Sales Vs Buyer Enablement for Advanced Manufacturers & Engineers

In the intricate world of advanced manufacturing and engineering, sales can be difficult when your products and services are so complex. How do you help customers make sense of what you do?

Investing in sales enablement can help your company unlock more sales. However, this is no longer the only option for manufacturers and engineers. Buyer enablement is a similar but distinct strategy that could be more suitable for your organization.

In this article, we’ll look at the difference between buyer enablement and sales enablement, looking at which is right for your manufacturing or engineering business.

Top tip: If you’re new to buyer enablement, read this introductory guide first: What is Buyer Enablement? How to Embrace the Movement

Sales enablement vs buyer enablement

Let’s start by defining the two terms. Sales enablement is about equipping sales teams with the knowledge and tools they need to sell. It includes equipment, software, content and training – giving your sales team everything they need to convert interest into action.

Buyer enablement targets the other side of the transaction – the buyer. It’s focused on giving buyers all the information they need to make a purchase.

Sound similar? Don’t forget that sales teams only interact with potential buyers for a short time – whether it’s at a pitch, event or on a call. In fact, B2B buyers only spend 17% of their purchasing journey meeting with potential sellers.

Buyer enablement has a broader scope, as it aims to help buyers in every step of their purchasing journey.

This starts by helping the buyer recognize the problem they have, discover potential solutions and research their different options. You can also enable buyers by helping them make their purchase decisions and gain consensus from key stakeholders.

Crucially, buyer enablement continues after a purchase is made. From staff training and tutorials to onboarding, integration and ongoing maintenance, you can enable buyers to get the most out of your products with a view to retaining customers.

Here are five clear differences between sales and buyer enablement:

1. Focus

Buyer enablement focuses on empowering the buyer during their purchasing journey. It involves providing tools, resources, and content that help the buyer make informed decisions. The goal is to make the buying process smoother and more efficient for the customer.

In contrast, sales enablement is about empowering the sales team. It involves providing salespeople with the tools, content, training, and resources they need to effectively engage with prospects and close deals. The goal is to make the sales process more effective and efficient for the sales team.

2. Content and tools

Buyer enablement involves creating and distributing content such as buyer guides, comparison charts, case studies, ROI calculators, and other tools that address the buyer’s pain points and questions. These are often self-service resources that buyers can access at their convenience.

With sales enablement, the sales team gets content such as sales scripts, email templates, product brochures, training materials, CRM tools, and data analytics. These are tools that help the sales team engage more effectively with prospects and close deals.

3. Purpose

Buyer enablement’s purpose is to facilitate a smoother buying process, reducing complexity, and helping buyers to make decisions with confidence. It’s about guiding the buyer through their journey by offering the right information at the right time.

Sales enablement is supposed to enhance the productivity and effectiveness of the sales team. It’s about enabling the salespeople to sell more effectively by equipping them with the knowledge, tools, and insights they need to succeed.

4. Impact

Buyer enablement directly impacts the buyer’s experience and can influence their perception of the brand, ultimately affecting their purchase decision.

Sales enablement only impacts the sales team’s performance and efficiency, which in turn can influence overall sales outcomes and revenue growth.

Which is best for advanced manufacturing and engineering?

What sets advanced manufacturing and engineering apart from other industries is the complexity of products and solutions. So, how do sales and buyer enablement compare when making complex things look simple?

Sales enablement is a reasonable fit as it equips sellers to explain solutions to potential customers when they’ve made an inquiry. That means more leads can be converted into customers. However, many sales enablement tools are essentially content libraries that only the sales team can access.

Buyer enablement does all of this but goes one further, as it allows buyers to understand the product at a much earlier stage. By helping potential customers recognize the problems they face and understand how your products can help, you can access a much larger target audience with your enablement strategy.

Visual storytelling can be used to simplify complexity at every stage. That includes aligning stakeholders as well as letting buyers do their own research and self-serving with front-end presentations to customers.

In short, it’s about how and when you can help customers make sense of what you do. To give you a better idea, here are some of the ways POP assists with buyer enablement:

1. Interactive presentations and demos – POP creates interactive presentations and product demos that allow buyers to engage with the product’s features and benefits in a hands-on manner. This interactive approach helps buyers understand the product better and see how it fits their needs.

2. Personalized content – By tailoring content to the specific needs and interests of the buyer, POP ensures that the information presented is relevant and addresses the buyer’s unique challenges and requirements. Personalized content can include customized presentations, proposals, and product configurations.

3. Visual storytelling – Using visual storytelling techniques, POP creates compelling narratives around the product or service. These stories help buyers visualize the impact and value of the product in their context, making it easier to grasp complex concepts and benefits.

4. Data-driven insights – POP can integrate data and analytics into presentations, providing buyers with real-time insights and metrics that support their decision-making process. This data-driven approach helps buyers see the potential ROI and performance of the product.

5. Seamless collaboration – POP facilitates collaboration between buyers and sellers. For instance, buyers can interact with sales representatives through the platform, ask questions, and receive immediate feedback, fostering a collaborative buying process.

6. Ease of access and use – The content created by POP is designed to be easily accessible and user-friendly. Whether it’s a mobile app, a web-based platform, or an interactive kiosk, buyers can access the information they need anytime, anywhere, enhancing their overall experience.

7. Consistent messaging – POP keeps messaging and branding consistent across all buyer touchpoints, helping to build trust and credibility. Consistent messaging reinforces the product’s value proposition and keeps buyers focused on the key benefits.

8. Educational resources – On top of all that, POP provides educational content such as tutorials, FAQs, and case studies that help buyers educate themselves about the product. These resources empower buyers to make informed decisions with a thorough understanding and evidence of the product’s effectiveness.

Deliver the WOW factor your buyers

At POP, we help businesses enable their buyers throughout the purchase journey – increasing the number of leads you get as well as the number of conversions.

Our buyer enablement platform allows you to create unique, interactive experiences that help buyers understand not just your solution – but the root cause of their problem in the first place. So, you can make meaningful connections with potential customers from the very start of their purchase process.

With interactive visuals, 3D models, and customizable buyer experiences, buyers can visualize and configure products in real time, while exploring features and functionalities comprehensively. This not only enhances their buying experience but also accelerates the decision-making process, leading to increased satisfaction and higher conversion rates.

But you won’t be left to handle it on your own. POP’s Professional Services Team guides customers through a comprehensive, structured, and collaborative process known as the Customer Success Blueprint. This is designed to ensure a smooth transition and maximize the platform’s effectiveness. Our team works closely with your key stakeholders to gather comprehensive insights and align understanding of your business and your buyers’ needs, challenges, and goals.

This ensures that experiences are tailored to address your buyers’ unique pain points and potential objectives, crafting compelling narratives around your products and services to meet both their needs and your business goals. Our software and process equips your sales team with the necessary tools to sell and, more importantly, empowers your buyers to make confident purchasing decisions.

To find out more, simply call us on 0117 329 1712, email hello@popcomms.com or arrange a demo. Watch this video to find out more!