Research

State of Sales Enablement

Research

tHE STATE OF SALES ENABLEMENT

NO vendor money
NO special interest groups
100% TRANSPARENT research methodology
… And NO forcing people to answer on a scale of 1-5

We gathered unfiltered thoughts to find gaps and opportunities based on what experts, practitioners, sales leaders, academics, and consultants are seeing.

The findings may surprise you…

About the Blended Research Method

The 2020 State of the Sales Enablement research follows a blended Phenomenological and Ethnographic qualitative research method. Phenomenological research is used to describe an event, activity, or phenomenon, we use a combination of methods, such as conducting interviews, reading documents, watching videos, or visiting places and events, to understand the meaning participants place on whatever’s being examined. We rely on the participants’ own perspectives to provide insight into their motivations.

With an Ethnography approach, we also immerse ourselves in the sales enablement participants’ environment to understand the goals, cultures, challenges, motivations, and themes that emerge. Ethnography has its roots in cultural anthropology where researchers immerse themselves within a culture (often for years). Beyond relying solely on interviews or surveys, we work to experience the environment first hand, and sometimes as a “participant observer.”

As researchers taking this blended approach, we are not looking at a given specific set of hypotheses to test; instead, we’re looking to understand how people think and believe the Sales Enablement space is evolving. Our approach to this research is a markedly different approach from quantitative research (for example, analyzing answers on a 1-5 scale with hypotheses to reject or not).

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DATA AND INSIGHT

Data are a rear-view mirror. It comes from systems and spreadsheets and leads to a reaction based on assumptions of cause-and-effect. For example, if a score is 4.3 on a scale of 5 it’s time to do something. Data can lead to snap judgment on what’s right or wrong based on existing biases of “what to do.”

Insights are real-time and future-oriented. Instead of coming from spreadsheets, information is collected from humans. Each carefully vetted human has his or her own perspective, mental-model, decision-making approach, and priorities. Each human sees the world differently. Insight leads to dialogue and opportunities based on “what’s possible.”

FOUNDED IN BRAIN SCIENCE

What’s the value of the human brain? Do humans make sense of the world around them and adapt? Do they struggle to communicate what they’re seeing? Do they have a way to identify what’s working? What if we could tap the collective wisdom while managing bias?

We figured out a new research method grounded in brain-science while at the same time managing a broad range of human perspectives through a procedure that created executable insights for our listeners.

COMPREHENSIVE RESEARCH = ACTIONABLE INSIGHTS

We conducted the most comprehensive research on the state of sales enablement to date to provide actionable insights.

This research is not about creating another definition for sales enablement and it’s not about defending an existing definition. It’s about understanding what’s happening and how to improve.

Ultimately, research fuels leader decision-making. In today’s highly dynamic, volatile, uncertain, and ambiguous world, research must be grounded to reality. What if research inputs could come from humans who are immersed in the reality of the day-to-day, and not from survey responses compiled on a 1-5 scale in 3 minutes or less?

Sales Enablement Research

TRANSPARENT RESEARCH TIMELINE

March 4

COVID -19

  • Virus cases top 100 in the United States.
  • Brian and Scott record 5-Part COVID-19 response podcast series (3/21-3/30)
  • Listen to the episode that launched the state of sales enablement research – Part 2 (16:15)

April 4

State of Sales Enablement Survey 

  • State of Sales Enablement Survey launches world-wide using google forms to collect the data. The guys worked to gather responses from a variety of industries. They also reached out to leaders and practitioners, and academics, consultants, and vendors.

April 11

70 Survey Responses

  • 70 responses in first week

April 18

85+ Survey Responses

  • 85+ Responses in 2nd week from companies like HP, Amazon Web Services, Pega Systems, Mimecast, and Soleil

April 21

PANEL 1: SALES ENABLEMENT LEADER DISCUSSION

Podcast Ep# 33 – Inside: Sales Enablement 

With a review of the data from Sales Enablement Leaders in the profession, including:

  • Tamara Schenk
  • Josie Marshburn
  • Mike Kunkle

Read the report and write up | Listen to the Episode

April 24

25+ LEADERSHIP INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED

  • We completed interviewing 15+ leaders in Sales VP, Sales Enablement, and Sales Management roles. Companies include Google, Juniper, Ring Central, Microsoft, Salesforce.com, SalesHood, and Microfocus. See the interview list.

April 29

10+ INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED

  • Brian and Scott complete interviewing HR, L&D, and sales enablement leaders from companies like Red Hat, Avalara, Git Lab, Mastercard, and SSI, Seismic, and Highspot. See the interview list below.

May 1

PANEL 2: SALES LEADER PANEL 

Podcast EP# 34 – Inside: Sales Enablement

  • Skip Miller, CEO of M3 Learning
  • Bob Apollo, CEO of Inflexion Point Strategy Partners
  • Steve Crepeau, CEO of True Sales Results

Read the report and write up | Listen to the Episode

May 5

PANEL 3: SALES ENABLEMENT PANEL 

Podcast EP#35 – Inside: Sales Enablement 

  • Sheevaun Thatcher, CPC, Head of Sales and Global Enablement, RingCentral
  • Imogen McCourt, Sales Enablement Leader & Advocate | Delivering the ‘Business of Sales’
  • Doug Clower, Sales Enablement Leader, and Consultant

Read the report and write up | Listen to the Episode

May 7

PANEL 4: SALES ENABLEMENT L&D PANEL 

Podcast EP #36 – Inside: Sales Enablement

  • Barry Shields, Director, Customer Experience Training & Enablement, Avalara
  • Garth McKinney, L&D Sales Consultant Red Hat
  • David Sommers, Director Field Enablement GitLab

Listen to the Episode

May 11

PANEL 5: SALES ENABLEMENT ACADEMIC PANEL

Podcast EP# 37 – Inside: Sales Enablement

  • Dr. Robert Perterson, Editor Journal of Professional Selling and Professor of Sales at Northern Illinois University
  • Dr. Joel Lebron, Johns Hopkins University Digital Business Development Initiative
  • Dr. Howard Dover, Director, Center for Professional Sales at University of Texas Dallas

Listen to the Episode

May 12

102 Survey Responses

  • 102 total survey responses received.

May 13

PANEL 6: EXECUTIVE SPONSORS OF ENABLEMENT PANEL 

Podcast EP# 38 – Inside Sales Enablement

  • Brian King, Sales Enablement Executive
  • Sameer Rupani, Chief Customer Officer / Business Leader
  • Greg Peelman, Vice President of Operations, North America, Ecolab

Listen to the Episode

May 19

Executive Briefing & Findings presentation

WHAT WE FOUND:

SALES ENABLEMENT IS AT A CROSS-ROADS...

There is a lot of focus on fixing salespeople and very little focus on addressing the sales and marketing eco-system and the complexity that exists.

  1. Sales enablement needs to clarify it’s value, scope, and impact
  2. Sales enablement leaders need to develop specific characteristics
  3. Sales enablement needs to clarify the measures of success.

Interviews Conducted (April 8-May 10 2020)

  1. Josie Marshburn – Founder, Sales Enablement Benchmark
  2. Bob Apollo – Founder,  Inflexion-Point Strategy Partners
  3. Tamara Schenk – EMEA Enablement Advisory Services, Showpad + Enablement Author
  4. Steve Crepeau – Founder, True Sales Results
  5. Glen Lally – VP Global Enablement, Google
  6. Hang Black – VP Global Enablement, Juniper
  7. Sheevaun Thatcher – VP Global Enablement, Ring Central
  8. Doug Clower – Director Enablement, Microfocus
  9. Jared Litwin – VP Sales Enablement, Salesforce.com
  10. Elay Cohen – Founder and CEO, Saleshood
  11. Brian King – SVP Sales Operations and Enablement, IHG
  12. Angie Voutsara – consumer distribution
  13. Deb Honea – Sr Director Sales Excellence, Sysco
  14. Greg Peelman – Vice President of Operations, Ecolab
  15. Sameer Rupani – SVP Customer Solvay
  16. Mike Kunkle – VP Sales Excellence SparksIq
  17. Skip Miller – CEO Level 3
  18. Doug Winter – CEO Seismic
  19. Joe Terry – CEO Vantage Point and Marketing Profs
  20. Kunal Mehta – Operating Executive TCV
  21. Cameron Tanner – Sr Lead Sales Productivity and Effectiveness, Amazon Web Services
  22. Imogen McCourt – CEO AndGrow.io (formerly Argus Media and Forrester Research)
  23. Dr. Howard Dover – Professor University of Texas – Dallas
  24. Gerhard Gschwandtner – CEO of Selling Power Magazine
  25. Steve Patti – VP Racing Fuel, Professor Trinity University
  26. John Thackerson – VP Business Development, SOAR consulting
  27. Fred Penteado – Director of Customer Programs, SBI
  28. Walter Pollard – Founder, Brand Fuzion
  29. Elana Anderson – CMO Veracode
  30. Robert Peterson – Professor Northern Illinois University
  31. Joel Len Bon – Professor Johns Hopkins University
  32. Barry Shields – Director Customer experience training & enablement, Avalara
  33. Garth McKinney – L&D Consultant Red Hat
  34. David Sommers – Director Field Enablement GitLab
  35. Scott King – Head of Global Sales Enablement and Commercial Strategy, Progress Software
  36. Krishna Depura – CEO Mind Tickle
  37. Nick Saunders – Sr. Director of Sales Enablement at Mimeast
  38. Louis Jonckheere – Co-Founder & President, Showpad
  39. Robert Wahbe – CEO Highspot
  40. Chad Quinn – CEO and Co-founder Ecosystems
  41. Lindsey Gore – Account Executive Microsoft
  42. Brooke Spatz – Head of Sales Enablement, Omnitracs
  43. Alexander Low – DLA ignite
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