Shawnna Sumaoang: Hello, and welcome to the Win Win Podcast. I’m your host, Shawnna Sumaoang. Be a part of us as we dive into altering developments within the office and tips on how to navigate them efficiently.

Right here to debate this subject is Bernie Borges, the vice chairman of world content material advertising, Blake Graves, director of gross sales enablement, and Chris O’Connell, the director of world gross sales operations from iQor.

Thanks for becoming a member of us, Bernie, Blake, and Chris. I might love for every of you to inform me somewhat bit about your self, your background, and your function. Bernie, let’s begin with you.

Bernie Borges: Positive. Thanks, Shawnna, thanks for having us. I’m Bernie Borges, vice chairman of world content material advertising at iQor and I’ve been in content material advertising for the higher a part of the final 20-plus years in B2B. I had my very own company for some time, and joined iQor about three years in the past, actually centered on driving the model consciousness for iQor within the market.

It’s a really aggressive market and producing content material that may actually assist to amplify the model in addition to present content material that the gross sales workforce can leverage of their day-to-day promoting efforts. All the pieces from beginning conversations by way of the entire purchaser’s journey all the way in which down by way of closing. In order that’s my function and somewhat bit about my background. 

Blake Graves: Yep. Thanks once more for having us too. So sure, Blake Graves, director of gross sales enablement at iQor, been with iQor for nearly eight years now. So I’ve acquired to see a whole lot of transformation on the firm.

Actually cool stuff that we’re doing with gross sales and advertising. My space covers gross sales readiness, that coaching side, and what new issues are we doing from a know-how perspective. Simply bringing that to the gross sales workforce and that is how we must always pitch it and That is the data it’s essential empower you or higher inform your promoting practices.

And naturally, together with that comes the tech stack like Highspot or the rest that we’re utilizing to allow gross sales from a prospect’s perspective. Highspot is an thrilling new software for us and we’re prepared to start out closing some offers rapidly. 

SS: Great. And Chris, final however not least, inform us somewhat bit about your self. 

Chris O’Connell: I’m Chris O’Connell. I’m the director of world gross sales operations. So I’m accountable for our CRM occasion and dealing with our gross sales workforce to assist them. And I’m actually excited in regards to the Highspot alternative. This helps us get higher details about how our content material is being consumed, the way it’s being deployed, which issues are resonating and maybe how they’re serving to us win extra enterprise.

SS: Great. Effectively, thanks three for becoming a member of us. Now to start out, inform us about a few of the challenges that your groups are dealing with previous to Highspot. What was the impetus for deciding to put money into a unified enablement platform? Bernie, if I might begin with you, that’d be nice. 

BB: Positive. So, the content material advertising function at iQor is just about three years previous on the time that we’re recording this. And so over the previous three years, we’ve been in a position to produce a good quantity of content material that we put out into {the marketplace}.

And alongside the way in which, we’ve made a robust try and have the gross sales workforce embrace the content material, use the content material, after which after all, allow them to assist them get into extra offers, extra conversations, and shut extra offers. What’s been lacking although, is a few issues that I believe the three of us will communicate to on this dialog. 

One is an clever platform that enables us to prepare the content material intelligently and make it simply accessible to them, after which additionally be capable of monitor how the content material is getting used, who’s utilizing it, and the way it’s getting used. What’s the contribution to pipeline and what’s the contribution to offers gained in addition to offers misplaced, that’ll assist us not solely measure the affect of the content material, but additionally feed us data that we are able to use to drive our technique going ahead.

So we all know what content material to supply extra of. In addition to what content material we must always both cease or cut back producing primarily based on the info and the way it’s used.

BG: I’m going so as to add to that if that’s okay. The most important problem for me was, and that is no offense to Microsoft in any respect, however now we have been a really SharePoint-focused kind of firm for, organizing content material and constructing, what you guys name Sensible Pages. So we’re we’re making an attempt to try this form of effort inside one thing that’s somewhat bit extra static atmosphere. And that was very difficult as a result of one, there’s a heavy elevate on my workforce from the design to thoughtfully making an attempt to put out pages. It’s like constructing web sites, principally is how I might evaluate that to. And over time, content material’s going to get stale. We’re not, it won’t be being refreshed sufficient. It’s not straightforward to search out. That’s one other massive piece of that’s, it’s not straightforward or intuitive. And that was an enormous problem for us.

And Highspot is altering that whole panorama for us, as a result of it’s somewhat bit extra intuitive and the intelligence inbuilt. 

SS: And Chris, let’s hear from you on this entrance. 

CO: Yeah. So, I believe for me I actually just like the notion of offering content material to the salespeople – the proper of content material – on the proper time the place they’re not having to hunt round and discover it.

And, with the combination with the CRM, Like Salesforce, relying on which stage the deal is in we’re in a position to floor content material that may be useful for them to deploy, and know when it’s getting used and, once more, what sort of outcomes we’re getting from that. However I like the way in which that your product permits us to pre-package a play or a sort of content material supply that we’re going to share with a potential chief, or shopper.

And so we’re actually excited for, as we roll this out, how we’re going to see these wins and be capable of monitor them and tie them again to the precise alternatives they’re engaged on. 

SS: Thanks for giving us somewhat little bit of that grounding context. Now, as leaders in your group, we’d love to listen to your perspective on the worth of an enablement platform to your areas of experience. Bernie, if we might begin with you. What does the affect of a unified enablement platform have in your function as a advertising chief?

BB: Shawnna, I actually have a look at it holistically. I don’t have a look at it simply from the lens of my focus in content material advertising.

I have a look at it holistically, and what I imply by that’s now I view our tech stack to be comprised three pillars, proper? A 3-legged stool: you’ve acquired CRM. In fact, you must have CRM. We’ve acquired advertising automation, and now now we have a gross sales enablement platform or income enabling platform, relying on what vernacular you like.

However I believe that rounds out our tech stack. As a result of now now we have the power, as we’ve been discussing right here, to prepare the content material in an clever method utilizing intelligence constructed into the platform, in addition to – we haven’t gotten to but, and I’m positive Blake will get to this – the power to empower salespeople to make the most of that content material in ways in which I’ll let Blake touch upon that as a result of that’s a really thrilling component.

However the level I’m driving at is that we’ve rounded out our tech stack, proper? CRM, advertising automation, and now a gross sales enablement platform. Now we’ve acquired all the things we have to deploy and measure the affect of content material.

BG: Precisely. And it’s clearly my cue to piggyback off of that as a result of it’s a very good level. I believe that the Digital Gross sales Room can be going to be an enormous piece of this for the gross sales workforce. And I imply that as a result of it provides the gross sales workforce a possibility to tailor and personalize the expertise for his or her finish person, the prospect. That’s one thing that we’ve been lacking for some time, too. We personalize our messaging and emails and LinkedIn outreach is no matter that sequence seems like. However, with regards to constructing an atmosphere the place I can take my prospect and say, these are the issues I really feel are related to you, whether or not it’s your business, your function the challenges that you just’re having, and it seems like your atmosphere, that is your brand.

And I believe that’s a very candy contact. However, the gross sales workforce additionally, the three of us proceed to speak about this after we’re assembly internally. And I say this out of a whole lot of respect, the gross sales workforce in every single place in each business, any firm are very particular folks. They’re wired very otherwise than the remainder of us and we like that, we embrace that, as a result of that’s what makes them, so profitable and in promoting, and now we have to cater to that. We’ve got to curate our tech stack and the way we roll this stuff out very fastidiously as a result of as soon as the salesperson says this doesn’t work for me, you’ve virtually misplaced them, and it’s laborious to get them to come back again. And with Highspot, due to that intelligence that’s built-in, and since the three of us are thoughtfully curating the interior expertise, that is going to be a lot extra of a better elevate for the gross sales workforce to undertake. And from a gross sales enablement perspective that’s an enormous deal.

SS:  Blake, how about you as an enablement chief? How do you envision leveraging Highspot’s unified enablement platform to assist deliver your enablement technique to life at iQor? 

BG: I gave a preview of that reply a minute in the past, as a result of this going again to the Digital Gross sales Room, video is actually a high-value piece of content material and our gross sales workforce traditionally, that’s not likely been one thing we leverage so far as like recording themselves to current one thing and sending it off to a prospect.

However, we’re excited to say that’s one thing that we’re going to be introducing to the gross sales workforce, as a result of we all know that it’s going so as to add that further layer of personalization, one thing particular. And I believe that’s been a niche within the technique all alongside is simply that hyper-personalization of content material to your prospect.

And simply that digital gross sales from expertise. Once more, you could have this good curated atmosphere thats, “I made this thoughtfully for you as a result of I do know what your challenges are.” And I do know that these are the items that I want so that you can learn and inform your self about iQor. So I believe that’s an enormous piece.

One other, a part of that technique is I’ll all the time return to gross sales, readiness, and that coaching piece. This may make it rather a lot simpler to construct that library of getting our SMEs internally, having their movies and what they’re recording on all of the updates they’re doing to our tech stacks, to the processes, no matter would make the promoting journey rather a lot simpler. I believe that’s going to be a very highly effective piece too.

SS: Thanks, Blake. And Chris, once more, final however not least, as a gross sales operation chief, how will a unified enablement platform assist you drive gross sales productiveness? 

CO: I have a look at it from a few alternative ways. The primary is each time we rent a brand new gross sales rep, they don’t usually have a few of that tribal information of what’s attainable or the place issues are situated.

So organizing it in an easy-to-find place and making it straightforward to deploy helps us get our new reps on top of things sooner. One of many different issues that basically struck me is I all the time wish to study gross sales by how we’re being offered to, and one in every of my favourite tales about sourcing this product for us was a narrative with Bernie.

Bernie had checked out this product earlier than, that they had shared a digital gross sales room with him, he had a renewed curiosity and went again in to look, and this tripwire form of performance that your product has alerted the gross sales rep to contact Bernie and say, “Hey, what’s up?” And in order that’s one of many cool issues I used to be searching for is, boy, I wish to journey wire like that for our workforce.

When someone renews curiosity to get again in entrance of them to know when it’s that point, it’s having that secret weapon on the market of how. This factor lets us know when it’s time to re-engage, proper? Or someone is doing analysis once more. I believe that’s actually a unbelievable alternative for us.

SS: Thanks for sharing every of your distinctive views. I’d love to grasp the way you all partnered collectively to construct a enterprise case for the funding in an enablement resolution. And do you could have any greatest practices for gaining buy-in? 

BB: Positive. So, there are some things that got here into play within the inside buy-in and resolution course of. One is the truth that now we have been producing a whole lot of content material over the past three years, as I mentioned, however with little skill to actually measure the affect on gross sales. We’ve additionally, and Blake can elaborate on this, however we’ve additionally made an even bigger funding in gross sales enablement. And once more, Blake can elaborate on that.

After which from the CRM aspect and gross sales operations aspect, I believe that funding has been in place for some time. So getting again to those three pillars that I’ve alluded to a couple occasions. It was actually simply the proper timing, and as Chris mentioned we revisited this after it perhaps a yr prior and it was the proper timing, there’s investments which can be being made within the gross sales group on the whole, in addition to advertising. So, it was simply the proper time, and we actually drove it by way of the pinnacle of promoting, senior vice chairman of promoting actually purchased off on the idea. He works very carefully together with his counterpart, govt vice chairman of gross sales.

They’re actually, tied on the hip, so to talk. And senior vice chairman of promoting mentioned, sure, let’s go do the analysis, and let’s choose somebody to companion with. And we went by way of the analysis course of. And elected to companion with Highspot and the EVP of gross sales at that time, however simply signed off on it as a result of he simply wanted an govt abstract and he was in, so it was an elaborate course of.

Your workforce did a terrific job, however it was that inside buy-in the place issues actually got here collectively from a timing standpoint that basically acquired us there. 

BG: Sure. And I’ll add to that. In fact, the very starting, all of it begins with what our private challenges are, which I listed out for Bernie and Chris, too. And since we’re making, we’re increasing that funding in gross sales enablement a few of the largest suggestions is knowledge. We want extra knowledge, like what’s working? What’s not working? That’s a broad use, however particularly, because it pertains to Highspot, what content material is working? What appears to be grabbing folks’s consideration? What appears to be the preferred factor that the gross sales workforce is utilizing? Stuff like that, and attributing that to an open alternative in Salesforce, which is big.

So there was that have to be checked off. And the second factor, after all, is simply how can we make this a lot simpler for the gross sales workforce to devour and use what we’re making out there to them content-wise. And so these have been no-brainers and that’s when the analysis began and, after all, once more as Bernie mentioned, you guys nailed it in that demo interval. It all the time helps when you possibly can choose a couple of folks on the gross sales workforce, dependable ones who embrace new platforms, who’re hungry to check one thing new. And get their buy-in as properly by getting their fingers soiled. And that was useful for us too.

SS: That’s some unbelievable recommendation. And I do know one of many key causes you determined to put money into Highspot was to ship teaching with assembly intelligence capabilities. In your opinion, what’s the worth of teaching in at present’s gross sales panorama? Blake, I’d love to listen to from you.

BG: I believe we are able to all agree, and Bernie had shared a Gartner, loopy little thoughts map of what the client’s journey seems like at present particularly in B2B. And B2B has all the time been somewhat bit extra complicated, in my view, than B2C. I’ve been in B2B for, at the very least twelve years now. It’s getting more durable to grasp when the proper time is to strike when a prospect is researching you, or researching the subject that’s associated to your business and your intent indicators.

And that’s related to your query as a result of after we take into consideration teaching, now we have a beautiful workforce that’s senior. They’ve been promoting for a few years, so there’s a whole lot of expertise right here. However that altering panorama, now we have generations coming in now which have selections on this shopping for course of that see issues a complete lot otherwise, particularly when know-how is at play and simply listening to how they’re promoting us, listening to what’s not being mentioned, even I believe that’s a key piece proper there, is what are they not speaking about all these calls?

That is likely to be that linchpin that turning level in that gross sales journey. And I believe that’s going to be a very attention-grabbing piece of the puzzle that I’m enthusiastic about, making an attempt to unravel. 

SS: Thanks, Blake. Chris, what are perhaps a few of the key outcomes or enterprise metrics you’re aiming to realize with a devoted teaching program? And the way do you intend to leverage Highspot to assist ship these outcomes? 

CO: Following up on what Blake mentioned, is it’s very tough for us submit COVID now. If you happen to have a look at the three of us, we’re all working from our house places of work at present. And so our sellers at the moment are challenged as a result of they don’t sometimes go in and current to a boardroom full of individuals anymore. And so, what we’re actually trying to achieve and a few of the issues we’re trying to measure is the engagement of the patrons and which of them play their totally different decision-making roles, however getting them engaged with the content material that we’re sharing and seeing if they’re displaying up and are consuming the content material. How lengthy are they watching the movies? How lengthy have they dug into the presentation slides? Are they engaged? Are there any hidden purchaser influences that will have proven up in a convention room, however now they’re within the again scenes. Possibly they didn’t attend the Zoom name, however they did devour a few of the content material, proper? So figuring out who these different shopping for influences are I believe it’s going to be one thing I’m actually eager to search for and see how these outcomes are going to start out displaying us extra in regards to the promoting atmosphere that we’re in at present.

SS: In your opinion, what’s the worth of getting one unified resolution to equip, practice, and coach your groups reasonably than a number of separate siloed instruments, Chris? 

CO: An important half is simply ease of use and single level of consumption. If now we have to leap to a studying administration system and now we have to leap again to the CRM system through the use of your software built-in with Salesforce, then they don’t have to leap from these three totally different locations. And so I believe there’s an enormous benefit to attempt to simplify their promoting software set to perform what they should accomplish and save guide steps, proper?

They’re not discovering a presentation, placing it into an electronic mail, after which sharing it, after which we don’t know if it will get delivered. We don’t know if it will get considered. And so simply bringing that data full circle the place the salespeople can make the most of and perceive it higher, proper?

SS: Couldn’t agree extra. What recommendation do you could have for different groups contemplating implementing a unified enablement platform like Highspot? Blake, I’d love to listen to from you.

BG: It’s a very good query. There’s a whole lot of good recommendation, however I believe if I might take into consideration one factor that I do know we did proper, and I discussed this earlier, really, it’s vital that your largest buyer internally, which goes to be for us, our gross sales workforce goes to have some buy-in right here.

In any other case, this isn’t going to work precisely how you’d think about and mapped out. So for us, to grasp how they devour content material, and taking that person expertise method, person expertise has a complete lot of, there’s a whole lot of colleges of thought there and the way they navigate an internet site, how they navigate or choose issues on a web page.

Issues like that, and I believe that was very useful in our analysis section with Highspot. We chosen, like I mentioned, a couple of folks to affix us within the demo atmosphere, takes every week, I believe perhaps even two weeks to work together with the content material that you just see there, and share it out. We gave them a really primary overview, and the remainder of it actually was left as much as them to determine, and it’s not how we rolled it out, after all, it’s simply, that’s extra of, let me see the way you have interaction with this primary, as a result of I wish to see how intuitive that is out of your perspective as a result of that can inform how we practice you on it, and the way we have to construct out the totally different Spots.

So, that’s the largest recommendation is to consider your finish person. I do know we are saying this on a regular basis in advertising and each firm, all people’s going to say that, however you actually need to do it. Don’t simply say it, do it, take a couple of folks, take not simply those who’re fast to undertake know-how, however take Those who’re additionally somewhat gradual to undertake as properly, as a result of there’s a whole lot of worth there and what they’re going to say since you need all people to undertake this. In order that’s the most important piece proper there. 

SS: Now, as you look to the longer term, what are the important thing enterprise initiatives you’re aiming to drive at I Corps this yr? And the way do you intend to leverage Highspot to assist? I’d love to listen to from every of you.

BB: Positive. So, once more, from my perspective since I’m centered on producing content material, I’m actually wanting ahead to having fun with the advantage of having content material that may discover our salespeople. So up to now, we have been depending on an atmosphere the place the content material library was very static, as Blake mentioned, so it was difficult for them to search out the content material.

So now, within the Highspot atmosphere, due to the built-in intelligence, the content material’s going to have the ability to discover them. That’s going to tell us how the content material is getting used. It’s additionally going to floor for them content material that they haven’t beforehand used as a result of it was tough to search out. They didn’t even, in some instances, didn’t know what they didn’t know.

They didn’t know what to search for. However now with built-in intelligence, it’s going to have the ability to floor the content material to them in a really structured, organized, sensible method, a realistic method. So I’m actually wanting ahead to getting extra worth from all of the content material that we’ve been investing in and can proceed to put money into for each advertising worth and gross sales worth.

BG: Agree. And I’m gonna go forward and piggyback off of him once more. I haven’t talked about this but, that clearly, the most important piece for me would even be the info side. There’s a necessity for us to grasp simply quite a lot of totally different views.

One, what’s particularly working and what’s not working from our content material technique. And actually who on the workforce is absolutely spending a whole lot of time and these platforms as a result of I wish to know those who aren’t. And I would like to have the ability to perceive what’s occurring. Is there a block? Is there one thing we don’t perceive? Is it one thing that’s uncomfortable? That’s a vital piece. And that’s a part of an ongoing technique for me. After which I believe, the 1st step is simply, as Bernie was saying, we had a really static atmosphere the place all these things lived.

Now we’re bringing this into an clever, intuitive atmosphere and what I sit up for seeing is how we are able to now thoughtfully construct out content material that’s meant for various phases of the funnel. And I believe that’s going to be key with Highspot helps us perceive, okay we’d have to spend somewhat bit extra time increasing our middle-of-the-funnel kind of content material.

This appears to be a candy spot. In order that’ll be very attention-grabbing.

CO: That’s one thing that we actually thought of after we chosen this product. And as I mentioned earlier, with the promoting atmosphere we’re not in a position to get all the resolution makers collectively. And so measuring how engaged they’re and what we’re in a position to accomplish by sharing content material, sharing the proper content material on the proper time, I believe goes to be one thing that’s actually going to be key as we take that knowledge and what that knowledge is telling us and servicing, the proper issues on the proper time for the salesperson is without doubt one of the issues that we’re actually hoping to perform this yr to extend gross sales win charges and to extend the sell-through or the success charge. And by doing that and even cross-selling, a whole lot of occasions we’ll be presenting to someone particularly at a corporation a couple of sure resolution. And we provide a whole lot of different issues as a corporation. And so having some cross-selling alternative with a Digital Gross sales Room, or ensuring that we are able to floor another content material that they’re eager about, or figuring out what to share and when to share it, I believe can be an actual sport changer for our present gross sales reps.

SS: Bernie, Blake, Chris, thanks all a lot for becoming a member of us at present. I actually recognize your time and your insights.

CO: Thanks 

BG: Thanks. 

SS: to our viewers. Thanks for listening to this episode of the Win Win podcast. You’ll want to tune in subsequent time for extra insights on how one can maximize enablement success with Highspot.