Sales Enablement Vs Sales Training: What's the Difference?

June 14, 2023

When it comes to building a successful sales team, companies often focus on training their sales reps. But is sales training enough to achieve the desired results? The answer is no. Sales enablement is just as important, if not more so, than sales training. In this article, we'll explore the difference between sales enablement and sales training and why both are crucial for sales success.

What is SALES TRAINING

- Sales training is the process of educating sales reps on how to sell a product or service.
- It focuses on teaching them the necessary skills, techniques, and product knowledge to close deals.
- Sales training typically involves role-playing exercises, product demonstrations, and product knowledge tests.
While sales training is essential for every sales team, it only goes so far in terms of driving revenue growth. Sales reps need more than just training on how to sell a product.
They also need support and resources to help them succeed in the field.

Read also: Sales Enablement vs. Sales Training: The Crucial Difference (SalesAssembly) 

What is SALES ENABLEMENT

- Sales enablement is the process of equipping sales reps with the tools, resources, and information they need to be successful.
- It includes everything from product information and training to marketing collateral and technology solutions.
- Sales enablement is focused on ensuring that sales reps have everything they need, when they need it, to sell effectively.
Unlike sales training, sales enablement is an ongoing process. It's not a one-time event or training session. Instead, it's a continuous effort to provide sales reps with the resources they need to succeed in the field.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SALES ENABLEMENT AND SALES TRAINING

While both sales enablement and sales training are crucial for sales success, they serve different purposes. Sales training is focused on educating sales reps on how to sell a product, while sales enablement is focused on equipping them with the resources and tools they need to be successful.

Sales training is a necessary component of sales enablement, but it's not the only one. Sales enablement encompasses everything from product information and training to technology solutions and marketing collateral.

You can also consider sales enablement to be more strategic in its approach and sales training as a tactic.  A complete sales enablement program would have sales training as a specific action within an overall enabling program.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, sales enablement and sales training are both essential for sales success.
Sales training is necessary for teaching sales reps how to sell a product, but sales enablement is equally important for equipping them with the resources, tools, and information they need to be successful in the field.
Even the most efficient sales training programs are limited in their scalability, this is where sales enablement programs vastly outperform since a sales enablement program is built for scale and speed to support sales teams.
By investing in both sales enablement and sales training, companies can build a strong and successful sales team that drives revenue growth.

👉👉 Read also: 

- Sales enablement in the manufacturing industry


- The Differences Between Sales Enablement and Marketing


- Unlock Your Sales Potential with B2B Sales Enablement: Best Practices and Common Failures

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