What is Sales Enablement?
Sales enablement is the practice of providing sales teams with the content, tools, training, and data they need to engage buyers effectively and close more deals.
Sales enablement sits at the intersection of sales, marketing, and operations. The function ensures reps have the right pitch decks, case studies, competitive intel, and product knowledge at every stage of the sales cycle. Modern enablement also includes coaching, onboarding, and performance analytics.
Sales Enablement vs Sales Operations
Sales ops owns the infrastructure — CRM, territory planning, comp plans, and forecasting. Sales enablement owns the capability — training, content, playbooks, and coaching programs. In many organizations, both report to the VP Sales or CRO.
Enablement in Job Postings
Our data shows that 'enablement' appears in 18% of VP Sales job postings, typically as an expectation that the VP will build or manage an enablement function. CRO roles mention enablement even more frequently, reflecting the cross-functional nature of the CRO mandate.
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