{"id":9542,"date":"2023-08-07T09:30:34","date_gmt":"2023-08-07T13:30:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.orchestratesales.com\/?p=9542"},"modified":"2024-04-16T19:48:40","modified_gmt":"2024-04-16T23:48:40","slug":"why-is-sales-enablement-position-1-of-3-the-flavors-of-enablement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orchestratesales.com\/sales-enablement-society\/why-is-sales-enablement-position-1-of-3-the-flavors-of-enablement\/","title":{"rendered":"WHY is Sales Enablement? Position #1 of 3: The Flavors of Enablement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Why Sales Enablement? In order to uncover the answer, a week or so ago in my initial article I invited you to travel back in time with me<\/a> — to the founding of the Sales Enablement Society itself. To Palm Beach, Florida the Friday before Thanksgiving 2016, where a congress of around 100 sales enablement professionals participated in “The Birth of the Sales Enablement Society<\/a>.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They came to consensus — and signed into existence — the core doctrine for the global SES, including the foundational vision, principles, and positions<\/em><\/strong>. My hypothesis is that these founding positions, in part, hold answers to “the WHY?” of Sales Enablement …and are ripe for further exploration and collaboration by the engaged and curious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article we will unpack Position <\/strong>#1 together in the search for Sales Enablement’s “why:”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Position ONE: <\/strong>Sales Enablement Leaders did not see themselves as having <\/em>a defined role, so in order to grow as a community and elevate the function, they identified four “Flavors of Sales Enablement<\/strong>.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

I see a huge opportunity (or three) to better answer “WHY is SE?” in SES Founding Position One.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Right out of the gates this position, by design, shifts the focus away from “WHAT is Sales Enablement?” — arm wrestling ad nauseam over a definition and identity — to an opportunity to even MORE deeply identify as a community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I defer to Scott to say it even better…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Why? We want to avoid dogmatic debates given the emergent nature of the function, embrace the diversity of our community and create an inclusive culture.”<\/em> <\/p>\nExcerpt from SES Founder and President Scott Santucci<\/a>‘s Letter to SES Members<\/a> April 2017<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

There’s that WHY<\/em> word right there in writing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And it also shifts the question from “WHAT is…” to<\/p>\n\n\n\n

…WHICH flavor do I identify with as an enablement practitioner\/leader?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

…HOW can we as a group of “peers of a flavor” work together to strategically address the sources of broken things – of “functional friction” – in the corresponding sales system(s)?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And maybe even …WHO am I …what is “MY WHY” (shoutout to that Simon guy) — my gifting that I can bring to BOTH to my company AND to the Enablement Community? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To identify as a specific “flavor” of Enablement leader. On a mission to take the friction out of that flavor’s sales system. Creating an environment to better enable the customer facing front line. Confronting those realities more fearlessly and strategically, alongside their peers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, even a click deeper than that!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This “flavor” approach might not only unlock the opportunity for individuals to collaborate as peers in the primary flavor they identify with. It could also open the doors to share insights across the flavor spectrum. Cross-collaboration even within Enablement to elevate each flavor<\/em> of the function. Tasty!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Okay, enough of that from me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So… whaddaya say we get back on track to unpack the flavors further. Now where were we…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than engaging in dogmatic debates about the “definition” of Sales Enablement the ~100 SES Fore-founders decided to embrace the diverse nature of the function and think more strategically about the role by grouping functional “flavors” of Enablement and then engage in workgroups to get things done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those four Flavors of Sales Enablement were:<\/p>\n\n\n

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Sales Talent Management<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Flavor 1. Sales Talent Management<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This flavor is arguably what Sales Enablement is most known for. Training and coaching employee new hires from hire to retire. Sales Readiness. Ensuring that the customer facing front line is ready well equipped to carry a value conversation vs. pushing products and features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THEN ensuring that those same folks are kept up to speed on shifts in how the company is going to market. Better yet, how the front line can best meet the customer where they are. To understand executive level business issues clearly articulate how to solve them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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CREDIT: Primary Research of ~1500 VP or C-level executives by Scott Santucci, Growth Enablement<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

That is a trick! As I called out in the earlier “What makes a good Sales Enablement person?” post<\/a>, recent research done by Scott \/ Growth Enablement reflects that ~1500 VP or C-level executive decision-makers said<\/em> this happens ONLY 11%<\/em><\/strong> of the time. This flavor has a high hurdle to climb in that respect, but it is not only on them! We have at least three other flavors to leverage..<\/p>\n\n\n

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Sales Messaging<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Flavor 2. Sales Messaging<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This flavor addresses the friction between core marketing and sales. The fore-founders framed the flavor with Messaging, Personas, Content Marketing, and Buyer Journey as sample activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So this stage is set perfectly to put part of the above conundrum in the spotlight and solve for it “within flavor.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A discussion addressing the need to balance the messaging framework and strategy. In what respect?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To provide the customer facing front line a messaging approach that strikes a balance between being up-to-date on products \/ features vs. empowering them to craft the story as seen through a given customer’s business issues lens. For them to be able to clearly articulate how only <\/em>your<\/em><\/strong> company has the answer as to how to solve those issues, possibly without even mentioning products \/ features!<\/p>\n\n\n

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Sales Administration<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Flavor 3. Demand Management<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This flavor is, in part, born out of the best known, longest standing family feuds underneath the corporate corral. My personal favorite as a straight-out-of-college salesperson whom has also held multiple marketing roles in the many moons since. The friction between Marketing and Sales when it comes to leads…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sales: “The leads are weak<\/strong>!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n