In today's sales environment, there's often a disconnect between sales teams and enablement that can significantly impact performance. As Nicole Plant, who has led BDR teams at Float & Loopio, and currently at Relay, points out during the SellMeThisPen podcast - this misalignment often stems from reducing enablement to just "training" and management's hesitation about coaching approaches.

In this article, we'll analyze how to create effective partnerships between sales enablement and teams, and explore practical strategies that drive results.

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The Hidden Challenges in Sales Enablement

The relationship between sales teams and enablement isn't always smooth sailing.

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Two critical issues often emerge:

• Enablement gets pigeonholed into being just a training function, limiting its strategic impact on sales performance
• Sales management becomes defensive about their coaching methods, creating barriers to effective collaboration

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Solution: Building Strong Partnerships

In order to fix this misalignment, you need to build strong partnerships with two sides: sales reps and sales managers. Let’s see how it can be achieved.

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Aligning with Sales Reps

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Step 1: Listen First, Act Second

Your first step in building alignment should be understanding your sales reps' perspective:

• Get to know their motivations and career goals
• Identify their daily challenges and roadblocks
• Understand what makes their job difficult

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Step 2: Show You’re Listening

Actions speak louder than words when it comes to building trust:

• Incorporate rep feedback into training plans
• Use real challenges from their experiences as training examples
• Show how their input shapes enablement initiatives

Step 3: Collaborate With Top Performers

Your best performers can become your strongest allies:

• Ask them to share their winning strategies
• Use their successful client calls as learning materials
• Transform them into change champions within the team

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Partnering with Sales Managers

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Step 1: Focus on Comprehensive Metrics

Move beyond basic quota attainment. Track and present:

• Conversion rates across pipeline stages
• Quality of account targeting
• Leading indicators like dial metrics and cadence effectiveness
• Team efficiency and scalability measures
• Market penetration rates

Step 2: Align with Organizational Values

Create buy-in by connecting enablement initiatives to:

• Company core values
• Sales team manifestos
• Management's strategic objectives

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Measuring Success: The ROI Approach

To demonstrate value, focus on measuring:

• Improvements in ramp speed
• Tool utilization rates
• Time saved per rep
• Quality metrics
• Conversion rate improvements

When implementing cold call training programs, monitor metrics from power dialer usage.

For account research initiatives, measure:

• Number of research reports generated
• Contact export frequency
• Quality scores for account research

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Implementation Checklist for Success

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Working with Sales Reps

• Regularly collect feedback about daily challenges
• Incorporate their input into training materials
• Convert top performers into program advocates
• Showcase wins from previous enablement initiatives

Collaborating with Management

• Present comprehensive data beyond quota numbers
• Connect initiatives to company values and objectives
• Demonstrate efficiency improvements
• Show clear ROI through measurable metrics

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Conclusion

Successful alignment between sales teams and enablement isn't about creating more training programs - it's about building strategic partnerships. By focusing on both sales reps and management, using data-driven approaches, and demonstrating clear value, enablement can transform from being "just the training team" to becoming a crucial strategic partner in driving sales success.

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Full episode on the topic ⬇️

In this episode of SellMeThisPen Podcast, Michael and Nicole discuss the challenges of aligning sales teams with enablement initiatives, sharing practical strategies for building stronger partnerships and measuring success effectively.

Nicole Plant is a seasoned sales leader who has led BDR teams at Float and Loopio, and is currently leading BDR efforts at Relay. Her unique experience on both the enablement and sales management sides gives her valuable insights into creating effective alignment between these crucial functions.

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