The State of Sales Enablement – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode of the State of Sales Enablement, Jonathan Kvarfordt, aka Coach K, sits down with Cory Bray, a prominent voice in the sales enablement space and co-founder of CoachCRM. Corey shares his candid thoughts on the current state of enablement, discussing its challenges, inefficiencies, and the need for a more streamlined approach. With years of experience in sales and enablement, Corey offers a refreshingly direct perspective on what works and what doesn’t in the industry.

Here are some of the questions Corey and Jonathan attempted to tackle:

• What is Corey’s background, and how has his experience shaped his approach to sales enablement?
• What is the current state of sales enablement, and why does Cory believe it has become bloated?
• Why does Cory challenge the idea of sales enablement being a true "community" and what are the implications of this view?
• How does Cory differentiate between building and operating enablement functions, and why does he see this distinction as crucial?
• What is Cory’s approach to solving enablement problems quickly and effectively?
• How does Cory view the role of sales experience in leading an enablement function, and why does he believe it’s critical?
• What should enablement professionals focus on to prove the value of their work within an organisation?

Tune in to hear Corey’s unfiltered opinions on the enablement landscape and his practical advice on making enablement more effective and results-driven.

Connect with Coach K: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmkmba/

Connect with Cory Bray: https://www.linkedin.com/in/buy-triangleselling/

The Sales Enablement Playbook: https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Enablement-Playbook-Cory-Bray/dp/1546744762

The Sales Management Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sales-management-podcast/id1631765942

In this episode of the State of Sales Enablement, Coach K sits down with Christina Brady, CEO of Luster.ai, to explore the intersection of AI and sales enablement. Christina brings her extensive experience in sales leadership and enablement to the conversation, offering insights into the evolving role of AI in enhancing sales performance and training.

Here are some of the questions Coach K and Christina attempted to tackle:

• How can AI be effectively integrated into sales enablement without overwhelming sales teams with too many tools?
• What strategies can be used to ensure that AI tools support, rather than replace, essential human elements in enablement?
• How can enablement professionals maintain control over the tech their teams use in the face of rapidly evolving AI tools?
• What does "perfect practice" look like in sales enablement, and how can AI facilitate it?

Tune in to hear Christina's insights on leveraging AI to enhance sales enablement and her vision for the future of learning and development in the workplace.

Connect with Coach K: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmkmba/

Connect with Christina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinapbrady/

In this episode of the State of Sales Enablement, Jonathan Kvarfordt aka Coach K talks with Lauren Brownstone, an enabler with a wealth of experience and author of "Enabling Enablement: Executing a Strategic Learning and Readiness Function to Launch Your Organization to New Heights." Lauren shares her journey from education to corporate enablement, discusses her multi-faceted definition of enablement, and delves into the importance of behavior change in driving organizational success.

Here are some of the questions Lauren and Jonathan attempted to tackle:

• What is the difference between skills and competencies, and why is this distinction important?
• What is the Kirkpatrick methodology, and how can it be used to measure the impact of enablement?
• How can organizations move from subjective to objective measures of skills and behavior change?
• What are the common challenges in the enablement community, and how can a clearer definition of enablement help address these?
• Why can enablement serve the entire organisation, not just sales?

Connect with Lauren Brownstone:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurenbrownstone/

https://www.heartwisedev.com/

Read Lauren's book:

https://www.amazon.com/Enabling-Enablement-Executing-Strategic-Organization/dp/B0CQ17B8R3

Connect with Jonathan Kvarfordt:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmkmba/

Mentioned in this episode:

The Building Blocks of Sales Enablement Learning Experience

The Building Blocks of Sales Enablement Learning Experience is the ultimate sales enablement learning experience based on the best-selling book by Mike Kunkle. This self-paced learning experience will provide you with the knowledge and guidance required to fast-track the sales enablement maturity levels of your organization and your career. - Gain the knowledge required to fast-track your sales enablement career - Create the impact associated with advanced enablement maturity levels - Certifications showcasing your ability to create business impact To find out more and to register for exclusive relaunch offers visit goffwd.com/blocks.

Over the last 17 years, our guest has played a key role in enabling astronomical growth for his business across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and India. In this episode, we catch up with Phil Cleary, Senior Director for Sales Enablement at one of the world's most iconic technology brands, Salesforce.

These are some of the questions we're discussing:

• What are the key insights that came out from the Sales Enablement Society conference?
• Difference of high-performing organisations vs low-performing sales organisations
• Sales enablement evolving to revenue enablement and specialisation of the sales enablement role
• Competencies and common trends in sales enablement
• Local appetite for virtual communities and events
• How do you make sure that you stay strategically focused and shift the needle for Salesforce across all markets and product areas?
• Using the Customer 360 methodology in aligning to the customers
• What did you see happening during the pandemic that has affected the way your sales team works?
• How do business leaders ensure that they can successfully introduce a tech stack that supports a hybrid buyer journey?

Here are some of the resources referenced in this episode.

• Sales enablement resources brought to you by Krueger Marketing: https://www.kruegermarketing.com/learn
• Connect with Phil Cleary online: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clearyphil/
• Connect with Felix Krueger online: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hfkrueger/

Where to find The State of Sales Enablement:

• Website (subscriber exclusives can be found here) - http://thestateofsalesenablement.com/
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-state-of-sales-enablement-podcast/
• Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-state-of-sales-enablement/id1558307853
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/4ceCJYJLuCbTNbRTriOFpe?si=avn_E9EGSNu3gmHfoqJ_6g

In this week's edition of Sales Enablement Live, we'll discuss Strategic Buyer Content Personalisation. Some of the topics we'll cover include:

• Why personalisation isn't optional anymore
• Approaches to developing a personalisation strategy
• Execution and measurement of a buyer content strategy

Be part of the Sales Enablement conversation. Live streams take place every Wednesday 12 pm AEST (Tuesday 6 pm PT).

https://thestateofsalesenablement/

Here are some of the resources referenced in this episode.

• Sales enablement resources brought to you by Krueger Marketing: https://www.kruegermarketing.com/learn
• Connect with Felix Krueger online: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hfkrueger/

Where to find The State of Sales Enablement:

• Website (subscriber exclusives can be found here) - http://thestateofsalesenablement.com/
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-state-of-sales-enablement-podcast/
• Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-state-of-sales-enablement/id1558307853
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/4ceCJYJLuCbTNbRTriOFpe?si=avn_E9EGSNu3gmHfoqJ_6g

Our guest is a household name in the APAC region. Over the last 20 years, he has led go-to-market teams of large technology brands such as Hewlett-Packard, Salesforce, SAP, Microsoft and Zendesk.

In this episode, Rod Moynihan, Director and Head of Growth at BAC Partners, shares insights on what it takes to be strategic in scaling revenue.

These are some of the questions we're discussing:

• What impact has COVID19 had on companies in Australia?
• How did you go about designing a sales process that is effective and continues to improve?
• As a sales leader, how can you make sure that the sales process improves over time?
• What are the key differences in the way US buyers interact with sales teams versus Australian buyers?
• What is your advice to leaders of sales organisations in building their tech stack?
• What are the considerations to make to ensure that the technology truly adds value to their sales process?
• When hiring salespeople, what are the traits that you are looking for?
• How do you approach coaching to make sure that salespeople continue to develop their skills during their tenure?
• What is the difference between salespeople relying on digital engagement vs. building a relationship with your buyer?
• What is your advice to the next generation of commercial leaders in the Australian markets working for American companies to interact with their head offices and leverage those resources overseas?

Here are some of the resources referenced in this episode.

• Sales enablement resources brought to you by Krueger Marketing: https://www.kruegermarketing.com/learn
• Connect with Rod Moynihan online: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rodmoynihan/
• Connect with Felix Krueger online: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hfkrueger/

Where to find The State of Sales Enablement:

• Website (subscriber exclusives can be found here) - http://thestateofsalesenablement.com/
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-state-of-sales-enablement-podcast/
• Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-state-of-sales-enablement/id1558307853
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/4ceCJYJLuCbTNbRTriOFpe?si=avn_E9EGSNu3gmHfoqJ_6g

SalesTech is booming and it's hard for enablers to navigate the landscape in a strategic way. In this episode of Sales Enablement Live, we share an approach to strategic SalesTech sourcing that will change the way you think about technology buying.

These are some of the topics we're discussing:

• Sales Technology Landscapes
• MarTech Growth & Astronomic Growth
• Tech Categories Buyers Are Investing In
• Reason for Introducing Sales Tech
• Tech Sourcing Strategy

Be part of the Sales Enablement conversation. Live streams take place every Wednesday 12 pm AEST (Tuesday 6 pm PT).

https://www.kruegermarketing.com/thestateofsalesenablement/

Here are some of the resources referenced in this episode.

• Sales enablement resources brought to you by Krueger Marketing: https://www.kruegermarketing.com/learn
• Connect with Felix Krueger online: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hfkrueger/

Where to find The State of Sales Enablement:

• Website (subscriber exclusives can be found here) - http://thestateofsalesenablement.com/
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-state-of-sales-enablement-podcast/
• Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-state-of-sales-enablement/id1558307853
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/4ceCJYJLuCbTNbRTriOFpe?si=avn_E9EGSNu3gmHfoqJ_6g

Join us in the Krueger Marketing podcast studio this week for another episode of The State of Sales Enablement.

Our guest in today's episode is a sales leader who has successfully tackled a monumental task: Establishing a new product category in the APAC region for a US tech company that has turned unicorn in 2021. In our conversation, he reveals how he went about it and how he has leveraged sales enablement along the way. Please welcome Impact.com's APAC Sales Director Peter Bray.

These are some of the questions we're discussing:

• What is partner management and how did you go about creating this new category in the minds of your target market?
• Is the skillset required for a team to be successful different in the context of the consultative approach where you are having to understand and analyse where the client's at in order to make sense of the category that you're trying to establish?
• How is the culture piece critical in making fast growth work?
• How do you make sure that you leverage resources that you have available overseas for the local market? How do you make sure that the translation is adding value to your activity locally?
• How does your local team benefit in terms of the tech infrastructure from head office and all the systems that are put in place?
• Talk about the success factors of challenger brands out there eating the breakfast of big brands.
• What advice would you give companies based overseas wanting to enter the Australian market? What are the characteristics of the Australian market? What should these companies consider and what are mistakes to avoid?
• What are some tips to more effectively enable their sales team with, when one has little resources and little time on their hands?

Here are some of the resources referenced in this episode.

• Sales enablement resources brought to you by Krueger Marketing: https://www.kruegermarketing.com/learn
• Connect with Peter Bray online: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterbraylinkedin/
• Connect with Felix Krueger online: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hfkrueger/

Where to find The State of Sales Enablement:

• Website (subscriber exclusives can be found here) - http://thestateofsalesenablement.com/
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-state-of-sales-enablement-podcast/
• Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-state-of-sales-enablement/id1558307853
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/4ceCJYJLuCbTNbRTriOFpe?si=avn_E9EGSNu3gmHfoqJ_6g

Join us in the Krueger Marketing podcast studio this week for another episode of Sales Enablement Live, your weekly catch-up with Felix Krueger and our Sales Enablement community.

These are some of the topics we're discussing:

• Impact of Strategic Sales Enablement To The Bottom Line
• Sales Enablement Strategy And Approach Types
• Strategic Vs. Non-Strategic Approach
• Overcoming Barriers of Sales Enablers From Being Strategic
• Input That Sets Your Sales Strategy Apart
• Output That Makes a Difference
• Dedicated Resources for Sales Enablement

Be part of the Sales Enablement conversation. Register once to gain access to all future Sales Enablement Live sessions. Live streams take place every Wednesday 12 pm AEST (Tuesday 6 pm PT).

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIlde6vrDgrHNJG2TFb3V_mDtTDDMFemIU2

Here are some of the resources referenced in this episode.

• Sales enablement resources brought to you by Krueger Marketing: https://www.kruegermarketing.com/learn
• Connect with Felix Krueger online: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hfkrueger/

Where to find The State of Sales Enablement:

• Website (subscriber exclusives can be found here) - http://thestateofsalesenablement.com/
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-state-of-sales-enablement-podcast/
• Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-state-of-sales-enablement/id1558307853
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/4ceCJYJLuCbTNbRTriOFpe?si=avn_E9EGSNu3gmHfoqJ_6g

In this episode, Felix Krueger switched roles and was interviewed by PDA Group's Britta Lorenz on the Expert Talk Podcast to talk about the secrets of a powerful value message.

These are some of the questions we're discussing:

• How do you define value messaging?
• What are value messaging do's and don'ts?
• How can marketing foster and support sales? What role does sales enablement play there to get the whole message across into a dialogue?
• How can enablement actually support to close that gap between one-to-many, to one-to-one, if you simplify it?
• What are the skills needed in order to develop a concise and powerful message?
• How do we practice the adoption of the theoretical value message?
• How do you reinforce the understanding of how to apply value messaging?
• What kind of role can AI play in terms of value messaging?
• When somebody is starting to create value messages, what would you say is the most important thing to look out for?

Here are some of the resources referenced in this episode.

• Sales enablement resources brought to you by Krueger Marketing: https://www.kruegermarketing.com/learn
• Connect with Britta Lorenz online: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittalorenz/
• Connect with Felix Krueger online: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hfkrueger/

Where to find The State of Sales Enablement:

• Website (subscriber exclusives can be found here) - http://thestateofsalesenablement.com/
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-state-of-sales-enablement-podcast/
• Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-state-of-sales-enablement/id1558307853
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/4ceCJYJLuCbTNbRTriOFpe?si=avn_E9EGSNu3gmHfoqJ_6g