By Meganne Brezina and Irina Soriano, Seismic
In today’s shifting market, the tools that leaders once relied on to help their organizations succeed aren’t cutting it anymore. As customer expectations change, new technology emerges, and market landscapes shift, leaders have been looking for a solution to weather the changing times and balance employee morale. While change in business is a constant, it can sometimes lead to burnout and disgruntled teams. In fact, in 2022 the average employee experienced 10 planned enterprise changes – resulting in a 36% decrease in the number of employees willing to support these changes. But who manages those changes? Short of a dedicated change management function, leaders should be looking to their enablement teams to help support changes in go-to-market efforts.
The idea of enablement managing change isn’t a brand-new concept, but enablement leaders often lack the strategic direction and the resources to effectively drive change in an organization, with simultaneously driving outcomes and securing executive buy-in with their efforts. It is with this backdrop that Irina Soriano and I decided to share how we have accomplished this at Seismic.
Irina and I have connected with hundreds of practitioners over the years and have brainstormed solutions to some of the biggest challenges companies face. We’ve reaped the benefits of this collaborative, transparent community and we’re thrilled to share our wealth of 20-plus years of collective enablement experience to help you uplevel your own company’s enablement practices.
We’re also pleased to introduce the Enablement Value Chain (EVC) in this book, a strategic approach to drive cross-functional collaboration, elevate enablement experiences for field teams, and unlock value-based insights that continually enhance enablement efforts while consistently securing executive buy-in.
Ready to dive in? Order your copy today on Amazon and read below for an excerpt of our new book, Tomorrow’s Enablement for Today’s Leaders: The Strategic Guide to Demonstrating Value and Driving Outcomes:
“At Seismic, we approach enablement through the lens of customer centricity. Our 360 Enablement approach puts our customer-facing teams across the Buying and Value Journeys at the forefront of our efforts. They’re the Enablement team’s customers, and we have to ensure that we’re creating the best possible experiences for them, while also delivering on what the company needs to grow and expand. Our mission at all times is to ensure that we can support all our field teams to be successful, and we design our programming to help them build pipeline, close deals faster, and increase customer lifetime value.
For example, according to a recent Salesforce study, 72% of sales professionals don’t expect to hit their annual quota. Enablement’s efforts should help increase the confidence of all field employees in their ability to meet their goals, no matter what those goals are. That understanding led us to expand enablement’s role and add another part to the enablement organization, called field activation.
Imagine the Field Enablement team as made of architects who construct a magnificent house. They design and help construct the house, carefully planning every detail, selecting the finest materials, and ensuring structural integrity. They manage all ofthe builders and contributors — the people who are building the foundation of the home. After the house is complete, they hand the keys to the field teams.
However, the work of the Field Enablement team usually ends there. The team has no control over whether the field teams step inside the house, explore its rooms, or make it their own by adding furniture, painting the walls, etc. This is where what we call field activation comes into play. The Field Activation teammates act as interior decorators and home staging experts. Their role is not only to ensure that the field teams enter the house but also to transform the house into a warm, inviting, and functional home. They work closely with the field teams, helping them understand the unique features of the house, guiding them through the rooms, and assisting them in customizing the space to meet their needs.
Through their expertise and guidance, the Field Activation team ensures that the field teams not only step inside the house but also fully embrace and utilize its potential. Field Activation teammates help field teams arrange furniture, add personal touches, and create an environment where they feel comfortable and inspired to make the most of their new home.
In this metaphor, the Field Enablement team builds the house, and the Field Activation team transforms it into a cherished home, ensuring that the field teams fully engage with and utilize the resources provided, ultimately driving success and achieving desired outcomes. Combining field enablement and field activation — and driving strong team collaboration — fuels the entire Enablement Value Chain.”
