Best practices for becoming a great sales enablement manager

Recognition of and communication with the right prospective clients has never been more critical for sales. Especially in 2023, when we are bombarded by marketing and sales every minute of every day.

Sales enablement is the key to success. As a carefully curated process, it helps you provide teams with what they need to target prospects and turn them into buying customers. In this article, we break down how you can become a great sales enablement manager.

• What is sales enablement?
• What does a sales enablement manager do?
• Why does your team need a good sales enablement manager? Why is this a key figure?
• Hot tips and best practices

What is sales enablement?

Sales enablement is a process that provides teams with insights and tools to sell successfully. By crafting a well-researched marketing and sales plan, companies can meet opportunities to target their desired audience and sell their product or service. 

What does a sales enablement manager do?

A successful sales enablement manager is a jack of all trades. They recognize their target buyer and their buying personality. This person understands every angle of the product or service and the individual workflows of marketing and sales teams. Managers also guide and assist with sales coaching by inspiring, teaching, and counseling sales teams and leaders. 

As a sales enablement manager, you work every step of the way toward closing a deal. Key responsibilities center around collaboration with different teams so everyone stays aligned. Are you curious about how to become a sales enablement manager? Companies usually look for a combination of a Bachelor’s degree in sales, marketing, or a relevant field with work experience in revenue, sales, or customer support. According to Glassdoor, a sales enablement manager’s salary can easily reach six figures per year.

Why does your team need a good sales enablement manager? Why is this a key figure?

• To provide valuable content for employee training.

Coaching is one part of this field. A sales enablement manager keeps teams up-to-date with current techniques, suggests new tools, and offers feedback. No matter the economic tide, managers provide sales tips to motivate teams to move forward. 

• To set the strategy for the process and oversee the execution.

Managers are experts in their field. From the beginning, they detail marketing and sales plans for approaching and guiding prospects. Managers also understand that each team has its own purpose and workflow, and they help everyone work together to execute goals.

• Monitor your successes and measure all efforts.

Data analysis is a critical component for sales success. Which campaigns worked, and which can be improved? Are you reaching new leads, and how many turn into qualified leads? Propose and use the right tools to identify your audience, market effectively, and sell.

What are hot tips and best practices for sales enablement managers?

• Know which key skills are needed and which tools/software to use.

Hone your soft and hard skills. The ability to communicate and listen will help when aligning with multiple teams. You should also have knowledge of marketing, pipeline management, and sales.

Generate sales leads and open the lines of communication with the right software. Slack, Salesforce, and Surfe cover everything from team collaboration to prospect/customer management. 

• Know how to define your “buyer persona.” Recognize your audience’s customer experience and craft content around the persona and buyer journey.

Before selling, you need to know who to sell to and how to reach the buyer. Tools like Hubspot and Salesforce will help you identify your “buyer persona,” a picture-perfect representation of your target audience. Should you post social content in the morning or in the afternoon? Which platforms does your target audience use? Are there platforms that are not worth the effort? By having a clear picture of the buyer persona, managers can help adapt campaigns and marketing/sales efforts to the ideal customer. 

• Know how to set smart, realistic goals.

Make sure to set short-term and long-term goals that are specific and measurable. Identify the resources needed, and ensure that deadlines meet the abilities of each team.

• Work with other teams effectively. 

Liaise with marketing, sales, and leaders. From initial marketing strategies (whether digital or traditional) to sales completion and follow-up, each step is critical. 

• Remember to educate and coach the sales team. This continuous process needs tweaking, improvements, and add-ons with time.

Knowledge is power, and a successful sales enablement manager keeps up-to-date with current strategies, passing their knowledge to the business sales team. As such, a manager is a one-stop-shop resource with suggestions and answers to the company’s overall mission: successful sales.