Jeff Beckham

AMA: Mixpanel Former Head of Product and Content Marketing, Jeff Beckham on Sales Enablement

December 17 @ 10:00AM PST
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Mixpanel Former Head of Product and Content Marketing, Jeff Beckham on Sales Enablement
Top Questions
Jeff Beckham
Jeff Beckham
Gem Head of MarketingDecember 17
The best sales reps I’ve seen rely on people and resources across the company to win deals, but these same reps are also very particular about the materials they use and the people they invite to meetings. This attention to detail in the customer experience is what drives their success. The mill......Read More
1074 Views
2 requests
Jeff Beckham
Jeff Beckham
Gem Head of MarketingDecember 17
The biggest mistake I’ve made is not involving Sales at the ideation stage. Too many times, I’ve thought I had a great idea for a new program or piece of content, only to find upon rolling it out that I was solving a problem nobody had. It’s always good to have a few “friendlies” on the sales te......Read More
1330 Views
1 request
Jeff Beckham
Jeff Beckham
Gem Head of MarketingDecember 17
If it’s a specific rep you’re having trouble with, I’d recommend just having a quick conversation with them about where the confusion is stemming from. They might have some useful feedback on how to organize or disseminate content that is more in line with their day-to-day or use case. The added......Read More
940 Views
2 requests
Jeff Beckham
Jeff Beckham
Gem Head of MarketingDecember 17
A quick survey can work well. I usually use Google Forms, but higher-end tools like SurveyMonkey and Qualtrics provide a little more flexibility if you have them. Longer surveys get fewer responses, so if volume is most important, definitely keep it short. The best way to send it out is through ......Read More
971 Views
2 requests
Jeff Beckham
Jeff Beckham
Gem Head of MarketingDecember 17
A good question to ask before starting a sales playbook is, “what’s in it for them?” Good sales reps welcome support from anyone who can truly help them, and product marketers are well-positioned to provide that type of assistance. But I’ve made the mistake many times of taking the “build it and ......Read More
1159 Views
2 requests
When should a company start thinking about creating a separate sales enablement function?
Sales Enablement is now seen as a new functional area in many organizations separate from Product Marketing.
Jeff Beckham
Jeff Beckham
Gem Head of MarketingDecember 17
That’s a tough question, and unfortunately, I think it does depend on your organization. I’ve usually seen enablement added as a separate function when a company reaches the 150-250 employee range. The common change-driver is usually a big push in sales hiring, which often comes with globalizatio......Read More
987 Views
1 request
Jeff Beckham
Jeff Beckham
Gem Head of MarketingDecember 17
The more time in advance you can provide the sales team, the better. But you also don’t want to sit on new products / features that are ready to go, especially when you’re at a small and nimble company like yours. The key question is, when is the product far enough along that you know the final f......Read More
1545 Views
3 requests
Jeff Beckham
Jeff Beckham
Gem Head of MarketingDecember 17
If your sales reps are already having daily conversations, you’re in luck! It means they aren’t short on time with their customers and giving you 20-30 minutes shouldn't be a big deal.  You might have the best chance positioning the market research ask as something that can strengthen the rela......Read More
891 Views
1 request
Jeff Beckham
Jeff Beckham
Gem Head of MarketingDecember 17
At every company I’ve been a part of, product marketing has always been the driver of any sales enablement done by the marketing team. I’m sure that’s not the case everywhere, but I believe it’s the norm. The main reason is PMMs are hired for a specific skill set that fits enablement – storytelli......Read More
2027 Views
2 requests
Jeff Beckham
Jeff Beckham
Gem Head of MarketingDecember 17
If you have the opportunity to be involved, snatch it as quickly as possible! The core of product marketing is creating messaging that works, and the fastest way to test messaging is through channels that scale. SDR templates are one of those, along with digital ads and high-traffic web pages. O......Read More
1265 Views
1 request
Jeff Beckham
Jeff Beckham
Gem Head of MarketingDecember 17
This is a fun question because I’ve seen this vary so broadly across the places I’ve worked. Step one is to make sure product marketing gets invited :) At Mixpanel, all of the go-to-market teams go to SKO, and it has really helped to create a sense of shared purpose across sales, marketing and cu......Read More
1534 Views
2 requests
Jeff Beckham
Jeff Beckham
Gem Head of MarketingDecember 17
It’s exciting that your company is making the shift up-market! The first question to ask is whether you have the right people in place to sell into enterprises. Promoting the best people on the mid-market team is highly risky, although that decision is usually outside the purview of product marke......Read More
1230 Views
1 request