Trends _ Insights
Mailbag: Answers to your top foundational enablement questions
By — On 29 octobre 2024
Welcome to our special mailbag edition of the Seismic blog! Earlier this month, we wrapped up an incredible week at Seismic Shift 2024, our annual customer conference in San Diego.
Over the course of three days, we had the pleasure of connecting with 1,123 attendees from 429 companies across 19 countries. It was a week filled with inspiring keynotes, engaging breakout sessions, and countless opportunities to learn from each other.
Throughout the event, we gathered a wealth of questions from our conversations with attendees. These questions reflect the curiosity, challenges, and aspirations of our community. To ensure everyone benefits from the insights shared at Shift, we’ve decided to create this mailbag-style article where Seismic’s subject matter experts will address some of the most pressing questions from our customers.
From the latest innovations in the Seismic Enablement Cloud™ to practical tips on driving transformational enablement, our experts are here to provide you with valuable answers and actionable advice. Whether you were able to join us in San Diego or are catching up from afar, we hope this blog post helps you push what’s possible in your own enablement journey.
Stay tuned as we dive into your questions and share the knowledge and experiences that made Seismic Shift 2024 an event to remember.
Where should enablement sit within the organization and to whom should it report?
The short answer is it depends. The longer answer is more complex, but it ultimately comes down to revenue and growth.
Enablement needs to align to the revenue sponsor, whether that lies with marketing or sales. Enablement teams should be integrated into the strategic planning process to ensure their initiatives are aligned with the company’s overall objectives. As a critical player in the decision-making process, enablement can help set measurable success metrics that matter to the business, such as pipeline velocity, win rates, and customer engagement.
This data-driven approach allows for continuous monitoring and adjustment of strategies to achieve the desired outcomes. Ultimately, the close integration of enablement teams with other functions and their involvement in strategic planning are crucial for driving significant revenue growth and achieving business success.
Enablement teams should be strategically positioned within an organization to drive the greatest growth impact. By aligning closely with sales, marketing, product development, and customer success teams, enablement can ensure that all efforts are directed towards common goals and outcomes. This alignment fosters a shared understanding of success and creates a cohesive strategy that enhances efficiency and productivity across the organization. Enablement teams provide the necessary tools, training, and resources to support sales teams, ensuring they are well-equipped to meet their targets and drive revenue growth.
Hayden Stafford | President & CRO | Seismic
How should my enablement team approach planning?
To build a strategy for an initiative, start by clearly defining the objective, understanding the problem you aim to solve or the opportunity you want to leverage. Identify key stakeholders, resources, and potential obstacles. Develop a strategic roadmap for action with specific, measurable steps, prioritizing tasks based on impact and feasibility. Finally, establish metrics to track progress and ensure continuous evaluation and adjustment.
In more specific terms, we recommend that you start with an Enablement Charter if you do not have one. Our Enablement Charter service helps establish a comprehensive framework that defines the strategy and vision of your enablement function. This formal charter ensures that your enablement efforts are aligned with broader business objectives and have clear ownership across departments. By activating this charter, we help ensure your organization is strategically positioned to maximize the value of your enablement initiatives. This service brings structure, alignment, and focus to your enablement strategy, enabling long-term growth and measurable success.