AMA: Fastly Senior Director, Global Sales Enablement, Andrew Zinger on Sales Enablement

I Love this question...I was once a salesperson, so I have always carried a ton of empathy for sellers and how precious their actual selling time is. I really disliked being taken away from my role to take training or meetings that were not immediately something I could action (sell), or that didn't make me effective at my job. With that in mind, I adopted a philosophy around 'Golden Selling Time, where we front load any enablement we deliver in the first 45 days of a quarter - right out of the gates that is our promise to sellers. Also, we need to read into the health of the business, through metrics and analytics, to help us determine what enablement is needed -too often enablement is reactive - strong partnerships with teams like Sales Operations can help you create the real time insights needed to ensure that what we deliver, it top of mind and is aimed at solving a potential challenge, but more importantly some thing sellers can action immediately. If we see deals falling off after a certain stage, we will research the reason why and help identify specific enablement to address the challenge, and we ensure that what we deliver is specific to the audience and is immediately actionable. You also need to listen - conversational intelligence allows you to understand, at scale, where the brightest spots are, and where you'll find opportunity for change. We also provide multiple 'on demand' or 'just in time' resources - I am a huge fan of micros learnings, and enablement on the go, so everything we produce is mobile ready - people do not learn just 9-5 these days...we have to meet our audience where they're at. So, in summary: - analytics & metrics can help paint the picture of what enablement is required - embed yourself with sales and through programs like conversational intelligence, you'll get a sense first hand of where you can have the most impact - Adopt the 'Golden Selling Time' philosophy - give your sellers the time to sell

Thank you for asking - for me it is 2 key philosophies that help build a successful culture within sales: Distraction Free Selling & Golden Selling Time. When it comes to 'Distraction Free Selling' that means we centralize all cross functional communications for sales into a bi-weekly, repeatable webinar program (we call this 'The Scoop'). It builds confidence with the sellers that they don't need to waste time searching for information, updates or launches that are key to their role, but that we will serve those up when they need to know it. As for true 'sales skills' development, we front load all of our enablement in the first 45 days of the quarter, so the back half of the quarter is 'Golden Selling Time' and dedicated to sellers working with their customers. These enablement sessions are meant to highlight the gold standard selling happening in the field. Sellers want to be like their most successful colleagues...so give them the platform to share!

You make more succinct: With submissions due last Friday, March 8, we are now shifting to the ‘manager review’ portion of our program. Over the next 2 weeks managers will be reviewing stories & will be serving up their teams strongest submission - Artur is very much looking forward to seeing some ‘gold standard’ storytelling from the field! ChatGPT ChatGPT Submissions closed on March 8. Now, managers will review stories over the next 2 weeks, selecting the best submissions for their teams. Artur eagerly anticipates seeing top-notch storytelling! You make more succinct: Shifting focus to ‘Golden Selling Time’ so our next Scoop (3/180 will be ‘newsletter only’. In this time we are working closely with PMM to finalize the exciting enablement programs for ‘Compute’ & ‘Bbots’ that will be launching in April 2! ChatGPT ChatGPT Focusing on 'Golden Selling Time,' our next Scoop (3/180) will be 'newsletter only.' During this period, we're collaborating closely with PMM to finalize exciting enablement programs for 'Compute' and 'Bbots,' launching on April 2! You make more succinct: Crowdsourcing Help! Good morning/Afternoon leaders, In Q2, we are rolling out a monthly 'on demand' video program called 'Conversations with...'. These short, bite-size, 'interview-style' videos will showcase internal teams & individuals from Fastly that our sellers will likely come across in their deal cycles, such as Procurement, Legal, Executive Admins & more. The aim is to understand what is important to them - when to engage, how to get them to be an advocate, how they can unlock access to decision makers & much more. In addition to the 3 teams/roles highlighted above, who else would you & your sellers like to hear from in this series, so we can ensure we get them lined up? Thank you very much ChatGPT ChatGPT Leaders, Introducing 'Conversations with...'—a monthly 'on-demand' video series launching in Q2. These brief, interview-style videos will feature internal teams and individuals from Fastly encountered in deal cycles, like Procurement, Legal, Executive Admins, and more. We aim to glean insights on engagement strategies, advocacy, accessing decision-makers, and more. Apart from the mentioned roles, whom else would you and your sellers like to hear from in this series? Your input will help us line up the right participants. Thank you. You make more succinct: Hi leaders, please thank your front-line managers (I'll insert names) whose teams met the Friday, March 8 deadline for the ‘Fastly Advantage’ Story Course. We now have two important asks of you: For AEs, AMs, SDRs, CAMs, and front-line managers who have not completed the course, please have them schedule 1:1 time with their manager this week to conduct their personalized story live via Zoom. They should record this session and use it as their video submission in Highspot; managers should then score that submission in Highspot for tracking purposes. Please encourage your managers to use the next two weeks score all of their reps’ submissions and serve up the ‘winning video’ from theirs team via the enablement-managers Slack channel by EOD Friday, March 22. Thank you for your partnership and continued attention to this! ChatGPT ChatGPT Hi leaders, Please extend gratitude to your front-line managers (insert names) whose teams met the Friday, March 8 deadline for the 'Fastly Advantage' Story Course. We have two important requests: 1. For AEs, AMs, SDRs, CAMs, and front-line managers who haven't completed the course, kindly arrange 1:1 sessions with their manager this week to deliver their personalized story live via Zoom. They should record this session and submit it as their video entry in Highspot. Managers should then score these submissions in Highspot for tracking purposes. 2. Encourage your managers to score all of their reps' submissions over the next two weeks and submit the 'winning video' from their team via the enablement-managers Slack channel by EOD Friday, March 22. Thank you for your partnership and continued attention to this matter! You For our team, measuring ramp effectiveness typically involves a combination of quantitative and qualitative metrics. Here's a breakdown of areas we focus on: 1. Time to Productivity: Measure how long it takes for new hires to become fully productive in their roles. This could involve tracking the time it takes for them to close their first deal, achieve certain sales targets, or demonstrate proficiency in their tasks. 2. Sales Performance Metrics: Compare the performance of new hires to established benchmarks or the performance of experienced sales reps. Look at metrics such as conversion rates, average deal size, and revenue generated to assess whether new hires are meeting expectations. 3. Training Completion and Assessment: Evaluate how well new hires are engaging with and completing training programs. Assess their understanding of key concepts and strategies through quizzes, assessments, or role-playing exercises. 4. Feedback from Managers and Mentors: Gather feedback from managers, mentors, and peers on the progress and performance of new hires. This could involve regular check-ins, performance reviews, or informal feedback sessions. 5. Customer Satisfaction: Monitor customer satisfaction scores or feedback related to interactions with new hires. Positive feedback from customers can indicate that new hires are effectively representing the company and its products/services. 6. Retention Rates: Analyze the retention rates of new hires compared to established employees. High turnover among new hires may indicate issues with the onboarding process or a lack of alignment between expectations and reality. 7. Onboarding Survey Results: Conduct surveys to gather feedback from new hires about their onboarding experience. Ask about the effectiveness of training programs, support received, and overall satisfaction with the onboarding process. By combining these metrics, organizations can gain a comprehensive understanding of the effectiveness of their ramp-up programs and identify areas for improvement.

This is so key to our team and to our growth mindset. For me, taying up-to-date on industry trends and best practices in sales enablement requires a proactive approach to continuous learning and networking. Here are some effective strategies: 1. Industry Publications and Websites: Regularly follow industry-specific publications, blogs, and websites dedicated to sales enablement. Examples include Sales Enablement Society, Sales Hacker, and Forrester. 2. Professional Associations and Groups: Join professional associations and online communities focused on sales enablement. Participate in discussions, attend events, and network with peers to stay informed about emerging trends and best practices. 3. Conferences and Events: Attend conferences, workshops, and webinars related to sales enablement. These events often feature keynote speakers, panel discussions, and breakout sessions focused on industry trends and strategies. 4. Webinars and Online Courses: Take advantage of webinars and online courses offered by industry experts and thought leaders. These resources provide valuable insights and practical tips on sales enablement practices. 5. Networking and Peer Learning: Connect with other sales enablement professionals through networking events, LinkedIn groups, and professional networks. Share experiences, exchange ideas, and learn from each other's successes and challenges. 6. Vendor and Technology Updates: Stay informed about updates and innovations from sales enablement software vendors and technology providers. Subscribe to newsletters, follow them on social media, and attend product demos to stay updated on new features and capabilities. 7. Continuous Learning: Cultivate a mindset of continuous learning and improvement. Dedicate time each week to reading articles, listening to podcasts, or watching videos related to sales enablement topics. 8. Feedback and Evaluation: Solicit feedback from colleagues, managers, and stakeholders about your sales enablement initiatives. Use feedback to identify areas for improvement and adjust strategies accordingly.

PMM and Product have traditionally been my strongest cross functional partners, and I believe they are vital for any enablement team's success. The way I get their buy-in, and bring them into the fold with our approach, is all around maximizing the work they do and serving up only what we expect sellers to know. Nothing is worse for content creators than not having anyone consume their content. So, since Enablement should understand the needs of the sellers more than most cross functional teams, we work to be very clear to PMM and Product and help them understand what sellers care about regarding any launch - and that is 'What's in it for me the seller? (how can I make money) & 'What's in it for my customer?. If content from cross functional teams can answer those 2 questions, sellers will sit up and take notice. 

Great question - as I touched upon in an earlier answer, innovation needs to happen across the organization - both in the way we sell and in the way we deliver enablement. The traditional approach to selling needs to evolve - from how sellers prospect, to how they show up to discovery calls. In order to earn wallet share in today's economy, sellers need to show up as consultants, understand more about the industry their customers are in, the challenges and opportunities they face, and come armed with customer stories to validate the value their product brings. In a similar vein, we need to update our approach to enabling our sellers to sell in new ways. Learning and knowledge consumption does not only take place 9-5 today. People consume knowledge all the time, across multiple devices and in various ways. So, we need to meet our sellers where they're at. When we create enablement programs, we need to have a similar lens and ensure there are: - inclusive of 'on demand' elements & micro-learning videos that are accessible on mobile devices - explore newer platforms like podcasting for deal reviews, partner success stories & stories from market and industry leaders With how our sellers evolve, our enablement needs to as well