Have you ever been tasked with transforming an entire region's sales leadership overnight? 

That's exactly the challenge I faced last year at IBM, and it taught me some truly invaluable lessons about driving sales enablement adoption across a large organization.

As a sales enablement and learning specialist, I've worn many hats throughout my career but this particular challenge pushed me to new limits - and led to some exciting discoveries.

Picture this: I'm in the middle of coaching a sales conversation when my phone pings with a Slack from one of our executives:

"Got a moment? We've got a bigger problem, and it's all about sales enablement."

Little did I know that this message would kick off a whirlwind journey to revolutionize our sales leadership across the Asia-Pacific region. 

In this article, I'll share the story of how we planned and executed IBM's First Line Managers Sales Academy, the challenges we faced, and the key insights we gained along the way.

Whether you're a seasoned sales enablement pro or new to the field, I hope I can provide you with some valuable insights and practical strategies for driving adoption in your own organization. 

So, let's dive in!

The challenge: Enabling sales managers to drive growth

So, back to this problem, our executive explained to me that IBM had changed its business model, and our first-line sales managers were struggling to adapt. 

He wanted to know how we could help the entire APAC sales profession evolve. It was a tall order, but I was intrigued.

The idea was simple yet powerful: make people more competent, help them win more, and they'll be prouder of their work and perform better.

We had the data to back up the need for change, our first-line managers across APAC had identified three key areas for improvement:

  1. Growing their business more effectively
  2. Coaching and leading their teams better
  3. Building plans for growth

The question was: 

How could we help them spend less time problem-solving and more time growing themselves, their teams, and their businesses?

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Planning the sales academy

Assembling a dream team

To tackle this challenge, we formed a diverse working group.

But we didn't stop there. We brought in business leaders from across the APAC region, including marketing and communications experts. We even roped in more learning professionals and sales enablement specialists too.

You might think we were crazy to involve so many people, but that's the IBM way. Everyone at the table has an opinion, and collaboration is not just accepted - it's encouraged.

Choosing the right format

After much discussion, we decided on a face-to-face event. 

Despite my initial advocacy for a live virtual engagement, we realized that our managers hadn't interacted in person with other IBM employees across the geography for a long time due to COVID lockdowns. 

We needed to bring them together.

Choosing the location was our next challenge. We considered various options across APAC but ultimately settled on Singapore. It's central, home to many of our regional leaders, and easily accessible for most participants.

Developing the three-day agenda

We planned a three-day event called the First Line Managers Sales Academy. Here's how we structured it:

  1. Day 1: Growing IBM
  2. Day 2: Growing yourself and your team
  3. Day 3: Growing your business 

Let me dive in a little further…

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The three pillars of growth

Growing IBM

On day one, we focused on IBM's strategy. Our approach is simple: hybrid cloud and AI. We wanted to ensure all our first-line managers understood where IBM is heading.

To drive this message home, we brought in some big guns. Paul Burton, who runs APAC, and Rob Thomas, who leads sales globally, were there in person. 

Imagine nearly 200 APAC first-line managers getting to shake hands and chat with these top executives. It was extraordinary and really set the tone for the event.

Rob Thomas summed it up perfectly:

"The most important role in IBM is you." 

That 10-second statement encapsulated his entire 20-minute talk and emphasized the value we place on our managers.

Growing yourself and your team

Day two was my favorite part. We blended sales learning with leadership development, customizing global leadership content for an APAC audience.

We kicked off with Junie Steadman from the Potential Project, who introduced the concept of Compassionate Leadership. It's all about doing hard things in a human way - a crucial skill in the often tough world of sales.

I then led a session on personal growth, focusing on building resilience, maintaining focus, and prioritizing actions. We made it interactive with flipcharts, sticky notes, and even a brief on-stage meditation.

One of the most popular activities was drawing our "ikigai" - a Japanese concept about finding your purpose. We gave out prizes for the best drawings, and the energy in the room was fantastic.

We also dedicated time to coaching skills. We broke into triads to practice coaching, observing, and giving feedback. It was a great way to sharpen this critical skill for sales professionals and leaders.

To cap off the day, we brought in Marty Moore, author of "No BS Leadership." His insights on leading in a sales environment were a hit with our participants and added credibility to our program.

Growing your business

Day three was more technical but equally important. 

We dove into IBM's Industry Handbook, exploring how to engage with our ecosystem of business partners and drive sales outcomes.

This was particularly crucial for our APAC region, where much of our business is driven through partners. In some countries, it's driven 100% through business partners, which is a significant change from IBM's traditional go-to-market model.

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Execution and outcomes

Throughout the event, we focused on engagement. We used interactive methods like flipcharts, sticky notes, and lots of group work. We also had microphones around the room to encourage participation.

We conducted daily surveys to keep a pulse on participant satisfaction and make real-time adjustments. The results were impressive:

  • We achieved an excellent NPS of 88.
  • 97% of our first-line managers participated.
  • The energy in the room was palpable, with nearly 200 people actively engaged.

While it's hard to quantify exactly how much this event contributed to our success this year, the feedback we received was overwhelmingly positive. 

You could see it in people's faces, hear it in their voices, and feel it in the energy they brought back to their teams.

Key learnings

Reflecting on this experience, here are some key takeaways for anyone planning a similar initiative:

  1. Advocate for in-person meetings: The value of face-to-face interaction cannot be overstated, especially in a post-COVID world.
  2. Involve stakeholders early: The earlier you know your outcomes and get buy-in, the smoother the planning process will be.
  3. Embrace diverse perspectives: Our "cast of thousands" all added value. Don't be afraid to involve people from different departments and roles.
  4. Get a project manager early: This was our biggest learning. Having someone dedicated to managing the project from day one would have made everything run more smoothly.
  5. Bring in external experts: Outside perspectives, like those from the Potential Project and Marty Moore, added credibility and fresh insights to our program.

In conclusion, driving sales enablement adoption across an organization is no small feat. It requires careful planning, diverse input, and a willingness to invest in your people. But when done right, the results can be transformative.

As sales enablement professionals, we have the power to shape the future of our organizations. By enabling our leaders, we're not just improving individual performance - we're driving growth and success across the entire business.

So, the next time you're faced with a challenge like this, remember: bring people together, focus on growth at all levels, and don't be afraid to think big. 

The results might just surprise you.

This article comes from Tim Littlejohn’s insightful talk, ‘Enabling leaders to drive enablement adoption across your organization’, at our 2023 Sydney Sales Enablement Summit, check out his full presentation here.