Sales Enablement Manager : salary, skills and role
  • Guides

A Sales Enablement Manager is a professional responsible for equipping sales teams with the tools, resources, and strategies needed to engage prospects effectively and close deals efficiently. They bridge the gap between marketing, product, and sales by developing training programs, creating sales content, implementing technology solutions, and analyzing performance metrics. Their goal is to streamline the sales process, enhance team productivity, and ensure consistent messaging across all customer interactions. Sales enablement managers play a critical role in onboarding new sales representatives, improving sales techniques, and aligning sales efforts with business objectives, making them essential for revenue growth and competitive advantage in any organization.

What is a sales enablement manager?

The Sales Enablement Manager is at the crossroads of several disciplines: sales, marketing, training, and business development. They must have a global vision of the company’s strategy to align the efforts of each team. This person is responsible for developing processes and systems that optimize the efficiency of sales teams and ensure smooth communication between departments, particularly between sales and marketing. A key aspect of their role is to identify the training and coaching needs of the sales team, allowing them to adapt to new market trends. Furthermore, it is essential that they develop a clear sales doctrine that guides the entire team toward a common goal.

Their main objective is to ensure that the sales teams have the necessary resources, training, and support to maximize productivity and achieve their sales targets. This includes aligning sales and marketing efforts, providing relevant training and coaching, implementing technological solutions, and optimizing sales processes to drive revenue growth and improve overall sales performance. The Sales Enablement Manager plays a crucial role in onboarding new recruits, ensuring a smooth transition, and making sure every team member is well-prepared to contribute effectively to the company’s success.

What is the role of a sales enablement manager?

The role of a Sales Enablement Manager is essential in ensuring the success of a sales team. Their objective is to improve sales performance as well as the overall efficiency and motivation of the team, while simplifying the sales process. In this sense, they are responsible for driving initiatives that stimulate sales development and ensuring perfect alignment between the marketing and sales teams. This collaboration between different teams is crucial to create synergy that maximizes business results.

 

  • Developing sales strategies aligned with the company’s objectives, including analyzing market trends, identifying target customers, and devising plans to reach and engage them. This also involves setting up a sales enablement strategy that leverages innovative tools and high-quality marketing content.
  • Implementing processes and tools to streamline the sales cycle and improve efficiency. This includes utilizing customer relationship management (CRM) systems and sales automation tools, as well as developing sales enablement solutions tailored to the company’s specific needs.
  • Analyzing sales data, identifying bottlenecks, and streamlining operations and technologies that support the sales team. Data analysis is a key aspect of this role, as it allows for informed decision-making based on concrete and accurate information.
  • Training and coaching salespeople, onboarding new hires, and providing continuous support. Coaching and professional development are at the heart of this role, and the Sales Enablement Manager must ensure that every member of the sales team is well-trained and equipped to achieve their goals.
  • Working closely with marketing teams to develop sales materials, sales pitches, and marketing documents. This collaboration aims to ensure that the marketing content is perfectly aligned with market needs and brings real value to the sales process.
  • Tracking and measuring sales performance using data analysis to assess strategies, initiatives, and areas for improvement, and making data-driven decisions to ensure sales success. The return on investment (ROI) of sales enablement initiatives is a crucial metric for this role.

 

What are the responsibilities of a sales enablement manager?

Also known as Business Development Managers and Commercial Strategists, Sales Enablement Managers are trained to consult, collaborate, and cooperate with clients and prospects so that their sales teams have all the resources, information, marketing content, and support they need to generate sales efficiently and effectively, while ensuring the integrity and compliance of marketing activities. The Sales Enablement Manager must ensure that every member of the sales team understands the specific needs of the clients and is able to respond quickly and effectively.

Time savings and overall productivity fall under their expertise, and as an essential member of the sales team, they must understand how to track results and adjust strategies accordingly. Essentially, the Sales Enablement Manager must have a clear vision and be able to communicate it to their team.

They must also ensure that sales enablement processes are properly implemented and that the necessary tools are available to the team. This includes applying sales enablement in a real-time context, allowing salespeople to respond quickly to customer demands and market changes. The Sales Enablement Manager must also be able to identify opportunities for improvement and development within the sales team, in collaboration with marketing management and product development teams.

What skills are needed for sales enablement manager ?

Sales enablement is a multi-faceted strategic and tactical function that bridges marketing, sales, and learning and development. It empowers sales teams with the training programs, coaching, tools, and content they need to drive consistent revenue growth. To ensure effective sales enablement, a Sales Enablement Manager must develop a strong mix of analytical, technical, and interpersonal skills.

 

A Sales Enablement Manager must know how to create structured frameworks to prioritize, plan, and execute initiatives that reduce the workload of sales and customer relationship teams. Expertise in project management tools and the ability to coordinate multiple stakeholders is crucial to maximizing efficiency and alignment across departments.

 

Being data-driven is fundamental. Sales enablement professionals should understand go-to-market strategies, analyze performance data, and identify trends to refine enablement programs. This analytical ability allows managers to align sales coaching and training programs with measurable business outcomes.

 

Proficiency with sales enablement tools, such as CRM systems, sales automation platforms, content management systems, and data analytics tools, is essential. A Sales Enablement Manager must know how to leverage technology to streamline sales processes, increase productivity, and ensure information is easily accessible to the sales team.

 

Strong sales experience provides credibility when designing enablement strategies. Managers must be able to coach and train sales teams, improving communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills through tailored sales training programs and ongoing sales coaching sessions.

 

The ability to learn complex technical topics quickly is key. Sales Enablement Managers often need to translate technical knowledge into actionable strategies for sales teams. Staying adaptable to evolving sales technology and buyer behavior ensures long-term success.

 

Exceptional communication skills are vital for collaborating with cross-functional teams, influencing stakeholders, and delivering clear, persuasive messaging. Effective communication enables Sales Enablement Managers to align sales, marketing, and leadership teams around shared goals.

 


By combining data analysis, project management, sales coaching, and communication skills, a Sales Enablement Manager can design and implement effective sales enablement strategies that empower teams, accelerate performance, and drive sustainable business growth.

What education is needed to become a sales enablement manager?

A Master’s degree (five years of higher education) and several years of experience in sales or marketing, along with courses on sales techniques, customer relationship management (CRM), and business analytics are particularly suitable for preparing for a role as a Sales Enablement Manager. Continuing education programs and certifications in enablement are also valuable assets for those seeking to excel in this field.

emlyon business school offers the MSc in Global Sales Excellence program, which trains students in international sales management in a multicultural context, to lead data-driven platforms and implement the latest online sales technologies. This program also includes modules on marketing management and revenue enablement, allowing students to develop a comprehensive understanding of how the different aspects of sales management integrate to create an effective sales strategy.

The strategic, commercial, negotiation, managerial, and operational skills they acquire at emlyon prepare them to become the sales enablement leaders of tomorrow. The program also emphasizes the development of leadership, team management, and strategic alignment skills, which are essential for succeeding as a Sales Enablement Manager.

What salary can a Sales Enablement Manager expect ?

The crucial nature of sales in every company ensures strong job stability, and the demand for sales enablement is increasing so rapidly that it has almost doubled since 2017. This trend is explained by the growing importance of the Sales Enablement Manager’s role in optimizing sales performance and aligning teams around common goals.

Gartner expects sales enablement budgets to increase by nearly 50% over the next four years. This reflects the growing importance of the role in today’s competitive environment and the need for agility in sales processes. While reported salaries depend on the source of information, geographic location, and level of experience, in 2023, Sales Enablement Managers earned between $100,000 and $110,000 per year, plus bonuses and commissions.

This position also offers the opportunity to be promoted to the role of Director of Sales Engagement, a high-level position involving the management and oversight of sales operations, designing plans to achieve objectives, developing and maintaining client relationships, and evaluating costs to set prices. Career progression in this field may also include roles such as Business Development Manager or Director of Commercial Strategy.

The sales enablement career path offers a structured growth trajectory for professionals aiming to bridge the gap between sales strategy, training, and business development. Starting as a Sales Enablement Specialist, individuals focus on supporting the sales team by developing resources, training programs, and processes that drive revenue and efficiency.

With experience, professionals can advance to Sales Enablement Manager roles, leading small teams, managing sales content, and ensuring alignment between marketing and sales. From there, the next step is often Director of Sales Enablement, where the focus expands to strategic planning, overseeing the entire sales enablement team, and collaborating with executive leadership to drive business growth.

For those interested in broader leadership, the career path can continue into VP of Sales Enablement or executive-level roles, influencing business development strategies and shaping overall go-to-market success.

Key Roles in the Sales Enablement Career Path:

  • Sales Enablement Specialist – Entry-level, hands-on support, training, and content creation.

  • Sales Enablement Manager – Manages a team, develops programs, tracks effectiveness.

  • Director of Sales Enablement – Strategic leadership, cross-functional collaboration, driving revenue impact.

  • VP/Executive Sales Enablement – Business development alignment, long-term growth strategy, organizational influence.