Mapping SAP Collaboration: The Critical Steps for ...

RichBlumberg · ‎10-25-2021

This blog is the 2nd in a series on SAP Sales Collaboration and the ongoing integration developments with Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and the SAP Platform. View Part 1 >>

Amongst the most important collaborations for an organization is the sales outreach to customers, prospects, and partners. A healthy pipeline, revenues, and growth is a winning combination.

As we navigate through the pandemic and the new realities -- remote selling is essential. To simplify the process SAP Sales Cloud and Microsoft Teams with SharePoint can be integrated to increase performance.

In her blog, Sruti Nayak, provides an excellent step-by-step view of Microsoft Teams Integration with SAP Sales Cloud. In it she highlights how “business collaboration is now simplified,” “to enhance workspace productivity,” to “simplify remote selling processes,” and provide “single click access to relevant information.”

Now sales teams can leverage these tools to engage customers and prospects more fully.

Part of Microsoft Teams popularity is that it’s more than a chat app or video conferencing tool. To embrace the modern workplace, Teams and SharePoint work together as SharePoint powers document management in Teams. When combined with the SAP portfolio the advantages are expediential.

However, in order to provide the maximum value to sales, and front-line customer facing team members, the information and assets provided must represent the very best of Content Management to ensure that the experience is…

Simplified – Easy to navigate with ONE CLICK

Prioritized – Very important items visible with an excellent UX (User Experience)

Organized – Segmented and consistent information hierarchy

Maintained – News, announcements, new versions of assets updated frequently

Clearly companywide and market unit assets must be at the fingertips of every front-line worker.

When sales teams represent content, on behalf of an organization to a customer, prospect, or partner, it’s critical that one version of the truth is communicated and readily available in a quick and efficient manner.

Imagine the sales team as race car drivers. When they’re on the track they move at high speeds. When they come in for a pit stop to safely change the tires and get back into the race every second counts.

In the same way, the sales team needs quick access to the right, high quality information they need to engage customers and prospects. If they have to spend extra time finding it, their productivity and performance is diminished.

Creating a Content Map Around the Sales Funnel

Each potential buyer goes through a sales funnel before making a purchasing decision.

Sales Cycle Stages	Description	Go-to-Market Content Required - Examples
Awareness	Preliminary consideration for products, services, solutions, brand leading to engagement	Resources, education, research data, whitepapers, videos, customers success stories, social content, podcasts, email templates, infographics
Evaluation	Performing deep research about the fit of your solution for their problem.	Webinars, information and data sheets, product demos, ROI assessments, Case Studies, References, Proposals, RFPs, Presentations
Purchase	Action and conversion to the buying decision.	Reviews, Success Kits, Getting Started Insights, Contracts
Renewal	Experience and adopt the product or service. Set expectations for future purchase and referrals.	Product updates, surveys, special offers, reviews, customer testimonials

At each stage the customer or prospect has a different intent. Enabling the sales team with the best content, at the right time, will improve their readiness and confidence to address key requirements.

Mapping a Better Content Management Experience

Content mapping represents a logical path to help an organization understand and engage their audience better. It addresses how to effectively guide current and potential customers through the customer journey.

Assessing the best Content Management Experience helps determine what is needed and can be achieved with the following steps:

Audit Your Assets – Inventory and assess existing sales materials and content assets.

Buyer Personas – Understand who you are selling to, their roles, and provide relevant sales content.

Assess Your Customer Journey – Package sales content around use cases that are repeatable and profitable to provide compelling, unique offers.

Content Mapping – Review where specific content fits in during the sales process including when specific assets are used and identify any gaps.

Develop a Strategy – Pinpoint content that serves the customer and prospect that provides value and encourages a longer-term relationship.
.

Driving Sales Collaboration

When the SAP Sales Cloud, Teams, and SharePoint work together with a well thought out Content Management Experience it enables increased sales productivity, innovation, and better engagement, to support pipeline, revenues, and growth.

As Christian Klein, SAP CEO and member of the Executive Board said in respect to coronavirus, supply chain, and economic uncertainties. “Technology helps to overcome these challenges,” he said. “When you talk about the future of work, you need to drive collaboration; technology is needed.” [1}

As remote selling continues as the new reality for many organizations around the globe, SAP and Microsoft teaming helps simplify the remote sales processes, enhances workplace productivity, and further supports digital transformation.

Mapping SAP Collaboration and the Content Management Experience is critical to achieving the best sales outcomes.

Join the discussion. Share your comments below.

---

Useful Links