functionalities that align with these objectives and people initiatives that now we have for coaching. With all of that tied collectively, it’s simply one other side of Highspot that I can’t converse extremely sufficient about.

We now have a person on the coaching group who’s getting increasingly more acquainted with Highspot coaching capabilities and performance, in order that they’re working very arduous to get every part into Highspot for onboarding as a result of we do have onboarding for our subject gross sales groups and now we have a distinct onboarding program for our inside gross sales groups. He’s working to carry all that collectively. I companion with him. Not solely can we meet with our Highspot success group each two weeks, however David and I meet at the least 4 or 5 instances a month as a result of he needs to learn the way I can use Highspot for programs, classes, and certification packages. We actually love the latest characteristic that’s been launched, which is the occasion classes. That’s a game-changer for us. We love the power now to create digital conferences or in-person conferences proper throughout the construction after all. That’s simply one other nice characteristic that Highspot has launched.

SS: Past gross sales coaching, you’ve additionally engaged in some private studying packages by means of Highspot College programs. How have skilled improvement alternatives like these programs show you how to to constantly optimize your enablement technique and your use of excessive spot?

RE: Nicely, for me, being the content material administration and the answer proprietor for Highspot, that is one thing new for me. I’ve by no means had most of these roles and tasks. I’ve all the time performed coaching. That’s my bread and butter, so to talk. I had quite a bit to find out about gross sales enablement, about content material administration. The Highspot College is a superb preliminary device to actually form of get you in tune with Highspot and methods to use Highspot for managing folks for governing content material or including content material. They’ve obtained some nice programs on the market and I do know you guys are going to proceed to construct out the choices which can be in Highspot College.

Past that, I’d additionally like to present an enormous shout-out to the Highspot group. I imply, I’m going to the group web page at the least thrice per week. I attempted to focus on about an hour within the morning. I’ll concentrate on governance, one-day gross sales play the following day, completely different subjects, and completely different classes every day to proceed studying extra about what’s it, what does gross sales enablement do, and the way can we make it higher? What are a few of the issues that we should always pay attention to, must be taking a look at, and must be serving to to drive in our organizations? That together with wanting on the dialogue boards in there and actually understanding plenty of the questions that I’ve about Highspot and methods to use it, plenty of folks on the market have those self same questions.

These dialogue boards actually helped to carry collectively an enormous variety of like-minded those who need to enhance not solely themselves, however Highspot and the atmosphere for his or her organizations, however actually assist the leverage and information that we every have little tidbits right here and there. Everyone could be very supportive of that platform. The group is one other good way that helps me to proceed to study. I’ve seen myself as an teacher or a trainer for a few years, nevertheless it actually obtained me excited to be again on the opposite aspect of the fence to be a learner and to study new issues. I do know it’s form of an previous saying that you may’t educate an previous canine new tips, however I can inform you, I’m an previous canine and I’m studying some new tips due to the Highspot group.

SS: I’ve to say, Ray, that quote alone might have made my entire day. Thanks a lot for sharing that. To shut, I’ve one final query for you. What recommendation do you may have for different groups to optimize their enablement technique with Highspot?

RE: I believed quite a bit about this query and, you realize, I form of doubted myself in making an attempt to answer this query to be completely sincere, Shawnna. I don’t have plenty of expertise. I don’t have plenty of expertise or time behind this explicit driver’s seat, however from what I’ve been studying, I believe one of the best recommendation I may give is simply to be very open and have very sturdy, open traces of communication. Not solely between the people which can be serving to to handle Highspot or which can be in your gross sales enablement group however actually the two-way communication between your advertising groups, your product groups, your gross sales groups, coaching, and gross sales operations. Everyone must be concerned in and has some degree of involvement and form of pores and skin within the sport relating to gross sales enablement.

As a gross sales enablement group, we’re not on this island simply making an attempt to throw up smoke indicators and inform folks what to do. You actually must take the time to satisfy with people, perceive what they’re doing, their initiatives, their roadmap, after which how that roadmap and the way do these initiatives tie into initiatives, campaigns, coaching packages, and even simply the general presenting or managing of the content material and presenting that content material to gross sales.

Finally, as gross sales enablement, we actually need to drive profitability and the success of our gross sales groups and our group, however with a view to do this, it’s important to have a full understanding of your small business, your small business panorama, and the path that the enterprise goes in. Then have the ability to look a bit bit farther than that on the general panorama outdoors of your group, what’s actually working. How can we enhance issues?

One of the best recommendation I may give is communication, two-way open, sincere, free communication. There’s an previous saying in coaching that claims there are by no means any dumb questions, solely dumb solutions. Don’t be afraid to ask these inquiries to study and guarantee that all people feels comfy sharing their concepts since you by no means know when that one concept goes to return out that’s actually going to place you leaps and bounds forward of the sport.

SS: Ray, I’ve to say you nailed that recommendation. Thanks for sharing that with our viewers. And thanks for becoming a member of us right this moment.

RE: Nicely, thanks. It’s been my pleasure. I loved talking with you. I even get a bit bit tongue-tied each time I begin to consider Highspot and what it might probably do, and I’m so enthusiastic about what it’s going to carry for our group and everybody else sooner or later.

SS: Implausible. Thanks, Ray. To our viewers, thanks for listening to this episode of the Win Win podcast. Be sure you tune in subsequent time for extra insights on how one can transcend what attractiveness like with Highspot.