In our current analysis research, 100% of gross sales leaders agreed that you simply want each an efficient software and technique to achieve enablement. So, how are you going to maximize the affect of enablement at your group with an efficient platform and technique?

Shawnna Sumaoang: Hello and welcome to the Win Win Podcast. I’m your host, Shawnna Sumaoang. Be a part of us as we dive into altering tendencies within the office and easy methods to navigate them efficiently. Right here to debate this matter is Dustin Day, senior supervisor of world gross sales enablement at Coursera. Thanks for becoming a member of, Dustin! I’d love so that you can inform us about your self, your background, and your position. 

Dustin Day: Thanks, Shawnna. My identify is Dustin and I’m on the Coursera World Gross sales Enablement staff. I’ve been with Coursera for slightly bit over a 12 months now specializing in every part from supervisor enablement, product enablement, go-to-market motions, and supporting the Highspot initiative and the way we place it, and the way we develop it with the staff.

My background, I grew up in an organization known as CEB, which is now known as Gartner, specializing in L&D analysis, which is basically the place I began to get my gross sales assist background. I went into schooling publishing, now branded EdTech immediately, and targeted on the finance and technique side of gross sales. Then I went to a company named Challenger, which is the place I labored with world corporations supporting their gross sales management, and gross sales enablement staff across the problem of gross sales methodology. 

That’s the place I acquired excited about extra of the angle of gross sales enablement and changing into extra of the practitioner versus the thought management form of execution aspect of gross sales methodology. I’m glad to be right here, Shawnna, and looking out ahead to our dialog. 

SS: I’m excited to have you ever right here as nicely, Dustin, and it appears like you could have an exceptional background to reply our first query, which I’d love to start out with. What does good enablement seem like in your opinion? In different phrases, what are a number of the key parts of an efficient enablement technique?

DD: I feel that is the large query within the business immediately and I feel it’s one which people like myself, don’t wrestle with, however are always making an attempt to reimagine. Traditionally, when you checked out gross sales enablement, it grew out of a pure gross sales L&D movement, pure coaching, getting in entrance of the sector, and coaching them on the talents which are obligatory for them to succeed.

That’s nonetheless an enormous element of gross sales enablement, however being on the heart of the way you assist the staff and the rising nature of gross sales, now we have began to see gross sales enablement develop into wanting on the gross sales cycle and looking for efficiencies inside our gross sales cycle, the shopping for course of and making an attempt to determine the shopping for course of and construct these play playing cards to assist the sector and the way they interact with and the client journey.

As gross sales enablement evolves, I feel there nonetheless must be that blend of formal gross sales coaching or skill-building workout routines in order for you a place like that, but in addition how will we get the sector to be geared up for the long run? This digital atmosphere has modified the character of gross sales, modified the character of the client, and organizations like ours and our gross sales pressure are always studying easy methods to navigate that as the client has gotten smarter and began to evolve sooner than we’ve been capable of evolve from a business engine perspective. 

SS: I really like that. We talked slightly bit about if you joined Coursera, however I do know it was proper at first of the staff’s partnership with Highspot. Inform us slightly bit in regards to the enablement journey that Coursera has been on because you applied Highspot, and the way has your enablement technique advanced from then till now? 

DD: Within the unique use case for Highspot, we have been internet hosting all of our supplies on a central intranet website, and that naturally created a ton of ache factors when it comes to discovering content material, participating with content material, and proactively offering suggestions for us to maintain issues contemporary. There have been a number of inefficiencies inbuilt simply the pure business assist engine. 

As we checked out Highspot, the unique use case was let’s get our content material onto Highspot, get it organized in a manner that at the very least helps the staff construct and have these assets and the collateral accessible to them immediately. That was stage one. I feel stage two has primarily outlined our gross sales enablement technique extra broadly, which is that we created further ache factors by simply importing assets. We began to say, how will we manage, create that suggestions loop and primarily assist our advertising staff skip a number of steps of their course of because it pertains to constructing content material and getting content material onto the platform?

As we developed that technique and began to do the change administration with advertising and the gross sales staff, getting extra content material collateral in entrance of them, they created an extra ache level, which was governance. Our technique and our issues have grown in a great way. We’ve created ache factors that we wanted to resolve, however that’s good as a result of we aren’t doing what we initially did immediately.

What we did in Q2, our staff primarily constructed a content material governance technique that we now keep on a quarterly foundation the place we archive items of content material primarily based on the factors which are actually vital to us because it pertains to content material freshness. We begin to monitor these KPIs and report on these KPIs as a part of displaying the worth in gross sales enablement. We’ve began to construct this governance construction to ensure that that content material assist engine is working on all cylinders. 

Our advertising staff understands utilization and we’re persevering with to develop that as we begin to construct out our This fall and our subsequent 12 months technique, which is gross sales play specifics. Organizing every part in a single central spot so no one has to go discover issues and seek for issues in random areas, but in addition as we construct these gross sales performs specializing in getting stronger at, it’s in all probability one of the simplest ways to say it, our buyer personas. Additionally, the outreach Salesforce stories that we are able to put into one place custom-built for the AE. The What to Know part has every part that you must learn about content material. We’re a content material firm. Anytime we work with a buyer, there’s a number of transferring items in our product. 

Then additionally what to point out, so clearly breaking down that gross sales course of side and ensuring that the staff can see earlier than the assembly, throughout the assembly, and after the assembly, or if not management, listed below are the issues I ought to be bringing to our buyer. That’s how our technique has advanced. Our KPIs have moved with it, and our ache factors have advanced in a great way as nicely and we’ve form of continued to evolve the technique.

SS: I really like that. It does sound such as you guys are transferring up that maturity curve. Improbable work there. I undoubtedly need to come again and revisit the work that you simply guys are doing on Performs in just a bit bit, however to assist context that too for the viewers, what have been a number of the key enterprise challenges that Highspot helped clear up at Coursera?

DD: First it’s simply content material. We now have a really giant advertising staff at Coursera and when you’re conversant in the Coursera go-to-market, or who we’re, now we have a really giant client B2C income stream. It’s the place most of our income comes from. We now have a number of B2C entrepreneurs that create a number of B2C form of content material and collateral.

As we began to scrub issues up, a number of the unique ache factors have been how will we get ourselves organized, get a few of that extra B2B content material entrance and heart, take away the noise from a content material perspective from the peripherals, and get the staff targeted. That was the unique ache level. It was a pure play of we’re unorganized from a content material group perspective. We have to put some rigor behind it as we mature as a enterprise. 

We did that. I feel we’re a 12 months and a half in at this level. As we proceed to construct that muscle, we really feel like we’re rising in our maturity and the issues and the KPIs have began to develop with that.

SS: How has Highspot helped you clear up a few of these challenges? 

DD: Effectively, initially, we love to prepare our content material. We haven’t been capable of manage it successfully to this point, and so we’re capable of do two issues. One was tagging our content material to make it simpler for the rep to navigate Highspot shortly. Whereas it’s a nice platform for us in gross sales enablement and our colleagues in advertising, we actually don’t need our discipline spending 20 to half-hour anytime they’re within the system to seek out what they want. 

The tagging and getting the content material entrance and heart have been tremendous useful for us to measure the utilization of our content material as nicely. We now have a lot like what are individuals utilizing, why they use it, and the way we might be smarter in creating or constructing off of content material that has been wildly profitable versus simply placing it there and letting it sit underutilized.

In order that’s one use case. The opposite use case, which we’ll speak about slightly bit is from a gross sales play group. We’re additionally about to pilot our first e-newsletter launch right here this week. From an enterprise perspective, we’re going to be consolidating all the communication channels utilizing the Highspot performance to form of pitch it out to the staff. We’re going to start out to take a look at utilization, begin to take a look at click-through charges, and begin to use the software virtually like a promoting software internally to have interaction with the sector and begin to measure how we are able to higher assist the sector. 

SS: I really like that. Truly, just lately your staff additionally expanded to make use of Highspot to incorporate Coaching and Teaching capabilities. What was the impetus for making the change to put money into a unified enablement platform? 

DD: Initially we have been utilizing Lessonly. That initially began with onboarding as a part of our onboarding studying paths. We have been having new hires go into Lessonly after which be pushed to content material and assist supplies on Highspot. It simply felt form of like a bizarre consumer expertise. As we began to evaluate that, the Highspot account administration staff began to speak to us in regards to the studying platform element, we decided to have that consolidated platform the place on the finish of the day, merely mentioned, it’s one place versus many locations. 

I feel notably in gross sales enablement, there are a ton of latest platforms and merchandise and assist instruments on the market. I’ve even seen Slack beginning to get into sure issues. Microsoft Groups has a content material group side to it. For us, it actually simplified the one-stop store for our staff to go to because it pertains to their studying paths, because it pertains to new go-to-market builds, as after we went to upskill, reskill the staff we’ve been in a position to make use of a number of the recording performance, have managers hear and log out, construct finest apply pages round what pitch appears to be like like and begin to flex that muscle slightly bit higher than we had previously.

It additionally aligns with our content material. We are able to simply say, that is content material primary. There’s an incredible finest apply pitch from a current coaching and we are able to hyperlink to that as nicely. It’s actually helped clear up a number of these actually minor however tedious steps that our discipline must take previous to getting something completed or simply to navigate any sort of system now we have.

SS: I really like that you simply guys are taking that unified strategy, although, as a result of it makes it much more seamless on your reps, and clearly we need to be the place your reps are to make them extra productive. One other manner that you simply’re serious about it from a unified platform perspective and also you’ve touched on this slightly bit, so I’d like to drill in, is that large initiative across the gross sales performs aligned to coaching. Are you able to inform us about this initiative and why it’s a spotlight on your staff? 

DD: Traditionally now we have constructed Highspot pages primarily in a silo, which is right here’s the one-stop store for simply all items of collateral because it pertains to an academy for instance. We acquired suggestions that, oh, how do I navigate it? The place do I’m going? What we did is we’ve taken the construction that Highspot offers, which is what to know, say, and present, and we’ve taken that and actually run with it. We manage each one among our gross sales performs now round a really particular product suite.

We begin with what to know, which is often one thing across the buyer persona, or we could separate it out, relying on who the client persona is. The client persona is a deeper dive from a Coursera perspective into the content material, and the demo environments that now we have associated to that. Then we go into what to say, which is far more of that, that go-to-market narrative, objections, key speaking factors, use instances, for instance, that we are able to converse to. 

Then what to say, and that’s truly helped our staff actually on the finish of the day, manage their ideas and know easy methods to shortly navigate. One other output of that’s now we manage our discipline coaching round that very same construction. It’s given us a brand new construction to have interaction with the sector from a reside digital coaching perspective after we’re speaking about extra of our go-to-market motions versus skill-based motions. 

From a product go-to-market movement, we convey up the gross sales play and we work by way of the gross sales play because the construction of our discipline coaching. That’s additionally been useful. Gross sales play will proceed to evolve and we’ll proceed to construct on it, however it’s laser-focused on, it’s acquired us, from a go-to-market perspective, far more deliberate than I feel we had been doing previously. 

I feel that’s been an unimaginable output, and one which we’re beginning to see the sector suggestions be, that is nice, and the questions are extra targeted on very particular product nuances and or discuss tracks versus the place is that this hosted. How will we navigate this? It’s a lot much less technical highspot questions and extra of what we hope they’re asking questions on.

SS: I really like that. You guys are already seeing some wonderful outcomes. I imply, you guys have pushed a 77 p.c enhance in play adoption. How did you successfully launch this initiative to your gross sales groups? And perhaps what are a number of the outcomes that you simply’ve seen to this point? 

DD: We piloted it with a launch in all probability again in July or August 2023. As a part of that, it was a brand new movement and it required change administration. We used to only, for our Tier 2 and Tier 3 launches, we used to only undergo Slack and or e-mail channels to get the communication out, hyperlink to the Highspot primary web page for our vertical, after which say, listed below are the hyperlinks that you must be efficient. 

What we did is we launched coaching that was designed, sure, to equip the sector but in addition an introduction to the Highspot web page itself. Now it’s simply pure habits change motions. Now we convey it up always for any new gross sales play launch. We break it down in our communications. Right here’s your know, say, present. In any coaching, we’ve been following up with coaching greater than now we have previously to assist form of reinforce that know, say, present. It’s simply form of hammering the nail over and time and again in a productive manner for the sector. 

From our perspective, we’re additionally driving that habits change by making it entrance and heart as that is the way in which we’re going to function. A Little carrot and stick strategy, however from our perspective, it was a habits change play and a part of that habits change is getting individuals purchased in that that is how we’re going to function in the beginning, after which hopefully they see the worth and so they see the advantages that they get out of it. 

SS: Now you guys have additionally simply seen some unimaginable traction with Highspot total. I feel you guys have 85 p.c recurring utilization. What are a few of your finest practices for driving adoption and the way has having a unified platform helped?

DD: This will ache some gross sales enablement practitioners however early on, we used Google Suite for Gmail and Docs and Sheets, and each time an announcement would exit, that colleague would share a Google Doc. That is the hyperlink to the Google Doc, and within the title, it could say, make a replica. You might have this plethora of random copies on the market to the staff. 

One of many issues that we do always day in and day trip to anyone that we ever see ship communications is that if they don’t share the Highspot hyperlink to the useful resource, we at all times actually will observe up and say, hey, suggest that you simply share the Highspot hyperlink as a substitute. Right here’s the explanation why. We are able to monitor if persons are utilizing it, seeing it, clicking on it, et cetera. We simply must get the hyperlinks for Highspot on the market as the one supply of reality. 

The opposite bit is from a recurring use perspective, now we have began to leverage Highspot for extra of our data administration aspect of the aisle. That is undoubtedly a piece in progress and we’re persevering with to consider and making an attempt to know the use instances, however we’re constructing playbooks for our roles. As a part of constructing playbooks for our roles, we’re going to host that playbook on Highspot in a data administration heart. Once more, with hyperlinks out into the completely different assets which are on Highspot to assist these roles execute.

It’s recognized areas that we don’t have very tangible assist in now. It helps us prioritize what we have to construct and after we construct these, we construct them in Highspot. Reoccurring makes use of truly are extra of a muscle that we have to have from a gross sales enablement perspective versus the sector. If every part is in there organized and it’s the one supply of reality, as you talked about, the unified platform, if that’s the case, they’ve actually no selection however to go in to get the data, to get the small print, to get the content material that they want. 

SS: I really like that philosophy and I really like that you simply guys are driving that to vary the habits of your discipline groups. Now, you could have a number of large plans for evolving Highspot going ahead. Are you able to inform us extra about your imaginative and prescient for persevering with to evolve your enablement and the way you intend to leverage Highspot to assist? 

DD: There are 4 key initiatives that we’re persevering with to consider for some and probe for others in 2024. The primary one on the forefront is the fixed governance muscle. We do quarterly governance, like sprints we’re calling them, the place we determine the content material that hasn’t met the factors for freshness. We get that content material in entrance of our product advertising and buyer advertising groups for them to vet if it must be there. Then an archiving dash within the latter half of the quarter and measure within the following quarter. Always constructing in that muscle. That’s a precedence on the finish of the day that we can not overlook about, however we are able to’t deprioritize as we do every part else. 

The opposite three issues I discussed briefly, which is getting smarter about our gross sales performs. How will we proceed to construct these and make them simpler on a yearly foundation? As we’re our yearly technique, what are these gross sales performs, these go-to-market priorities that now we have to hit on, and the way can we construct out a gross sales place for that?

It’s giving us extra face time to be candid with senior gross sales leaders, and gross sales executives to incorporate us in these conversations as a result of they know to execute on that, they’re going to wish our staff’s assist across the gross sales performs. Candidly there’s like a quid professional quo in that strategy and that’s good.

The third piece is the data administration side of it. Constructing that data administration base, that’s going to be a giant precedence. We’re nonetheless studying and adapting to that. The fourth piece, which we haven’t explored but, however I do know Highspot has a number of nice analysis round, is salerooms. That single supply of reality, the place you may see how the client interacts with the content material, what they’re clicking on, it’s extra customer-facing. 

There’s an enormous alternative for us to have that extra customer-facing digital rooms strategy. How can we construct that into our motions immediately? I feel now we have to get the gross sales play proper, and now we have to get the governance proper, so individuals can belief the content material, they will belief the supply of the content material. The digital rooms are form of the following step in our maturity to make sure that we are able to get analytics and real-time suggestions from buyer engagement. 

SS: Completely. I’ve to say I really like the evolution of digital gross sales rooms and the visibility it offers you into what is basically resonating together with your purchaser on the finish of the day. I actually respect all the time, Dustin. Thanks a lot for becoming a member of us immediately. 

DD: Thanks. 

SS: To our viewers, thanks for listening to this episode of the Win Win Podcast. You’ll want to tune in subsequent time for extra insights on how one can maximize enablement success with Highspot.