The Strategic Work of Developing Sales Capability Begins With 5 Essential Practices
Developing sales capability is a core practitioner discipline when equipping revenue-generating teams. This broad term includes the activities we discuss each day in the business, like seller competencies, onboarding methods, and training and manager coaching—yet it’s inherently more strategic. Developing sales capability is how training and enablement practitioners approach this complex and important work. It’s the professional standards and practices behind developing new early career skills and reskills for experienced talent who will move into new roles within your sales organization. This work methodology defines critical milestones that include how we engage stakeholders, prioritize and plan initiatives, design programs, deploy with excellence, and measure impact. Join this session to start the developing-sales-capability conversation—one that will continue throughout the rest of the conference program.

Application on the Job:

• Define a shared understanding of new skills, reskills, and knowledge categories that we as training and enablement practitioners may affect.
• Adopt five baseline developing-sales-capability practices as part of your work methodology.
• Learn the prospective value of approaching development work in a process-driven way and how to generate enthusiasm and support from colleagues and stakeholders.

Speakers:
Mark Crofton, Dayna Williams

Developing Sales Capability Model Link: Diagnosing Opportunities, Determining and Prioritizing Resources

The Ultimate Approach to Sales Methodology Adoption
High levels of sales methodology adoption correlate to higher levels of revenue plan attainment, rep quota attainment, and win rates. This has been demonstrated in multiple sales research studies. Yet, methodology adoption is elusive, leaving much untapped potential on the table for many sales forces. This represents a significant opportunity at a time when enablement’s value is more scrutinized than ever. As a sales enablement expert and author, the speaker offers proven advice for applying a multipronged change management approach to your sales methodology implementations that will help you get the results you need for your company and your career.

Application on the Job:

• Select or develop a sound methodology and apply change management principles to obtain high levels of adoption.
• Integrate your methodology into systems, processes, tools, and workflows.
• Engage frontline sales managers for reinforcement and foster continuous improvement with assessments and coaching plans.

Speaker: Mike Kunkle

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DocuSign Case Study—Success Planning for Growth
Customer success managers (CSMs) play a vital role within the revenue-generating organization. In this session, the speaker will discuss lessons from the DocuSign Success Planning for Growth program to give CSMs a foundational understanding of and specific strategies for customer communication. Ultimately, the goal is to equip CSMs to position value and impact during every phase of the customer lifecycle.

Application on the Job:

• Align on how the customer progresses through the stages of the value journey.
• Develop the conversational soft skills and research strategies necessary for interacting with executive customers.
• Select specific strategies that will drive the customer conversation forward while maintaining an emphasis on value.

Speaker: Jordan Nutt

Developing Sales Capability Model Link: Designing Learning Programs, Deployment Excellence, Developing Leaders

Building Your Bench: Developing the Next Generation of Sales Leadership
This session will center around one of the most underserved areas of sales, the emerging sales leader. Amid everyday challenges and the quest toward quota attainment, much of our energy is often directed at our first-line sales leaders and the sales professionals they serve. In this session, we will workshop how to address and invest in aspiring leaders and build a sales leadership pipeline for the future.

Application on the Job:

• Identify and inspire internal talent.
• Understand the impact of executive sponsors and mentors.
• Define career pathways and leadership learning journeys.

Speaker: Karen Cimorelli-Moor

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Mix it Up—How to Make Learning More Engaging with Multimedia
A multimedia approach to learning improves engagement and information retention compared to traditional methods by engaging the learner at an emotional level—which is critical for the sales team. In this session, the speaker will discuss the benefits of using a blend of text, graphics, audio, video, and interactive elements to enhance the learning experience. Incorporating different modalities allows trainees to engage with the material in a way that suits their individual learning preferences, leading to better comprehension and action.

Application on the Job:

• Identify the benefits of using multimedia in future learning creation.
• Explain how multimedia can engage learners at an emotional level and why this is important.
• Design a multimedia learning experience that incorporates different modalities to meet the learner where they are emotionally.

Speaker: Jennifer Ryan

Hackathon—Leveling Up Our Strategy for Developing Sales Capability
Enablement hackathons are opportunities for enablement and training professionals to get together and work through common problems. There are no presentations and no slides during these sessions, just live discussions and sharing of experiences and knowledge! The Enablement Squad and ATD SELL are joining forces—we’ll “hack” through and build strategic and tactical plans for common opportunities related to developing sales capability, peer sharing, and getting feedback on potential watch-outs.

We’ll explore topics like diagnosing development opportunities, prioritizing resources, designing effective programs, deployment, measuring knowledge retention, and telling stories with data. This will allow practitioners of any specialization or tenure to create a strategic and tactical roadmap and approach for their work. Next, we’ll generate ideas for individual workflows or processes that will work in your specific organization. We will also identify “red flags” (things that could go wrong) and “green flags” (things that could be effective).

Application on the Job:

• Accelerate the development of a new or green seller and take tenured sellers to the next level.
• Develop managers to lead and develop others.
• Develop service and success roles to better support go-to-market strategy.

Speakers: Matt Schalsey, Stephanie Middaugh

Developing Sales Capability Model Link: Driving Reinforcement, Data-based Storytelling

Leveraging Managers for Effective Sales Training Reinforcement
Enablement recognizes the impact managers have on the success of training efforts. From knowledge transfer to skill application, the sales manager drives the results. However, it’s often challenging to help managers prioritize these efforts, and our training reinforcement strategies fall flat. Managers’ competing priorities, lack of time, and resistance to change are only what we see at the surface. What else holds them back? How can we support them and, in turn, engage their sales reps in learning at work? You will leave this session with a better understanding of why managers can’t or won’t make enablement priorities their priority too. We’ll strategize about a new path forward with informed, confident, supported managers and engaged sales employees.

Application on the Job:

• Apply new methods for learner retention and engagement.
• Collaborate with sales managers more effectively.
• Design a manager reinforcement strategy that is inclusive of all leadership styles.

Speaker: Amber Watts

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Develop a Culture of Learning
Building sales skills or capability only happens with time and focus. In this session, the speaker will discuss tactical ways to identify and establish a culture of learning. We’ll explore how to take best practices and turn them into practical, actionable sales learning content and drive business-relevant outcomes.

Application on the Job:

• Identify whether your sales organization has a culture of learning.
• Establish clear learning priorities with your stakeholders.
• Garner quick-hit learning resources for your sales team.

Speaker: Stacey Unck

Hackathon—Leveling Up Our Strategy for Developing Sales Capability
Enablement hackathons are opportunities for enablement and training professionals to get together and work through common problems. There are no presentations and no slides during these sessions, just live discussions and sharing of experiences and knowledge! The Enablement Squad and ATD SELL are joining forces—we’ll “hack” through and build strategic and tactical plans for common opportunities related to developing sales capability, peer sharing, and getting feedback on potential watch-outs.

We’ll explore topics like diagnosing development opportunities, prioritizing resources, designing effective programs, deployment, measuring knowledge retention, and telling stories with data. This will allow practitioners of any specialization or tenure to create a strategic and tactical roadmap and approach for their work. Next, we’ll generate ideas for individual workflows or processes that will work in your specific organization. We will also identify “red flags” (things that could go wrong) and “green flags” (things that could be effective).

Application on the Job:

• Accelerate the development of a new or green seller and take tenured sellers to the next level.
• Develop managers to lead and develop others.
• Develop service and success roles to better support go-to-market strategy.

Speakers: Matt Schalsey, Stephanie Middaugh