Every business undergoes a moment of crisis at some point, either in the area of sales, management, or general development of the company. Entrepreneurs who deal with sales are especially prone to market instability and potential loss. In this case, a complex and overall change is needed to enable the business to get back on track.
One of these strategies is sales enablement. It is an overall business development program that concerns all the areas and steps connected with sales. Click here to learn more.
Sales enablement deals with internal communication in the company, examines the customer journey and the relationships with the clients, and puts emphasis on team motivation and education, for example, through training on a sales enablement platform.
All these steps and actions are meant to boost sales in the long run – this method is not partial or temporary – it should be used as an overall approach.
As in every business strategy, the most important aspect of the sales enablement is the people who create it and are engaged in the whole process. When it comes to this strategy, there are two most important individuals – a sales enablement leader and a program manager.
Their functions are equally important and complementary. How are these functions different, and what are their responsibilities? We explain in detail.
A Sales Enablement Leader – Who Is It?
A sales enablement leader is a coordinator of this strategy within a company. He is responsible for the whole process of introducing, executing, and evaluating sales enablement within a business.
The responsibilities include training the employees, evaluating their work in the context of sales enablement, and establishing positive relationships with the customers. Sales enablement leaders also have to take care of the company’s content and content strategy, which is a vital point of the sales enablement.
A leader of the sales enablement strategy should be a credible, creative, and innovative person. It is also important to think analytically and be able to measure certain results and data. It is definitely a more responsible function than the one of a manager. To read more on the role of the sales enablement leader, visit this website.
A Program Manager – Responsibilities & Characteristics
A program manager is basically a more complex version of a project manager. While the latter is responsible only for one project at once, the former manages a few projects at once – he builds a whole portfolio of projects and programs. A program manager also coordinates whole teams of people working on different projects.
The responsibilities of a program manager include, for example, responsibility for the daily project management, controlling the project processes, procedures, reports, etc., as well as coordination of the possible risks and issues that might arise during the projects.
Similarly to sales enablement leaders, program managers also need to have broadly-developed skills in business, planning and analyzing.
For example, they must have a broad knowledge of project and program management methodology; they need to have strong social and interpersonal skills and be able to make decisions quickly. More info on the function of a program manager is available here.
A Sales Enablement Leader & A Program Manager – A Comparison
Both functions – of a sales enablement leader and a program manager are undoubtedly responsible and demanding positions. They take high positions in the business career ladder, so they require at least a few years of professional experience.
The two mentioned positions require strong cooperation with others, as well as management and analytical skills. However, they differ in many aspects.
A sales enablement manager could be described as a broader and more complex function than a program manager. Sales enablement is not only a project or a set of them, but an overall business strategy that requires a holistic approach.
Moreover, sales enablement managers need to have not only the knowledge of project methodology as such but also be able to use it in practice and combine it with the latest business trends.
Program managers usually have more specific and narrow functions than sales enablement managers. Their knowledge could be an excellent base for the competencies of a sales enablement manager.
Conclusion
Both the jobs of a project manager and a sales enablement leader greatly impact the development of the business market. However, the sales enablement leader’s role seems to be a little broader and more complex than a project manager’s responsibilities.
It is important to diversify between these functions and make use of both of them on complementary terms. It will help to maintain the balance within a company and delegate chores more smoothly.
