Despite increasing levels of personalization and targeting in the consumer realm, the enterprise has a long way to go when it comes to providing their own employees--particularly salespeople--with the right information when they need it.
Salespeople are drowning in data and tools that are supposed to make their jobs easier--but sometimes they just contribute to the noise. 
Wouldn't it be great if salespeople could get just enough of the right information exactly when they need it?
Enterprise marketers are trying to crack this nut with programs designed to "spoon feed" sales with actionable and timely insight about key accounts and the executive decision makers who hold the purse strings. Some examples include:
- Timely executive insight: Providing insight into what their customers care about
- Business strategy mapping: Mapping an account's strategic initiatives to the executive team
- Relationship mapping: Uncovering executive-to-executive connections
- Face-to-face opportunities: Insight about which events customers are attending
What we've seen is this: while sales might view "spoon feeding" with skepticism at first, once they've had a taste, they want more. Why? Because
- it's relevant
- it's timely
- it makes them look smarter in front of customers
- it gives them an edge over competitors
- it helps them close bigger deals faster
In this age of information overload, less is more and "spoon feeding" is a good thing. Marketers could do better by offering fewer tools and focus on relevance and timeliness. Intrigued? Here are more helpful resources:
- For more specific advice on what salespeople need to succeed, read our recent post on sales enablement essentials.
- Read our tips for bridging the sales/marketing devide
- Read Secrets of a Top Enterprise Sales Strategist
Do you have "spoon feeding" success stories? If so, we'd love to hear them. Email me at sharon@boardroominsiders.com.
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