This article comes from Mike Byrnes’ insightful talk at our Chicago 2023 Sales Enablement Summit, check out his full presentation here.

Mike is currently the Enterprise account executive at Thought Industries, and the Founder and Chief Engagement Officer at Blaze Engagement.

Ever wondered why some sales training sessions leave a lasting impact while others fade from memory faster than last quarter's numbers? As someone who's been in the trenches of sales enablement for years, I've cracked the code on what makes the difference. 

Spoiler alert: it's all about engagement.

Hey there, I'm Mike Byrnes, former Senior Director of Sales Enablement at Schoox, and current Founder and CEO of Blaze Engagement, and today we're diving into the new math of enablement and engagement. 

We'll be talking about making lasting impressions and driving real behavior change in your sales team. So, buckle up and get ready to rethink everything you thought you knew about effective sales training!

In this article, we'll explore everything from the importance of pre-work to why fun might just be the most valuable tool in your enablement toolkit. We'll look at survey results from your peers in the industry, share some out-of-the-box ideas that actually worked, and maybe even challenge some long-held beliefs about what professional development should look like.

So, let's dive in and discover how we can make sales training not just effective, but unforgettable.

My sales enablement journey

First things first, let me give you a bit of background. I've been a remote employee since way back in 2000. Yep, you read that right – I was rocking the work-from-home life before it was cool. 

I've held the Certified Professional in Talent Development (CPTD) credential since 2006, carried a quota, and spent time as a solution consultant. Why am I telling you all this? 

Well, it's shaped my perspective on sales enablement and led me to some pretty interesting conclusions about how we can make our work more effective – and a whole lot more fun.

Creating effective sales training with the Tell, Show, Do, Apply framework
Lisa Duncan explores the Tell, Show, Do, Apply framework, and how it can make your enablement sessions more effective.
Sales Enablement CollectiveLisa Duncan

The state of engagement

Recently, we conducted a survey among sales enablement professionals, and the results were eye-opening. Here's what we found:

  1. Engagement methods: Most of us are using a mix of demos, simulations, interactive Q&As, and role-plays. Some are even venturing into gamification (kudos to you forward-thinkers!).
  2. Making it memorable: When it comes to making engagements enjoyable and unforgettable, storytelling, personalizing content, humor, and visual aids are our go-to strategies.
  3. Pre-work: About 56% of us are consistently doing pre-work before our main engagements. That's great, but there's room for improvement!
  4. Fun factor: Only 33% of us are consistently making our pre-work fun. Come on, folks – we can do better!