(key performance indicators), a sales enablement leader may end up re- verting to a playbook of tactics, such as aggregating all resources, including a company’s tribal knowledge and its mind share – which could be consid- ered its cultural norms and processes. Here’s how that usually happens: The CEO turns to the sales leader and says: “Make sure our sales orga- nization hits our number.” Then, the head of sales turns to sales enable- ment and says, “Make sure we can hit our number.”


Part of the value of the sales en- ablement professional is as a liaison between the sales organization and other lines of business. To connect the dots between the stated goal and the execution of programs, sales enable- ment is often tasked with filling in the gaps that lie between what sales needs, versus what sales wants. For example, in a Fortune 500 com-


pany, the salespeople want a better communication tool that aggregates email, text, and voice. What they need (according to management) is a learn- ing process that reinforces sales train- ing that can be tracked to an increase in more services having been sold. Before building (or even becom- ing) the bridge between needs and wants in their sales organization, sales enablement must conduct an internal assessment to dive deeper into what works best – and what does not work at all. This means asking questions like: • Do we know if our new reps know how to engage prospects in the right manner – whether in person or over the phone?


• Is the onboarding process having measurably impacting results?


• Are sales reps closing deals faster? If not, what’s standing in their way? Do we really know?


• How are we selling value versus feature and functionality? One of the fastest ways sales en- ablement can endear themselves to salespeople is by removing obstacles like ineffective or irrelevant enable- ment processes and content that might be inhibiting their ability to “hit their number.”


VIDEO: WHAT MAKES ENABLEMENT MASTERY AN AMAZING NEW BOOK?


2. Leverage Data to Drive Change In the words of W. Edwards Deming, the famous American engineer and mathematical physicist, “Without data, you’re just another person with an opinion.” Data can not only show how sales reps are interacting with content; it can tie success (or lack thereof) to outcomes. This, in turn, demonstrates the areas that require ongoing learning. Successful sales organizations take a data-driven mindset when working to influence meaningful change. They adopt strategies that include using metrics to evaluate results by leverag- ing data to inform the steps to take for continuous improvement. When data girds the process, it allows enablement to set worthy


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goals, assign metrics associated with those goals, and measure learning outcomes that can be correlated with performance outcomes. This is made possible with enablement platforms that move beyond the traditional training programs L&D and HR teams have been relying on for years.


Sales enablement can, in fact,


affect sales strategy. In the words of Harvard’s Michael Porter, “The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.” With the inexorably ac- celerating pace of change, this may be the simplest, yet most powerful, step you can take. 


Pat Lynch is vice president, enablement ex- cellence and innovation, at MindTickle.com.


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