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ATD Blog

Developing and Growing a Flourishing One-Person Sales Enablement Function From Scratch

Wednesday, May 3, 2017
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Imagine the following scenario…

You’ve just accepted a new role as the sales enablement leader in a new organization. After meeting with your new peers and new manager, you propose conducting a solid gap analysis before diving into execution. You expect to see nodding heads around the table, but the response is not quite what you had envisioned. Instead, your new manager tells you: “Nope, there’s no time for that. There’s a new-hire onboarding class scheduled three weeks from now, and you’re leading it. Can you send me the agenda by close of business tomorrow?”

That was the situation I found myself in roughly two years ago. On top of that, I was new to enterprise mobility software (software that large companies use to develop apps for smartphones). And it was a job with a remote work location; the company was based in Orlando, Florida, which is 2,546 miles and almost a six-hour nonstop flight away from my home in Seattle. If there was ever a “moment of truth” in my recent career, that was it.

Fast forward: That first new-hire onboarding workshop was a great success, and it set the pace for eager adoption of the sales enablement programs in the company. Since those initial days on the job, I’ve been able to implement and execute programs I could have only dreamed of that first week. What’s more, I now have a steady group of supporters—among both the sellers and the executive leadership team.

Why? Because when I was confronted with the unknown, I decided to go back to the foundations of adult education. The sales enablement agenda was structured along the sales cycle. All sessions were delivered by SMEs, and I convinced almost all of them to include interactive exercises rather than only slides. In other words, we facilitated instead of presented. I tapped into the depths of expertise that every participant brought to the table and enabled them to learn from each other.

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I used all the training tricks I knew: using a football to keep up energy levels and enable self-direction by the group, giving guidance for offering and receiving feedback, and filming all participant presentation for later viewing and analysis. I also made sure that the classroom was in perfect shape, down to the oranges and bottled water I bought at Whole Foods that first morning.

You may be thinking: “Wow, that’s a lot of detail to describe something that happened more than two years ago!” And you’re right! But here’s the reason: if you are to be successful as a sales enablement one-man-band, in my experience, it is best to NEVER skip the basics.

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Given the scope of the job, I discovered that I need to do things right the first time. In larger teams, there always seems to be enough time to do things over and over. But as a one-person show you don’t have that luxury. Even when you decide to terminate a program, make sure it doesn’t happen because it was executed poorly.

At the ATD 2017 International Conference & Exposition, I would love to pass some of my learnings on to all one-person sales enablement teams. At times, the challenges seemed insurmountable, but going back to the basics have always saved me. The purpose of the session is for you to walk away with a plan you can execute immediately, and a few pearls of execution. (They are much more impactful than wisdom.) With my co-presenter Erik Stromberg, we will approach the session as a workshop, with just enough information to get you started and tons of exercises, practical tips, and self-discovery. Join me for Develop and Grow a Flourishing 1-Person Sales Enablement Function.

About the Author

Marcel Eisma is director of sales enablement for Kony, one of the world’s fastest growing mobility solutions companies and an industry leader in mobile application development. Marcel is responsible for the sales development of Kony’s customer and partner-facing teams, including onboarding, certification, curriculum development and delivery, and coaching. Marcel brings to this role more than 25 years of experience in high-growth technology environments, both in the United States and Europe, including progressive roles in sales management, product, and marketing strategy. Prior to Kony, Marcel served as a sales enablement manager with Amazon’s Media Group, with global responsibility for onboarding and overall sales readiness of the division’s AEs, product specialists, and sales managers. Hi earlier career experience includes tenure with Microsoft’s enterprise, and field and SMB sales and marketing teams in the United States and the Netherlands.

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