Google Ad #1 - desktop - 728x90

Google Ad #3 - desktop - 728x90

Google Ad #1 - mobile - 300x200

Google Ad #3 - mobile - 300x200

ATD_Half_Page

Googel Ad #1 - Side Bar - Content pages

ATD Footer Logo

Elay Cohen is the CEO and co-founder of SalesHood and the author of the books Enablement Mastery and SalesHood. He is recognized as a Top Innovative "Mover and Shaker" in sales leadership by Entrepreneur magazine and by LinkedIn as one of the world’s top sales experts. While in the role of Senior Vice President of Sales Productivity at Salesforce, he was recognized as Salesforce's “2011 Executive of the Year” by Marc Benioff. Elay is on a mission to improve and modernize how companies enable their people, working closely with the world’s most innovative companies and most forward thinking educational institutions. Together, they're changing the future of work.

Elay Cohen

To accelerate your sales enablement impact, here are six proven ways to introduce structured and repeatable peer-to-peer processes to your revenue teams.

To Supercharge Performance, Introduce Peer-to-Peer Into Your Sales Enablement

Here are the components of a winning framework for revenue enablement.

A Proven Framework for Revenue Enablement

Games people play

At Colorado State University (CSU), research isn’t just an academic pursuit—it’s a driving force for innovation and real-world impact. A standout example of CSU’s commitment to innovation is the Center for the Analytics of Learning and Teaching (C-ALT). Situated within the College of Health and Human Sciences and the School of Education, C-ALT isn’t just another research center; it’s a dynamic hub where groundbreaking research is seamlessly integrated into practical applications in the classroom.The science of learning is very clear—practice behaviors play a crucial role in improving performance because they directly influence how effectively knowledge is acquired, retained, and applied. In our classroom-based research, we found that most students fail to engage in these science-backed practice behaviors. Given this fact, C-ALT faculty set out to build a method for behavior change.Behavior change, however, is notoriously difficult. Ingrained habits and routines can be hard to break without external guidance and support. Just as many people struggle to start and maintain a workout routine, they often turn to tools like a Fitbit exercise tracking device that provides the feedback needed to stay on track. Similarly, changing how one learns, such as incorporating regular self-testing or spaced practice, requires consistent effort and feedback to develop and reinforce these new habits. This is where U-BehaviorTM (see nduralearn.com for more information on U-BehaviorTM) comes in—it acts as a “Fitbit for learning behaviors,” tracking students’ practice activities and providing real-time visual feedback. By highlighting patterns in their learning behaviors, U-BehaviorTM helps students recognize and adjust their study habits, ultimately leading to more effective learning and better performance.Research at C-ALT has provided compelling evidence that U-BehaviorTM is revolutionizing how students approach their studies. By encouraging students to shift away from “cramming” and instead adopt strategies such as spaced practice and interleaving, U-BehaviorTM facilitates rapid and meaningful changes in learning behavior. The impact is striking, with 75–85 percent of students in these courses altering their study habits, yielding an effect size of 1.2 (Cohen’s d). These changes are not just statistically significant—they translate into tangible performance gains, often improving final course grades by more than one letter grade.What makes U-BehaviorTM particularly unique is its integration into the Organizational Learning Performance and Change (OLPC) master’s program at CSU. Students enrolled in the OLPC program are deeply invested in driving performance improvement through innovative training and development solutions. These students aren’t just passive recipients of knowledge about learning behavior; they are actively engaged in the research activities at C-ALT. By experiencing U-BehaviorTM firsthand in their coursework, they not only observe how the intervention affects their own behaviors, but they learn how these changes enhance the durability of their learning.This immersive approach offers OLPC students a rare opportunity to see the real-world impact of research-based methods. By participating in this process, they acquire the insights necessary to design and implement similar solutions in their own professional settings. The ability to translate research into actionable strategies is a hallmark of the OLPC program and a testament to the synergy between research and teaching at CSU.For graduate students in the field of training and development, the OLPC program at CSU offers a unique, research-based pathway to mastering the skills of innovation in the learning space. The program not only prepares students to affect performance through evidence-based interventions but also equips them with the tools to lead in the ever-evolving landscape of education and training. As one OLPC graduate put it, “It earned me a seat at the table. They’re now seeing me as a thinker, not just a doer, because of what the program provided me. That ability to think critically and help plan things out and direct the course of the company has been extremely valuable.”In the end, C-ALT and the OLPC program exemplify how research at CSU is driving innovation in learning and teaching, helping students and professionals alike make meaningful, lasting changes in their practice behaviors—changes that lead to greater success both in the classroom and beyond.

Revolutionizing Learning at CSU: How C-ALT and U-Behavior Are Transforming Study Habits and Driving Student Success 

What are the major dynamics of the talent development industry, and how are they likely to play out in the next several years? In other words, what do you need to know or learn to be a viable competitor in this field?

Winning Talent Development Firms Understand Industry Dynamics

In the business world, the impact of exceptional leadership is undeniable. Great leaders inspire innovation, foster collaboration, and drive organizations toward success. But what separates good leaders from truly great ones? The answer lies in a commitment to continuous learning.Great leadership is not static. It’s an evolving process that thrives on curiosity, adaptability, and growth. By embracing lifelong learning, leaders sharpen their skills, inspire their teams, and set a powerful example for the organization. Let’s explore how continuous learning shapes remarkable leaders and creates an environment where leadership can thrive.The Core Traits of a Great LeaderLeadership begins with the right mindset. While different industries may emphasize unique skills, certain traits universally define great leaders and are often enhanced by continuous learning:Vision: Leaders with a clear, compelling vision motivate teams to work toward a shared goal. They provide a roadmap that aligns organizational efforts, and continuous learning allows leaders to refine this vision as industries and markets evolve.Empathy: Understanding and addressing the needs of team members fosters trust and strengthens relationships. Learning fosters empathy by exposing leaders to diverse perspectives and experiences.Decisiveness: The ability to make informed, timely decisions often comes from staying well-informed through ongoing education.Integrity: Ethical behavior and trustworthiness are the cornerstones of great leadership. Continuous learning in ethics and accountability ensures leaders maintain high standards.Adaptability: In a world of constant change, the willingness to learn and pivot is essential.When leaders exemplify these traits, they inspire confidence and loyalty among their teams, setting the stage for sustained success.How Does Continuous Learning Empower Leadership?Great leaders never stop learning. They understand that staying informed and adaptable is vital in an ever-evolving business landscape. Organizations can promote continuous learning by:Providing access to leadership training and development programsEncouraging upskilling to foster further growth in employees’ careersPersonalizing training programs to meet the specific needs of each employeeThis might sound like a lot to keep track of, but with tools like AI-driven skills development, L&D, HR, sales, IT, support, product teams—any team—can easily manage their entire organization’s learning program on just one platform.Other Strategies for Driving Innovation in Your TeamEncourage leaders to take risks.Risk-taking is often a hallmark of groundbreaking leadership, but in many organizations, the fear of failure can limit a team’s success. It’s important to urge leaders to use calculated risk-taking and experimentation when innovating new solutions. If leaders feel comfortable exploring new ideas without fearing failure, they allow their creativity to shine. Innovative leaders drive industries forward by learning from their mistakes and envisioning possibilities others might overlook. Businesses that encourage this mindset often stay ahead of the curve.Inspire collaboration among leadership teams.Even the most talented leaders cannot achieve greatness alone. Open communication and shared goals are key. By encouraging each executive to bring their unique perspective to the table, leaders can learn from each other’s diverse strengths and viewpoints to enhance decision making. A collaborative leadership team amplifies the strengths of individual leaders, creating a cohesive unit that can tackle almost any challenge effectively.Promote diversity in leadership.Equally important is fostering diversity within leadership teams. A variety of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives offer limitless learning possibilities that lead to a broader understanding of different customer needs. Diverse leadership teams are fundamental to innovation, particularly in the tech sector, which has historically been hampered by cultural blind spots. If you want a solution to work around the world for all sorts of people, you need all sorts of diverse people to be its co-architects.Leadership That Inspires SuccessGreat leadership begins with an open mind and an unrelenting desire to grow. By embracing continuous learning, leaders not only refine their skills but also inspire their teams to follow suit. Organizations that foster a culture of curiosity and growth unlock the potential of their leaders—driving innovation, resilience, and success.In the end, the best leaders are lifelong learners. They inspire by example, adapt to change, and cultivate environments where learning is celebrated. By investing in continuous learning, companies lay the foundation for leadership that empowers and endures.

Continuous Learning Creates Unstoppable Leaders

Sales enablement is becoming a force to be reckoned with.In the past several years, it’s grown from an offshoot of sales operations or training, tucked away in some corporate corner and shouldering all the responsibilities sales leaders and reps just didn’t have time for. Today, it’s increasingly seen as a mission-critical group. In our work, we see a correlation between the highest-performing sales organizations and sales enablement leaders who have a seat at the table.Every sales enablement function lives somewhere along a maturity curve. Understanding where your team is on that curve is an anchor point for any planning effort. To set priorities for 2019, it’s important to understand where you are today. What are you dealing with? What are you trying to accomplish with the team you currently have? Where can you go?Below are the four stages of sales enablement we see:Stage One: Ad Hoc. The sales enablement strategy doesn’t really exist in any coherent way. It’s just a collection of (often random) activities.Stage Two: Collaborative. Sales enablement activities take on a more programmatic feel, but are still only loosely aligned to overall sales objectives.Stage Three: Integrated. Sales enablement is a core component of the sales strategy, with an emphasis on improving sales productivity and supporting field sales execution.Stage Four: Transformative/Strategic. Sales enablement is seen as a strategic driver for sales success. It owns activation of field behavior change and is mission-critical for sales performance.Obviously, the goal is to get to the Transformative level, where sales enablement is tightly connected to the sales strategy, and the sales leadership depends on sales enablement for execution of that strategy. But first you must determine where you are—realistically—before deciding how far you can go. It’s not possible to make the leap from Ad Hoc to Transformative, or even Integrated, in one jump. It needs to be a journey, building a solid foundation at each level to continue steady growth.To do that, ask yourself questions about your sales enablement strategy, execution, technology, and impact to help understand your current sales enablement maturity. Each of the elements below help determine what’s critical to your organization to help you make progress along your journey.1. StrategyFirst, consider how well aligned the sales enablement goals are with the sales strategy. If there isn’t a sales enablement strategy (or strategic goals), the alignment isn’t very strong among the leadership. Ask:How well aligned is the sales strategy among your leadership – not only the CEO, CSO, and COO, but also across the various sales leaders?Do your activities connect under a strategy? If so, how would you define the core elements of that strategy?Are there defined sales enablement goals? How do these goals map to the overall business objectives? Are there metrics? Do these metrics assess leading or lagging indicators?2. Improve Rep PerformanceWhether your sales enablement strategy is tightly connected to the sales strategy or there’s a lot of guesswork, the ability to improve rep performance can tell a lot about the maturity stage as well. Ask:How are your seller enablement programs supporting the sales strategy? Is it reactive enablement or are you working with the sales teams to offer planned support?How are you supporting sellers throughout their career lifecycle, from new hire to veteran status? How does your enablement approach change?When are your programs being executed? Are these considered “sales enablement initiatives” or sales priorities? Sales enablement programs should not be seen as separate from sales initiatives; they should be interwoven into the broader sales strategy through common touchpoints and communication channels.3. Activate Sales ManagementAny rep enablement strategy is dead-on-arrival if management isn’t supporting it in the field. Mature organizations have specific enablement strategies for frontline leaders. Ask:What is the expectation of the sales manager in the enablement ecosystem? How do they ensure accountability and deliver on the last mile of any program or initiative?Is there a separate enablement focus for frontline sales managers? What enablement are they receiving to support their teams in the field?How are managers engaged as a part of the enablement process? How are they equipped to lead change management in the field? High-performing organizations engage field leadership from enablement ideation through execution.4. Build a Smarter Tech StackThe enablement tech stack is constantly evolving, and the allure of the next shiny object is strong. Therefore, tech investment is sometimes used as a measurement for how invested the organization is in the sales enablement function. Ask:Has your company made the necessary investments in sales technology to support your initiatives? If so, are there too many tools? Do they distract from valuable selling time? If not, what are the essential tools that will help the reps at key stages of the sales motion?How are data and insights from the technology being used to inform business decisions?How do sales leaders use data from sales enablement to make decisions?Are you measuring the success of the sales enablement strategy, including the use of leading, lagging, or behavioral metrics? Which of these measures are most firmly within your control? What happens if you don’t measure it?5. Integrate With MarketingSales does not operate in a silo. Enablement needs to serve as the organizational integrator to the field. To do so, engagement, collaboration, and alignment with marketing is critical. Ask:How does marketing gain input from enablement (and vice versa) to develop marketing initiatives?What role does enablement play in the launch and delivery of key marketing programs, including messaging, product launch, or competitive intelligence?How aligned is sales, enablement, and marketing on the key objectives that will truly drive rep performance? Is the focus too broad or too narrow? What success metrics are shared among the three functions?If you answered No more than Yes, you’re probably not as far along on the maturity curve as you’d like to be. Consider where your opportunities are to deliver support and have an impact on the sales organization. What challenges exist that you can rectify? What challenges do you see in the near future (or long term)? How can you prepare for those challenges and even get ahead of them?Consider any risks involved with accomplishing your sales enablement goals, including aligning people who may not understand your function. The success of sales enablement requires alignment across multiple functions and stakeholders to be successful. Identify those stakeholders (including sales, finance, IT, marketing, and product development) and the role they’ll play in your process. Turn them into champions by letting them know ultimately your goal is to help them to realize their objectives.Whether you're an army of one or you've got a dedicated global function with many resources, aspire to move one level at a time toward becoming—and remaining—a transformative force in your sales organization.

The Stages of Sales Enablement Maturity

How often have you leaned across your desk or paused in an office doorway to ask a colleague a question? Or raised your eyebrows at a team member during a meeting with a tricky client, in silent, supportive communication? Along with water cooler conversations, these small confidences and day-to-day interactions are the building blocks of great working relationships. But what happens if those you work closest with are spread across oceans, borders and time zones? Can you still build the same quality of relationship with a virtual teammate? Not too long ago it would have been almost impossible. Sitting many thousands of miles apart from your colleagues, the constraints of different time zones, traditional communications technology, languages, and cultural norms would have created a tangible block to great relationship building. Indeed, in my last blog, “Bagels: The Secret to Building a High-Performing Virtual Team,"  I discussed the importance of building trust and rapport in teams. Central to this is the ability to absorb body language cues, participate in informal chat, and pay attention to the tone of voice—all of which are tough to convey remotely. So how do you overcome these challenges and build a strong virtual team? Technology can certainly play an important role. With the rapid advancement of social media platforms, web-based video conferencing, and real-time chat capability, technology has transformed the accessibility of disparate global teams and the ability to bring them closer together. Numerous web-based services offer free or low-cost video conferencing, messaging facilities, file sharing, and other resources that can enable even the most dispersed of teams to feel more closely connected.  In fact, I often find that many of these resources are already built into the information management system used by my corporate clients. However, only a fraction of the capability is generally used. So, why not explore what may already be at your fingertips—and make it work for you. As with many aspects of business, you’ve got to get the basics right. In the busy world of work, basic courtesy often gets left behind, and that’s no less true of virtual teams as it is with those who sit together in an office. I often find there can be a tendency for global team members to fire off emails to each other as their day ends, leaving colleagues on other continents to arrive in the office to a full inbox of demands. Treat global colleagues as you would those sitting next to you, with courtesy and friendliness.  When in doubt, pick up the phone and talk to your colleagues at a mutually convenient time, or use instant messenger for a quick chat. Then you can follow up by email once both parties are “on the same page.” Of course, a “mutually-convenient time” can be a challenge for some global teams. I would argue that on most global conference calls you will find at least one person who would rather be in bed. One of my Japanese clients, for example, is almost permanently exhausted by his bi-weekly 2:00 a.m. team call.  Everyone else on the team didn’t think it was a problem because he has never complained about it, whereas in reality he was simply being polite—as is the cultural norm in Japan. It’s common sense, really. Think about something fun you like doing with a friend, like swimming.  Now consider the only time your friend invites you to swim is at 2:00 am, after they get off their night shift.  Would you look forward to a 2:00 a.m. swim?  Probably not, and that’s for something you like doing! It’s even worse when it’s a business meeting that’s keeping you from a good night’s sleep. When working across multiple time zones, it’s important to choose meeting times that work for everyone, not just your own schedule. At the very least, schedule meetings at different times so everyone shares the pain!  Another key tip in creating great communication across the globe is to choose the right mode of communication channels for the audience. For instance, one of my clients is a large global pharmaceutical company doing business in over 100 countries. They have quickly learned how critical it is to choose the right communication technology to communicate with local doctors and hospital staff when conducting time-sensitive clinical trials. “Taiwanese and Malaysian doctors prefer to be contacted by phones and not email, but Singapore doctors don’t like phone calls. They prefer emails or going through a third party coordinator,” a senior clinical research associate told me. “If we use the wrong mode of communication, we may not get any responses at all!” Finally, try to create an opportunity to replicate those small interactions that happen all the time between colleagues who sit in the same office. They are the glue that bonds individuals and turns them into teams. A client of mine works for a Chinese/U.S. firm, with teams from both countries supporting the same major Korean customer. On conference calls with the customer, the U.S. team frequently finds it hard to understand business terms used and points made by the Korean customer. The team use a private chat facility, during the call, to quickly discuss or explain points to each other and compare notes. This enables them to acknowledge shared challenges and present a more effective and united position to their shared customer. Here are five tips for using technology to build a productive and cohesive virtual team.  Take advantage of what’s out there. Good communications technology no longer comes with a high price tag. In fact, there’s a lot of it out there for free. Talk to your systems team and find out what facilities your company has already that could assist your global team. If not, try Google.Be flexible and considerate. As a good colleague of mine, who is based in Houston and has team members in Dubai and Afghanistan, puts it: “I start my day as my team ends theirs!” As a global team leader, it’s not possible to create effective team communication without a little give or take on time management.Encourage different modes of communication. Choose the right ones for each job. People have a variety of preferences in terms of how they receive and share information.  A sound principle for all communication—not just in relation to global teams—is to use different methods to get your point across encompassing text, video and voice options.  Create an informal mode of communication to encourage “chat.” Instant messenger is widely available and a standard feature on most information management applications. Indeed, it is actively encouraged by many firms as a fast and easy way of swapping messages between colleagues.Make sharing part of the culture. There are a host of file-sharing tools available, such as Lotus Notes, Google Docs, Dropbox, that allow teams to document technical procedures and share resources and information. These tools also enable global companies to maintain consistency, reduce duplicated effort, and ensure quality control across their various countries of operation. Building a strong virtual team is one of those occasions when business can learn much from social media. Building communities, sharing files, and bridging geography and time zones is what the likes of Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook do best. Yet global business has been relatively slow to adopt and adapt social media for its own uses, even when the technology has been available. By activating some simple and cost-effective tools, I have seen how easy it can be to create a virtual water cooler, replicating the important moments that we take for granted in face-to-face communication and, in doing so, building rapport and understanding between people who live and work in opposite corners of the world. What strategies do you use to build an effective virtual team? Share you ideas in the Comments below.

Search results for 'Elay Cohen'

Categories

Refine By