In our latest analysis research, 100% of gross sales leaders agreed that you simply want each an efficient device and technique to achieve enablement. So, how are you going to maximize the impression 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 navigate them efficiently. Right here to debate this matter is Dustin Day, senior supervisor of worldwide 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 International Gross sales Enablement staff. I’ve been with Coursera for somewhat bit over a 12 months now specializing in all the things 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 absolutely the place I began to get my gross sales help background. I went into training publishing, now branded EdTech as we speak, and centered on the finance and technique side of gross sales. Then I went to a corporation named Challenger, which is the place I labored with international corporations supporting their gross sales management, and gross sales enablement staff across the problem of gross sales methodology.
That’s the place I received considering extra of the attitude of gross sales enablement and changing into extra of the practitioner versus the thought management sort of execution facet of gross sales methodology. I’m pleased to be right here, Shawnna, and searching ahead to our dialog.
SS: I’m excited to have you ever right here as properly, Dustin, and it feels like you’ve gotten an outstanding background to reply our first query, which I’d love to begin with. What does good enablement appear like in your opinion? In different phrases, what are among the key parts of an efficient enablement technique?
DD: I feel that is the large query within the trade as we speak and I feel it’s one which people like myself, don’t battle with, however are continually attempting to reimagine. Traditionally, in case you checked out gross sales enablement, it grew out of a pure gross sales L&D movement, pure coaching, getting in entrance of the sphere, and coaching them on the abilities which can be crucial for them to succeed.
That’s nonetheless an enormous part of gross sales enablement, however being on the middle of the way you help the staff and the rising nature of gross sales, we’ve began to see gross sales enablement develop into trying on the gross sales cycle and looking for efficiencies inside our gross sales cycle, the shopping for course of and attempting to determine the shopping for course of and construct these play playing cards to help the sphere and the way they have interaction with and the shopper journey.
As gross sales enablement evolves, I feel there nonetheless must be that blend of formal gross sales coaching or skill-building workouts if you’d like a place like that, but in addition how will we get the sphere to be geared up for the longer term? This digital setting has modified the character of gross sales, modified the character of the client, and organizations like ours and our gross sales power are continually studying navigate that as the client has gotten smarter and began to evolve quicker than we’ve been capable of evolve from a industrial engine perspective.
SS: I really like that. We talked somewhat bit about while you joined Coursera, however I do know it was proper at first of the staff’s partnership with Highspot. Inform us somewhat 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 web site, and that naturally created a ton of ache factors by way of discovering content material, participating with content material, and proactively offering suggestions for us to maintain issues contemporary. There have been a whole lot of inefficiencies inbuilt simply the pure industrial help engine.
As we checked out Highspot, the unique use case was let’s get our content material onto Highspot, get it organized in a method that no less than helps the staff construct and have these sources and the collateral out there to them as we speak. That was stage one. I feel stage two has basically outlined our gross sales enablement technique extra broadly, which is that we created further ache factors by simply importing sources. We began to say, how will we arrange, create that suggestions loop and basically assist our advertising staff skip a whole lot 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 would have liked to resolve, however that’s good as a result of we’re not doing what we initially did as we speak.
What we did in Q2, our staff basically constructed a content material governance technique that we now preserve on a quarterly foundation the place we archive items of content material primarily based on the standards which can be 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 exhibiting the worth in gross sales enablement. We’ve began to construct this governance construction to guarantee that that content material help engine is operating on all cylinders.
Our advertising staff understands utilization and we’re persevering with to develop that as we begin to construct out our This autumn and our subsequent 12 months technique, which is gross sales play specifics. Organizing all the things in a single central spot so no person 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 reviews that we are able to put into one place custom-built for the AE. The What to Know part has all the things that you must learn about content material. We’re a content material firm. Anytime we work with a buyer, there’s a whole lot of transferring items in our product.
Then additionally what to indicate, 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 must 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 properly and we’ve sort 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 among the key enterprise challenges that Highspot helped resolve at Coursera?
DD: First it’s simply content material. We’ve a really giant advertising staff at Coursera and in case you’re aware of the Coursera go-to-market, or who we’re, we’ve a really giant shopper B2C income stream. It’s the place most of our income comes from. We’ve a whole lot of B2C entrepreneurs that create a whole lot of B2C sort of content material and collateral.
As we began to wash issues up, among the unique ache factors have been how will we get ourselves organized, get a few of that extra B2B content material entrance and middle, take away the noise from a content material perspective from the peripherals, and get the staff centered. 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 resolve a few of these challenges?
DD: Effectively, initially, we love to arrange our content material. We haven’t been capable of arrange it successfully thus far, 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 rapidly. Whereas it’s a nice platform for us in gross sales enablement and our colleagues in advertising, we actually don’t need our subject spending 20 to half-hour anytime they’re within the system to search out what they want.
The tagging and getting the content material entrance and middle have been tremendous useful for us to measure the utilization of our content material as properly. We’ve 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 discuss somewhat 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 the entire communication channels utilizing the Highspot performance to sort of pitch it out to the staff. We’re going to begin to have a look at utilization, begin to have a look at click-through charges, and begin to use the device nearly like a promoting device internally to interact with the sphere and begin to measure how we are able to higher help the sphere.
SS: I really like that. Really, 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 spend money on 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 help supplies on Highspot. It simply felt sort 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 part, we decided to have that consolidated platform the place on the finish of the day, merely stated, it’s one place versus many locations.
I feel significantly in gross sales enablement, there are a ton of latest platforms and merchandise and help 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 once we went to upskill, reskill the staff we’ve been in a position to make use of among the recording performance, have managers pay attention and log off, construct greatest apply pages round what a very good pitch appears like and begin to flex that muscle somewhat 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 amazing greatest apply pitch from a latest coaching and we are able to hyperlink to that as properly. It’s actually helped resolve a whole lot of these actually minor however tedious steps that our subject must take previous to getting something finished or simply to navigate any kind of system we’ve.
SS: I really like that you simply guys are taking that unified method, although, as a result of it makes it much more seamless to your reps, and clearly we need to be the place your reps are to make them extra productive. One other method that you simply’re fascinated about it from a unified platform perspective and also you’ve touched on this somewhat bit, so I’d like to drill in, is that massive initiative across the gross sales performs aligned to coaching. Are you able to inform us about this initiative and why it’s a spotlight to your staff?
DD: Traditionally we’ve constructed Highspot pages basically 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 received suggestions that, oh, how do I navigate it? The place do I am 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 arrange each certainly one of our gross sales performs now round a really particular product suite.
We begin with what to know, which is usually one thing across the buyer persona, or we might separate it out, relying on who the shopper persona is. The client persona is a deeper dive from a Coursera perspective into the content material, and the demo environments that we’ve associated to that. Then we go into what to say, which is way 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 really helped our staff actually on the finish of the day, arrange their ideas and know rapidly navigate. One other output of that’s now we arrange our subject coaching round that very same construction. It’s given us a brand new construction to interact with the sphere from a dwell digital coaching perspective once 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 means of the gross sales play because the construction of our subject coaching. That’s additionally been useful. Gross sales play will proceed to evolve and we’ll proceed to construct on it, but it surely’s laser-focused on, it’s received us, from a go-to-market perspective, way 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 sphere suggestions be, that is nice, and the questions are extra centered 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 % enhance in play adoption. How did you successfully launch this initiative to your gross sales groups? And possibly what are among the outcomes that you simply’ve seen thus far?
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 simply, for our Tier 2 and Tier 3 launches, we used to simply undergo Slack and or electronic mail channels to get the communication out, hyperlink to the Highspot most important 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 sphere but in addition an introduction to the Highspot web page itself. Now it’s simply pure conduct change motions. Now we convey it up continually 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 we’ve previously to assist sort of reinforce that know, say, present. It’s simply sort of hammering the nail over and again and again in a productive method for the sphere.
From our perspective, we’re additionally driving that conduct change by making it entrance and middle as that is the way in which we’re going to function. A Little carrot and stick method, however from our perspective, it was a conduct change play and a part of that conduct change is getting individuals purchased in that that is how we’re going to function firstly, 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 general. I feel you guys have 85 % recurring utilization. What are a few of your greatest practices for driving adoption and the way has having a unified platform helped?
DD: This may increasingly 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’ve got this plethora of random copies on the market to the staff.
One of many issues that we do continually 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 comply with up and say, hey, suggest that you simply share the Highspot hyperlink as an alternative. Right here’s the rationale why. We are able to monitor if individuals are utilizing it, seeing it, clicking on it, et cetera. We simply need to get the hyperlinks for Highspot on the market as the one supply of fact.
The opposite bit is from a recurring use perspective, we’ve began to leverage Highspot for extra of our data administration facet of the aisle. That is undoubtedly a piece in progress and we’re persevering with to consider and attempting to grasp 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 middle. Once more, with hyperlinks out into the completely different sources which can be on Highspot to assist these roles execute.
It’s recognized areas that we don’t have very tangible help in now. It helps us prioritize what we have to construct and once we construct these, we construct them in Highspot. Reoccurring makes use of really are extra of a muscle that we have to have from a gross sales enablement perspective versus the sphere. If all the things is in there organized and it’s the one supply of fact, as you talked about, the unified platform, if that’s the case, they’ve actually no alternative however to go in to get the data, to get the main points, 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 conduct of your subject groups. Now, you’ve gotten a whole lot of massive 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 propose 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 standards 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. Consistently constructing in that muscle. That’s a precedence on the finish of the day that we can’t overlook about, however we are able to’t deprioritize as we do all the things 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 more practical on a yearly foundation? As we’re our yearly technique, what are these gross sales performs, these go-to-market priorities that we’ve 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 help across the gross sales performs. Candidly there’s like a quid professional quo in that method and that’s good.
The third piece is the data administration side of it. Constructing that data administration base, that’s going to be an enormous 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 whole lot of nice analysis round, is salerooms. That single supply of fact, the place you may see how the shopper 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 method. How can we construct that into our motions as we speak? I feel we’ve to get the gross sales play proper, and we’ve 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 sort 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 absolutely resonating together with your purchaser on the finish of the day. I actually recognize the entire time, Dustin. Thanks a lot for becoming a member of us as we speak.
DD: Thanks.
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.
