We are thrilled to introduce you to the Alchemy of Sales model; Alchemist’s answer to sales enablement. Through years of industry experience, it was evident to our experts that a fresh approach was needed to address the real issues facing salespeople in the modern world.
With the help of academic papers, our experience and a review of the market landscape, we were able to refine a framework that truly speaks to the behaviours and tensions in a commercial function: Alchemy of Sales.
The purpose of the model is to demonstrate how critical individual behaviours are to performance, as opposed to just relying on good relationships to do the work for you. We identified five drivers of success, which we have crafted intro ‘roles’ to paint a clear picture of the skills and knowledge that a function needs in order to perform.
Different roles are required at different phases of a deal. For example, the Engager is vital at the prospecting and discovery phases to gain a deep understanding of clients’ wants and needs. A Solutionist comes into their own during solution refinement – their problem-solving skills and resourcefulness help find the right answer to a client’s pain points. Activators are lit up at the point of conversion, where they seek to close deals and solve setbacks.
While the individual roles are more relevant at different stages, it’s likely that your salespeople will have to embody various characteristics of the roles at one time in order to win opportunities. Let’s explore the roles:
5 Key Sales Enablement Roles
Engager
The Engager is vital from the offset of a sale. Engaging customers and laying the foundation for long-term relationships, they love to immerse themselves in the client’s universe. Making meaningful and authentic connections motivates them and they revel in the success of others.
Detective
The analytical minds, Detectives thrive when it comes to data. Often going far deeper than surface level information, they dig for key insights that generate rich contextual knowledge. They always keep an eye on market trends to uncover hidden patterns that might help inform solutions.
Solutionist
A natural problem-solver, the Solutionist is the person who develops creative solutions that answer your client’s real-world challenges. They are innately resourceful and innovative, often taking inspiration from previous work to inform a new solution. They use their out-of-the-box thinking to find unexpected links between ideas.
Maximiser
Delivering value to both clients and colleagues, Maximisers are adept at creating win-win scenarios. They operate with agility, adjusting their strategy on the go and being quick to mitigate risks. Their collaborative working style and openness with sharing knowledge facilitates the success of the team.
Activator
Bringing unbeatable energy to your organisation, Activators encourage enthusiasm in their team. Their ability to accelerate a sale by creating a sense of urgency help deliver results. While pushing decision-makers over the line, they are proactive in addressing any concerns and aren’t easily discouraged by challenges.
Applying The Alchemy of Sales Model
The first step in applying the sales enablement framework to your organisation is introspection. Using diagnostic tools, we can help provide you with clear data that paints a picture of your organisational DNA.
You might find that you have more Engagers and not enough Activators, in which case your clients might feel well looked after but you find your team struggling to close deals. It might be that you have more Activators than Detectives, leaving your people hungry for success but without the skills to find the right solutions for your customers.
Learning the strengths and gaps in your talent allows you to build a programme that targets the relevant areas, rather than a blanket approach which feels rigid and out-of-touch with your people. If you need more Solutionists in your team, prescriptive modules that target problem-solving can help your people build those skills. Likewise if you’re lacking Engagers, a focus on soft skills, like communication and active listening, can help you achieve a well-rounded team.
What Are The Benefits Of The Alchemy of Sales Model?
The benefits of applying this framework are simple: you get a clear understanding of the roles your salespeople fulfil currently, and can tailor a sales enablement learning programme that works to balance their skills in other areas, building a successful and cohesive function.
In uncovering the innate capabilities of your team, you can understand how to leverage each person’s natural strengths which helps you in building a team that delivers results. For instance, if you find that you have a strong Engager in your team, it might help your overall performance to make them the first point of contact for your clients, while an Activator should be the person working to push deals over the line.
From here, building a bespoke programme becomes much easier. With a base knowledge of the skills that your team need to develop in order to have a balanced combination of profiles, together we can structure a journey that incorporates the necessary sessions to focus on the right areas for your business.
Taking this tailored approach means your people participate in learning that feels personal to them. They are actively engaged by a combination of digital, immersive and experiential learning that targets specific topics. Learning becomes much more energising when you move away from a one-size-fits-all lecture and use prescriptive solutions that are customised to fit you.
Contact Us
Get in touch to find out more about how your people could benefit from a blended learning journey that targets the skills of our sales enablement framework.