How to Craft a Winning Sales Enablement Strategy

Quick answer

A sales enablement strategy is the strategic framework that connects enablement priorities, resources, and ways of working to the company’s wider business and go-to-market goals.

The strongest strategies do more than list training, content, and tools. They clarify what enablement is responsible for, where the function will focus, how success will be measured, and how other teams will contribute.

The answer to what are the elements of a sales enablement strategy starts with six core components:

• Current situation
• Future success
• Enablement scope
• Enablement roadmap
• Enablement governance
• Enablement collaboration

The first step is to build a clear picture of the current state. That means researching the business context, speaking with executive leadership and department heads, auditing existing enablement activity, gathering input from the sales force, and assessing the company’s go-to-market motion, sales execution gaps, and current enablement maturity.

Only then should you define what future success looks like and translate that into scope, priorities, and a realistic roadmap. Otherwise, the strategy risks becoming a wishlist of initiatives rather than a plan grounded in what the business actually needs.

Once the direction is clear, the strategy needs to be translated into how the function will actually operate. A clear charter defines the mandate and boundaries, governance clarifies how decisions and priorities are managed, and the collaboration model makes cross-functional ownership and ways of working explicit.

If you want the full breakdown, the rest of this guide goes deeper.

Introduction

Sales enablement now plays a much larger role in how sales organisations operate.

In many companies, it has moved beyond traditional sales training and become a more strategic function. The focus is no longer only on giving reps content, tools, or one-off training. It is about making sure those resources support the company’s wider sales goals.

That’s why a clear sales enablement strategy matters.

A strong strategy helps the enablement team understand where to focus, what to prioritise, how to work with other departments, and how to show value to senior leadership.

This guide looks at what a sales enablement strategy is, which elements it should include, and how to build one in practice using examples and a template.

What is a sales enablement strategy?

To truly grasp the intricacies of a sales enablement strategy, one must first have a clear understanding of what sales enablement itself entails.

Over the years, the term “sales enablement” has garnered significant attention, but its true meaning often remains ambiguous and unclear due to a plethora of industry interpretations.

Giants like Gartner, Forrester, and HubSpot, among others, offer varied perspectives. However, a common thread weaving through these definitions is the emphasis on equipping sales teams with the necessary resources to elevate their customer interactions.

Gartner underscores the importance of “information, content, and tools,” while Forrester broadens the scope to include “all client-facing employees.” The Association for Talent Development (ATD) envisions it as a “strategic and cross-functional effort,” and HubSpot emphasises its cyclical, “iterative process.”

One of the questions that arises is: “Is sales enablement fundamentally a process?”

While a process is traditionally defined as “a series of actions or steps taken to achieve a particular end,” sales enablement transcends this simplistic view.

It’s not just about procedural steps but about embodying a mindset and culture aimed at selling effectively.

This holistic approach hinges on robust collaboration, open communication, and alignment among sales, marketing, and other critical departments.

Moreover, as I have already touched upon, in many organisations, sales enablement has evolved from being perceived as a mere support function to a strategic role deeply integrated into core business operations.

A fresh perspective that encapsulates this evolution comes from Byron Matthews and Tamara Schenk in their book, “Sales Enablement: A Master Framework to Engage, Equip, and Empower a World-Class Sales Force”.

They define sales enablement as a “strategic, collaborative discipline” that emphasises a systematic approach to enhancing sales performance, involving sales managers, and adopting a customer-centric approach.

Drawing from these insights and further exploration in the comprehensive handbook I authored, we arrived at a distilled definition:

With this foundational concept in place, I can now explore the true power of enablement when it’s underpinned by a well-defined sales enablement strategy.

This strategy serves as the guide that unifies the several elements of sales enablement into a coherent, workable plan.

It’s not just about equipping a company’s sales process and teams with sales enablement tools and resources; it’s about aligning these resources with the company’s broader goals so that every action taken within the sales enablement framework moves the organisation closer to its objectives.

The sales enablement charter is the dynamic document that encapsulates this strategy and evolves in tandem with the maturity of the enablement function; it communicates the enablement’s vision, mission, objectives, scope, and future roadmap.

Intersecting with domains like enablement governance and production, the strategy elevates sales enablement from a mere support function to a strategic, holistic, and customer-focused approach that drives sales performance and elevates the buyer experience.

Why is a sales enablement strategy important?

Following our brief exploration of the essence of sales enablement, I will now illustrate the underlying reasons that highlight the significance of sales enablement strategies.

Specifically, there are five crucial reasons why a sales enablement strategy is indispensable:

1. Alignment with organisational goals: At its core, an enablement strategy ensures that all components of sales enablement are aligned with the broader business and sales objectives. This alignment is paramount, as it ensures that the sales enablement leadership operates in tandem with the company’s vision, mission, and goals. By doing so, it guarantees that every initiative, tool, or sales training introduced under the banner of sales enablement directly contributes to the organisation’s success.

2. Transition from random to formal: A well-defined strategy acts as a roadmap, guiding the sales enablement function from a state of randomness to one of structured formality. This transition ensures that the function operates with purpose, clarity, and efficiency, maximising its impact on sales outcomes.

3. Gaining executive sponsorship: By capturing the strategy in a comprehensive charter, sales enablement teams can effectively communicate their value proposition to senior executives. This not only garners their support but also positions sales enablement as a key strategic partner. Interestingly, according to the CSO Insights 2019 Sales Optimization Study, organisations that had a formalised enablement charter saw win rates 8.7 percentage points higher than the study’s average.

4. Creating boundaries and prioritisation: Given the dynamic and fast-paced nature of sales, the sales enablement team often finds themselves at the crossroads of multiple requests and shifting priorities. A clear strategy delineates boundaries, helping sales enablement leaders remain focused on their core objectives even amidst external distractions. It acts as a compass, continually pointing towards what truly matters and ensuring priorities are set right and resources are allocated effectively.

5. Instilling purpose and direction: A strategy serves as a constant reminder of the “why” behind every action. It ensures that every endeavour, be it sales training, sales collateral creation, or tool implementation, is rooted in a larger purpose, reinforcing the overarching goals of the sales enablement function.

In case you need more convincing, just take a look at how much emphasis on strategy some of the world’s leading sales enablement VPs and Directors put in our collaborative exploration of sales enablement best practices.

As we delve deeper into the nuances of crafting a sales enablement strategy, it’s important to emphasise how this strategy is the essential plan that fuels the function’s evolution, allowing it to remain relevant, impactful, and aligned with the organisation’s aspirations.

The key elements of a sales enablement strategy

Now that we’ve explored what a sales enablement strategy is and why it matters, let’s delve into its core components.

A well-crafted sales enablement strategy, often encapsulated in a charter, comprises several key elements that serve as its bedrock:

• Current situation
• Future success
• Enablement scope
• Enablement roadmap
• Enablement governance
• Enablement collaboration

1. Current situation

The journey to crafting a robust sales enablement strategy begins with a deep understanding of the present.

This section delves into the heart of the organisation’s existing landscape, offering readers a comprehensive view of where the business stands today and the challenges and opportunities it faces.

To gain a well-rounded perspective of the current situation, here are the key areas you may want to consider:

• Business strategy: Before diving into sales enablement specifics, it’s paramount to understand the broader business strategy. What are the company’s overarching goals? What markets/industries is it targeting? What are the key challenges and opportunities identified in the company’s strategic plan? This overview will help the sales enablement function align with the broader business objectives.

• Go-to-market strategy: This outlines how the sales organisation plans to achieve its targets and the company’s wider goals. It encompasses everything from target customer segments to value propositions to sales channels to the customer journey. Understanding this strategy is crucial, as it dictates how the sales team interacts with potential and existing customers.

• Snapshot of current sales execution: Here, you provide an honest assessment of the current state of sales operations. Are targets being met? What are the bottlenecks? Which processes are efficient, and which need reevaluation? This snapshot offers a baseline against which future improvements can be measured.

• Sales enablement maturity: Assessing the current state of the sales enablement function is equally important. Whether your function is in its nascent stages or has matured into a well-established entity, understanding its maturity level will play an important role when defining a realistic roadmap in the later stages of strategy development.

In essence, the current situation section is the starting point that guides the sales enablement journey.

By understanding where the organisation currently stands, the sales enablement strategy can chart a course that is both informed by the present and oriented towards a brighter, more successful future.

2. Future success

In enablement, success shouldn’t be an abstract concept but a meticulously defined set of aspirations and actionable goals.

Once you have a comprehensive understanding of the current situation, it’s time to shift your focus towards determining what success looks like for the enablement function.

This section delves deeper into the intricacies of your enablement plan, offering a clear picture of your targeted outcomes.

To create a comprehensive framework for success, your plan should include:

• Sales enablement definition: Perhaps one of the most critical components of this section is establishing a clear, shared definition of sales enablement. In the absence of a unified understanding, there’s a risk of divergent expectations and potential misalignments. By setting a clear definition, you ensure that everyone, from the sales team to marketing to customer success, understands the role and scope of sales enablement. This shared understanding clarifies expectations and enables better inter-departmental collaboration.

• Vision: The vision paints a vivid picture of the future state of the sales force once the enablement initiatives are in full swing. It’s an aspirational representation, setting the horizon for where the organisation aims to be. This isn’t just about numbers or targets, but about the qualitative transformation you envision for the sales team. Think of it as the North Star guiding all sales enablement efforts.

• Mission: While the vision sets the destination, the mission charts the path. It’s a more grounded description of how the organisation plans to achieve the lofty goals set in the vision. The mission doesn’t get bogged down in minutiae but provides a clear, overarching approach to realising the vision. It’s the “how” to the vision’s “what”.

• Objectives: These are the tangible goals that the enablement function sets out to achieve. They provide clarity on the areas of focus and emphasis. For instance, in an organisation grappling with high turnover, the objective might be to reduce the ramp-up time for new hires. Conversely, for a company facing lengthy sales cycles, the objective could be centred on streamlining specific stages of the sales process to accelerate closures.

• Metrics: Metrics are the reference points by which the success of the enablement function will be measured. They offer quantifiable indicators of progress and performance in relation to the defined objectives. It’s worth noting that the metrics chosen for sales enablement might differ from traditional sales metrics. The focus here is on metrics that the enablement function can control to a great extent. This could include metrics on the adoption rate of a new sales enablement tool, the effectiveness of sales training modules, or the sales team’s adherence to a specific sales methodology. The tangible improvements in sales performance are instead a by-product of excellent enablement execution.

In essence, the future success section provides a comprehensive direction which helps the sales enablement team and key stakeholders they work with have a clear understanding of what success looks like.

3. Enablement scope

The scope of sales enablement can cover many roles, regions, and focus areas. That’s why one of the first decisions is to define who your enablement services are for.

Start with the immediate audience, but don’t stop there. Your scope should also show which roles and regions enablement may support as the function matures.

In this regard, a particularly noteworthy group is sales management. Often overlooked, sales managers play a pivotal role in the success of sales enablement initiatives.

Sales managers are instrumental in driving the adoption of sales enablement content, sales tools, sales training, and other services, reinforcing their importance and providing day-to-day coaching to sales teams.

Their significance is further underscored by studies like the CSO Insights 2017 Sales Optimization Study, which highlighted them as the second most targeted audience in 68% of organisations.

However, there remains a gap, with many organisations yet to fully recognise and address their enablement needs.

By defining the primary and secondary audiences, sales enablement can better align their initiatives with both immediate and long-term goals.

4. Enablement roadmap

A clear roadmap turns the future success section into a practical plan.

While future success defines the direction, the roadmap shows how the organisation will get there. It outlines the initiatives, milestones, timelines, and resources needed to move from the current state to the desired future.

The roadmap should also reflect the organisation’s enablement maturity. An early-stage function may need to focus on foundational elements first, while a more mature function may be ready for more advanced initiatives.

This gives stakeholders a clear view of the path forward, the sequence of work, and the milestones that will mark progress along the way.

Think of the future success section as the destination and guiding principles. The enablement roadmap is the detailed itinerary for the journey.

It answers key questions:

• What initiatives will be rolled out first?
• How will they be sequenced?
• What are the expected timelines?
• What resources will be allocated at different stages?

By providing this granularity, the roadmap ensures that the organisation’s sales enablement efforts are structured, phased, and set up for success.

5. Enablement governance model

Governance is a cornerstone of an effective sales enablement strategy.

At the heart of this governance model is the Executive Advisory Board, a strategic group of senior executives.

Their primary role is not to delve into the micro-details of the strategy but to focus on the broader results, ensuring that the sales enablement processes and initiatives align with the overarching organisational objectives.

Engaging these senior stakeholders from the inception of your charter lays the groundwork for robust enablement governance. Their continuous involvement will automatically elevate enablement efforts from mere tactical initiatives to strategic pursuits with significant sponsorship.

An effective enablement governance model serves multiple purposes.

It facilitates engagement with executive sponsors, fosters alignment with the organisation’s broader strategies, and provides a platform to address strategic challenges.

Moreover, it offers mechanisms for transparent reporting on the progress and impact of enablement initiatives.

Without such a structured governance model, enablement risks remain in the shadows, constantly struggling to secure the necessary support and resources.

By maintaining an active and engaged Executive Advisory Board, sales enablement is positioned to thrive, drawing consistent support across the organisation.

6. Enablement collaboration model

By now, it should be clear that sales enablement is not a solitary endeavour and instead thrives on collective effort.

While everyone acknowledges the importance of collaboration, it’s essential to move beyond ad-hoc interactions and establish a structured, formalised collaboration model.

This section delineates the roles and responsibilities of cross-functional teams in their interactions with the sales enablement team.

A formalised collaboration model ensures that teams across the organisation recognise and allocate a portion of their time to support enablement initiatives within the framework set by the enablement team.

By doing so, it creates shared expectations and eliminates the need to redefine roles and responsibilities with every new project.

Without such a model, organisations often find themselves lost in time-consuming negotiations about the value of a service, whose responsibility it is to produce it, and from which budget the resources should be allocated.

By setting clear expectations and defining collaboration parameters, this approach also enables scalability. As the organisation grows, sales enablement interventions will be able to draw contributions from cross-functional teams with much more ease without getting bogged down in repetitive discussions.

In essence, an enablement collaboration model can be a strong driver for efficiency, ensuring that sales enablement becomes a harmonised, collective effort, leveraging the strengths and expertise of the entire organisation.

Defining a sales enablement strategy in practice

Having explored the foundational elements of a sales enablement strategy, it’s time to transition from theory to application. While understanding the “what” provides clarity and direction, it’s the “how” that brings a strategy to life. In this section, I’ll examine the practical aspects of crafting a sales enablement strategy.

Conduct thorough research

Embarking on the journey of crafting a sales enablement strategy necessitates a deep dive into the current state of your organisation. For this reason, your first step lies in comprehensive research.

This should never be about validating pre-existing beliefs. Instead, you need to adopt the mindset of an explorer, venturing into the unknown with an open mind, ready to uncover insights that will shape the strategy’s direction.

Consider these steps when conducting your research:

1. Engage with executive leadership

Your first port of call should be the organisation’s senior leadership. Understand not just the tangible sales goals and targets but also the broader vision of the company.

Are there aspirations for market expansion, penetration into new segments, or perhaps a desire to dominate market share?

What are the company’s long-term growth projections?

Following that, delve into the specifics.

Are there any anticipated challenges or market shifts on the horizon?

How does the leadership envision the role of sales in achieving these broader objectives?

How does the company plan to differentiate itself in the market?

What are the key value propositions they aim to communicate to potential customers?

As mentioned earlier, here we are trying to uncover both the overall business strategy as well as the go-to-market strategy. Aligning your strategy with these high-level goals is pivotal.

After all, these are the stakeholders you need to convince, and framing your strategy in terms that resonate with them can be the key to securing buy-in and the necessary resources.

2. Meet with other department leaders

Sales enablement is a collaborative endeavour, deeply intertwined with various departments within the organisation. Engage leaders from sales operations, product marketing, product development, HR, finance, IT, and other relevant departments.

Many of these teams might already be involved in ad-hoc sales enablement activities.

Understand their initiatives, gauge their perceptions, and identify potential collaboration opportunities.

This early engagement is crucial for fostering a spirit of conscious collaboration rather than competition.

Let’s remember that sales enablement teams cannot shoulder the responsibility of creating every enablement service alone.

By involving other teams at this stage, you’re laying the groundwork for a holistic approach where each department contributes its expertise. This isn’t the time to dictate your vision, but to listen, gather insights, and build bridges.

Demonstrating that you value their input fosters goodwill and paves the way for richer, more informed strategies that leverage the collective strengths of the entire organisation.

3. Identify a champion

As you navigate through your initial discussions, be on the lookout for a potential champion. In the context of sales enablement goals and business strategy, a “champion” is a fervent advocate who deeply understands the value and potential of sales enablement.

Ideally coming from the C-suite, this champion should not only believe in the discipline of sales enablement but also be prepared to actively promote its benefits.

For example, at an organisation I worked for, my champion was the CRO I reported to. He understood sales enablement and believed deeply in its value; as a result, rolling out and executing enablement initiatives was a lot smoother than in past contexts where I didn’t have an enablement champion at all.

A champion plays an extremely important role in driving initiatives forward, securing necessary resources, and ensuring alignment with broader organisational goals.

Think of a champion as an internal ally, someone who can remove obstacles, open doors, influence key stakeholders, and accelerate the adoption of the sales enablement strategy within the organisation.

4. Audit existing enablement initiatives

Even in its nascent stages, enablement activities are likely happening in some form within the organisation. Beyond the structured efforts you might uncover from departmental heads, find the time to also investigate the more spontaneous, on-the-fly initiatives.

These might include impromptu requests from sales reps to other departments, whether for technical insights about a product, modifications to a presentation, or even coordinating a client meeting.

Typically, these requests navigate through informal channels, like emails or calls, and often go unrecorded.

Hence, proactive inquiry is the key to uncovering these insights.

Additionally, consider the self-driven efforts of sales professionals.

Where do they invest time to enhance their sales skills or knowledge?

What kind of sales collateral are they independently producing?

For instance, the CSO Insights 2017 Sales Enablement Optimisation Study revealed that sales professionals generated 18% of the content they used.

Identify the reasons behind such self-reliance, as they can provide a window into existing inefficiencies or gaps in the current sales enablement material.

Lastly, discern any self-devised processes or behaviours they’ve implemented to enhance their productivity, essentially pinpointing the approaches they’ve independently cultivated to achieve more in less time.

5. Survey the sales force

While you might have already had preliminary discussions with some sales representatives when auditing existing enablement initiatives, a deeper dive is essential.

The sales team is at the forefront, interfacing with potential customers and grappling with the market’s intricacies every day.

By conducting comprehensive surveys or focus group discussions, you can delve into their specific pain points, needs, and the sales enablement tools or resources they deem crucial for their success.

This exercise isn’t just about gathering feedback; it’s about identifying potential skill, knowledge, technology, or management gaps.

Their firsthand experiences and insights will be invaluable, ensuring your strategy is rooted in the real-world challenges they face.

6. Analyse competitor approaches and benchmark with peers

While collecting internal insights is paramount, broadening your horizon is equally crucial. Start by examining the strategies employed by industry competitors in the realm of sales enablement.

What best practices or innovative approaches are they leveraging that might be adapted to your organisation’s unique context?

But don’t stop there.

Dive into the vibrant sales enablement community.

Connect with peers on platforms like LinkedIn, join sales enablement groups, and participate in dedicated sales enablement communities.

These interactions can offer a wealth of insights, from shared challenges to novel solutions.

By actively networking and immersing yourself in these communities, you can identify additional best practices and approaches, ensuring your sales enablement playbook and roadmap are not only comprehensive and relevant to your organisation but also aligned with the evolving landscape of sales enablement.

In essence, the research phase is about comprehensive information gathering, aiming to accurately uncover the organisation’s current situation and lay the groundwork to define what future sales success will look like.

It’s about piecing together a mosaic of insights from various stakeholders, both internal and external, to shape a sales enablement strategy that’s both visionary and grounded in the organisation’s unique context.

Define future success

Drawing from the future success section, we recognise the imperative to define what sales enablement means for the organisation, establish a clear vision and mission, and set tangible objectives with corresponding metrics.

But how do we bring these elements to life in practice?

The journey to defining future success is a blend of collaborative efforts and the specialised expertise of the enablement function.

Here are a few practical activities you may want to consider:

• Sales enablement workshop: Initiate the process with a workshop-style session. Engage sales managers, sales leaders, and heads of other go-to-market (GTM) departments. Use the insights from your research as a foundation for discussion. While you might have an initial understanding of what sales enablement means to others based on your findings, it’s paramount to create a space where every stakeholder contributes. This collective input refines the definition, ensuring broad resonance and buy-in.

• Vision & mission crafting sessions: Organise dedicated sessions with sales management and sales leadership to collaboratively define the future vision and mission. Central to this vision and mission should be the sellers or all customer-facing roles, ensuring that their needs, aspirations, and challenges are at the forefront of the enablement strategy. This stage is about painting an aspirational picture, setting the overarching direction for the enablement journey ahead.

• Objective setting & metrics design: Given that the focus is on enablement-centric metrics rather than direct sales outcomes, this step is primarily an internal endeavour within the enablement team. After defining clear objectives and metrics that are within sales enablement control and align with the vision, these are then presented to the Executive Advisory Board for validation and endorsement.

• Feedback loops: With the foundational elements in place, it’s essential to maintain a dynamic approach. Establish regular feedback mechanisms, particularly through the cadence set in your governance model with the Executive Advisory Board. This ensures that the future success section remains relevant, and any necessary course corrections can be identified and implemented promptly.

Fundamentally, defining future success is a continuous endeavour, demanding ongoing collaboration, expert input, and adaptability.

By actively engaging a diverse set of stakeholders and consistently revisiting the North Star, you can design a GTM enablement approach that remains both impactful and attuned to the evolving needs of the organisation.

Create a realistic roadmap

Once the future success and the scope of enablement have been clearly defined, the next pivotal step is to chart the course to achieve success.

It’s worth noting that the scope of enablement will have naturally emerged at this point, following the comprehensive research and the definition of future success.

Embarking on the journey of sales enablement requires not just a vision but a clear, actionable path to reach that vision.

The roadmap serves as this path, detailing every step, milestone, and decision point along the way.

But how do you ensure this roadmap is not just a theoretical exercise but a realistic, achievable plan?

Here’s a very simple step-by-step guide to crafting a roadmap that’s both ambitious and grounded in reality:

1. Assess enablement maturity

Before plotting any course, it’s pivotal to understand where your sales enablement function currently stands. The assessment of its maturity is a foundational step, potentially initiated even during the phase of setting objectives and metrics.

Is your function still in its nascent stages, or has it evolved into a well-established entity?

Recognising this distinction is crucial.

You can use my Enablement Maturity Assessment for this.

For an emerging function, the emphasis might be on foundational elements like basic sales training modules.

In contrast, a mature function could explore advanced avenues like coaching programmes, sales leadership development, management training, sales enablement technology, and more.

2. Set milestones based on maturity

Your milestones should reflect your enablement function’s maturity. It’s unrealistic to expect advanced outcomes from a function that’s just starting.

Set milestones that challenge the function but are also achievable based on its current capabilities and resources.

3. Create a visual representation

A visual representation of your roadmap can be invaluable. It provides a quick snapshot of the journey ahead, making it easier for stakeholders to grasp the plan.

This could be a Gantt chart showing timelines, a flowchart detailing processes, or even a simple timeline graphic with milestones marked.

If possible, accompany each milestone with a brief description and its associated metrics, ensuring clarity on what each milestone entails.

4. Outline resource allocation

Clearly outline what resources will be needed at different stages of the roadmap. This includes budget, manpower, technology, and any other assets.

Incorporating these details into the visual representation of the roadmap can offer a comprehensive view at a glance, ensuring stakeholders are well-informed. Being clear about this upfront can prevent roadblocks down the line.

5. Regularly review, adjust and engage stakeholders

As you roll out initiatives, it’s paramount to embed feedback mechanisms and maintain consistent engagement with stakeholders. Their buy-in and involvement are pivotal for the roadmap’s success.

Regular updates, workshops, and feedback sessions not only ensure they remain invested and aligned with the roadmap’s objectives but also allow for adjustments based on real-world results and challenges.

The sales landscape is ever-evolving, and priorities often shift.

By consistently reviewing, integrating feedback, and involving stakeholders, you ensure the roadmap is nimble and responsive to the organisation’s evolving needs.

In conclusion, crafting a realistic sales enablement roadmap is a balance between ambition and pragmatism.

By taking into account the function’s maturity, setting clear milestones, and ensuring regular reviews and adjustments, you can create a roadmap that is much more likely to accomplish the goals you’ve set for the sales enablement function.

Assemble the executive advisory board

The first step in building your Executive Advisory Board is to identify 5-10 senior executives who can make decisions, remove hurdles, and commit resources.

These should be leaders you’ve already engaged with during your research and future success planning phases.

Representatives should span various departments, including marketing, sales leadership, sales operations, product development, learning & development, human resources, IT, and customer success.

Once you’ve identified potential members, formalise the invitation process.

This could include a formal letter or presentation that outlines the board’s objectives, expected commitment, and the strategic importance of their role.

Use the first meeting to officially approve your enablement charter and establish a governance cadence, which could be monthly or quarterly reviews based on your business dynamics.

In these meetings, focus on high-level strategic discussions rather than micro-details.

The board’s primary responsibilities should be to define and evolve the long-term sales enablement strategy, make strategic decisions requiring broad senior executive involvement, and resolve complex conflicts.

Keep to a tight agenda that includes initiatives underway, results achieved against the charter, actions needed for progress, upcoming initiatives, and a call for feedback.

Establish a regular cadence for these meetings, whether it’s quarterly or monthly, and strive for at least one in-person meeting annually, possibly coinciding with a sales kick-off.

Regular meetings will not only maintain engagement but also provide a platform for transparent reporting on the progress and impact of enablement initiatives.

Define the collaboration model

I talked about the critical role of a formalised collaboration model in a winning sales enablement strategy previously, so let’s examine the actionable steps to bring this model to life.

Begin by incorporating enablement-related responsibilities into the job descriptions of key roles that frequently collaborate with the enablement team.

This sets the stage for a culture where collaboration is not an afterthought but an integral part of daily operations.

Next, standardise the collaboration process by adopting a role-clarification framework like the RACI model.

This model categorises participation into four roles: Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed.

Predefine these roles for each type of enablement service to eliminate the need for time-consuming role negotiations for each new project.

Set a regular meeting cadence that accommodates both strategic discussions and project-specific coordination. Ensure that these meetings are prioritised and that team members have the bandwidth to contribute effectively to enablement projects.

It’s worth noting here that while the Executive Advisory Board focuses on high-level decisions and alignment with organisational objectives, the meetings within this collaboration model are distinctly geared towards tactical execution and cross-departmental coordination.

Finally, make it a practice to proactively reassess the collaboration model in response to any significant changes in organisational strategy and structure or market conditions.

This ensures that your model remains dynamic and adaptable, capable of meeting the evolving needs of the organisation.

By following these practical steps, you’ll transition from ad-hoc collaborations to a structured, efficient model that actively engages various departments in enablement initiatives, thereby maximising the collective expertise and resources of the organisation.

Conclusion

Sales enablement is a strategic, multidimensional field that has developed into a vital component of contemporary business and sales operations.

Its revolutionary potential resides not just in providing sales teams with tools and resources but also in determining how these tools and strategies fit into the larger picture of the company’s goals and vision.

The transformation of sales enablement from a support role into a strategic force is achieved through this alignment with the bigger picture.

The process of developing a comprehensive sales enablement strategy is complex and calls for a thorough understanding of the organisation’s current situation, a clear vision for the future, and a realistic roadmap to get there.

It necessitates a team effort involving not only marketing and sales teams but also customer success, HR, IT, and finance departments.

For those looking for a concrete starting point, I’ve created a separate article discussing a sales enablement strategy example, complete with a template that you can use to develop your own sales enablement strategy. This practical guide should serve as a valuable resource on your journey.

So, as you develop or refine your sales enablement approach, remember that the key to unlocking its full potential lies in a well-articulated, comprehensive strategy.

May your executive sponsorship be strong, and good luck in your journey!