Sales Enablement: Curating a Pathway for Success

This article is contributed by Carly Foerster, Sr. Manager of Training & Enablement at Classy.

“So…what exactly is Sales Enablement?” 

This is a question I’m often asked when explaining my role at Classy to family during the holidays; former classmates at a 10-year reunion; or the person in the aisle seat of an airplane as we’re politely making conversation during takeoff while subtly trying to gain ownership of the shared armrest. We all know that feeling!

And if I’m to be completely honest… it’s a question I’ve often asked myself when reflecting on my part within the greater ecosystem of our Classy team. 

• Is “Sales Enablement” a squad of clever content creators for the sales team? 
• Are we a cohort of spirited speakers here to rally the team around new and exciting product innovations? 
• Do we focus on providing a comprehensive onboarding experience?
• Does our role expand through the entire length of our sellers’ careers at Classy?

The answer is… all of the above and more! 

At its core, Sales Enablement is all about facilitating the sales process and empowering our team to exceed goals. The beauty of this work is in how we choose to achieve these aims through a fusion of creative strategies in collaboration with leaders, marketing, operations, customer success, etc. In Sales Enablement, we are in a unique position to make a significant impact on the success of our company by enabling our sellers to optimize their efforts and progress in their professional development. In shorter words, we help our team thrive!

“I can confidently say that I've never been as supported in successfully performing within my role as I have with Classy. From onboarding and continued efforts to equip us with tools like Crayon & HighSpot, to an earnest effort to provide trainings that are relevant and meaningful in making me better at my job, to understanding that I can pose a question to any teammate or member of sales enablement and know that I will receive support in many cases within minutes. It's been nothing short of wonderful.” - Tobin Deters, Commercial Account Executive

The standalone definition of what we aim to achieve in Sales Enablement has been a tremendously motivating factor for our team; but it’s the “how we make it happen” that has helped me feel so fulfilled in my nearly 7 years at Classy! Our Sales Enablement team adheres to three guiding principles that create the foundation for a healthy and motivating work environment. 

“Every Seller Successful”

This truly is the guiding principle of our program. From the moment a new hire in sales or customer growth is extended an offer, we get to work curating a pathway to success. 

Our Onboarding and Everboarding experience is centered in a 30 / 60 / 90 day framework, recognizing that the first 90 days are crucial in a new hire’s development, (a fun statistic for you: “Organizations with a strong onboarding process improve productivity by over 70%!”) Here’s a quick overview of that carefully curated experience:

• 1-30 Days: “Learn” New hires engage in a combination of classroom training sessions led by enablement and subject matter experts, hands-on activities, on-demand guided pathways, and mentorship conversations to help them learn the foundations of their role at Classy.
• 30-60 Days: “Build” The second month is a critical time for new hires to gain confidence and build for success. New hires have settled into their roles and are supported by ongoing Everboarding trainings to reinforce Onboarding sessions.
• 60-90 Days: “Do” New hires are experiencing success as they exit their “ramp” months and are able to contribute to their own teams as subject matter experts.

“I had the opportunity to go through our onboarding program firsthand this year and honestly, it was incredible. I've never experienced such a well organized, well thought out training program. The trainers were excellent about engaging the "class", which meant people were present, paying attention, and taking away a lot of important information. There were also a lot of "learn then do" situations where we got to practice what they preached to help make it all stick.  It's so common at companies to feel overwhelmed or undertrained when first starting out, almost like you kind of figure it out on the job. That's just not the case here at Classy. We're set up for success right out of the gate!” - Eric Sparks, Commercial Sales Manager

Ultimately, we know that setting a strong foundation for seller success begins from day one, and we continually assess and adjust our program to meet and exceed the growing needs of our incredible sales and customer growth teams.

“Always Be Learning”

The second guiding principle goes hand in hand with this effort to make every seller successful, and that is the drive to “Always Be Learning.” This hunger for development is a philosophy that is essential to personal and professional growth. Our role does not end at the 90-day offboarding mark, as our sellers’ hunger for knowledge never ends. As Cady Heron said, “the limit does not exist,” and it’s one of the many reasons I absolutely love working with this team!

“Our enablement team empowers us every step of the way. From onboarding to weekly training sessions, they are helpful both pre and post-sale, making sure that we are updated and enabled. They live and breathe “Always Be Learning” as our product continues to evolve. They are thoroughly prepared with the tools we’ll need to execute on anything past, present, and future!” - Madeleine Joynt Joynt, Enterprise Account Executive

Our ongoing enablement program is an ever-evolving amalgamation of live training sessions led by internal and external experts, assessment and strategic conversations with leadership, content creation and management, individual coaching, cross-team collaborative discussions, on-demand pathways…the list goes on and on!

“Win as a Team”

The last guiding principle I’ll mention is this… we “Win as a Team.” Through the past few years, we’ve realized that being a sales enablement professional is not just about boosting sales with content and live trainings. It's also about building relationships cross-departmentally and fostering a culture of collaboration. By working closely with our colleagues across operations, marketing, product, leadership, etc., we’ve created a cohesive and effective team that is better equipped to support our sales and customer growth organizations as they provide the best experience possible for our incredible nonprofit partners.

“Sales Enablement is the backbone of the Sales organization. From every seller getting hands-on, in-depth onboarding training to weekly enablement sessions, we have the strongest enablement team I have ever worked with. The passion and dedication to their craft makes them approachable, easy to work with, and empowering.” - Jordan Grossman, Enterprise Account Executive

Finding Purpose in How I Make a Positive and Lasting Difference 

Nearly 7 years since I started, I still count myself so incredibly lucky to work for this mission-driven organization in a career pathway that so closely aligns with my passions and skill set. My personal mission (set by an ambitious 5-year-old Carly) has always been to “make a positive and lasting difference in the world around me.” 

As someone who often gravitates towards roles in life as a “coach,” “advisor,” or “captain,” I find so much joy and purpose in helping others maximize their potential for success. The fulfillment and reward that comes with seeing my sales and customer growth colleagues succeed, and knowing that I’ve played a part in it, is unmatched. My cup overfloweth!