Leveling up: Proven steps for advancing your enablement career

This article comes from an expert panel discussion, ‘The Enablement Career Ladder. Your Guide to the Top’, at our 2022 Sales Enablement Festival, check out the full discussion here.

What does it take to build a successful career in sales enablement? It's a profession dedicated to unleashing the potential of sales teams to drive revenue growth.

But how to get started and continually upskill in such a fast-moving field? To demystify the career journey, we assembled a panel of three enablement leaders, Theo Davies, Esleen Goh, and Pooja Kumar.

With years of experience accelerating sales teams, they shared their insights on landing enablement roles, moving up the ranks, and continually honing your craft.

Join us as they pull back the curtain on proven methods for developing into an enablement expert.

You'll learn:

What skills these pros prioritized
How they advance their teams
When they knew it was time to take on bigger challenges

And more! Let's dive right in. 👇

What does sales enablement mean and why pursue it as a career?

Kicking off the panel discussion, our experts defined what sales enablement means to them. Pooja Kumar, Director of Field Enablement JAPAC at Adobe, kept it simple:

"Sales enablement is the process that supports sellers with training, coaching and content to help them guide the buyers through the sales funnel."

Theo Davies, Head of Sales Enablement APAC & Japan at Google Cloud, brought a formula to the table:

"I recently saw a formula defining the component parts of sales enablement. It's sales enablement times sales readiness and productivity plus sales effectiveness times sales engagement."

While a mouthful, his point was that enablement connects many disciplines focused on equipping sales teams. Esleen Goh, Sales Enablement & Productivity Lead APJ at HashiCorp, drilled into the key outcome:

"Our role at the center is helping sales basically simplify the sales experience, as well as having impacts in our business like moving the needle on growth."

Getting your foot in the enablement door

Eager to enter the world of enablement too? The panelists explored the many possible pathways. According to Theo, they typically fall into three buckets:

Being in learning and development roles
Having sales team experience
Possessing facilitation and program management skills

Ideally candidates showcase two out of three. But those lacking certain experiences needn’t despair. Theo once hired someone with only a year of sales under their belt due to their stellar program management chops.

Esleen recommended scoping out internal enablement openings that align with your abilities. For example, companies may need subject matter experts to conduct training.

Volunteering to co-chair sessions is another route, Theo points out:

“Sales and pre-sales professionals looking to switch can chime in and share particular experiences or stories that bring the content to life.”

That tangible presenting experience could help seal the deal. A little outreach can go a long way!

Making the leap to management

Transitioning from player to coach is no small feat. For enablement professionals eyeing leadership ranks, Pooja looks for can’t-teach talents:

“I’m looking for someone who’s highly collaborative, because enablement is a team sport, it’s not a one-man job at all.”

Esleen stresses the softer side, too – namely:

“Having that passion in us that we want to make people to be successful, and being comfortable with talking to people, reaching out.”

No one masters it alone. Continuous learning is mandatory, especially given the ever-expanding scope.

Breaking into the enablement community

Want to get connected? The panelists called the enablement network unlike any other, with Pooja stating:

“I have never had anyone not be helpful in the sales enablement community”

Tap into this support system by following prominent voices on LinkedIn or connecting with your fellow SEC members on Slack. Pooja explains:

“There’s a whole bunch of other influencers that you could follow to look at all levels, entry level to VP positions, and what companies are looking for.”

Landing that first opportunity often hinges on referrals. Esleen only scored her past enablement positions that way – by reputation.

So rub shoulders, make your capabilities known, and nurture connections even before needing them. The panelists themselves receive regular member referrals, fast-tracking jobs based on trust.

Climbing the ladder

The stats show workers staying put longer amid recent economic uncertainty. But that inertia can stall advancement. For enablement professionals eyeing a greater challenge, when do you take the leap?

Our three leaders listen to their inner voice for clues. As Esleen reflected:

“You come to a time when you’ll know that you're ready to move if you start asking yourself questions. What's next? Is that all I can do? Do I want to do more?”

That nagging feeling something better lies ahead could indicate it is time to shake things up. Pooja also asks herself regularly:

“Am I still excited to do this role? Thrilled about getting up in the morning and doing what I'm doing today? If not, can I change that?”

When the thrill fades, focusing her scope elsewhere often reignites the spark.

For Theo, an important milestone is nearing the two year mark in a position. By then, you should understand what advancement looks like or feel stuck. He advises being bold if called to follow your passion:

“Don’t be afraid to take a pay cut to get into something like enablement where you're really feeling like you love what you do and you're changing lives.”

Final thoughts

And there you have it - a masterclass in making your way in the world of sales enablement!

Our panel of experts covered crucial tips for breaking into the field, guiding a squad to greatness, and advancing your career over time. While no two journeys are identical, their stories and advice aim to shorten your learning curve.

Now you can start assembling your personal toolkit based on their real-world wisdom. Tap into networks, continually add skills, lead with empathy, and find your higher purpose.

By staying focused on growth, you position yourself to lift up individuals, teams, and revenue to the next level!