What is sales enablement? Don't know your revenue enablement from your revenue operations? Tired of explaining the difference between sales playbooks and methodologies? Then SEC is here for you.
This page is your one-stop shop for sales enablement definitions. From onboarding to methodology, and everything in between, we've got you covered.
This list has one-bullet definitions for all your key sales enablement-related vocabulary, as well as links to our articles that go into more depth on the topic.
With 20+ sales enablement definitions and more constantly being added, you're bound to find what you need.
Sales and revenue enablement:
Sales enablement:
- Sales enablement is a strategy which encompasses coaching, training, content, technology, processes, and activities with the aim of supporting and empowering sales reps to move sales opportunities forward through knowledge-based interactions with prospects.
Revenue enablement:
- Revenue enablement is an evolution of sales enablement in that it aims to support and empower employees across the entire revenue-generating organization. Revenue enablement looks at the entire customer journey, rather than solely focusing on the customer's interactions with sales teams.
Glossary of definitions
Buyer enablement:
- Buyer enablement involves bringing the same level of empowerment that reps receive from sales enablement, to buyers themselves. This involves turning your sales reps into subject matter experts who can provide buyers with the knowledge they need to address their pain points, rather than just pitching a product.
Buyer/user personas:
- Buyer and user personas are similar but different. Both are a fictional character that represents the real market segments of a customer base. A buyer persona describes someone who will buy your product/service. This will likely be a more senior individual in an organization.
- A user persona describes the person who will use your product or service. This may be a member of a sales team who works under the person who purchased the product/service.
Buying cycle:
- The buying cycle is similar to the sales funnel. It catalogs the process a prospect goes through on their way to becoming a customer, but also after the first sale is made. This includes their interactions with marketing pre-sale, and customer success post-sale, for example.
Chief Revenue Officer:
- Chief Revenue Officers (CROs) are responsible for all revenue-generating processes in an organization. A CRO is accountable for driving better integration and alignment between all revenue-related functions.
Content Management System (CMS)
- A CMS is a tool which allows enablement professionals to create, upload, store, and then deliver content to the wider organization. The tool can automate processes and allows enablers to control access to certain content and more.
Cross-functional alignment:
- Cross-functional alignment is a key tenet of enablement. It involves constant communication and collaboration between an organization’s departments. This cooperation results in a better experience for the customer as the entire organization is on the same page, aiming for the same goal.
Customer Relationship Management System (CRM):
- A CRM is one of the most important tools in a sales organization’s locker. It, as the name suggests, allows sales reps to manage and track relationships with all their customers. It also allows management to track a myriad of data. Ultimately, its purpose is to help track information and interactions between your company and your customers.
Go-to-market and go-to-market strategy:
- A go-to-market (or GTM) strategy is an action plan taken by an organization which details its ideal customers, how to reach them, and ultimately beat the competition. Go-to-market teams are broadly defined as any department which is involved in this process: marketing, sales, operations, product, customer success, etc.
Onboarding:
- Onboarding is the process of providing newly-hired sales representatives with the knowledge and skills necessary to perform in their role. The ultimate goal is to prepare reps so that they are able to play their part in leading the company to success.
Ramp-up time:
- Ramp-up time (or ramp/ramp time) is related to the onboarding process. The term refers to the amount of time before a newly-hired sales rep reaches full productivity and starts adding value to a sales team.
Revenue enablement:
- Revenue enablement is an evolution of sales enablement in that it aims to support and empower employees across the entire revenue-generating organization. Revenue enablement looks at the entire customer journey, rather than solely focusing on interactions with sales teams.
Revenue operations:
- Revenue operations (often referred to as RevOps) is to sales operations what revenue enablement is to sales enablement. The function is often responsible for setting targets, forecasting, strategies, and more. It helps the organization run effectively, efficiently and in support of business strategies and objectives
Sales cadence:
- A sales cadence (sometimes called a sales sequence) is a plan or structure for establishing contact with prospects. It’s a schedule which lays out how often a rep should use calls, emails, voicemails, and social media to contact a particular prospect.
Sales content:
- Sales content contains information for either a sales rep or prospective customer to view, which provides them with a better understanding of your product/service. It’s content that a sales rep uses during the sales process to help them convince a prospect of the product/service’s value.
Sales enablement:
- Sales enablement is a strategy which encompasses coaching, training, content, technology, processes, and activities with the aim of supporting and empowering sales reps to move sales opportunities forward through knowledge-based interactions with prospects.
Sales enablement tools:
- A sales enablement tool is a product, service, or piece of software which is used by enablement teams to help their sales teams sell. This can include content management systems (CMS), conversational intelligence tools, and more.
Sales funnel:
- The sales funnel explains the process which prospects go through on their way to becoming a customer. The funnel is used to outline what your organization should expect from a prospect at each stage, and what you need to do to move them along the funnel closer to a sale.
Sales methodology:
- A sales methodology helps salespeople have a structured approach for each time they approach a sale. Methodologies are frameworks and mentalities which dictate how your sellers approach particular phases of the sales process.
Sales operations:
- Sales operations is a department that helps the organization run effectively, efficiently and in support of business strategies and objectives. This function is often responsible for setting targets, forecasting, strategies, and more. Additionally, a sales enablement leader may report into the sales operations department.
Sales playbook:
- A sales playbook is a one-stop resource that helps your reps to be more effective and efficient in their jobs. It’s a document which captures best practices and strategies to use during specific points of the selling process.
Sales readiness:
- Sales readiness is a concept that while adjacent to sales enablement, is still different. Sales readiness is ascertaining whether sellers are properly equipped to close sales. Enablement is the process of preparing reps, while readiness is whether they’re actually ready.
Social selling:
- Social selling is all about sellers using social media (often LinkedIn) to have conversations with prospects. The idea is that these conversations develop into relationships, which then subsequently lead to sales. This relationship-building becomes part of the sales process.
Value proposition:
- A value proposition is a statement which communicates how your product or service will benefit your customer. It outlines why your product is essential for your target segment, how it will solve their pain points, and why your product is more desirable than others on the market.
