Global perspectives of sales enablement: Constituents,services, and goals

Over the past decade there has been rapid growth in sales enablement in the marketplace due to numerous changes affecting the buyer-seller interface. Despite this growth, little is known regarding the magnitude of its presence, what assistance is being offered and to whom, and what metrics are found to be valuable. In an exploratory study, the results from 561 responses across 3 regions of the world (Asia Pacific, Europe, and North America) suggest that several significant differences exist as it pertains to sales enablement. Findings indicate that salespeople and account managers are the primary focus of sales enablement initiatives, but significantly different stakeholders also exist across the regions of the world. Moreover, the specific services offered by sales enablement (e.g., training, content, tools, processes, onboarding, coaching) are shown to vary widely across the globe. Even productivity goals are not uniform within sales enablement initiatives. This study contributes to the marketing capabilities theory by extending its application into a new paradigm of sales enablement. We summarize the findings and the managerial implications of this global inquiry.