B2B Sales Enablement Content: From Script to Screen - A Hollywood Approach

Your sales team now has access to a state-of-the-art sales enablement platform, great! But now you're realizing that your sales content is lacking visual appeal and might be too generic for today's savvy buyers. You're worried that investing in this technology without effective B2B sales enablement content to support your sales team will result in just another piece of technology collecting dust on the digital shelf.

The answer: It will!

This guide will explain the three pillars that support the creation of B2B sales enablement content, and reveal how to take it from script to screen to create high-impact presentations. Whether your team is made up of experienced professionals or new hires, having the right content at their fingertips will help them sell with confidence and achieve better results.

The 3 Pillars of B2B Sales Enablement Content

1. Relevance - Contextual sales content that meets clients' needs

With growing competition in the B2B space, the sales cycle is becoming longer and more complex. As potential clients have more choices, they require more research to make an informed decision about whether your product or service is the right fit for their needs.

To accommodate this, it’s crucial that your sales team has access to the right B2B sales enablement strategy for every touchpoint in the sales cycle. This means considering the buyer's mindset at each stage and providing highly contextual sale content that speaks directly to their needs.

Here are some typical sales content touchpoints we’re seeing in today’s landscape:

1. Introduction A topline value-driven overview of your product and services and how they can benefit a prospective client.
2. Features & Benefits: A highly visual technical overview of how your product and services work. For those selling complex large-scale products, like medical devices,  this is a VERY important piece of content.
3. ROI: A financial breakdown showcasing how your product and services can bring financial value to a prospective client and why your product or service is a sound investment.
4. Validation: A showcase of testimonials and case studies that help your prospective clients see themselves in your product or services.

By presenting tailored sales content that matches the buyer's mindset, you can build trust and establish a strong relationship with your prospective clients, plus keep them engaged throughout a potentially lengthy sales cycle. Remember, every touchpoint is an opportunity to create a positive impression and move one step closer to closing the deal.

2. Memorability - Impactful content for effective remote selling

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the shift towards a remote sales environment, where sales teams and prospective clients are no longer limited by physical proximity. As a result, it's essential to provide your sales team with sales content that is highly visual, impactful, and enables prospective clients to understand your offering WITHOUT you being physically present.

Here are some key considerations when developing your sales enablement content for a remote B2B landscape:

1. Present with Style: Make a lasting impression and convey the sophistication of your brand by creating sales content that stands out. Many brands rely on cookie-cutter PowerPoint templates, but investing in developing a unique presentation identity can set you apart from your competition.
2. Enhanced Visualization: Captivate your prospective client's attention with highly customized, visually engaging visuals that help them immediately understand your product or service and its benefits. In today's busy landscape, flat and stale templates are not enough, especially for complex products and services. You must look to technological innovations such as interactive experience, but at the very least, video content is a must. 

Most importantly, relieve some of the pressure for your sales reps by providing sales content that speaks for itself. This will not only help with selling more effectively but it’ll give them some “sales swagger” knowing they’ve got sales content that stands out from the competition. Now they can focus on closing deals instead of explaining the product or service, which can be time-consuming, repetitive, and inconsistent.

3. Personalization - Specific details to differentiate and expedite sales

The best B2B sales enablement content allows prospects to see themselves in the story. By doing so, they can better understand how your product or service applies to their specific needs and how it can benefit them. This not only makes the overall sale easier, but it also helps to build confidence because they know they are working partners that go the extra mile. 

You can achieve personalization by:

1.  Incorporating highly specific case studies and customer testimonials. These types of content allow the prospective client to see themselves in the scenario and understand how your offering has helped other similar organizations.
2. Integrating specific details about their company, industry, and goals can also demonstrate that you understand their needs and are committed to providing a tailored solution.

By looking for opportunities to put your prospective client into your sales content, you can differentiate yourself from your competition, build trust and establish a connection, and ultimately expedite the sales process.

From Script to Screen: A Hollywood Approach to B2B Sales Enablement Content

There are many similarities between developing effective B2B sales enablement content and writing a Hollywood script. Both have the objective of creating a captivating story that leaves the audience wanting more. In the case of your business, the goal is to have prospective clients schedule a call to learn more and close deals.

Developing good stories is a combination of two key components: the blueprint and the build. The blueprint involves developing the story arc, characters, and all the necessary components. The build involves bringing the story to life and can be complex without the right partner. 

Let’s look at each in more detail:

The Blueprint:

In order to develop highly engaging B2B sales content, it's essential that both your sales and marketing teams are involved in the process. It's crucial to have a shared understanding of what content is being created for each touchpoint, as each one requires different content to move B2B buyers further down the funnel.

Step 1: Sketch it out. On a whiteboard or a napkin, outline what the potential buyer journey looks like.

Step 2: Develop the story arc for each journey. Determine the overall objective and craft a simple and clear story that delivers.

Step 3: Brainstorm what visuals can help convey your message and bring your story to life.

Once you have a full understanding of what needs to be built, you can start the build.

The Build:

The build is equally as important as the blueprint and in many ways more challenging. It's common for organizations to rely on stock library assets to visualize their stories, but this approach can leave you looking just like the competition and not leaving a good impression on prospective clients.

To set yourself apart, you need to invest in proper visualization for your sales story. Although it can be expensive, the return on investment will be tenfold.

When seeking a partner for developing B2B sales enablement content look for someone who:

1. Creates more than just pretty visuals. They must understand the power of a good story. 
2. Understands the B2B landscape and is skilled at creating content for the B2B mindset. Know that there is a big difference between creating B2C vs B2B content, as the mindset is totally different. B2C is typically a more generalized approach, like car commercials, whereas B2B content needs to clearly explain and define.
3. Has a process and will provide you with a storyboard format, keyframes, and mood boards to ensure you have a clear vision before executing just pretty content.
4. Can build a flexible content system that can be personalized on a per-meeting basis such as swapping out logos or imagery within the presentations to add a personalized touch to your content.

When you combine strategic planning with the right investment in your content, you'll set yourself apart from the competition and leave a lasting impression on your prospective clients. But remember, you MUST find the right partner for the job!

Combining Forces for Sales Success: B2B Sales Enablement Content and Technology

Having visually appealing B2B sales enablement content is only half the battle. To achieve true sales success, it is crucial to provide your sales teams with a sales enablement platform that allows them to deliver stories with speed and accuracy. This will not only improve efficiency but also enhance morale and help your team close deals faster.

As a sales and marketing leader, you want peace of mind that your team is delivering the perfect sales story in the field as intended. The technology you use should ensure the following:

• Consistent and controlled delivery, eliminating rogue presentations that can arise when using platforms like Dropbox to distribute your sales content.
• Fast and efficient creation, so your sales team spends less time creating and more time selling.
• Trackable, providing your organization with the insights needed to evolve your sales process and keep your sales team accountable.

Not sure where to start? Check out our guide to creating a Modular Sales System. Here, we’ll guide you through the process of creating a presentation system that not only meets the needs of today’s B2B organizations but is also designed to scale with your business. Or, if you’re interested in learning more about Nuvue, schedule a 30-minute "Hello Call" with us, the specialists in B2B sales enablement. Our creative production studio can craft a sales story that stands out, and pair it with a unique platform to deliver it consistently, empowering your sales team to sell more effectively and efficiently.