77% of Sellers Struggle with Task Completion: Gartner Report on Sales Enablement Framework Crisis

The sales industry is grappling with a critical issue: 77% of sellers struggle to complete their assigned tasks, according to a recent Gartner report. This alarming statistic underscores a pervasive problem with sales enablement framework, one that hinders productivity and impedes overall sales performance. Despite significant investments in sales technologies and training, the majority of sellers find themselves unable to efficiently complete their tasks, highlighting a crisis that demands immediate attention.

Task completion struggles have severe consequences for sales performance. Missed opportunities, dwindling sales numbers, and reduced productivity are direct results of sellers’ inefficiencies. Addressing this crisis isn’t just about boosting individual performance; it’s about ensuring the effectiveness of entire sales teams and ultimately driving business growth.

Understanding the Current Crisis

The Gartner report reveals that this issue spans various industries, particularly those with large distributed sales forces, such as direct to consumer companies, retail and services, pharmaceutical and insurance firms, and many more. The inability of sellers to complete tasks efficiently stifles the entire sales process, leading to lost revenue and stunted growth.

Several underlying causes contribute to this crisis:

1. Traditional sales training methods: These methods often fail to meet the current needs of sellers. Generic, one-size-fits-all approaches do not address the unique challenges and requirements of individual sellers, leaving them ill-equipped with the specific skills and knowledge needed to complete their tasks efficiently.
2. Outdated sales enablement framework and tools: Many existing tools are difficult to use, not integrated with other systems, and do not provide the necessary support, leading to inefficiencies and frustration among sellers.
3. Lack of personalized enablement strategies: Sellers have different goals, skills, and preferences. A generic approach to sales enablement does not cater to these individual needs, making it crucial to implement personalized strategies that consider each seller’s unique circumstances.

Behavioral Sales Enablement Framework

Behavioral sales enablement frameworks have been offering a solution to this crisis a long time before. These frameworks use data-driven insights derived from billions of data points to create experiences that drive consistent and productive behaviors among sellers. By understanding seller behavior and implementing strategies that encourage positive actions, companies can foster an environment where sellers are more likely to complete their tasks that lead to closing deals.

The benefits of behavioral frameworks are substantial. They provide clear guidelines and expectations, helping sellers understand what is expected of them and how to achieve their goals. By fostering consistent behaviors, companies can improve task completion rates and overall sales productivity. Moreover, live progress tracking of personal goals is a key motivational tool. Data shows that real-time progress visibility significantly boosts motivation, task completion, and productivity.

Implementing these frameworks involves several steps:

1. Identify specific behaviors: Determine the actions that lead to desired sales outcomes.
2. Collect and analyze data: Gain insights into the impact of these behaviors on sales performance.
3. Develop or partner for analysis: Companies can either conduct an in-house analysis, which is time-consuming, or partner with experts who already possess analyzed data on effective behavioral outcomes.

Scaling Behavioral Sales Enablement Frameworks

Scaling these behavioral frameworks falls on the strategic integration of various enablement tools and techniques that address the specific needs of sellers at every stage. This integration ensures that sellers receive the necessary support to drive long-term behavior change and peak performance.

Personalized Seller Journeys

Personalizing the seller journey is essential for addressing the task completion crisis. Each seller has unique goals, progress, skills, and preferences, and a personalized approach ensures that these needs are addressed. Personalization keeps sellers motivated, engaged, and focused on their tasks, leading to improved performance and task completion.

Key elements of personalizing the seller journey include:

• Aligning tasks with individual goals: Enhances motivation and performance by showing how tasks contribute to personal and professional growth.
• Progress tracking: Keeps sellers engaged and focused through regular updates on their progress.
• Continuous skill development: Tailored training programs address specific skill gaps.
• Flexibility: Allowing sellers to work in ways that suit them best creates a more supportive and productive work environment.

Targeted Activities for Seller Behavior Change

Empowering sales forces with targeted activities and content delivered when needed is crucial for driving long-term behavior change and peak performance. Ensuring that sellers have the right tasks at every step helps facilitate consistent and productive behaviors, providing clear pathways to achieve their goals.

Smart Incentives to Drive Results

Inspiring sellers through progress visualization and smart gamification effectively motivates them to achieve more. By clearly mapping out the steps required for success, companies can guide sellers not just to their targets but beyond, maintaining high levels of engagement and continuous improvement.

Seller Co-pilots – Customer Relationship Management

Equipping sellers with modern clienteling tools is essential for building meaningful and lasting relationships at scale. Seller co-pilots recommend the most impactful actions for acquiring new clients and nurturing existing relationships, ensuring that sellers take the best steps to build strong customer connections.

Targeted, Trackable, and Executable Communications

Maintaining consistent and timely messaging is critical for effective sales enablement framework. Delivering key corporate information, compliance rules, best-selling practices, product updates, and more with trackable communications linked to actionable follow-up tasks ensures that sellers are always informed and prepared. This approach helps reinforce important messages and translate them into actionable steps for sellers.

Modern Sales Enablement Framework

Modern technologies play a crucial role in supporting and enhancing sales enablement framework. Advanced tools and platforms provide sellers with the resources and support needed to complete their tasks efficiently. Smart task recommendations, personalized interfaces, AI-driven co-pilots, automated workflows, and integrated communication tools streamline the sales process, reducing the burden on sellers. These technologies facilitate efficiency and empower sellers to bring their ultimate human creativity and personal touch to interactions with prospects.

Integrating modern tech into sales enablement framework has significantly boosted productivity. For instance, a tech company managed to drive up revenues by over $670,000 in just six months thanks to a structured behavioral sales enablement program. Automated workflows handled routine tasks, freeing sellers to focus on high-priority activities. Integrated communication tools made collaboration seamless, ensuring sellers got the support they needed when they needed it. These tools not only smoothed out the process but also helped sellers excel in their roles.

Driving Lasting Seller Behavior Change

Focusing on long-term behavior change is essential for sustainable improvements in sales performance. Short-term fixes may provide temporary relief, but lasting change requires a commitment to continuous improvement and adaptation. To sustain behavior change, companies need to implement strategies that reinforce desired behaviors over time, such as regular training sessions, ongoing feedback, and recognition programs that reward consistent performance growth. Creating a culture of continuous improvement and goal achievement, where sellers are encouraged to learn and grow, is crucial for maintaining high levels of productivity.

The Gartner report highlights a significant challenge in the sales industry, with 77% of sellers struggling to complete their tasks to achieve their goals. Addressing this requires a comprehensive approach that includes structured behavioral frameworks, personalized enablement strategies, and modern technologies. By focusing on long-term behavior change and continuous improvement, companies can enhance sales productivity and drive lasting success.

Learn how modern enablement solutions can drive long lasting positive behavior change for your sales team—sign up for a demo of Rallyware.