Will manufacturing sales enablement evolve into RevOps?

Your sales team is the bridge between the products you manufacture and the customers you serve, communicating everything from technical specifications to unique applications. Yet, in an increasingly complex and competitive market, even the most empowered sales function alone may no longer be enough to support sustainable growth. 

As manufacturing organisations strive to enhance efficiency, streamline operations, and deliver exceptional customer experiences for optimal revenue performance, a new model is emerging that goes beyond sales enablement strategies: RevOps.

But how do RevOps and sales enablement compare?

What is sales enablement in manufacturing?

Sales enablement is a strategic approach that aligns sales, marketing, and operations to provide sales teams with the tools, resources, and insights they need to engage effectively with buyers and close more deals. It’s beneficial in sectors like B2B manufacturing, which often deal with long sales cycles, complex products, and highly technical specifications.

For industrial manufacturing businesses, especially in contract manufacturing and electronic manufacturing services (EMS), sales enablement aims not just to boost sales volume but to refine the quality of interactions between salespeople and potential clients. This involves providing sales teams with detailed information and insights illustrating a company's value proposition tailored to different buyer personas.

In essence, manufacturing sales enablement ensures that salespeople are equipped with the right information and empowered to have meaningful, value-driven conversations centred around clients' technical requirements and strategic goals​.

What is RevOps?

Similarly, RevOps is a strategic framework that unifies sales, marketing, and customer success teams under a single operational structure. Its goal is to optimise the entire revenue process by aligning data, tools, and workflows across these functions to drive predictable revenue growth. 

For manufacturers, adopting RevOps means breaking down silos, improving cross-functional collaboration, and leveraging insights from all revenue-generating teams to create a seamless buyer journey from initial engagement to post-sale support.

So, what’s the difference between sales enablement and RevOps?

Though the two are very similar, RevOps differs from sales enablement primarily in its scope and approach. Sales enablement focuses on equipping sales teams specifically with the tools, content, and training they need to engage effectively with prospects and close deals. It primarily serves the sales function and is tactical in nature.

RevOps, on the other hand, equally encompasses sales, marketing, and customer success, aligning these functions under a single unified strategy to optimise revenue processes. Inherently customer-centric, it aims to eliminate departmental segregation, streamline workflows, and provide a holistic view of the customer journey, driving collaboration and efficiency across the entire revenue cycle.

While sales enablement aims to support sales effectiveness, RevOps strives for revenue optimisation to ensure that all revenue-generating activities across a business are coordinated and data-driven for sustainable growth.

Sales enablement is essentially just one component within a broader RevOps strategy that integrates and synchronises all revenue-related activities.

Is RevOps the future of sales enablement?

For growth-driven manufacturing businesses, integrating sales enablement into a broader RevOps framework is the next logical step in driving sustainable growth.

As markets evolve and buyer expectations change, traditional sales enablement functions alone may not provide the holistic approach needed to maintain a competitive edge. This is where embracing RevOps and enabling marketing and customer service teams like you’ve enabled sales becomes particularly beneficial.

RevOps introduces a data-driven approach to process management that optimises workflows and creates transparency across all revenue-generating activities. This streamlining of operations is key for contract manufacturers, where complexities in production, supply chain management, and customer onboarding can create operational bottlenecks. 

With RevOps, these processes become interconnected, allowing for smoother handoffs between departments and quicker identification of areas for improvement. This leads to improved operational efficiency, lower costs, and more predictable revenue outcomes.

Steps to evolve your sales enablement into RevOps

Transitioning from a traditional sales enablement function to a fully integrated RevOps model requires a strategic approach that focuses on alignment, process optimisation, and cultural change. Here’s a step-by-step guide to evolving your sales enablement into RevOps, along with best practices for a smooth transition and how to tackle common challenges.

Step 1: Establish cross-departmental alignment

The first step to evolving into RevOps is to ensure alignment across sales, marketing, and customer service. Bring leaders from each department together to define shared objectives, KPIs, and accountability structures. Conduct workshops to identify common goals and establish a unified vision for revenue growth.

Best practice: Create a RevOps committee with representatives from each department to meet regularly and address alignment issues as they arise.

Common challenge to look out for: Department heads accustomed to working in silos may be resistant to change. Highlight the benefits of RevOps and offer training to demonstrate how these changes will enhance each team's performance.

Step 2: Implement unified data and technology systems

RevOps relies on a unified tech stack that integrates CRM, marketing automation, and operations tools. Ensure all teams have access to a centralised platform that provides real-time data and insights to break down silos and create a single source of truth for all revenue-related activities.

Best practice: Invest in a robust RevOps platform and create dashboards that display relevant metrics for each team, such as pipeline health, marketing attribution, and customer satisfaction scores.

Common challenge to look out for: Data discrepancies and a lack of integration between legacy systems can be a blocker. Conduct a comprehensive data audit to identify inconsistencies and work with IT to standardise data structures across platforms before implementing RevOps.

Step 3: Redefine roles and responsibilities

As you transition to RevOps, redefine roles and responsibilities to avoid overlap or ambiguity. Delineate which tasks belong to sales, marketing, and customer service, and establish a RevOps function that oversees the holistic revenue strategy. To lead the initiative, you may need to create new roles, such as a Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) or a RevOps Manager.

Best practice: Develop a clear RevOps organisational chart and communicate the changes transparently across the company to ensure everyone understands their new responsibilities and how they fit into the overall revenue strategy.

Common challenge to look out for: For resistant staff uncertain about changes to their roles or career paths, provide clear career development pathways and communicate how the new structure will offer personal and professional growth opportunities.

Step 4: Streamline processes and establish Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

RevOps necessitates unified processes for lead management, opportunity tracking, and customer handoffs between departments. Develop standard operating procedures that outline how leads should flow through the funnel, how customer information is captured and shared, and how sales and marketing will collaborate to nurture and close deals.

Best practice: Document SOPs for key processes and provide training sessions for each team to ensure adherence. Consider creating a playbook that outlines workflows, procedures, and best practices.

Common challenge to look out for: To avoid misalignment in process adoption or lack of adherence to new procedures, appoint a process champion within each team to monitor adherence and serve as a point of contact for questions or feedback regarding the new SOPs.

Step 5: Foster a culture of continuous improvement

Transitioning to RevOps is not a one-time project but an ongoing evolution. Cultivate a continuous improvement mindset within teams by regularly reviewing performance metrics and adapting processes based on real-world outcomes. Encourage teams to share feedback and collaborate on finding solutions to bottlenecks or inefficiencies, no matter which team they’re in.

Best practice: Implement quarterly RevOps reviews to assess progress, refine processes, and address any emerging challenges. Use these sessions to celebrate successes and pinpoint areas for further improvement.

Common challenge to look out for: If teams don’t engage or take the initiative to contribute to continuous improvement, incentivise participation by tying performance bonuses or recognition programmes to contributions in process enhancements and revenue growth.

Conclusion

Integrating sales enablement into a RevOps framework is a game-changer for growth-driven manufacturers. It provides a powerful way to enhance sales performance, streamline operations, and deliver a more cohesive customer experience. 

As the B2B manufacturing landscape changes, adopting RevOps as the next evolution of sales enablement will be key to gaining a strategic advantage, driving long-term success, and unlocking new levels of alignment, productivity, and revenue potential.

Get in touch with Equinet to discuss the next step in your sales growth journey.