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The Enablement Edge

The Enablement Edge

By: Seismic
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 The traditional enterprise go-to-market motion is undergoing a transformational shift. B2B buyers are more sophisticated than ever, and operational efficiency is a key focus for every organization. One key function possesses a unique opportunity to shape the future of revenue generation: enablement. On this podcast, we’re bringing you the secrets, strategies, and tactics that successful enablement leaders are using to drive meaningful impact. The Enablement Edge is the go-to resource for sales enablement and go-to-market pros looking for insights on how to increase GTM productivity, drive operational efficiency, turn strategy into reality, and be an effective change agent in your organization. Welcome to The Enablement Edge. Powered by the team at Seismic.© 2024 Seismic Career Success Economics Marketing Marketing & Sales
Episodes
  • Tactics for Elevating & Optimizing Your Teams in 2025 with Stephanie Middaugh, Founder & CEO of Phoenix GTM Consulting

    Tactics for Elevating & Optimizing Your Teams in 2025 with Stephanie Middaugh, Founder & CEO of Phoenix GTM Consulting
    Feb 4 2025

    In the season finale of The Enablement Edge, hosts Steve and Amber chat with Stephanie Middaugh, Founder & CEO of Phoenix GTM Consulting, about where to succeed in enablement in 2025.

    Together, they tackle the industry's current challenges, including burnout and exhaustion among professionals, while highlighting the need to sustain passion and empathy in these roles. Stephanie shares actionable strategies for navigating market uncertainties and organizational obstacles, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing skill-building over task-focused activities and looking to what is actually within your control.

    The discussion also explores Stephanie's book, Elevate and Optimize: Your Enablement Maturity Journey, which provides practical guidance on advancing enablement functions and setting achievable goals. Stephanie shares her insights into effective maturity models, the current and future impact of AI on enablement, and the transformative potential of a well-aligned enablement strategy. Her advice inspires listeners to stay focused on their enablement objectives and drive meaningful change within their organizations.

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    Guest Bio

    Stephanie Middaugh is a seasoned expert in revenue enablement and sales operations, known for her innovative approach to training and process improvement. She is currently a CSM with Luster, a cutting-edge AI sales practice and upskilling solution that is revolutionizing how go-to-market teams learn and practice. However, Stephanie is also the Founder & CEO of her own business, Phoenix GTM Consulting.

    Most recently, Stephanie was the Head of Global GTM at Pinecone. With a career spanning leadership roles at Zoom, Divvy Inc., DataStax, Alteryx, and Sage, she has consistently built scalable enablement frameworks supporting global sales teams. Passionate about fostering community and delivering impactful programs, Stephanie continues to be a thought leader in the enablement space.

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    Guest Quote

    “People are tired, exhausted, and burnt out. But that passion is still burning. We want to help. So we're still going to be there.

    Enablement as a profession is still going to get these initiatives, trainings, and everything [else] through. We're still going to be bought into helping our reps succeed and seeing the business move forward.

    Even though it kind of goes through these ups and downs and ebbs and flows, enablement is going to be here for a while, and it's the companies that know how to properly leverage it that are going to see the results at the end of the day.”

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    Time Stamps

    00:00 Episode Start

    4:45  How Stephanie defines enablement

    6:38 Facing burnout in 2025

    9:56  Where is all this pressure coming from?

    12:50  Moving foward despite uncertainty

    16:13 Focus in on what you can control

    18:20 Elevate and Optimize: Your Enablement Maturity Journey

    24:37 Does your enablement team have to be large to be mature?

    28:11 Transformational enablement

    31:40 On the Edge

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    Links

    • Connect with Stephanie Middaugh on LinkedIn
    • Read “Elevate and Optimize: Your Enablement Maturity Journey”
    • Check out Phoenix GTM Consulting
    • Check out Luster
    • Connect with Steve Watt on LinkedIn
    • Connect with Amber Mellano on LinkedIn
    • Check out Seismic
    Show More Show Less
    37 mins
  • Enhancing Adoption and Impact with an Agile Approach Featuring Sally Ladrach from SavATree

    Enhancing Adoption and Impact with an Agile Approach Featuring Sally Ladrach from SavATree
    Nov 12 2024

    In this episode of The Enablement Edge, hosts Steve and Amber are joined by Sally Ladrach, Director of Enablement at SavATree, a full-service tree, shrub, and lawn care company with more than 100 locations across the US and Canada.

    The topic for today is how enablement teams can leverage agile methodologies found in product and marketing to enhance their own adoption and impact. Sally discusses the ways this type of framework focuses closer on the end user and iterative development to build more intentional solutions. She emphasizes the importance of involving stakeholders early in the process to ensure that what you're building truly meets their needs, thus enhancing adoption and, ultimately, driving business impact.

    Sally also shares valuable insights on how to prioritize tasks that will deliver the most significant outcomes and tips for maintaining agility without losing sight of long-term goals. She also highlights the necessity of a data-driven approach and how agile principles can protect against wasted effort on non-adopted solutions. Tune in to discover how an agile framework can revolutionize your enablement strategy and drive tangible results.

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    Guest Bio

    Sally Ladrach is the Head of Enablement at SavATree, where she leverages over a decade of experience in sales enablement to drive impactful training and development initiatives. With a strong background in data-driven strategies, she focuses on enhancing team performance and collaboration across various departments. Previously, she served as the Revenue Enablement Manager at Thoughtbot, where she successfully implemented agile methodologies to improve learning and engagement. Passionate about fostering growth, Sally also advocates using storytelling in enablement practices to create meaningful connections.

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    Guest Quote

    “In enablement, I can't tell you how many times I've seen teams and maybe even done a little bit of this myself in the past. You work on that six-month rollout of whatever, you put it out there, ta-da, and then nothing happens.

    People don't use it. Maybe, it wasn't designed with the end user in mind. But then you can't even have that impact, right? If your solution for whatever it is isn't being adopted. So that was kind of the genesis of how I started thinking about agile and enablement.

    Obviously, I'm not the first person to think that agile is a great way to work, but the nature of enablement is that we are building solutions and agile at its core is about building user-centric solutions that are adoptable and solve problems.”

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    Time Stamps

    00:00 Episode Start

    03:45 Welcome Sally

    04:25 What is SavATree?

    06:45 The most important thing enablers can do to ensure success

    09:05 Today's topic: Agile enablement

    16:25 Outcomes over output

    19:20 You don't have to be perfect

    25:20 Agile enablement in action

    28:40 Where do charters fit in?

    32:05 First steps to implement agile enablement

    33:30 On the Edge

    —

    Links

    • Connect with Sally Ladrach on LinkedIn
    • Check out SavATree
    • Connect with Steve Watt on LinkedIn
    • Connect with Amber Mellano on LinkedIn
    • Check out Seismic
    Show More Show Less
    38 mins
  • Strategies for Influence, Alignment, and Future Success from Shift 2024

    Strategies for Influence, Alignment, and Future Success from Shift 2024
    Oct 29 2024
    A Seat at the Table? A Voice at the Table? Or Build Your Own Table?In this very special episode of The Enablement Edge, join Steve & Heather as they host a live panel discussion from Seismic Shift 2024 with panelists Victoria Sanchez, Micah Jacobson, and Eric Mingorance. Throughout their discussion, our experts share insights on how to strategically navigate organizational dynamics, forge influential collaborations, communicate effectively, and recalibrate approaches to drive outcomes.Other topics include practical tactics for enhancing organization-wide enablement visibility, leveraging metrics for sales outcomes, the future impact of AI, and the significance of continuous learning and adaptability. The panel emphasizes empathy, collaboration, and innovative communication methods, offering a holistic approach to driving transformational enablement within companies.Tune in to discover how to not only get to the table but also shape the conversation and outcomes.—Guest BiosEric Mingorance, Sr. Dir. Rev. Enablement at ZixiEric Mingorance is currently serving as the Vice President of Product Management at Zixi, a leading provider of live video delivery solutions. With a strong background in technology and product development, Mingorance has been instrumental in enhancing Zixi's platform, which is known for its reliability and efficiency in delivering high-quality video over IP networks. His expertise spans various aspects of product strategy, customer engagement, and operational excellence, contributing significantly to the company's growth and innovation in the broadcasting sector.Micah Jacobson, Sr. Director, Revenue Enablement at InformaticaMicah Jacobson currently serves as the Senior Director of Revenue Enablement at Informatica, a role he has held since December 2022. He leads teams focused on onboarding, systems and tools, operations, and learning experience design within the Global Revenue Enablement function. Jacobson has been instrumental in developing comprehensive sales enablement strategies, including competency management and product launch enablement, which have significantly enhanced the effectiveness of sales teams at Informatica.Victoria Sanchez, Senior Director, Enablement Services Center of Excellence at Pure StorageVictoria Sanchez serves as the Senior Director of Enablement Services at Pure Storage, where she plays a pivotal role in driving customer success and operational excellence. With a robust background in technology and business strategy, Sanchez has been instrumental in developing innovative solutions that enhance the user experience and streamline processes within the organization. Her leadership is characterized by a commitment to fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement, ensuring that teams are equipped with the necessary tools and knowledge to excel in their roles.—Guest Quotes“I hate the word order taker, it drives me crazy. That is not what I signed up for, I wasn't in kindergarten being like I want to be an order taker one day And so many of us in enablement we fall into that trap because we don't come with new information. If you come with new information, you shift from an order taker to a strategic partner. That's certainly the direction that I and my team, where we wanna go” – Micah Jacobson“You need to lobby for these things. See if there are objections. Make sure you can get preliminary buy-in beforehand. Work with each individual org separately so that by the time you come to the table, they've already heard it. And then you're doing what you say. We're getting the priorities, we're all coming on the same page for the priorities, we're in agreement, there are no major showstoppers because you've basically done some preceding.” – Eric Mingorance“All our companies are trying to invest a tremendous amount of money in technology. I think as an enablement organization, we have a great opportunity to stop the train and say, ‘Which one is the best one?’ And make a plan for it. It doesn't have to change tomorrow, but if you make a plan to get the best technology, you can accelerate how your sales leaders are really coaching and having more time for other activities, while you also orchestrate workflows in the internal cross functional teams so that you can operate more efficiently.” – Victoria Sanchez —Time Stamps 00:00 Episode Start00:44 Today's Topic01:54 Diverse Perspectives: Meet Our Guests03:57 Earning Credibility and Building Influence08:14 Aligning with Senior Leadership18:59 Tactics for Showcasing Enablement Impact22:33 Rock Bands and Enablement Tactics22:49 Maximizing Seismic Notifications23:05 Heroes of Enablement and Regional Programs24:33 HTML Tips for Announcements25:03 The Importance of Measurement28:18 Unified Data Model and Metrics29:39 Handling Bad Metrics33:39 Strategic Enablement Advice39:31 Future of Enablement and AI41:43 Final Thoughts and Advice—LinksConnect with Eric MingoranceConnect with ...
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    44 mins
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