Sales Enablement: The Definite Definition, According To Me. 😉
Ok, the title is a bit tongue-in-cheek, but I acknowledge that sales enablement is a serious subject.
And it is a hot topic right now.
But even though it’s on everyone’s lips, it’s surprising just how much confusion there is on what it actually is and what it's not, what's in and what's out, even among practitioners.
Sales Enablement, done right, can work wonders and really live up to its name. Done badly, it can become a costly mistake.
OK, let's start at the beginning with some fundamental questions...
A lady crossing her arms - what is sales enablement?
1. What Exactly Is Sales Enablement?
Even though the term is self-explanatory, it is surprising how this seemingly simple question can cause a lot of debate.
The Sales Enablement Society defines it as:
“Sales Enablement ensures buyers are engaged at the right time and place, and with the right assets by well-trained client-facing staff to provide a world-class experience along the customer’s journey.”
Too long-winded?
Maybe you like Gartner's version better:
"Sales enablement is the process of providing the sales organization with the information, content, and tools that help salespeople sell more effectively."
Basically, Sales Enablement is about speeding up sales.
2. How Do You Know Whether Sales Enablement Is Effective?
You measure it, of course.
But what metrics do you apply?
There are a number of before /after comparison metrics that can serve to measure the effectiveness of your Sales Enablement functions and efforts.
Here are just a few:
Ramp-up time for new reps
Sales cycle length
Reps' time spent on actual selling activities
Revenue per rep
OK, all these seem pretty reasonable points in favour of Sales Enablement.
3. Where Does Sales Enablement Fit, Operationally?
Unfortunately, everything about Sales Enablement is more complex than it seems.
Operationally, the Sales Enablement function could easily fit somewhere between Sales, Marketing, Product Management and Customer Success / Delivery.
So, where is the right place for SE to report into?
Should it be into Marketing? Into Sales? Into the C-suite?
That is one part of the big conundrum.
4. Who Should Be Responsible For Sales Enablement Success? Who Should Be Accountable For Its Results?
The other big question is what to do (or rather, whom to blame) when Sales Enablement does NOT produce more, faster sales?
Do you blame the head of Sales Enablement (whoever that happens to be, given the above-mentioned organizational complexity)?
Do you blame Sales because they may not be utilizing the support that Sales Enablement says they are providing them?
In short:
Who takes the blame if faster sales fail to materialize?
Who claims the glory if more and faster sales actually do occur?
And if it doesn't work out, get ready for a whole bunch of inter-departmental finger-pointing.
But there is more.
There is one aspect of Sales Enablement that I find super-intriguing:
5. How MATURE Is YOUR Sales Enablement Right Now?
Other authors have identified three, four, and even five different levels of Sales Enablement maturity.
Their maturity definitions range from "Zero", i.e. no Sales Enablement at all, to "Strategic", and even "Optimized" (with usually just a loose description of their version of Sales Enablement nirvana).
Perhaps not surprisingly, I too, have a perspective on Sales Enablement Maturity levels. 😎
However, I think mine is less theoretical, more hands-on practical, compared to some of the others.
Finally: My Definition of Sales Enablement Maturity 😎
Peter Strohkorb pointing at the Peter Strohkorb Sales Advisory logo
I define the hierarchy in terms of Sales Enablement Maturity across 3 levels (well, there are really four levels, but you’ll see what I mean)…
Sales Enablement Maturity Level Zero
No Sales Enablement (OK, this one doesn't really count, does it?)
This level usually applies to start-ups and small businesses.
Sales Enablement Maturity, Level 1: Onboarding + Sales Collateral
This level is pretty much limited to fast-tracking the onboarding of new reps. Usually, reps must watch a bunch of company policy, legal compliance and product information videos, and pass a series of online tests.
Additionally, Marketing is providing a central repository (such as an online folder or a SharePoint repository) for sales collateral, such as brochures, presentations and proposal templates.
The brochures are often product-focused and are presented as locked PDFs or other non-editable formats, while the customer presentations are usually in PowerPoint or some other editable format, so that the reps can tailor presentations to their prospects and opportunities.
By the way, this arrangement gives the reps more liberties than Marketing often is comfortable with, as reps can freely edit texts and images without checks or balances.
Plus: It frequently leads to a "black hole effect". Meaning that more files go into the online repository than come out again. Or, reps create their own personal versions, and keep them offline on their personal devices for future "easy access".
Can you imagine the huge version-control and brand compliance issues that can arise from this scenario?
Sales Enablement Maturity, Level 2: Sales Training and Prospect Engagement Support
This level is similar to Level One in execution:
Reps undergo online training on selling, on customer engagement, and on closing techniques. Sometimes this is supplemented with in-person training, or with on-the-job sales coaching. It may even include mentoring for the Sales Leaders to help and enable them to become success coaches for their reps.
At this level, Marketing often provides more sophisticated sales material than at Level 1, including customer success stories, ROI calculators, and self-assessments to help reps make their sales conversations more meaningful for their prospects.
Since COVID-19, a lot of selling has moved from in-person to remote selling via Zoom and other online communication platforms. For that reason, Sales Enablement at this level may also include tools to help reps with their remote selling activities. Examples include updated digital sales playbooks, VR product demonstration tools, and interactive online presentations, as well as remote sales and product training to update reps' skills.
Marketing may be using dedicated apps to provide sales collateral that has certain content locked out to prevent undue tampering by reps.
For example, marketing may elect to lock certain elements of their customer presentations so that reps can only tailor the parts of the content that relate to the specific prospect or opportunity. This is to preserve brand image, rules and guidelines. Sometimes it is to prevent reps from inventing product features, or from making claims that Marketing or Product Management might consider questionable. (But that would never happen, right?) 😀
Sales Enablement Maturity, Level 3: Sales Acceleration & Smarketing™
OK, this is the one that in my opinion is the really interesting one.
In fact, I think the previous levels are all BAU (business-as-usual) and should exist in any sales organization. To me, this one here is the level where Sales Enablement comes into its own, where organizations move from merely supporting sales to accelerating revenue.
To me, this is the level where Sales Enablement comes into its own right, where organizations move from merely supporting sales, to accelerating revenue.
Given this objective, it comes as no surprise that this Level is also the hardest to implement. This is largely because it requires the highest level of sophistication and the largest amount of change and change management skills.
Sales Enablement at this level requires for the often siloed Sales and Marketing teams to come together, to work as one, to collaborate more closely and more effectively than they have in the past.
This level is harder to achieve than it sounds, mainly because of "The 7 most dangerous words in business"
"The 7 most dangerous words in business are:
"We have always done it this way!"
Plus, due to rusted-on historical silo mentalities, there can be a fair bit of ingrained antipathy, and even mistrust, between teams that stop them from working together effectively.
How Do You Implement Sales Enablement Successfully Into Your Business?
You'll need to start by answering some serious questions:
How do you begin the journey?
How do you see it through?
How do you ensure success?
Luckily, you won't have to start from scratch. And there is help available.
Would you believe there is a proven and structured method to bring Sales Enablement into your organization, and make it successful?
I call it Smarketing™.
You can find more information on my website.
Where To Next?
You can choose your own entry point, there are some choices listed for you below.
Some suggested next steps for you are...
Read The Book
Peter Strohkorb’s book: Smarketing - Sell Smarter, Not Harder
If you're ready to delve deeper into the subject matter, but feel not ready to talk to an expert just yet, then you can find more detailed information (together with descriptions of the exact WHY and HOW) in my Amazon book: "Smarketing™ - Sell Smarter, Not Harder". Download a free copy of the book here.
In the book, I describe a proven step-by-step methodology to:
Kick-start a constructive organization-wide conversation about what good Sales Enablement looks like (to bring everyone on the same page)
Identify the benefits for all stakeholders, including for your customers (!) (to help your stakeholder understand what's in it for them)
Realize and achieve positive results from your Sales Enablement implementation project
Download a free copy of the book here.
Take The Free Smarketing™ Test
Peter Strohkorb’s free smarketing / sales enablement test
Find out the exact opportunities for effective Sales Enablement that are hiding in your business.
This is a free test, it only takes a few minutes.
Plus: Only you will see the result.
Test your current Sales Enablement Maturity Level here.
I recommend you take it now.
Let's Talk
Peter Strohkorb
If you prefer to speak with an actual human being, then let's schedule a call to discuss your specific circumstances and business objectives.
We may even explore how you and I, together, can deliver effective Sales Enablement into your teams and your business.
That's it from me for now. I hope you enjoyed reading the article.
If you did, please like and share it with your network.
Here’s to your selling success!
Peter Strohkorb
Contact Peter Strohkorb Sales Advisory
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About Peter Strohkorb Sales Advisory
Peter Strohkorb has walked in your shoes. He knows what it’s like to be in your situation.
And he loves to help.
Starting as a quota-carrying sales rep, Peter earned his stripes during a 25 year career in corporate sales and marketing executive roles. He generated record-breaking revenue results for multinational corporations, and for small and medium businesses alike.
In 2011, he started Peter Strohkorb Sales Advisory to help sales organizations to keep up with growth demands and an ever changing business environment.
Since then, he has advised many Tech and B2B Business and Sales Leaders in the US and in ANZ on modern selling. Peter is now a sought-after sales expert with a proven track record.