Welcome back to He Said, She Said! This week, we're talking about sales enablement and the future of sales, particularly as it relates to companies that are practicing inbound marketing.

In this week's episodes we cover:

• How to engage your sales team
• What the sales team's role should be in content creation
• The role that your marketing department should have in the sales process
• The most important indicator for success with inbound marketing
• What qualifications a sales person needs to have to be successful in closing inbound leads

This particular conversation about sales started when we asked our oldest son what he thinks he wants to do for a living. He's a sophomore in college and has to declare his major, so he's begun thinking about potential careers. When I suggested he consider sales (he's really personable and I think would be a great salesperson), he really didn't respond and in fact said he didn't want to spend his career trying to sell people things they don't need.

This was a real eye opener to us and reflects what a lot of people think about when it comes to a sales person. While I'm sure there are salespeople out there who ARE trying to pull the wool over peoples' eyes, there are plenty more who recognize sales for what it can be - an opportunity to educate people and help them make decisions that will improve their lives. 

Bottom line? If it's true that "facts tell and stories sell," your sales team has got to be involved in content creation. The question is, what does that involvement look like? 

Tune in to get answers to questions like:

• Can marketing ever be the quarterback of the company?
• Will marketing and sales converge in the future and become one, combined department?
• How should your sales team be consuming and using the content that your marketing team creates?
• How can you capitalize on the "hidden sales cycle" to close more deals?

We're also discussing the future of marketing and sales, and what that means for how you'll structure your management team. It's good stuff, and I hope you get a chance to listen.