Sales enablement can be a highly effective way to engage your target audience and convert prospects with tailored content, resources, and tools.
However, when your target audience is developers, you need to go beyond traditional sales enablement strategies.
Developers are typically turned off by generic sales pitches and marketing jargon. Instead, they value authentic technical content that deeply understands their needs and addresses their pain points.
So, which sales enablement materials are actually effective in attracting developers?
Let’s find out…
What is sales enablement?
Firstly, what exactly is sales enablement?
Essentially, sales enablement is the set of strategies, processes, and resources that companies use to empower their sales teams to help them sell more effectively.
The goal is to provide sales professionals with the right information, content, and support to help them have more valuable conversations with prospects and ultimately close more deals.
Now, let’s dive into the top sales enablement materials that can effectively engage developers.
Farhan Manjiyani
7 types of sales enablement materials to attract developers
Attempting to engage developers with traditional sales tactics and materials can be a challenge. Developers tend to be skeptical of sales jargon and exaggerated marketing claims. They prefer factual, straight-talking information that communicates a product’s value.
Therefore, it’s essential to evolve past traditional methods to create meaningful and trusting relationships with developers.
Here are seven types of sales enablement materials you can use to attract developers:
Technical documentation
Technical documentation is critical to your sales enablement arsenal. It’s an educational tool that helps developers use your product. It can include information about the features of the product, its purpose, what problems it can solve, and how to use it.
Technical documents also play an important role in helping to roll out new software products, announce updates, and keep developers up-to-date on what you’re working on.
Technical documentation is a powerful asset because it allows you to market your product without being overly promotional. This creates trust between you and developers, as they’re free to use the documentation to find answers to their questions and solve problems without being bombarded with advertisements and marketing spiel.
Just make sure your developer documentation is clear, concise and only provides relevant information to maintain that trust.
Plus, you can use this asset to enhance your visibility. A comprehensive technical document that contains the right keywords will ensure that it ranks highly on search engines, and therefore attracts developers who are looking for information on your product.
Karl Hughes
SDKs
A software development kit, or an SDK, is a set of software tools that developers can use to create custom applications.
SDKs are a great way to get developers on board with your brand. They include all the components that developers can quickly integrate into their applications, resulting in faster application development and deployment.
SDKs typically contain code that’s simple to understand, and usually have comprehensive documentation included, allowing developers to solve issues quickly and focus more time on the quality of their applications.
SDKs also help to improve a product’s ability to integrate with other products and systems, which can expose your product to a wider audience. This also builds trust and credibility for your brand.
By offering an SDK, you also show your commitment to the developer community. You can foster a positive and loyal relationship with developers by providing them with the tools they need to succeed.
APIs
Application programming interfaces (APIs) serve as another critical sales enablement asset. They allow two software components to interact with each other, and developers can use them to communicate with existing components and integrate predeveloped functionality into code.
With APIs, developers can be more efficient and innovative. They can reuse code and don’t need to start from scratch, as the API can specify how software components are assembled in a software program. This saves them valuable time and enables them to enhance applications with innovative features.
Teresa Garanhel
Code samples
Code samples provide developers with a practical way of showcasing the features and functionalities of a product. They can quickly understand how a certain technology works by running the samples, which is often more effective than traditional marketing materials.
Code samples can act as a solid proof of concept for a particular solution, which again, builds trust and credibility with a technical audience. Having access to ready-to-use samples also saves time and effort for developers, as they can build upon the existing code and customize it to their specific needs.
Developers appreciate companies that provide educational resources that can help them succeed, and code samples allow them to understand best practices and the most effective ways to leverage a particular product.
By offering high-quality coding samples as an enablement asset, you can differentiate yourself from competitors.
Webinars/product demos
Developer webinars and product demos are highly attractive assets as they can provide educational and technical insights. They help developers expand their knowledge and stay at the forefront of industry trends.
Webinars can be used to showcase a product’s features and capabilities. Developers can see first-hand how a product works and solves real-world problems, which increases the likelihood of them adopting it. As such, webinars are often used for lead generation.
In addition, webinars are extremely convenient and accessible to developers as they can access them from anywhere in the world. This flexibility increases the potential of reach and attendance, in turn increasing the visibility of your products and services.
Hasanpasha Abdulov
Case studies
Case studies are another powerful way of providing real-world examples of how your technical product has successfully been used and implemented by developers, adding more credibility to your offering.
Case studies often highlight specific challenges that developers face and how the product helped them to overcome their issues. Developers can strongly relate to these stories, which makes the product more attractive and relevant to them.
These success stories demonstrate the practical value and effectiveness of your offering, which can convince developers to invest in it.
Developer communities
Finally, a developer community is an attractive asset to developers as they want to feel a sense of belonging, solve problems they’re having, network with peers, contribute to open source projects, and more.
Developers tend to trust the opinions and recommendations of their peers, which can significantly influence them to adopt a product.
Developer communities provide you with an opportunity to get your product in front of a large group of technical people, and developers who are passionate and engaged can become prominent advocates and evangelists who’ll further promote your offering within their networks.
You can also use developer communities as a way to get valuable feedback on your product. Developers can give suggestions on how to improve your product and provide testimonials and case studies on the benefits of your offering.
By building and nurturing a developer community, you can leverage peer influence, knowledge sharing, and support to attract and retain developers, and ultimately drive the adoption of your product.
Teresa Garanhel
In short
If you want to engage developers successfully, you need to provide them with authentic, technical content that effectively addresses their needs and pain points.
By leveraging the sales enablement materials mentioned above, you can provide developers with the in-depth, hands-on resources they require, and establish yourself as a trusted solution provider.
FAQs
What is a sales enablement asset?
A sales enablement asset is a tool or resource used to support the sales process and enable sales teams to engage more effectively with prospects and customers. Examples include case studies, whitepapers, technical documentation, presentations, and product demos.
They provide sales teams with the necessary information and collateral to communicate a product’s value proposition, address customer queries, and facilitate the decision-making process. This in turn improves productivity and increases the chance of closing a deal.
What are the core components of sales enablement?
The core components of sales enablement include strategy, training and development, processes, technology, and content.
- Strategy is about forming your plan, understanding your target audience, and developing methodologies to engage prospects.
- Training and development ensure sales representatives are well-versed in product knowledge, market insights, and sales techniques.
- Processes ensure that sales teams are following best practices and are in alignment with business goals.
- Content helps salespeople build trust and credibility, and close deals.
- Technology refers to the software and platforms that facilitate sales activities, including CRM systems, content management solutions, and communication platforms.
These components work in tandem to optimize the sales process and drive revenue growth.
What is sales enablement in tech?
Sales enablement in tech involves equipping sales teams with tools, resources, and training materials tailored to the technology sector's unique demands and challenges.
This approach focuses on understanding the specific needs of a technical audience and providing up-to-date technical documentation, product demos, SDKs, APIs, and case studies that showcase real-world applications and benefits.
What is an effective sales enablement strategy?
An effective sales enablement strategy provides sales teams with the tools and resources they need to excel. It usually includes reporting and analysis, optimizing content, refining operations, and integrating tools and technology.
It also involves ongoing training and coaching to ensure sales representatives are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to adapt to changing market conditions and buyer behaviors.
The ultimate goal is to increase productivity, improve efficiency, and drive revenue growth.
