What steps do you take to make sure the Sales team actually uses the enablement materials you create? Especially for organizations where the Product Marketing role is new, and they take everything just as "a suggestion"

This may sound simple but: create the enablement with them, not for them. When sales reps, and especially sales leaders, are invested in the content they will use it. You know you have a winning enablement when sellers are organically using it in customer conversations. So, here's a checklist to make sure your next enablement lands:

• Identify your core objectives for the enablement: pipeline, product participation, win rate, etc.

• Run a kickoff with key sales leaders and stakeholders. Show them your objectives and let them speak free form on how they would look at hitting the objectives.

• Share 2-3 drafts with them of the enablement and iterate based on their feedback.

• Ask them to represent some or all of the content. If it's on a zoom, ask them to co-present with you. If it's async, ask them to send the email or the slack.

Enablements that fall flat are ones that are created and shipped from the marketing department. Enablements that land are ones that are co-created by all functions touching GTM.

In addition to my answer about post-kickoff activities, I think it really boils down to finding your sales evangelists and go from there. It's understanding your sales persona. :)

If it feels like "product marketing content," they probably won't use it. From their POV, they've got a number to hit and what does product marketing really know anyway? They're the ones in front of customers every day actually selling the stuff.

Instead, it has to feel like your company's materials (not PM materials) that successful sellers are using. So, find your sales BFFs, find out what they really need (not always what they say), deliver it in partnership with them, and help them evangelize it to other sellers. Being a strategic partner to solve a sales challenge will set you up to win. AND when it's proven to work, sales leaders will reinforce it because it helps everyone hit their number.