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Account Executive

Valued Contributor
Opinionated
Contributor
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Sales Enablement too early?

How early in the existence of a sales organization is too early to have a dedicated Sales Enablement person?


We have a team of 12 sales people (SDRs and AEs), and our VP of Sales heard it's a thing to have a dedicated person for Sales Enablement, and now is hiring one.


I understand there will be need for that, but I really have a feeling it's too early now. What are your inputs here?

👑 Sales Strategy
🧢 Sales Management
🗝 Sales Enablement
9

21 comment

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CuriousFox
WR Officer
6
🦊
You need atleast one.
White
Valued Contributor
-1
Account Executive
But we don't have a Sales Manager at all. We're reporting directly to the VP of Sales. Don't you think it would be better if there is a Sales Manager person that would manage the team, and also do the enablement part at this stage of growth? 
poweredbycaffeine
WR Lieutenant
3
☕️
The VP can handle you as reports until you get closer to 20. At that stage you bring in a manager and the segmentation will still leave the higher-end AEs reporting directly to the VP. The Enablement team should be agnostic of the sales leader, but instead acting as a partner to the growth plan.
White
Valued Contributor
2
Account Executive
Thanks for the input. Very valuable one! 
braintank
Politicker
3
Enterprise Account Executive
I think at 12 you're not too early. They can take on a lot of the work of building buyer personas, serving as a liason between sales and product, and even taking on some RevOps duties.
White
Valued Contributor
0
Account Executive
But we don't have a Sales Manager at all. We're reporting directly to the VP of Sales. Don't you think it would be better if there is a Sales Manager person that would manage the team, and also do the enablement part at this stage of growth? 
braintank
Politicker
1
Enterprise Account Executive
As other said, you'll need both. But enablement is there to make you better and make your job easier, so I'd always welcome it.
White
Valued Contributor
0
Account Executive
What would be of more priority? A Sales manager or a Sales Enablement person? 
braintank
Politicker
0
Enterprise Account Executive
I don't know your particular situation so hard to say...
Sunbunny31
Politicker
3
Sr Sales Executive 🐰
It's time!  That role should be very beneficial to the sales team, particularly if there's a focus on "enablement" meaning "making the sales job easier" in addition to "making the sales team better".
White
Valued Contributor
0
Account Executive
But we don't have a Sales Manager at all. We're reporting directly to the VP of Sales. Don't you think it would be better if there is a Sales Manager person that would manage the team, and also do the enablement part at this stage of growth? 
poweredbycaffeine
WR Lieutenant
2
☕️
You are late to the game. Should be a 10:1 ratio of sales staff to ops/enablement. This is my world, and I am currently preparing for that scaling nightmare.
White
Valued Contributor
0
Account Executive
We do have sales ops with even better ratio. But the VP is looking into having a dedicated Sales Enablement that would be organizing onboarding, coaching, etc. I see that this should be our next Sales Manager, instead. What do you think, shall we first have a Sales Manager and then Sales Enablement? 
poweredbycaffeine
WR Lieutenant
3
☕️
They are two separate jobs. The Sales Manager is there to handle the day-to-day performance of the sales team, freeing up the VP to be more strategic and focus on new areas of growth. With that in mind, it does not matter who comes first, as they are two entirely separate jobs (I've done the VP, Ops, Enablement, and Manager role). If I were your VP, I'd hire Enablement first and set myself up to have a system in place that provides a solid onboarding experience and operating framework for the manager.
1nbatopshotfan
Politicker
1
Sales
As soon as you have the revenue to support it, it’s time. Seems that with 12 heads, you probably have the revenue and can afford the person who should make your life easier. 
White
Valued Contributor
0
Account Executive
But we don't have a Sales Manager at all. We're reporting directly to the VP of Sales. Don't you think it would be better if there is a Sales Manager person that would manage the team, and also do the enablement part at this stage of growth? 
1nbatopshotfan
Politicker
3
Sales
I think you’ll need a manager soon enough, but there’s no reason to make it either manager or enablement. Why not both? 

At the end of the day enablement should be a resource for the sales team and should help add to the bottom line. I’d look at this as a positive. 
White
Valued Contributor
0
Account Executive
That's exactly how I see it. It would be best to have a manager that would do a part of Sales Enablement, naturally. 
saashunter2.0
Executive
1
Mid-Market Account Executive
What are you concerned about re sales enablement? Sounds like you’re not a fan at all
White
Valued Contributor
0
Account Executive
I am. I have had them in my previous company. But it makes sense to have them in a larger sales organization. However, having in mind it's only 12 of us, I think it's more important to have a Sales Manager, first, and then, later on, a person dedicated to Sales Enablement. Would you agree? 
Upper_Class_SaaS
Politicker
0
Account Executive
I'd say it's a good time. I worked at a start-up that could have used one a lot earlier because it was the wild west in  SFDC lol

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