How to Execute an Enablement Framework That Doesn't Fail

Enablement is about equipping teams with the resources, training, and frameworks they need to succeed independently, especially in the early stages of a company’s growth. Reflecting on experiences from G2, an investment in enablement from day one could have saved countless hours and accelerated the team’s development and productivity.

So, what's enablement and why do you need it?

Let's break it down:

1. What Does Enablement Mean? Enablement goes beyond hiring and hoping new reps “figure it out.” It involves structured guidance, tools, and resources that help team members not only understand but also excel at every stage of the sales process. Enablement empowers a team to operate autonomously and consistently deliver results.
2. What Enablement Should Not Be Enablement shouldn’t be an afterthought or just informal mentoring. Early on at G2, we lacked formal enablement. Our approach was mentor-based: new hires were assigned a more experienced rep to guide them, and their training consisted of internal role-playing and live pitching. While it provided some support, it wasn’t scalable or efficient as we grew.
3. What Happens When You Don’t Invest in Enablement Early In fast-growing environments, the focus often falls solely on hiring, putting structured enablement on the backburner. Without a standardized onboarding or training process, existing reps and leaders end up spending significant time manually teaching each new hire. At G2, that meant a revolving cycle of repetitive training sessions that took us away from higher-priority work. Managers even ended up closing deals for reps due to gaps in sales process knowledge—a practice that stifled the reps’ own growth and productivity.
4. A Better Approach: Early Enablement Frameworks A scalable enablement approach could start with:some text
   • A Clear Playbook: Detailing each step of the sales cycle with recorded examples and reference materials.
   • Role-Playing and Pitch Feedback: Not only during onboarding but regularly as part of ongoing development.
   • Centralized Resources: Investing in enablement software early on would have been transformative, giving reps a one-stop shop for all sales materials instead of relying on colleagues for ad-hoc answers.

Ultimately, investing in enablement early on lays the foundation for a scalable and self-sufficient team.

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