How do you approach creating sales enablement material for a global product?

Great question! At Zendesk, we do provide sales enablement for a global product with a global sales team. Here are a couple of things I like to focus on:

• Region-specific case studies: Include relevant case studies and testimonials from each region to make the material more relatable.

• Whenever possible, localize the content for 1-2 priority regions

• Involve local teams early and often: Work with local sales teams and regional experts to gather insights and ensure the material is relevant and effective. And also, establish feedback loops with local teams to continuously improve and update the materials based on their input and market changes.

• Provide continuous support and resources to address any questions or challenges that arise with office hours, or region-specific trainings/Q&A sessions 

• Work with your enablement team, or regularly review performance data and feedback to refine and improve the materials 

My approach to creating sales enablement material for a global product (and global sales team) is similar to how I would build content for an in-house sales team.

• Understand Your Audience and Their Needs

  Run regular sales enablement surveys to measure confidence levels in different regions, different use cases/challenges your product solves, competitors, etc. This will help you track the success of your enablement program over time and identify some low-hanging fruit. Additionally, you can—and should—schedule regular meetings with the regional sales team to get more information and to start building that relationship.

• Ask Why

  This is important. If a field rep says that a prospect needs a PDF on XYZ, ask why and what they are looking for. In my experience, I try to lead with creating a web page or blog post, as they are less resource-intensive and can be updated or removed quickly without having to worry about a dated PDF floating around.

• Localize Success Stories

  Suppose you see that there are only a few success stories in a particular region that you're trying to grow. Work with a partner in that region to help you craft and translate a case study to increase credibility.

• Leverage On-demand Content

  Develop an enablement program allowing your field to view training on time. This can be tricky, though. You'll need support from senior leadership to hold the team accountable for actually completing the training.

• Make Content Easy To Find

  Build a content repository that's easy to search and find the right content. You can do this on your own using SharePoint, Confluence, or Excel. Alternatively, you can spend a bit of money and use tools like Highspot or GTM Buddy.