Insights from the SES Experience 2023: A Glimpse into the Future of Sales Enablement

SRG had the privilege to witness the evolution of sales enablement at the SES Experience 2023. Marking our fifth year at the event, this edition was truly distinctive. Here are some highlights and a sneak peek into the paradigm shifts in the sales enablement arena as we move into 2024.

Engaging with the Experts

Our SRG team actively participated in the SES Experience 2023. The enlightenment from the keynote speeches, combined with lots of networking and our own personal journeys, gave us renewed insights into the sales enablement sector, arming us with knowledge for the upcoming year.

A Brief on the Sales Enablement Society

Established in 2016, the Revenue Enablement Society (formerly the Sales Enablement Society) is a premier nonprofit catering to enablement professionals. It brings together practitioners, researchers, educators, and collaborators, all focused on refining their expertise, sharing experiences, and learning from each other.

A Few Observations from the SES Experience 2023

Though we have attended multiple SES conferences, the spirit of unity and mutual growth was unparalleled this year in San Diego. With the current pressures on sales and sales enablement teams, witnessing a robust support system and peers sharing invaluable knowledge, resources, and referrals was uplifting.

This edition heralded the SES’s transformation into the Revenue Enablement Society (RES). This transition reflects the broader objective of enhancing the entire revenue cycle, extending beyond just sales, and incorporating RevOps and RevTech for peak revenue performance.

Here are some of our key takeaways from the insightful sessions and discussions:

• The strategic evolution of enablement: Enablement cannot afford to be a reactive, tactical function. Organizations must take a proactive, strategic approach aligned with senior leadership and company goals to drive business impact.
• Focus on outcomes: There was a consistent emphasis on tying enablement activities to concrete outcomes like productivity and retention. With tight resources, we must connect initiatives to clear results.
• Change management matters: It is insufficient to simply train people; we must motivate them to change behaviors. This requires executive sponsorship, clear communication, and ongoing reinforcement.
• The rise of AI: From enhancing skills to efficient onboarding, AI promises to reshape enablement. To stay competitive, educating our teams and testing applications now is prudent.
• Automate the tedious: Little tasks like report generation drain time. Low-code solutions can free sales teams to focus on selling.

The inspiring keynotes also offered valuable perspectives. For example, Reina Salmon's talk on partnering with executives highlighted the importance of connecting enablement goals to the company vision. 

In Conclusion

The transition from SES to RES underscores the growing emphasis on a holistic approach to revenue enhancement. The dialogues revolving around RevOps and RevTech highlighted this need.

We returned from the conference armed with new strategies and energized about the future of revenue enablement. The passion of this global community was motivational. We look forward to being part of the evolution of RES in the coming year.