Shifting Enablement Methods to Optimize Rep Engagement

Shawnna Sumaoang: Hello, and welcome to the Win Win Podcast. I’m your host, Shawna Sumaoang. Be a part of us as we dive into altering traits within the office and find out how to navigate them efficiently.

Right here to debate this subject is Heather Inexperienced, the Director of Enablement at Jellyvision. Thanks for becoming a member of us, Heather. I’d love so that you can inform us about your self, your background, and your function.

Heather Inexperienced: Hello, thanks a lot for having me, and completely. I began my profession in a person contributor function in gross sales and labored my manner up via gross sales management, however shortly discovered my ardour for enablement early on.

I’ve labored for small startups to multi-billion greenback consulting companies and thru all of it, I contemplate myself to be a bridge for the gross sales group. In my present function right here at Jellyvision, my aim is to supply our income group with actually every little thing that they have to be profitable, from web new enterprise to retention, and that’s via our direct channel and partnership enterprise. So my group works to bridge the hole for our income groups. Advertising, product, and operations and help our gross sales group in any manner we will.

SS: You talked about you could have an in depth quantity of enablement expertise. What are some greatest practices you could have when aligning your enablement technique with the strategic initiatives of the enterprise?

HG: Yeah, it may be a difficult one generally. I’d say fingers down constructing inner relationships with our enterprise stakeholders is extremely key to bridging these two gaps. Everybody has the last word aim of offering income on the finish of the day and making us worthwhile, however every group has their very own targets that may not overlap with one another.

I discovered that it’s actually essential to have constant transparency and ongoing communication to make it possible for I’m working with these groups in tandem which causes minimal confusion on the finish of the day with our income groups. So a strategic initiative could possibly be launching a brand new product or characteristic, however then that could possibly be in peril with one other initiative that RevOps is maybe launching one thing new with this technique, so it’s an excessive amount of without delay. It’s actually essential that we get that buy-in from our management groups throughout the group to make it possible for every little thing from a product launch to new rep tech, to a advertising and marketing marketing campaign, that it’s all working cohesively collectively.

SS: That’s superb. And you probably did point out although, that it’s not all the time straightforward. What are among the main challenges that you simply’ve come throughout in your profession on the subject of successfully actually bringing your enablement technique to life?

HG: It may be powerful generally. There are undoubtedly challenges related to it, however the place would the enjoyable be if it was so easy the entire time?

So, particularly on the subject of enablement initiatives, it’s so essential for me to make it possible for our leaders perceive the worth of the why behind the initiative and the what’s in it for me for the person contributors and finally what our targets are going to be on the finish and what everybody’s going to get again.

By getting that management buy-in, we will get everybody on the identical web page. It’s oftentimes an uphill battle however I’m a giant fan of throwing on my mountaineering boots and climbing, proper? So every step after we’re rolling out a strategic initiative it’s a long-term play. It’s not a brief tactical factor. Every step is studying extra about what’s essential to every chief after which how we will pivot and alter to greatest meet their must make it possible for we push it ahead.

SS: I really like that analogy, too. Now, once you first joined Jellyvision, you observed some key challenges with the group’s earlier enablement platform. What have been a few of these challenges and what was actually the impetus behind deciding to make a change?

HG: Apart from me adoring Highspot, proper? I’ve been such a fan for a few years and I used to be fortunate sufficient to make use of it at different organizations. However coming to Jellyvision for me a number of years in the past, I used to be thrilled to see how extensively our group had invested within the tech stack.

Quite a lot of occasions you don’t suppose many organizations. In order an enablement chief, it was simply music to my ears, however with our earlier content material administration system and engagement platform, the very first thing I did after I got here in was I checked out it and I did an audit. I’m trying on the backend analytics, however then actually seeing

Who’s utilizing it, who’s not, what the highest performers have been doing, what our decrease performers in that center floor have been doing. The spoiler was that not lots of people have been utilizing the platform, which, additionally hurts as a result of as a corporation, you’re making that funding and it’s essential see that return to maintain it.

And so by digging in, I began doing many various conversations with our income group and particular person contributors to find out. What was the rationale behind not utilizing it? And the important thing suggestions that we obtained is that it was simply troublesome to make use of. It was arduous to search out content material. It was even more durable to edit content material.

And so it was like, why would I do this after I can simply go into my Google Drive and discover what I want after which edit and ship it that manner? It was simply resounding outcomes that it was troublesome and nobody wished to have interaction with it. However figuring out the worth of a platform like that, I used to be in a position to then begin placing the seeds down for making a change.

I knew we have been arising on a renewal within the upcoming six months. And so I began asking extra questions on if it did this with this work and type of planting the seeds. After which lastly bought to a pilot level of taking it with our key high gross sales reps and displaying them what Highspot might do. After which from there, we have been in a position to transfer the dialog ahead in making the change as soon as they noticed among the key issues that Highspot was in a position to supply us.

SS: I believe that’s incredible. And, as well as, I do know that you simply did a variety of work to make sure that you had buy-in from management to show why the change was wanted. What have been among the issues that you simply did to make sure that you have been in a position to safe that buy-in?

HG: Purchase-in is crucial, proper? Particularly when budgets are tight they usually’re getting tighter and tighter each single day. So for me, it was gathering all of that information from our reps. So not solely the analytics within the platform that we at the moment had and the way tough it was from an adoption standpoint however then the verbatims from our reps of claiming, “Sure, if we might have a Digital Gross sales Room, it might imply the world as a result of then I’d be capable of monitor with our dealer shoppers or if I have been ready to have the ability to simply discover one thing and edit it within the platform, I’d use it.”

So I pulled collectively a variety of the verbatims after which I put collectively the ROI breakdown of what we might see within the platform. We have been fortunate sufficient within the enterprise case I put collectively to begin Highspot three months earlier than our earlier contract ended.

That manner we might load every little thing into Highspot, and do a full content material audit, so we have been beginning clear. That’s so essential too, as a result of what you place in finally will drive what comes out. However that allowed us time to do this audit, load, and tag every little thing appropriately in Highspot. And in order that manner we had a very, and do enablement forward of that as effectively, to begin once more planting the seeds that change was coming. And these are the cool issues that you simply’ll be capable of see with it for us to have that easy transition as soon as we ended our earlier settlement. 

SS: And because you guys have carried out Highspot, how have you ever overcome among the challenges that the groups have been beforehand going through?

HG: Adoption will be troublesome throughout the board, however with Highspot, fortunately, our adoption has been considerably larger than what we obtained with our outdated platform.

For us, I believe it was persistently highlighting what was working, what high performers have been utilizing, and what they have been seeing off of it, with the ability to monitor it again to particular deal conversations, and the way they have been in a position to transfer these alternatives ahead via the content material they have been sharing. We additionally maintain bi-weekly workplace hours the place we share our greatest practices.

And in these greatest practices, peer studying is extremely essential for us. Ensuring that we’re sharing what’s working with our instruments and oftentimes when you could have one particular person see what another person is doing and the way it’s serving to them, that additionally helps to drive it ahead. We additionally supplied constant coaching from video programs to one-to-few to one-to-one periods. Fortunately we’re in a smaller group the place we will supply that stage of help, however to verify we’re overcoming any obstacles, if somebody wasn’t utilizing the platform, myself or one among my group members would attain out and say, “What’s the issue, what’s happening?”

Oftentimes, it was simply that they have been uncomfortable attempting one thing new, however after we confirmed them or they spoke to a peer and we had that connection, we’ve been in a position to get a a lot larger adoption charge.

SS: Unbelievable. And also you guys do have unimaginable adoption. I believe you guys are at about 89% recurring utilization. What are some suggestions that you’ve for constructing belief with reps and serving to them perceive the worth of the enablement applications that you simply’re delivering?

HG: It’s actually on account of my group. Shout out to Max Costello, she’s fingers on our Highspot champion, and we name her our enablement queen. She has performed an incredible job with constructing belief inside our groups. She’s the one who does lots of these one-to-one and one-to-few periods. We did many digital periods earlier than the launch, Zoom coaching the place we’d stroll them via the device, present them the advantages present them how we might customise issues. After which we have been very fortunate with our skilled companies settlement.

We launched this in January proper forward of our income kickoff final yr, and so we have been in a position to have one among our Highspot reps really come on web site, and I believe that was instrumental for us to be in particular person as a income group, after which have a Highspot particular person from the group there together with us as a management group and an enablement group all collectively within the room to have the ability to collectively stroll via it, not simply over Zoom.

I do know that’s not one thing everybody can do and we have been so fortunate for it. However then publish income kickoff, holding these constant workplace hours and once more, sharing greatest practices and simply staying shut with our group I believe has been large for us in getting folks into the platform.

SS: You’ve talked about a number of occasions now throughout this dialog the significance of utilizing information.

And we’ve seen in our buyer base that having information is essential to constructing belief and bettering worth. And I do know that you’re very a lot a data-driven enablement chief. How do you measure the influence of your enablement efforts and the way do you leverage Highspot to assist?

HG: Nice query. Gone are the times of utilizing our intestine to make selections and to find out what’s working and what’s not working. Though I’ve labored with many individuals who nonetheless really feel comfy in that manner. For me, information is crucial. It tells us what’s working, and what’s not working, and it helps us craft a narrative.

And to cite, Actual Housewives of Salt Lake Metropolis, proper? I want proof, timeline, and screenshots. That’s actually the place I are available after I’m talking with my groups and I’m talking with management on what’s working or the place we must always make changes. And that’s with each device that now we have, particularly within the financial system that we’re in right now, each greenback invested must have a return.

And if we’re not getting it, we have to work out why. And a variety of that comes enablement group. So what are we doing to make it possible for the groups are using it correctly? So for Highspot particularly, we report again month-to-month to advertising and marketing and to rev management. We’ve got two separate conferences for advertising and marketing.

We report again on what content material resonates essentially the most with our shoppers. So not solely what our reps are sending, however what’s actually being seen. If now we have a PowerPoint presentation that has. 30 slides. Gosh, I hope nobody’s sending one which’s that enormous. But when a shopper’s solely taking a look at, three to 5 of them, these are the slides that we need to focus our consideration on shifting ahead.

That’s what actually resonates. And so for our advertising and marketing group, it’s been actually useful. Particularly since we’ve simply performed this large model audit. And so we’ve actually prioritized what items of collateral we’re going to regulate to the brand new model outlines based mostly on what’s been despatched and what’s been engaged with.

However then for our rev management, we’re in a position to then see, we’re in a position to tie the analytics again with how conversations are literally progressing from prospecting to alternatives, closed gained or closed misplaced. And I believe that exhibits a variety of worth again into the platform. And once more, we’re in a position to do much more one-to-one, one to few, given how small of a corporation we’re.

We’ve got about 60 sellers throughout our complete group. However telling that story with the information has been actually useful for us to indicate what’s working after which who we have to spend extra time with to maximise their effectiveness as effectively.

SS: What are possibly additionally among the key outcomes you’ve achieved since switching to Highspot? Do you could have any wins you’ll be able to share?

HG: Our group is a bit totally different based mostly on the know-how that we promote. We provide a device that helps people select and use their advantages. And recognize their advantages too. My advertising and marketing group would kill me if I didn’t throw that half in there. However we do, due to what we provide, we do 90% of all of our income proper earlier than the normal open enrollment season.

So really 90% of the entire offers that our gross sales group goes to signal are signed between August via October every year, which then leaves many months the place we’re not closing offers. We are able to create alternatives, however we don’t know the way totally they’re progressing. So we have been actually excited this yr to really have that full end-to-end deal cycle from prospecting to alternatives closed gained.

We have been in a position to pull some actually superior win tales in Q3 final yr that we’re in a position to present what content material was shared all through the journey from prospecting earlier than a possibility was even created, after which from a possibility being created to closed gained, generally it’s a few weeks, a few months, however for lots of time we’re doing prospecting, this time of yr. So we’re on the lookout for alternatives in February which can be going to shut and hopefully, August via October, and having that content material to have the ability to present the journey has been ready for us to streamline particularly with our grasp gross sales decks and our one-pagers and actually when case research are most related in being shared within the journey.

And so I believe that’s helped us loads with bringing that to the lots and scaling what content material is greatest to share when and we’ve tagged it appropriately in Salesforce now. So it makes it very easy when your alternative is progressing the content material that’s being proven to you. So it’s taking the pondering out of it at this level and made it very easy. In order that they know precisely what to share and when.

SS: Heather, final query for you. What are some targets that you’ve for Jellyvision within the coming yr and the way do you propose to proceed to evolve your enablement technique to help key initiatives of the enterprise? 

HG: Key initiatives are all the time altering. So we’re going to proceed to be nimble and pivot as wanted.

However this yr we’re tremendous excited to lean into the latest updates that Highspot has had. We’ve been very AI-forward at Jellyvision. Our CEO has actually leaned in and inspired us to lean in. So, I’m excited concerning the new updates to the platform. We’re really doing a relaunch subsequent month to our groups to roll out what that appears like.

After which one among our main targets this yr is to essentially maximize the utilization of the digital gross sales rooms. Right here we name them shopper microsites. That’s our inner language, however actually maximizing what that appears like. That’s what it appears like for our reps to get extra out of the platform as effectively.

SS: Heather, thanks a lot for becoming a member of us. I actually recognize it. 

HG: Yeah. Thanks.

SS: To our viewers. Thanks for listening to this episode of the win podcast. Make sure to tune in subsequent time for extra insights on how one can maximize enablement success with Highspot.