I have the pleasure of helping revenue enablement professionals with strategic initiatives such as enhancing seller competency, improving sales onboarding, and choosing a sales methodology, among many others. One common request I get from clients, however, goes something like “We implemented X, but no one is using it, so we’re thinking of replacing X with Y.” In response to these inquiries, I conduct discovery regarding why the initiative failed. Was it an issue with the platform/technology? It almost never is. Was it a lack of rigor in the vendor selection process? Probably, but that still doesn’t explain the failure; most of the vendors are up to the given task. Was it a poor launch strategy for the initiative? Usually not; focus and attention are usually high for new initiatives. Was it a lack of dedication to and nurturing of the initiative over the long haul? Aha! Almost always … yes.

Revenue enablement initiatives don’t fail at launch; they fail in the planning for and sustaining of these important changes. Recognizing that change is not a “freeze frame” but a continuous motion, the Forrester Change Management Model describes three phases to manage change: Set the stage, put the plan in motion, and make the “new” seem like business as usual. Enablement teams, perhaps because of their sales heritage, tend to excel at the middle phase — putting the plan in motion — but ignore the two surrounding phases: setting the stage and making the “new” seem like business as usual.

Let’s walk through the change management model phases, with a focus on revenue enablement:

  • Set the stage. Revenue enablement should focus on two key sales constituencies: leadership and managers. Executive leaders provide the air cover necessary to drive behavior change, because without it, any initiative is a nonstarter. If your CSO isn’t sponsoring your initiative, don’t bother pursuing it. Next, sales managers must be enabled not just on the fundamentals but to coach on any change, including any new competency, behavior, process, or methodology. Be sure to keep sales leaders informed continually on program status to let them know what you need from them and to train managers first, setting clear expectations of their role in managing the change.
  • Put the plan in motion. This stage involves setting metrics for measuring and then executing your change. Enablement teams are generally good at launching programs but fall down on their application of metrics and dashboards to assess the success of programs. Forrester advocates for a spectrum of metrics that apply to all initiatives and progress business relevance. This spectrum of metrics includes activity, feedback, adoption, and impact. While most enablement initiatives measure the activity (did they do it?), teams need to move toward using more “carrot”-type measures, including recognition and positive coaching to reinforce behavior change.
  • Make the “new” seem like business as usual. In the final phase of managing a change, enablement teams must recognize that energy and morale may be low among sellers and that continuous listening and rethinking are necessary. Do not be afraid to adjust a program if the feedback indicates that a change is necessary. Most importantly, enablement teams must resist the lure of the new shiny object, which often means taking a stand with sales leadership. Hopefully, in the first phase of the change initiative, enablement has set the expectation that “this change will take time, and resources should be dedicated to it.” Too many enablement initiatives have died on the vine due to short attention spans. In short, do less, but do it better.

Enablement teams should embrace all three phases of the Change Management Model as a guide for managing initiatives: Set the stage, put the plan in motion, and make the “new” seem like business as usual. Often, this will involve pushing back on the desired volume of change as well as the perceived urgency, but enablement should hold its ground where possible and push for fewer, but more effective, change initiatives.