Back in 2017, only 3,233 LinkedIn users held jobs in enablement. Since then, the number of enablement practitioners has grown exponentially and today, enablement is increasingly recognized as a strategic function within organizations.
Once seen as an intermediary between sales and marketing teams, enablement leaders and their teams now play a highly visible and strategic role. And more organizations are dropping the ‘sales’ before enablement, instead referring to the function as ‘revenue enablement’ or simply ‘enablement.’
As the global leader in enablement, Seismic is committed to working closely with enablement practitioners to keep a pulse on the industry. To that end, we recently commissioned a survey of more than 1,600 go-to-market professionals around the world to understand how organizations practice enablement, invest in enablement tech, and leverage software to drive organizational change.
The findings, which can be found here, depict an evolution in how organizations prioritize enablement. In this post, we’ll highlight the high-visibility, strategic role enablement practitioners play within their organizations and how technology – in particular, AI-powered enablement software – brings their initiatives to life.
Enablement practitioners drive strategic change
At some point in their career, every enablement leader has dealt with a fire drill. At times, it may feel like all they do is put out fires and handle random, ad-hoc tasks. However, that isn’t always the case.
Our research found that most enablement professionals are the driving force behind long-term initiatives. A whopping majority (87%) of respondents say their enablement leaders prioritize defining a long-term enablement strategy. These strategies have led to real results within their organizations. 78% of these same respondents believe that enablement leaders at their company have driven strategic change in the past year. While there will always be changes that require enablement teams to quickly pivot and manage ad-hoc requests, the data shows that enablers are the change agents within their organizations.
Executive eyes on enablement initiatives
The impact that enablement teams have on their organizations has not gone unnoticed by their colleagues. Increased responsibility over strategic initiatives has resulted in greater executive visibility.
As organizational leadership becomes more invested in enablement outcomes, practitioners are increasingly collaborating with different areas of the business. Today, 34% of GTM professionals reported that their enablement teams manage long-term projects like business transformation.
This shift highlights the growing importance of enablement in creating and executing long-term strategies and initiatives.
To keep up with this expanded scope, enablement leadership is gaining greater access to organizational leadership and the C-suite. Among the respondents, 42% noted that enablement leaders meet monthly with GTM leadership, and another 35% stated that enablement leaders meet monthly with the c-suite. This regular interaction with top leadership underscores the strategic role that enablement professionals play in their organizations.
Enablement teams are painting the bigger picture
The report also emphasizes the importance of balancing ad-hoc enablement requests with long-term strategic priorities. Enablement leaders are conducting strategy and planning sessions every month (43%) or every quarter (40%) to ensure they are aligned with the organization’s goals. Furthermore, 87% of respondents agreed that their enablement leaders prioritize planning and defining a long-term enablement strategy.
These developments demonstrate the growing influence and importance of enablement as a profession. Enablement professionals are not only responsible for supporting product launches and onboarding new sellers, but also for managing complex, multi-pronged changes within the business. This strategic approach is driving significant business transformations and improving overall outcomes.
An in-depth view of enablement’s impact
The expanding role of enablement professionals is reshaping organizations by blending short-term needs with long-term strategic visions. Their ability to drive change and enhance organizational outcomes underlines the critical nature of their work. The dedication to regular strategy sessions ensures that enablement leaders remain aligned with broader organizational goals, fostering sustained growth and efficiency.
For a deeper dive into the evolving roles, responsibilities, and technology preferences in the enablement field, we invite you to download the full report. It provides comprehensive insights into how enablement practitioners are transforming businesses and the strategic importance of their contributions. Download a copy today!
