One of my students in my Elite Sales Cohort wanted to pivot his career. He is a sales manager in a large sports retail company and asked me for advice on moving into B2B or enterprise sales.
I explained the different enterprise sales roles, and we mapped out the essential skills and responsibilities. I thought I would share the four types of enterprise sales roles with you.
Let's dive right in!
Understanding the skills required for enterprise sales is crucial due to their complex and high-stakes nature.
Enterprise or complex sales involve selling large-scale solutions to corporate customers, often resulting in deals worth millions of dollars.
Think of a wireless infrastructure network for a mobile phone company, a cybersecurity solution for an international airline, or insurance services for Apple. The complexity and scale of these sales necessitate a unique set of skills and strategies that differ significantly from those used in smaller B2B or B2C transactions.
These unique skills make enterprise sales a fascinating and rewarding field to explore.
The Complexity of Enterprise Sales
Enterprise sales are characterised by several factors that contribute to their complexity:
Long Sales Cycles
Multiple Stakeholders
High-Value Transactions
Customisation Requirements
Essential Skills for Enterprise Sales Professionals
Given the complexity of enterprise sales, professionals in this field need to possess a unique set of skills:
Business Acumen
Enterprise sales representatives must deeply understand business processes, industry trends, and the client's challenges. This knowledge allows them to position their solutions effectively and communicate value in terms that resonate with high-level decision-makers.
Relationship Building
The ability to forge strong, trust-based relationships is crucial in enterprise sales. Sales professionals must be adept at navigating complex organisational structures and building rapport with stakeholders at various levels.
Strategic Thinking
Enterprise sales require a long-term, strategic approach. Sales professionals must be able to plan and execute complex sales strategies, often involving multiple touchpoints and stakeholders over an extended period.
Technical Knowledge
While not necessarily technical experts, enterprise sales professionals need a solid understanding of their product's technical aspects. This knowledge allows them to engage in meaningful discussions with decision-makers and address technical concerns. They are outcome-focused rather than product-focused.
Problem-Solving Skills
Enterprise sales often involve identifying and solving complex business problems. Sales professionals must be skilled at uncovering underlying issues and proposing innovative solutions.
Political and Psychological Intelligence
Enterprise sales involve complex relationships with the board, management, and user stakeholders. They must gather essential data and client intelligence and leverage this information.
Why understand the 4 types of enterprise sales roles?
In enterprise sales, it's crucial to understand each of these roles, their core responsibilities, and what superpowers are required to excel at them. This understanding empowers enterprise sales teams to discover their unique passions and skills, where they will truly thrive.
For management, sales leaders and founders, understanding these roles allows:
Improved efficiency
High-performing focused sales teams
Better alignment with client needs
Enhanced ability to execute sales strategies
4 Types of Enterprise Sales Roles
There are 4 distinct types of roles in enterprise sales, each with its own unique responsibilities and skill sets.
These roles are: Hunters, Architects, Growers, and Enablers. Understanding each role can help sales professionals identify their strengths and areas for growth.
Hunters: The New Business Generators
Primary focus: Acquiring new logos and penetrating new accounts
Super Powers
Highly driven and competitive
Excellent at prospecting and cold outreach
Skilled at navigating complex organisational structures
Metrics of success:
New customer acquisition rate
Pipeline generation
Conversion rate of leads to closed deals
Architects: The Solution Designers
Primary focus: Crafting complex, customised solutions for enterprise clients
Super Powers
Deep technical knowledge
Strong problem-solving skills
Ability to translate business needs into technical solutions
Metrics of success:
Deal size and complexity
Win rate on high-value opportunities
Customer satisfaction with proposed solutions
Growers: The Account Expanders
Primary focus: Nurturing and expanding existing client relationships
Super Powers
Strong relationship-building skills
Deep understanding of client's business and industry
Adept at identifying upsell and cross-sell opportunities
Metrics of success:
Account growth rate
Customer retention
Net Promoter Score (NPS)
Enablers: The Collaborators
Primary focus: Building and leveraging strategic partnerships within the enterprise ecosystem
Super Powers
A sharp understanding of the industry ecosystem
Excellent networking and relationship-building skills
Strategic thinking and ability to identify mutually beneficial partnerships
Strong negotiation and collaboration skills
Metrics of success:
Number and quality of strategic alliances formed
Revenue generated through partner channels
Partner satisfaction and engagement rates
Expansion of solution offerings through partnerships
Each of these four types of sales roles exists at large corporations. At smaller companies and startups, there will be one person for all four roles, but with differing levels of focus.
The B2B sales landscape constantly evolves, with new technologies and buyer preferences emerging. With AI and hyper-automation, sales roles will definitely evolve.
What do you think would be the next wave of important sales roles?
Thanks for reading, I appreciate you!
Ren
PS. Want to accelerate your sales performance and consistently win sales?
I've distilled my 25+ years of enterprise sales experience into a course designed to help sales teams win sales consistently. Join me for the next cohort of Elite Sales Athletes: Win High-Value Enterprise Deals.
PPS. I'm returning home to Auckland next week and will skip next week's newsletter. It's a 27-hour flight from France to NZ, wish me luck!😆
Comments