In accordance with analysis from Gross sales Enablement PRO’s State of Gross sales Enablement Report 2023, when reps perceive the successful behaviors that can assist them enhance efficiency, they’re 74% extra prone to successfully replicate them with consumers. So what position does efficient coaching and training play in an general enablement technique?

Shawnna Sumaoang: Hello and welcome to the Win Win Podcast. I’m your host, Shawnna Sumaoang. Be part of us as we dive into altering tendencies within the office and how you can navigate them efficiently. Right here to debate this subject is Malia Di Salvo, senior supervisor of coaching effectiveness at Upwork. Thanks for becoming a member of, Malia! I’d love so that you can inform us about your self, your background, and your position. 

Malia Di Salvo: I’m tremendous excited to be right here. A bit about myself, as you talked about, I lead the coaching and effectiveness crew right here at Upwork. Underneath my purview, we’ve gross sales coaches, we’ve onboarding that’s a part of my scope, in addition to a pacesetter enablement program known as lead up.

A bit bit about me, I’m in Seattle, Washington so I’m simply getting in to benefit from the fall climate. I’ve a grasp’s in educating. I’ve been a salesman, a gross sales chief, in enablement, main onboarding, teaching, and all these enjoyable issues. This has simply been actually the chance to marry quite a lot of my passions into one position and have the ability to play a component within the strategic imaginative and prescient and serving to our gross sales groups and go-to-market groups actually develop into efficient. Marrying all my favourite issues collectively now. 

SS: I really like that. As you talked about, you concentrate on each coaching effectiveness and gross sales teaching at Upwork. Inform us about Upwork’s method to coaching and training what are the important thing elements of your enablement technique and the way do coaching and training each play a job on this?

MD: One of many issues that basically drew me to Upwork was the truth that they’d a gross sales coach crew and we’re increasing it and constructing it. Having been a gross sales coach prior to now, I acknowledge the affect that coaches can actually have on the subject of not simply driving rep conduct and talent change, however in the end income.

One of many issues that drew me was the truth that they’d a portion on this crew. Coaching and effectiveness to me, on the subject of our general enablement technique is actually about effectiveness, like precisely what the crew is. With enablement, we companion intently with our advertising crew. We now have a content material enablement crew that we actually work intently with once they construct playbooks or discuss tracks, after which we launch the coaching and the pull-through. 

Coaching and effectiveness, to me, are one of the paramount components to pulling that enablement technique ahead and thru all the best way to software to competency to mastery. We’re integrally tied to our enablement in addition to our general technique on the subject of driving income and affect.

SS: I really like that. We now have this theme right here at Highspot to assist others perceive what beauty like. What does good appear like for gross sales coaching? In different phrases, what makes for an efficient coaching program? 

MD: Positive, I believe the general finest search for coaching is that if it’s tied into bigger strategic initiatives for the org. What are the overarching OKRs? Our OKRs ought to align again up into the go-to-market organizations and all the best way up and thru. Beauty like with the ability to tie your initiatives to these larger-scale initiatives and begin displaying the affect you’re having on these initiatives.

I prefer to say that with enablement and with coaching and training, it’s actually laborious to say we’ve prompted these success metrics, however have we correlated with them? What a part of the equation had been we when it got here to attaining these general strategic initiatives? Have been we a part of the equation? Anybody who’s in enablement is aware of it’s actually laborious. There’s quite a lot of squishiness in enablement when it’s like, did we make an affect or not? I believe it’d be when you tie it into these bigger initiatives, so you’ll be able to present correlation to having achieved these, and that’s the place it actually reveals the affect.

I really feel like on the subject of a few of the applications that we’re doing to attain these OKRs and these larger-scale applications, you begin progressive metrics alongside the best way. For instance, if we’ve a sure large-scale OKR from the CRO or Gross sales VP or whoever that is likely to be. What are a few of the applications we tie in place to tie again into them? In the event that they’re trying to obtain X quantity of income by the top of the 12 months or by the top of the quarter, we are able to have a look at some applications to start out rising a few of the main indicators to tie into these final objectives. 

If we concentrate on setting extra internet new conferences or higher {qualifications} or issues like that, can we see a rise in a few of these main indicators figuring out that they may affect the lagging indicators? That’s the place the correlation begins to come back in, and that’s the place the enablement program occurs. You want to have the ability to present that pull by way of that you just had been in a position to do, not simply launching one thing, however the reinforcement, after which the last word indicator is like, oh, we noticed an uplift in these new conferences and new alternatives I’m protecting, figuring out that that can in the end result in a few of the bigger scale applications and initiatives. 

SS: I really like the way you guys are ready to attract that correlation. I’ve an identical query about gross sales teaching. What, out of your perspective, does good appear like for gross sales teaching, and what are perhaps a few of the core elements of an efficient teaching program?

MD: I imply, there are anecdotal and empirical methods to say what beauty like with teaching. My coaches each come from gross sales, so that they’re very empirical. They’re like, how do I do know I’ve been profitable? How do I do know what I’m doing is making an affect on these groups? Since they arrive from very black-and-white conditions the place it’s like, you had been profitable at this time, you’re profitable this month, otherwise you weren’t, there’s that anecdotal and empirical kind of approach. 

Let’s begin with the empirical. Will we see an uplift in any metrics? Should you began teaching a rep and also you’ve had them in your roster for X period of time, did you see an uplift in a few of the conduct and the symptoms you had been attempting to affect? It’s actually case by case since you may need one rep and that is very situational as effectively. You may need one rep who is actually combating attending to the facility within the deal. They’re having hassle gaining govt alignment. The teaching technique is on that. We have a look at, did we get a rise within the VP plus alternative or personas added onto these alternatives. Somebody may need been struggling to shut offers, so the coach is available in and actually focuses on why aren’t you closing offers as strongly. Oh, effectively, they’re not creating urgency sufficient earlier within the gross sales course of. We will begin trying on the deal to maneuver from stage one to stage two sooner. 

On the empirical aspect, there are a number of methods you’ll be able to have a look at that correlation. Once more, I’m going to say correlation as a result of the coaches are working tightly with the gross sales management as effectively. There are a number of issues coming at them to assist drive this specific conduct set. You possibly can see the correlation on the empirical aspect. Anecdotally, it’s actually like, do the reps get excited to fulfill with them? Are they like, hey, can I be in your roster this subsequent month, or are the leaders like, hey, can so and so be in your roster this subsequent month? They get an excellent Slack message on the finish of the session like this was actually nice and impactful. You actually helped me shut this deal. 

Relating to what beauty like, it truly is twofold. There’s empirical and anecdotal, and you may have a look at it and I really feel like you need to take each of them into consideration as a result of. As a coach, folks need to need to meet with you so that you can be impactful. That’s the place the anecdotal is available in earlier than the empirical may even occur. 

SS: Completely. Now, I do know, particularly this 12 months, quite a lot of organizations are hyper-focused on how they will enhance productiveness, particularly amongst their revenue-generating groups. How can real-world teaching assist to scale the productiveness of a gross sales crew? 

MD: That’s an excellent query. I believe proper now these days, everyone seems to be being requested to do extra with much less. We’re off the groups which might be impacted by rifts and layoffs. You could have the gross sales groups that had been reduce drastically and are nonetheless having to drive income. How do you actually concentrate on essentially the most impactful a part of your income crew to try this? One of many issues that I speak about and that we’re actually trying to concentrate on as effectively right here at Upwork is transferring the center. How do you determine essentially the most sturdy group of individuals the place the marginal good thing about them rising their quota attainment by 1% will exponentially enhance your income and productiveness objectives?

The A gamers and the non-A gamers, we’ll say, the D and F gamers, that’s the place the leaders can actually lean into that. That’s the place you’d be that the gross sales coach aspect of the home can actually lean into the center and concentrate on their productiveness. How can we, once more, get extra with much less, however not simply essentially extra, however higher conversations, higher high quality conversations, extra energy within the deal, and more practical methods to create urgency? We actually attempt to concentrate on the center portion, as a result of once more, that’s the place we discover if we see the rise in productiveness, the rise in offers, the rise in quota attainment, that’s actually going to drive our income objectives in an entire, in an entire new route.

The teaching crew can actually assist the leaders concentrate on and double down on that as effectively. To have the ability to assist obtain a few of that productiveness and people income objectives that we nonetheless need to hit. Each firm nonetheless has to hit. 

SS: Completely. How do you guys leverage Highspot to assist deliver your teaching technique to life?

MD: Our firm, our org is about up just a little in another way than different firms. Our enablement operate and our gross sales enablement operate concentrate on our content material enablement. They reside in our advertising division, and so my crew lives within the ops division. We work actually intently with our content material enablement crew to have the ability to develop playbooks, develop performs, develop discuss tracks, and all this stuff to have the ability to double down and reinforce. We companion intently with them to construct that content material out, after which we launch the reside coaching. We launch any e-learns you would possibly have to have as effectively. 

It’s a double-down method. We will use Highspot as effectively for reinforcement and to make sure we are able to get the insights we want. Anybody in enablement has heard of the Kirkpatrick mannequin for measuring success. I believe we use Highspot and acknowledge that Highspot is a good asset to us as we glance to measure that affect. For stage one for response, we are able to get the coaching survey and perhaps do a fast pull to see if it was impactful, however for stage two and stage three, you begin seeing the conduct, the training, enter, and affect. You are able to do the position performs and have them uploaded in Highspot. We now have the reinforcement materials. Who’s accessed it? Who’s been within the playbook that we created? Did it assist drive a deal ahead? 

It’s an actual approach to get that empirical information the place it’s actually laborious to enablement, a approach to proceed that progressive measurement of success by using the software correctly you’ll be able to actually begin getting these insights. You too can see who hasn’t utilized it and get some suggestions on why you aren’t there. Why haven’t you used it? We will pivot shortly as effectively to make sure that the fabric is as used as doable if you’ll. 

SS: Do you’ve gotten any wins or finest practices you’ll be able to share concerning the outcomes of leveraging Highspot for gross sales teaching?

MD: It’s all wins to me. Anytime we are able to make the most of a software to see what’s working, and what’s not. That is the start of the 12 months we launched a program known as Gaining Govt Alignment. As with each different firm on the market, as we’re all attempting to get our folks as outfitted and enabled as doable, having energy on the deal is actually essential.

We partnered with our enablement crew to construct out the content material and playbook for gaining govt alignment sequence. We had been in a position to have a progressive sequence program the place we did three completely different reside classes. We did some content material and playbooks related to it. We had been in a position to not simply use our reside coaching, but in addition our content material crew to have the ability to measure who’s using it. How is it working? We proceed to nonetheless use it. We noticed that once we targeted on it, it actually helped you, however we noticed a fairly respectable enhance in really getting energy on offers and establishing new conferences with the appropriate folks as effectively.

We’re in a position to again that into insights we use from it. If the particular person’s getting good, getting extra offers or they’re getting extra energy on offers, after all, even within the Highspot, so much using a few of the discuss tracks and the playbooks that we’ve. There’s a simple correlation to make. Should you use it it really works.

SS: Now, we’ve talked so much about ongoing coaching and training, however I do know that you just guys are additionally utilizing Highspot to assist together with your onboarding course of. Inform us just a little bit extra about that and the way you leverage Highspot in your onboarding program. 

MD: We’re really in a revamp of it too proper now, and I used to be simply talking with Nikki, who’s our proprietor of Highspot over right here at Upwork. Traditionally, we’ve used it for e-learnings and getting them on the trail for that, however as we glance to revamp our onboarding program and make it a extra, I gained’t say progressive, however for lack of a greater phrase, progressive method in direction of a real ramping expertise versus this type of like exponential curve after which fall off.

We’re how we’re going to be using Highspot to have that have be much more interactive with our new hires. Can we’ve a brand new rent touchdown web page the place each new rent goes to the web page, they is aware of precisely what their journey is, the place they’re on the journey, what e-learnings are occurring that week, what milestones we name them, and what assessments are coming down. We’re really revamping it and going to be doubling down on our Highspot utilization for our new rent coaching to actually make it a way more singular supply of reality for our new hires to come back in. 

It’s not so, go to the search bar and discover it, and right here’s e-learning. It’s going to be a one-stop store. I’m excited for what we’re going to be doing. I do know that it’s going to be much more impactful to our new hires. It’s a brand new approach that we’ll be using Highspot. One of many different issues we’re going to be doing with our new rent expertise is as we’re constructing out this content material or revamping this content material, what I believe we’ve discovered is that governance is actually laborious as we like having folks leaving the enterprise or transferring into new roles. We now have to go in and replace any e-learning or any movies the place they had been in. 

We’re additionally ensuring we’ve facilitator guides in order that anybody who does are available in can take over shortly. We’re going to start out using AI. You realize, ding, ding, ding, the time period of the quarter of the time period of the 12 months. How can we deliver AI into a few of our e-learnings and issues too, to actually make it a way more basic method versus a selected gross sales chief or particular person talking to it? We’re additionally going to take a look at how we’ve a gated approach inside Highspot to have all of those facilitators, like type of the backend, like with that leaders can entry particularly the place it holds all of the facilitator guides, holds all of the depth.

If it’s like, oh shoot, this chief’s out this week, within the Highspot hyperlink, right here’s the facilitator information, right here’s the deck you’re going to be presenting to the one that is likely to be filling in for them. We’re going to be trying to develop over how we use Highspot for our new rent occasion. We’re engaged on the plan this quarter with a possible launch in Q1, or Q2. I’m excited to see how that seems and the way that’s going to affect our new hires coming in. 

SS: Wonderful. Effectively, I’m enthusiastic about these plans as effectively. You guys are doing superb already. You guys have integrated Highspot coaching and training into daily workflows of your reps, and also you guys are already seeing an 83 % recurring utilization, which is superb. I believe adoption and utilization are actually vital with the intention to make sure that you’re seeing that meant conduct change. My final query for you, gross sales leaders clearly play a really vital position in reinforcing conduct from the highest. How do you allow gross sales leaders to successfully assist their groups and reinforce the worth of coaching and training?

MS: Nice query. I bought to present large props once more to Nikki, who’s our supervisor over at Enablement. She owns, runs, and actually drives that adoption for Highspot. She’s an unbelievable companion. I couldn’t do that with out her. Reinforcement is the important thing on the subject of any enablement applications. I believe we’ve all been at firms that had coaching rollouts, no matter that is likely to be, new applications, new merchandise, new pricing, new methodology, and it’s like, oh, nice. We’re going to be sitting on this coaching and let’s test the field and get it performed after which the following shiny factor occurs and that’s all fizzled out and forgotten. 

Reinforcement is a big a part of success for any program or something you’re attempting to launch as everyone knows, nevertheless it’s additionally the toughest factor to do. What we’ve been trying to do, particularly figuring out that leaders have a lot on their plate, is enablement groups are sometimes a crew of 1 or two. How do you scale that reinforcement? How do you allow and supply the leaders with the instruments that they want that can assist you reinforce that? How we use Highspot is after we’ve coaching for a few of our bigger scale applications, we create what’s known as a gathering in a field. It’s easy, nevertheless it’s a one-sheet that ties out just a few decks that may present some further crew huddle supplies, and one-on-one questions to assist proceed that dialog.

With leaders, we attempt to make it so simple as doable, figuring out that their days are insane and slammed. I’ve stated it earlier than and I’ll say it once more, I believe frontline leaders have the toughest job in any group. That center supervisor, you’re actually managing up, down, throughout in so many various methods. In enablement and coaching, our job, on the subject of ensuring that we get conduct and talent change and that these coaching are impactful, is on that reinforcement and that sustained movement. Whereas we rely on the leaders so much, how can we make it as simple as doable? 

We create this assembly within the field, we share it with the leaders afterward, after which we are able to, utilizing Highspot, have a look at who’s really moving into and using that useful resource and that software. It does a number of issues. It’s like, okay, they’re using it, it’s being adopted like that’s that stage two of Kirkpatrick, we’re beginning to see it. We will see who’s not utilizing it. Once more, it’s an effective way to go and see if somebody’s not using it, why not? Our purpose is to get 100% of our leaders using our content material and a minimum of getting in there to evaluate it and have the ability to pull by way of to the applying.

It’s a approach to additionally get suggestions and actually determine the not, the non-adopters, which is to me the important thing. Who’s not using it and why not? We will shortly iterate shortly, by seeing who’s not really moving into there and getting some insights from Highspot. We will go in actually shortly and be like, Hey, Mr. Gross sales chief, let’s have a fast dialog, a few questions. My prospects are the gross sales leaders, so I need to know what’s not working in order that we are able to make it proper in order that they’re using it and their groups are impacted as effectively.

SS: I really like what you guys are doing. It helped to allow your gross sales chief. You guys are doing a improbable job there at Upwork. Thanks a lot for becoming a member of us at this time. 

MD: This was superior. Thanks for having me. Thanks for having such an excellent software too. We’re large Highspot followers over right here.

SS: To our viewers, thanks for listening to this episode of the Win Win podcast. Make sure to tune in subsequent time for extra insights on how one can maximize enablement success with Highspot.