Why You Want My Job
My old job.
My last day as the Sales Enablement lead at CreatorIQ was last Wednesday. I’m grateful for all of it.
But this is the part of my hero’s journey where I realize there’s something else I’m supposed to do. I’m due for a pivot.
But here’s the thing —
I have never met someone in Sales Enablement who thought they would work in Sales Enablement.
We all sort of wound up here and I mean that in the best way.
The people I worked for have all been pivots from a different role.
My first Sales Enablement manager was an Account Executive for many years prior. At my next company, my manager was a BDR before he launched the Sales Enablement function. My second boss at that company came from Product Marketing.
It’s special that I got my start in Sales Enablement.
Here’s why I believe you should have my job:
You’ll master communication because your audience is a tough f*ing crowd
The skills you’ll develop are cross functional
You’ll know everyone at the company and what they care about
The earlier the startup, the more entrepreneurial you’ll become
From there, you can pivot to anything else
Kojo and I preparing for a workshop at CreatorIQ’s Annual 2019 Summit
1. You’ll master communication because your audience is tough f*ing crowd.
“Assume everyone is reading this email on their phone because they are.”
My first manager told me as I sat across from him writing and rewriting an email to All Sales about the changes that would affect their territories.
Writing emails for sales reps feels like you’re writing an email to your closest friend. You just get straight to the point.
Email subject lines are specific and the body message crisp. Any fluff or unnecessary detail and I would’ve lost my audience. Every email you write should answer for the reader - 1) why are you telling me this and 2) what do I need to do now.
When I learned how to do this in my first company, one of the biggest value-adds I brought to my second company was synthesizing all the information for our sales team. I often think about this quote:
“We are drowning in information while starving for wisdom. The world henceforth will be run by synthesizers, people able to put together the right information at the right time, think critically about it, and make important choices wisely. ”
You won’t only master written communications but you’ll get real good at verbal communications by keeping your meetings crisp and purposeful. No one is impressed by complexity. Everyone likes clarity.
2. The skills you develop while doing the work MOLD you into a Swiss army knife
I made you this diagram to illustrate the skills you’ll stack.
Any time you’re being paid to teach, you’re being paid to learn.
If there is anything I personally want to be paid for at a company, it’s to keep learning.
3. You’ll know everyone at the company and what they care about
I have friends who work at companies and no one knows who they are outside of their team. But in this role, it’s impossible for that to be your case.
The success of Sales Enablement rides on the strength of its cross departmental relationships.
Of course, you’ll be close with the Sales Team and its leaders because they’re your “customer.” To do this job well, you touch every part of the organization-
Product Marketing for messaging and customer facing collateral
Marketing for campaigns and events that drive prospects our way
HR and Recruitment for new hires and sales onboarding
Customer Enablement and Success for ensuring alignment across one customer journey
Product for relaying feedback and helping bring new pitches on beta products
Executives for leadership change they want to see in the front lines
The list goes on.
Sales Enablement Society: Santa Barbara Chapter
4. You’ll become entrepreneurial
You are tasked to create something out of nothing, all the time. To do this well, you need to be scrappy and creative.
One of the most important skills is being able to figure out things fast. The best way to get this done is by taking action and iterating. Again and again.
The best part is you’re not alone. We have communities like the Sales Enablement Squad, Sales Enablement Society chapters, or Llama Nation from Lessonly to ask how they’ve approached similar projects.
It’s helpful to look internally too because knowing how to source insights and frameworks from other teams will build a stronger and better streamlined revenue organization.
Of course, I hope this goes without saying but being great at Googling things goes a long way, too.
5. From here, you can pivot to anything else.
I used to have a massive chip on my shoulder for working in Sales Enablement but never having sold software before. I never felt the pressure of carrying a quota or responsibilities to quarterback a deal through a sales cycle.
To be great in Sales Enablement, you don’t need to start in Sales.
What’s made me successful in this role is that I’ve spent so much time around my customer - Sales Reps - that the empathy and compassion I have for them is incomparable.
There’s a lot of power to be able to operate in the connective tissue of a company.
You’re on the line to increase revenue but you’re not a player in the game of closing a deal. You’re responsible to push projects to completion but you’re not the one doing the main work. As a result, you prioritize being influential, nimble, emotionally acute, and exceptionally hard working at the parts you can control.
I can make the argument for a Sales Enablement professional to be able to take on any type of role afterwards. You’re a polymath now.
You understand how the engine of a business runs with a close up emphasis on the most important asset - the sellers themselves.
Having my job can help you do anything.
That’s why I know you want it.
Here’s me doing what I love — public speaking at the Sales All Hands for Procore