Starting in enablement
Submitted by Timmy Hendrickson in January 2024
Timmy is an experienced Enablement professional who has primarily worked as a team of one. He has built Enablement functions from the ground up at three separate companies and currently serves as the Enablement Squad’s Knowledge Co-Chair. Connect with Timmy on LinkedIn.
Overview
At the start of 2024, I was a guest on Fiona Simpson’s Enablement Amplified podcast. We spent the episode talking about why I think Enablement practitioners benefit from having previous customer-facing experience; however, it’s not a prerequisite before jumping into Enablement.
In the episode, I briefly mentioned a few things that new Enablers can do in order to ramp in their roles. I wanted to expand on this topic by sharing my best practices and recommendations. Check out some of the things that helped me launch my Enablement career below and let me know if any of them have also worked for you!
Read
I’m a big reader. I try to read at least one career-related book per quarter and these are some of the books that I’ve read throughout the years:
Enablement & Sales Books:
When I’m in between books or I need bite-sized reading material on specific topics, then I turn these blogs:
Network
If you’re starting out in Enablement and you’re sitting as a team of one, then I would highly recommend joining professional networking groups. You can lean on veteran expertise by becoming a part of the conversation, attending Enablement conferences, and meeting new folks.
The three prominent Enablement groups are:
Listen
Another great opportunity for learning is by listening. Not only listening to those around you (internal stakeholders and fellow Enablement professionals), but by listening to podcasts.
I take my dog out on two long walks each day. I tend to pop my earbuds in and listen to one of the following pods while my pooch is getting his exercise in:
Mentorship
The last recommendation for new Enablement professionals is to find a mentor. If you’ve joined one of the networking groups listed above, then chances are you’ll be able to find someone who’s willing to lend a helping hand. There are plenty of professionals in the Enablement space with vast experience in various industries. I highly suggest seeking someone out and asking for a few minutes of their time. Ask about their wins, best practices, worst practices, etc. and start to relate their experience back to your current situation.
Wrapping Up
I like to think of Enablement professionals as Doctors of Sales. I know that might sound corny, but stick with me on this. When someone visits a Doctor, they wouldn’t just list one of their symptoms before the Doctor makes a prescription. Rather, the Doctor would listen to their list of symptoms, dig for clarity by asking questions, and potentially run tests in order to create the best path forward.
Similarly, when Enablement professionals are tasked with solving issues for their organizations, they’re not just prescribing any random thought that pops into their head after reviewing one data point. Rather, they’re dissecting quantitative and qualitative data, drafting solutions, consulting with internal (and maybe external) stakeholders, and then making the appropriate recommendations. You can only hope to make the right recommendation by studying Enablement and Sales as if you were a Doctor studying human anatomy.
I know this may seem like a lot of things to do while ramping up in your new Enablement role; however, it’s much easier if you break it out into small steps. Set a quarterly goal for yourself and make things more manageable. You won’t learn everything in under a year so give it some time, build your growth mindset, and reach out for help when you need it!
