This article comes from Sonia Pupaza’s talk, ‘Maximize enablement programs' effectiveness by leveraging subject-matter experts’, at our Amsterdam 2023 Sales Enablement Summit, check out the full version here. 

Enablement programs live and die by their subject-matter experts. 

Like it or not, wrangling SMEs is a core part of the job. The good news? With the right approach, SME collaboration can be incredibly rewarding.

In this article, I’ll draw from my experiences enabling sales teams at companies like Oracle and Camunda to provide an insider’s guide to maximizing your SME relationships.

I’ve learned the hard way that SMEs are the secret sauce for impactful enablement. At one company, I was just a tiny cog in a 300+ person global enablement machine. Now I fly solo at Camunda, but regardless of team size, SMEs bring invaluable expertise.

The key is tapping into specific SME knowledge. Product experts can demystify capabilities, engineers share real-world implementations, and  customer-facing roles provide user perspectives.

In short, SMEs have the insider insights learners need. Let’s explore how to collaborate effectively! 👇

  • Why collaborate with SMEs?
  • Who can be an SME?
  • Planning a program with SMEs
  • SME collaboration challenges
  • Best practices for SME collaboration
  • Top tips
  • Final thoughts

Why collaborate with SMEs?

Simply put, SMEs have the greatest impact on enablement program success. After all, they are the actual experts in their domains, so it just makes sense to fully leverage their knowledge and expertise, right?

In some companies, enablement teams may hire external specialists who are knowledgeable about certain topics to develop content. That can work, but I've found that collaborating with your own internal SMEs is even more powerful for a few key reasons:

  • It helps simplify and align all the content and messaging across the program because it comes directly from the experts themselves.
  • With short recorded presentations or interviews with SMEs, you can break down and reuse that content in a variety of flexible ways across the enablement program - from 5 minute microlearning videos to podcast clips to assessments and more. It's getting way more mileage out of your content!
  • Learners get to see and hear directly from people they know, respect, and consider experts at their own company. That direct connection can really increase engagement and impact.

So in summary, leveraging internal SMEs enables you to do more with less by tapping into their expertise in focused ways that maximize relevance, alignment, and engagement.

Who can be an SME?

From my perspective, anyone can be an SME! But let's dig deeper...

When I'm developing an enablement program, I like to think about the key learner personas and where they can get the knowledge they need. 

Like when young children look up to their parents as SMEs - answering endless questions about how the world works until they learn how to read, write, (and Google things) for themselves!

Here are a few common enablement personas I typically engage as SMEs:

  • 📈 Product experts

Since they are designing and developing our solutions, product teams know the intricate details of features and functionality. They are great SMEs for "how it works" content.

  • 💬 Product marketing

These folks can translate product capabilities into benefits and value for customers. I tap them for messaging and positioning.

  • ⚙️ Solutions engineers

In my company, solutions engineers handle pre-sales demos and post-sales implementation. They make great SMEs to explain how our solutions are applied.

  • 🤝 Customer-facing roles

Client-facing teams like sales, services, and customer success interact with users daily. I leverage them for real-world perspectives and examples.

The key is to first understand your core learner personas and then identify which SMEs can provide the knowledge those learners need. 

Of course, you can also take what you learn from SMEs and adapt it for other audiences too. The insights often translate broadly.

Planning a program with SMEs

When planning a new enablement program, I always start by:

  1. Working with stakeholders to align on the overall learning objectives. Clarifying desired outcomes upfront is key!
  2. Meeting with potential SMEs to discuss the program vision, solicit their input, and get buy-in. I also validate with stakeholders that the SMEs I'm engaging in align to the program goals.

Here's a quick example of what a collaborative enablement program can look like with SMEs:

Recently, my company launched a new add-on product solution. To support the launch, I created an onboarding course that consisted of three modules:

  1. Understanding the new solution,
  2. Communicating the commercial impact, and
  3. Positioning the product.

For each module, I identified and worked with the SMEs who knew those specific topics the best.

The "Understanding" module tapped Product SMEs, while the "Communications" and "Positioning" modules leveraged Product Marketing SMEs.

After learners completed the onboarding course, we held office hour sessions where learners could ask additional questions directly to the SMEs and get clarity.

This helped reinforce and supplement the training.

About a month after launch, we also held a workshop where learners could practice applying what they learned about the new solution. The workshop gave them a risk-free environment to hone their skills.

As you can see, taking a collaborative approach with SMEs enabled us to create a comprehensive program that combined online training with ongoing reinforcement. 

The result? We now had confident, capable teams ready to successfully deliver the new solution to customers!

SME collaboration challenges

Collaborating with SMEs is extremely rewarding, but it also comes with some common challenges.

Reflecting on my experiences, here are 5 typical issues that arise:

1. Missing deadlines:

SMEs are busy people, so staying on schedule can be tough. I've learned to start content collaboration early and build in buffer time when I can. I also identify the absolute critical pieces where I'll need SME input if time runs short.

2. Presentation struggles:

Many SMEs aren't professional speakers. I partner with marketing or look for external help to polish their delivery and slides.

3. Resistance to change:

Some long-time SMEs are set in their ways. I build trust and credibility first so they adopt new approaches.

4. Technical jargon:

SMEs sometimes live in acronym soup! I ensure accessibility by spelling things out in plain terms and providing a glossary.

5. Misaligned priorities:

An enablement program may not be an SME's top priority. I tie program goals back to broader company objectives so they see the big picture.

The first program with SMEs is always the hardest. But embracing a collaborative mindset and navigating these challenges gets much easier with experience.

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Best practices for SME collaboration

While every situation is unique, I've identified two best practices that consistently set me up for SME collaboration success:

1. Meet early, meet often

Connecting with SMEs early in program development and maintaining close communication is key. When I started at Oracle on a large enablement team, formal intro meetings with each new SME were essential to alignment. 

Now that I work with a smaller, tight-knit group at Camunda, less structure is needed. But the core principle remains - engage SMEs early and give them plenty of attention.

Here are some tips for productive SME meetings:

  • Walk through the program outline and content needs. Get their input.
  • Agree on their specific contributions like recordings, written assets, review time, etc.
  • Provide deadlines for any deliverables you need created.
  • Decide on regular check-ins to review progress and next steps.
  • Leave time for questions - new approaches can require clarification.

2. Provide guidance every step of the way

I learned quickly that I couldn't just hand off content creation to SMEs and expect aligned, polished results. Clear guidance is imperative.

For each program, I developed detailed guidelines and assets to set SMEs up for success, including:

  • Learning objectives to align content back to.
  • Presentation templates that ensured brand consistency.
  • Rules for accessible language that avoided jargon.
  • Tips for delivering compelling presentations on camera.
  • Review processes to ensure quality control.
  • Glossaries for defining complex terms.

While SMEs have incredible expertise, most appreciate enablement's help translating that into compelling training content. 

My guidance gives them a framework for success while still leveraging their skills and perspectives.

Top tips

Here are some other insights I've gained on spurring great SME collaboration:

  • 🏅 Show them the value. 

SMEs need to see how their involvement directly impacts learner capability and company goals. Share success stories of prior programs.

  • ⚖️ Chunk content requests. 

Rather than overwhelm SMEs with a laundry list of asks, provide specific, manageable requests in batches.

  • 📹 Record when possible.

Capturing SME audio and video provides content flexibility. I coach them on quality recording practices.

  • ⏱️ Watch the clock. 

Respect SME time by sticking to meeting agendas and deadlines. They'll repay the consideration.

  • 📊 Simplify contributions.

Look for quick wins like 5-minute interview clips versus hour-long presentations.

  • 🌍 Gather many perspectives.

Retrieve diverse insights by engaging multiple SMEs across roles and regions.

  • 👍 Manage lightly. 

Avoid micromanaging SMEs. Give supportive guidance, then step back and let their expertise shine.

  • ♥️ Appreciate, recognize, repeat. 

Express gratitude and celebrate SME contributions. Then invite them back for the next program!

If you take away just one tip, it would be this:

Treat SMEs as partners, not as vendors. Embrace them as core members of your enablement team, and they'll contribute eagerly.

Final thoughts

The bottom line is that subject-matter experts are your not-so-secret enablement weapons. But to harness their full power, you need to actively nurture those relationships.

Make it a priority to engage SMEs early and often. Provide high-touch guidance to help them shine. Anticipate and mitigate potential collaboration pitfalls. And always remember to recognize SME contributions!

By following the tips and best practices we've covered, you can transform even the most reluctant SMEs into trusted enablement partners, taking your programs to the next level!