AMA: Ethos Head of Marketing, B2B, Aneri Shah on Sales Enablement

Every PMM has experienced the issue of creating sales enablement materials, sending them "into the void", and not knowing how/where they're being used or if the sales team is adequately trained on them. A few tactical tips that I've used: * Create a predictable rhythm: Don't just drop your launches into the ether and wait for Sales to pick them up. Have a GTM plan focused on Sales as an audience. How will they learn about the new launch? Do they know exactly where to find materials? Where and to whom to ask questions? Where and how to get detailed training? Set up your "rhythm of business" so that Sales can get the information they need without any friction. * Find a "gut check" Sales buddy: I recommend each PMM has 1-2 folks they're friendly with on the Sales team who can help informally review/run through new updates before sharing them with the broader team. This allows you to get feedback in a low-stakes way, and practice how you will train the sales team. * Do practice pitches: We'll create sessions for the Sales team to practice pitching new products or messaging to one another so we can help ensure it's being used correctly and give them an opportunity to ask questions before a real pitch. * Meet regularly: When we launch a new product, we do daily standups with the Sales team where we can gather feedback and questions and just create the space and time to walk through materials and see where people are confused, or what additional questions they may be getting that we haven't covered. This allows us to stay nimble and see where we need to invest.

Keep it simple, stupid. This is where many folks tend to overengineer in an unnecessary way. I find the following to work great, and have used this at both startups and Fortune 100 companies: * Use Zoom to deliver live trainings: You can figure out how to get the right group size for these trainings by segmenting them by team, region, vertical etc. * Post a recording of trainings & materials: Make sure these are easy to access for folks who can't attend live by sharing to a wiki, or posting in an easily searchable location. * Create a dedicated channel: Make sure people know where to come to discuss training & ask questions. This is likely a Slack channel or dedicated meeting/office hours.

* Manage sales requests like a product roadmap: Create a spreadsheet or log of requests, and then try to size them. How many people asked for them, how significant/detailed are the topics, what would the impact on revenue be, what do existing materials on this topic look like? And similarly, what's the other work you could be using that time to invest in that would generate better results for the company? Use those inputs to create a prioritized roadmap that you can get buy-in on from Sales leadership. * Create MVPs: Not every piece of collateral has to be the most detailed, polished piece ever. See if a quick piece "scratches the itch". If that satisfies the ask, great. If it's inviting a lot more questions or attracting a lot of attention, then it may be time to invest further. * Use AI to scale your output: Often, Sales asks are the same messaging/content just packaged differently. This is the type of thing AI is perfect for - take that training deck and turn it into a one-pager or e-mail campaign, or battlecard. The key is for you to invest time in the narrative, not synthesizing it into all the different ways it may be used.

* Build relationships: The easiest and most straightforward way to get added to these calls is by having strong relationships with the folks hosting the calls. Invest in getting to know your Sales team - spend time with them at the office, attend their offsites/social events, make sure they know who you are and what you're here to do. * Demonstrate a tangible value add: When you first start, show Sales what you can concretely add to a call. It could be as simple as taking notes for them, or more complex like providing subject matter expertise on a given topic. It could also be providing access to Product/Engineering, who it may be valuable to add to some calls. Let them know 1-2 concrete things they will get by adding you to a call. * Share insights: I'm a fan of "internal thought leadership", which is synthesizing and sharing insights that others may not have access to. Share your notes on a given topic or hypothesis, advocate for why a specific product should be built, share the deepest POV on a given audience or vertical. When you can show what you do with the learnings from discovery calls, the Sales team is more likely to want to include you on more.