The Enablement Edge Seismic

In the debut episode of The Enablement Edge, hosts Steve and Heather chat with Nate Vogel, VP of Global Sales & Partner Enablement at Databricks, the world's first data intelligence platform powered by generative AI. Nate shares insights into his career journey, highlighting what sparked his passion for data, the skills and experiences that have propelled his success, and the innovative initiatives he’s implementing at Databricks

Traditional go-to-market motions are a thing of the past, and one key function will shape the future of revenue generation: Enablement.

The Enablement Edge – powered by Seismic – is bringing you the secrets, strategies, and tactics for enablement that drive meaningful impact.

You’ll get valuable insights and expertise from enablement leaders to power GTM efficiency, productivity, and transformational change across your organization.

Welcome to The Enablement Edge.

We’ve spent 13 episodes uncovering key insights from experts in enablement, sales, marketing, customer success, revenue operations, and more. To celebrate the growth, learning, and invaluable wisdom we’ve heard along the way, we’re gathering the best of the best all into one episode.So whether you’ve tuned into every minute or are new to the Go-to-Market Magic scene, join us as we revisit some of the most insightful guests and captivating episodes we had the joy of creating.Here are the key takeaways:Toby Carrington emphasizes senior executives' role in guiding sales by providing strategic, value-rich interactions early in the sales cycle. Sangram Vajre shares that customer success teams should go beyond product features to act as business advisors and help articulate customer ROI stories. Sam McKenna focuses on the significance of humanizing sales interactions and improving the structure and substance of discovery calls. David Fisher advises a targeted approach to social selling to engage the right audience rather than pursuing a large, indiscriminate reach. Paul Norford champions the development of enablement resources for internal teams and channel partners, considering them an extension of the sales force. Juliana Stancampiano discusses AI's potential to enable SMEs to document and distribute institutional knowledge that is often unconsciously held by experts.Mark Kosoglow promotes the shift towards valuing post-sale success and maintaining customer relations alongside alignment between sales, marketing, and customer success initiatives. Dave Lichtman introduces the concept of a hybrid enablement function that integrates full-time personnel with specialized contractors, ensuring agility and breadth in enablement.It’s a mix of conversations, lessons, and actionable advice that will inspire, motivate, and prepare you to elevate your approach to enablement.Jump into the conversation:[00:00] Introduction[03:24] The importance of human connection in sales discussions[09:01] Improving sales through insights and relationships[11:00] Timing is crucial for successful senior executive engagement[15:51] Supporting CS leaders to succeed[17:46] Overcoming lip service to achieve real alignment[21:46] Value delivery in small, incremental steps[22:59] Understanding go-to-market, sticky products, and psychology[27:53] Prioritize internal and external team enablement strategies[32:35] Processes can be challenging[34:30] AI streamlines lesson creation and improves learning content[36:22] Watch out for season twoContinue the conversation with these resources:See how to kick go-to-market chaos to the curb with better enablement. Learn more.  Seismic is bringing the future of enablement to Boston, New York City, and Sydney for one day only as part of our Seismic City Tour. Join us! 

Enablement is expanding beyond sales, especially as AI gains traction.But as AI integrates into the enablement landscape, how can you preserve and enhance your teams’ human strengths in customer interactions? We switched things up by inviting two guests to this roundtable episode to hear from companies both big and small. So, we’re talking with Steph White, Senior Director of Revenue Enablement at Loopio, and Rebecca Reyes, VP of Sales Enablement at IBM. Steph brings her passion for integrating AI into personal and professional development, and Rebecca highlights the transformative power of AI in sales and enablement. The conversation expands on revenue enablement’s role in transforming go-to-market teams, the importance of aligning with leadership for effective change, and fundamental selling skills despite technological advancements.Here are the key takeaways from our conversation with Steph and Rebecca:The role of enablement is evolving. It's no longer just about driving revenue; it's about creating a holistic client experience that focuses on impact and business outcomes beyond the initial sale. AI is a game-changer, but it's not replacing the human element. It's here to augment our capabilities, making tasks like emails and call summarization more efficient so you can focus on what truly matters — connecting with customers and honing in on core selling skills.Alignment is key. Whether with your leadership team or your sales strategy, ensuring that your enablement activities are synchronized with your company's core behaviors can steer you away from overextension and keep you grounded on the path to success. Jump into the conversation:[05:16] A focus on driving sales velocity for revenue[07:54] Enhancing team skills and client impact[14:00] Expanding client enablement and focusing on content creation[17:23] AI transforming from a dream to a reality phase[26:47] Using AI to complement and enable productivity[29:31] Focusing on basics for sales growth in 2024[35:29] Heather and Steve’s takeawaysContinue the conversation with these resources:Connect with Steph White and Rebecca Reyes to keep this conversation going.Looking to up your understanding of AI? Take IBM’s free course to start building your AI skills today. If you don’t already have a free account on IBM's SkillsBuild learning portal, you can sign up here.Learn more about Go-to-Market Magic and tune into past episodes at gotomarket-magic.com.

When was the last time you involved executive leadership in your sales process?If it’s something that feels daunting, nerve-wracking, or like too much work, this episode is for you. When leveraged correctly, you set your executive team up to come into the sales process swinging (and they’ll probably knock down that sale if you get our analogy). So why aren’t more people doing it?Toby Carrington, Chief Business Officer at Seismic, brings his invaluable insight into the critical yet nuanced art of engaging executives early in the sales cycle to build relationships, trust, and, ultimately, better business outcomes.Here are the key takeaways from our conversation with Toby:Engage executives early for meaningful impact: Involve senior executives early in the sales process to build relationships and trust rather than as a last-minute effort. The unique value senior leaders add, like domain expertise, peer-to-peer insights, and best practice sharing, enables genuine conversations focused on the prospective customer and outcomes rather than the product alone.Prioritize personalization and careful outreach: When reaching out to executives, personalization, authenticity, and relevance hold extreme importance. A strategic and well-briefed approach that ensures communication is tailored to the executive's preferences and context avoids BDRs and SDRs misusing their executive team’s time.Focus on strategic long-term relationships: Building longer-term strategic relationships, not just selling, involves understanding the context and background of the person, aligning interactions with the sales cycle, and maintaining genuine and human connections.Jump into the conversation:[03:18] The value of leveraging senior executives [06:11] Navigating timing within the sales cycle[08:22] Managing the fine line between relationship-building and sales objectives[14:49] Setting schedule boundaries [18:44] Understanding the role of authentic connections [24:10] Strategies for building engagement[29:02] Common pitfalls made when engaging executives in the sales cycle[31:25] Heather and Steve’s main takeaways Continue the conversation with these resources:Connect with Toby Carrington to keep this conversation going.Learn more about Go-to-Market Magic and tune into past episodes at gotomarket-magic.com.

What are the best and brightest minds in enablement talking about these days? In this special episode, we’re taking a pulse on the enablement industry and hearing directly from enablement professionals at Seismic’s annual Shift conference — including leaders from Loopio, Sands Capital, Bank of America, UPS, Experian, Proofpoint, and more. Along with Seismic’s Heather Cole and Steve Watt, they’ll reflect on the topics they wish more go-to-market leaders were discussing, the innovations they’re most excited about, and all things AI. Here are the key takeaways from this special edition of Go-to-Market Magic:Leverage AI to boost productivity: The prevailing opinion of AI at Shift 2023 was focused on how embracing AI today will help you automate mundane tasks, free up time for customer engagement, streamline workflows, and quickly and easily create both sales and enablement content.Lean on AI to improve faster: Productivity isn’t the only thing that AI can help teams improve though. Now, teams don’t have to guess at what’s working, they can know. Now, it’s possible for AI to give the entire go-to-market organization insight into what’s happening during a sales call — and how they can better support reps with training, coaching, and content. Maximize LinkedIn for social selling: Some of the most successful social selling programs are being led by enablement teams — and a thoughtful social selling program augments your selling ability rather than limiting you to a short-term transactional perspective. Jump into the conversation:[01:21] Loopio’s Stephanie White on how AI can make enablers even more impactful[01:51] Ways UPS is using AI to improve efficiency and prioritize their customers[02:37] Actionable ways to leverage AI for enablement (and how to mitigate common concerns voiced at Shift 2023)[05:00] Bank of America’s main hope within AI[12:19] Heather’s main takeaways for the audience on AI[15:44] Madison Glass on why Experian is a big proponent of LiveSocial for social selling[20:47] Why social engagement is crucial and what Tyler Murphy at ProofPoint had to say about being a thought leader on LinkedIn[22:09] Tips for navigating compliance in regulated versus non-regulated industries[23:27] Heather and Steve’s closing thoughts on rising above the noise, building better social profiles, and leveraging LinkedIn as a toolContinue the conversation with these resources:Shift 2023 might be over, but you don’t have to miss it next year. Sign up for the waitlist to be notified when registration goes live!  Follow today’s special guests on LinkedIn for more insights like these — Loopio’s Stephanie White, Sands Capital’s Kenneth Lamar, Experian’s Madison Glass, and Proofpoint’s Tyler Murphy. Learn more about Seismic for Meetings, a new Seismic product that ensures sales teams can more effectively prepare, present, and follow up on every meeting and win more deals.Find out how Seismic LiveSocial can help you grow trust and win over customers and prospects alike on social media. Learn more about Go-to-Market Magic and tune into past episodes at gotomarket-magic.com.