Michael Lee
August 20, 2020
Sales enablement is a relatively new profession — in fact, even the term “sales enablement” only became widely used over the last few years. But what exactly is sales enablement, and why is it now considered an important part of the sales organization? Watch these Prezi videos from sales enablement professionals for a closer look at one of the hottest new jobs out there.
What is sales enablement?
To understand what sales enablement entails, it’s first important to understand where it comes from. Sales enablement often stems from sales and sales management, marketing, and learning and development. With an increased need for proper training in sales teams, these existing roles naturally progressed into sales enablement positions in order to fill the gaps in the sales process.
Paul Petroski, a Sales Enablement Leader at IBM Watson Health, shares even more context and background in this Prezi video:
Sonia Pupaza, a Senior Sales Enablement Specialist at Oracle, then explains the position in more detail. Watch her Prezi video to learn what types of jobs are covered under sales enablement, as well as the tools and soft skills you’ll use to succeed:
How to get your start in sales enablement
It’s one thing to know what sales enablement is — it’s another matter entirely to break into the industry. To help you get your foot in the door, Jean Kang, the Go-to-Market Enablement Program Manager at LinkedIn, shares some practical sales enablement tips and tricks, including the skills you’ll need and the questions you should ask:
Furthermore, the best sales enablement professionals share some common qualities. Sales enablement trainer Cristina Torres goes into more detail on three of these traits:
How to get results, even when you’re remote
Once you start working in the industry, you’ll likely have to face the added challenge of doing your job effectively while working remotely. After all, training your sellers and prospects virtually is a much different experience than in-person training. Michele Colesso, a Sales Manager at Uber, walks through some considerations and tips to help you excel in sales enablement while working from home:
And before you run a virtual training, sales enablement professional Lindsey Shanck offers five things you need to include in each session:
How to share your success story
As you accomplish more in your sales enablement career, it’s also important to know how to frame your successes, especially if you’re looking for new opportunities. Dave Lichtman, the Founder and CEO of sales enablement recruiting firm Enablematch, often sees professionals inadvertently sell themselves short. The key, he explains, is that “epic accomplishments are memorable,” but mediocre ones are not. In his Prezi video, he highlights ways to help you tell your sales enablement story in a way that feels epic and gets employers excited:
You can see some of these suggestions in action in this Prezi video from Steve Goebbert, the Global Sales Enablement Lead for the digital arm of GE Healthcare. His path to sales enablement was not a straightforward one, but it is an interesting one. Watch Steve tell his success story:
No matter where you are in your sales enablement journey, try out some of the tips above to find success in this rapidly growing profession. Have your own advice or story to share? Create a Prezi video and tag it with #Sales or #SalesEnablement for a chance to be featured on our Video Gallery.
