Last week we kicked off our 2015 SPARK Webcast Series with a fascinating Q&A featuring Qstream CEO Duncan Lennox and Nancy Nardin of SmartSellingTools.com. The two shared their insights on creating high-performance sales teams in a rapid fire 30-minute session.

The conversation began with Lennox and Nardin’s thoughts on the explosion of sales enablement technologies now on the market, and specifically, their advice on what questions sales leaders should ask when selecting and measuring a new solution.

Both emphasized that first and foremost technology should serve people, not the other way around. “We need to focus less on tools, and more on key questions such as ‘What’s keeping my reps from spending more time with prospects, and am I willing to accept that distraction?’” Technology can have a significant impact on the sales process, but must help your people to succeed using the skills that matter most.

The key to success with technology investments, Lennox and Nardin agreed, is two-fold. The best technologies are designed to help sales reps conduct better, more engaging conversations, and ultimately better outcomes. “Simplicity and ease of use are critical, ” Lennox added. “It’s essential for getting sales people to use any solution. This is particularly evident in the high rates of adoption we see with mobile platforms, and other ‘always-on’ technologies.”

On the topic of the sales funnel, given changes in the sales environment that now essentially have buyers in charge of the sales process, the discussion turned to a compelling need for more agile sales training, and how today's traditional (linear) processes don’t necessarily account for skills that help reps understand a customer’s unique challenges and buying signals.

How do we change this? Nardin’s advice:

• Salespeople require insight. The key to eliminating friction in today’s sales cycle is knowing what your customer cares about and stay one step ahead. Buyers don’t want to educate you. They want you to educate and add value to them.
• Identify and track the outcomes or behaviors you want your salespeople to look for. What signals indicate a significant level of interest? (e.g. do they return phone calls and emails in a timely manner? Is your customer the one that suggests the next steps or is it always your salesperson?)
• Make sure you have data about what’s working and what’s not. Without visibility you can’t coach with authority.

Lennox elaborated on this point by saying that for many teams, it’s a “back to the future” scenario. “To win today, we can’t forget the classic skills of successful sales people: being a good listener. Reps rarely fail to win a deal because they don’t have enough product knowledge. They will surely fail, however, if they can’t engage with a customer in a thoughtful, empathetic way that earns their trust.”

Keeping sales skills sharp, however, is an ongoing challenge for nearly every organization. Citing Jill Konrath’s latest book “Agile Selling, ” sales reps need to understand that they, as individuals, can be a powerful differentiator when it comes to winning new clients. But to become a differentiator, they must always be improving. It’s the company’s responsibility to support and encourage an environment of agile, “always-on” learning. Some of the key points highlighted include:

• Continuous learning must be a part of your culture, and managers are the most important, and most impactful role models. Managers must embrace this philosophy of iterative, ongoing improvement
  themselves, and be agile in their coaching approaches as well.
• Collaboration is a key characteristic of agile sales teams. Reps are learning in the field and need to be encouraged to bring those lessons back to their peers and their managers.
• Learning drives not only skills, but confidence. Managers should find opportunities to showcase reps who “get it” and share examples of how they excelled.
• Make it fun! This is key for ongoing engagement and participation.
• Analytics are the fastest path to understanding who needs additional training support, and where the specific skills gaps are. This visibility is key to smart coaching, and today’s tools can deliver it.