getting started in sales enablement

Getting Started in Sales Enablement GUIDEBOOK

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Getting Started in Sales Enablement Guidebook

IntroductionSales enablement is growing and changing so rapidly that there are always new people entering the field Whether you are new to sales enablement or sales enablement is new to your organization this guidebook can help you with where to start In this guidebook wersquoll go over how to

Part 1 Create a Sales Enablement Charter 3

Part 2 Increase Your Influence in the Organization 5

Part 3 Operate Like a Consultant 7

Part 4 Prioritize Your Projects 9

Part 5 Lay Your Foundation (ATD Resources and Offerings) 11



Part 1 Create a Sales Enablement Charter1A sales enablement charter is a document that memorializes the objectives of the sales enablement function and how those will impact bigger-picture organizational goals It usually lays out a mission and purpose statement just like any new company would When sales enablement has a defined scope and reason to exist itrsquos easier to align with stakeholders in your organization and gain buy-in for future projects Follow the classic ldquoWrdquo questions to begin creating your charter

1 WhyIf you have sold before or worked closely with salespeople you know that the most important question is ldquowhyrdquo Why does your company and product exist Why do customers buy from you Why would a potential client consider making a change in the first place This last question is important because no organization decides to invest in a new way forward without an internal or external change prompting the move Find out what changed that made sales enablement such an important function to invest in



2 WhatWhat will sales enablement be responsible for Every organization has a different definition for sales enablement and it has the potential to be very broad The more selective you can be with your scope the better The focus of the function should be derived from the important business objectives driving the change Use a competency model if you need a starting point for what to include and what to forgo (at least for right now)

3 WhoItrsquos not just the official members of the sales enablement department who should be identified here There will be other supporters stakeholders and influencers who need to put their fingerprints on the sales enablement efforts Consider who will be involved and in what capacity

4 WhenRealistic timelines are important because therersquos a tendency in sales enablement to operate with the attitude that ldquowe needed it yesterdayrdquo Feeling urgency is a natural part of the process but the last thing you want to do is sacrifice quality or impact for speed

5 WhereWhile it need not be a consideration for every company some organizations will choose to launch a sales enablement effort in one specific region product line set of sales roles or business unit Be sure to define which parts of the business will be involved now and which may be involved in the future

6 HowThis portion of the charter will likely be the longest and the most subject to change This is where key metrics to measure are identified and objectives are planned accordingly Big-picture strategies that map to the overall business goals will help illuminate how sales enablement plans to address current gaps and reach the future vision of success



Part 2 Increase Your Influence in the Organization2Successful sales enablement practitioners are master networkers Implementing effective programs requires close alignment with different departments and consistent communication with all parties involved in the effort When you look at the path of a new sales enablement function itrsquos one change management initiative after another Letrsquos look at some specific examples of how you can increase your influence through alignment and communication

1 Form an Advisory CommitteeDonrsquot try to go it alone Many new sales enablement practitioners start by conducting a series of surveys interviews and focus groups It makes sense that they want to understand the environment culture and needs of the team Take it a step beyond and form a group of invested parties from different departments who can provide feedback on an ongoing basis They will like the fact that they have a hand in the initiative and you will like the fact that yoursquoll have regular updates on any changes or challenges they face



2 Build RelationshipsItrsquos easy to put your head down and bury yourself in your work emerging a few weeks or months later with a beautifully designed solution to the companyrsquos problems Donrsquot lose sight of how valuable it is to invest time in building relationships offering help to others and trying to understand what drives people in different departments The future gains of developing these connections are far greater than spending a comparable amount of time perfecting your own work

3 Balance the Suite With the StreetTherersquos no doubt itrsquos critical to understand the goals of the C-suite A lot of this alignment work will begin when creating your charter However the leadership team can be so focused on the big picture they may not be aware of some of the realities of execution Itrsquos just as important to listen to individual contributors and understand their experiences as it is to listen to the C-suite and their needs

4 Close Communication GapsIn the same vein itrsquos also easy for the individual contributor at the execution level to become disconnected from the strategy that drives their organization This is very common especially in an environment where change happens constantly A disconnect in communication and common goals can hurt morale and company culture over time The solution Make sure therersquos a venue for the salesperson on the street level to hear from company executives a quarterly roundtable a newsletter or guest appearances from leadership in periodic trainings can all help to close this gap



Part 3 Operate Like a Consultant3Successful sales enablement practitioners are master networkers Implementing effective programs requires close alignment with different departments and consistent communication with all parties involved in the effort When you look at the path of a new sales enablement function itrsquos one change management initiative after another Letrsquos look at some specific examples of how you can increase your influence through alignment and communication

1 Ask QuestionsDiscovering the ldquowhyrdquo behind an initiative starts when you develop the charter and should continue for as long as there are changes within the organization You will get lots of input and requestsmdashsome more important than others You wonrsquot be able to forecast which projects will have the greatest impact without connecting each request or suggestion with a root cause



2 Identify MetricsConsultants who are worth their salt will always tie efforts to outcomes Once the needs analysis is done itrsquos a lot easier to identify the right metrics to track This accomplishes a few objectives When there is agreement on what metrics should be impacted and by how much this controls the scope of the project and prevents it from growing based on the wants and desires of the stakeholders Itrsquos also an opportunity for you as the sales enablement practitioner to measure your wins and earn the right to become a trusted partner who can contribute to the strategy Itrsquos a positive cycle to create

3 Understand Your BuyerJust like in sales you will need to put yourself in the shoes of your ldquobuyerrdquo (sales leaders sales reps or anyone else who benefits from your sales enablement efforts) Getting to know how these people are each measured what expectations have been set for them and what is important to each of them will help you in designing sales enablement solutions and communicating them in the right way Particularly in the beginning of your time in the sales enablement role you will need to spend a lot of time getting feedback from your stakeholders Go beyond asking what they liked or didnrsquot like about what yoursquore working on dig into what is central to their success

4 Collaborate Cross-FunctionallySales enablement is a bridge from sales to many other departments such as finance marketing HR and product As a general rule of thumb people like helping other people whom they like Invest in your relationships with other departments by volunteering to help with projects when you can meeting obligations and keeping promises yoursquove made to them Most importantly make an effort to be someone who people enjoy being around

5 Push BackDonrsquot be afraid to speak up when yoursquore faced with an idea that doesnrsquot seem likely to produce the results your senior leaders care about Itrsquos important to know when to pick your battles However a well-reasoned line of thinking for how to connect the root cause to the needs to the metrics and outcomes may very well reveal that a given initiative is not addressing the right issues As long as your line of thinking is aligned with what is important to leadership your ability to point out potential pitfalls will be appreciated



Part 4 Prioritize Your Projects4The characteristics of a person who is successful in sales enablement are a blessing and a curse The typical profile is someone who is ambitious enterprising and full of energy The curse comes in when these qualities create much longer projects than could possibly be done well in a given year Along with abilities in change management a good sense for prioritization is the greatest skill a sales enablement professional can master

1 Set ExpectationsWhen you let the numbers be your guide setting expectations with your stakeholders becomes a lot easier In turn you will be able to prioritize projects more effectively with less external pressures to add or change aspects of the initiative ldquoScope creeprdquo is when a project starts with one set of expectations and with input from others transforms into something much different (and usually much bigger or broader) Avoid scope creep by connecting the initiative back to the original business objectives you identified early and often



2 Ask for HelpIn the beginning of your sales enablement tenure itrsquos tempting to take on too much in order to prove yourself and the value of the function Know when to delegate if you have anyone else on the team If you are a team of one identify some supporters who might be able to help if needed Use an exercise called ldquobest and highest userdquo Make a list of all the things you could be doing for a given project and a similar list for any other contributors or helpers Then organize and rank the lists by what people are best at with those activities at the top Sure you might be better than Joe the sales rep at leading a review activity with a group of salespeople but if Joe can get the job done and that frees you up to work on things that only you are capable of doing take the help

3 Weigh OptionsOne of the advantages to aligning your initiatives to business objectives and metrics is that yoursquoll be able to quantify your impact on a given goal This will allow you to do your due diligence on other potential solutions beyond the ones you build and lead internally For example maybe the purchase of a new technology would be a better investment of time and money than trying to solve that problem through training or a change in compensation Perhaps hiring an intern or outsourcing some production work would save you so much time on the tedious tasks yoursquod be able to tackle bigger and more impactful projects much sooner Your time is a resource thatrsquos as important as the other resources your company spends money on donrsquot forget to analyze it that way

4 Create a CalendarOne simple way to manage projects according to priority and bandwidth is to create a calendar at the beginning of the year (or the quarter if that comes first) Most sales enablement departments of one will choose one big project to work on per quarter If you have known implementations training events or other changes are happening during a given time of year and need to allocate time for reinforcement the calendar is a good place to map out those considerations too

5 Make Your MarkJust because you or your organization is new to sales enablement doesnrsquot mean you canrsquot have a long-term vision for how the function can have an impact on your company The best way to track toward this is to create a strategic plan at the beginning of each year and tie it to your charter Every strategic or forward-thinking sales enablement leader started by achieving small wins Periodic moments of reflection are well worth the time Itrsquos your chance to apply a litmus test to each project you undertake Will this contribute to the overall vision for how Irsquoll make my mark



Part 5 Lay Your Foundation (ATD Resources and Offerings)5The Sales Enablement Community at ATD is dedicated to empowering practitioners with thought leadership content and resources through the lenses of leadership and learning ATDrsquos 75-year history as an organization dedicated to talent development allows us to support the evolution of enabling sales by focusing on the sales people and their career evolution



Here are some resources for you as yoursquore getting started

1 Access Resources to Use

on the Job

ATDrsquos Sales Enablement

Resource Center (Available for teams only)

2 Earn a Certificate

Apply the Framework With a Sales Enablement

Certificate

3 Network with Sales

Enablement Practitioners

ATD SELL (Sales Enablement

Leadership and Learning) Conference

4 License the Competency

Model

World-Class Sales Competency Model

(WCSCM)

LEARN MORE

LEARN MORE

LEARN MORE

LEARN MORE

tdorgeducationmycareerpathtdorg 8554042783 to get a free learning path consultation

600374689-12032020



IntroductionSales enablement is growing and changing so rapidly that there are always new people entering the field Whether you are new to sales enablement or sales enablement is new to your organization this guidebook can help you with where to start In this guidebook wersquoll go over how to

Part 1 Create a Sales Enablement Charter 3

Part 2 Increase Your Influence in the Organization 5

Part 3 Operate Like a Consultant 7

Part 4 Prioritize Your Projects 9

Part 5 Lay Your Foundation (ATD Resources and Offerings) 11
















































on the Job





Certificate






Model


(WCSCM)

LEARN MORE

LEARN MORE

LEARN MORE

LEARN MORE


600374689-12032020
















































on the Job





Certificate






Model


(WCSCM)

LEARN MORE

LEARN MORE

LEARN MORE

LEARN MORE


600374689-12032020


600374689-12032020

getting started in sales enablement

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