Brainshark Inc., delivering SaaS-based sales enablement and readiness solutions, announced its inclusion as a sales readiness provider in the “Now Tech: Sales Readiness Tools, Q2 2018” report, published recently by Forrester Research. The report – Forrester’s first analysis and articulation of the sales readiness market – recommends B2B sales and marketing leaders select vendors based on size and functionality, with Brainshark listed as one of two “large established players” among the 15 solutions examined.

As organizations across industries seek to improve sales results, more are turning to sales readiness solutions. Forrester defines the sales readiness market as: “Digital tools that increase seller and manager effectiveness through practice, coaching and collaboration… These tools help firms increase seller and manager skills, improve brand and message consistency, and enable sales leaders to make data-driven decisions to maximize commercial outcomes.”

According to the report, 42% of B2B firms indicate they have
already purchased – or intend to purchase – a sales readiness solution this year.

The report’s lead author, principal analyst Mary Shea, writes: “As the bar continues to rise for salespeople, B2B marketing and sales leaders are under pressure to better enable their direct and indirect sellers. Traditional event-based sales training, never designed to increase seller effectiveness in a digital-first world, fails to reinforce key concepts over time, is difficult to scale and lacks meaningful analytics.”

Also Read: Brainshark Unveils Sales Training Enhancements to Strengthen Learning Paths

With its award-winning sales readiness solutions, Brainshark helps reps learn and prepare wherever, whenever and however they work, so they can deliver value in any selling situation. Brainshark’s solutions for sales training, coaching and content creation make it easy for companies to address what it defines as the four pillars of sales readiness:

• Foundational readiness: Efficiently transferring knowledge that new hires need to be successful
• Continuous readiness: Ensuring every sales force member is up-to-date and ready with the latest releases, competitive intelligence, market insights and ongoing performance improvements – prepared to maximize every buyer interaction
• Transformational readiness: “Re-boarding” reps in response to a holistic shift in strategy and go-to-market tactics (targeting new markets or buyers, mergers and acquisitions, new sales methodologies, etc.)
• Reactive readiness: Preparing the field force – often within days or hours – to leverage/manage events with immediate business impact (e.g., good or bad news about the company or competitors, relevant geo-political events, etc.)

Also Read: Brainshark to Integrate with Microsoft Dynamics 365

“Readiness is not a one-and-done process. It’s important for all types of sales teams to address these pillars – proactively preparing reps to capitalize on every opportunity that comes their way,” said Brendan Cournoyer, VP of marketing, Brainshark. “We think this new report from Forrester underscores both the critical importance of sales readiness, as a discipline, as well as technology’s role in fostering a highly capable, always-ready sales force. We see our inclusion as validation of Brainshark’s commitment to ensuring our customers prepare their sales teams with the skills and knowledge needed to reach their full potential.”

Recommended Read: What Every Sales Leader Should Know About Conversation Intelligence Technology