Rana Salman


WiSE Member Spotlight

Rana Salman, Ph.D. - WiSE Founder


'I believe that having a growth mindset and always learning are crucial to success. Enablement provides that opportunity and helps bring that knowledge and education to the field to succeed, make money and provide for themselves and their families. For companies, enablement is the glue between strategy and execution.'


WiSE: You discovered enablement while wrapping up your Ph.D., tell us about that journey.  

Rana Salman, Ph.D.:  I stumbled into B2B sales and sales enablement while wrapping up my Ph.D. After being in school for so long, no surprise I had school debt that I needed to pay off. So I ran across a posted position in a sales strategy consulting firm as a content developer, and I applied, and the rest is history. Little did I know that getting into this field would be life-changing in so many ways 

W: How does enablement help you achieve what you're passionate about?

RS:  I was raised in Beirut, Lebanon, during the civil war. At a very young age, my parents ingrained in us that education and knowledge are vital to changing the world for the better. I grew up with this mentality, and so when I got into sales enablement and sales consulting, it fit my philosophy and passion. It was about enabling reps with the right information at the right time at the right place so they can help their customers change their world for the better—this, in turn, helps the reps make money, impacting their company's bottom line and their customers' end-users. 

W: What is one enablement tool that is a must-have for your team?  

RS:   LinkedIn. I started using LinkedIn in 2008. As a seller, I've seen its impact on building relationships with prospects, nurturing existing relationships, generating leads, and gaining insights to prepare for sales calls. 

W: You work with a lot of companies helping them build their enablement programs, what is your favorite enablement program you've been a part of?  

RS:   I may be crazy, but I love sales kickoffs. In my career, I’ve done many of them around the globe, and they are so fulfilling. Creating customized experiences aligned to the company’s strategic objectives is invigorating. And then seeing it come to action after months of preparing is the best feeling. And then getting positive feedback from reps is worth all the hard work, sleepless nights, and stress that goes with it. I can’t wait for this year’s SKO season 😊 

W: What is your favorite part about being in enablement?  

RS:   Helping individuals see and achieve their potential.

 

Look, I get it. Sales is not easy. Anyone that says it is easy hasn’t been in it as a career. We go through a psychological journey; our performance is continuously measured; the sale keeps getting more complex. We often find ourselves inundated with many tools and internal bureaucracies to navigate while advocating for our customers.

 

So, if I put my sales enablement hat on, my favorite part is that as an enablement consulting professional, I can, through all of this chaos, simplify, reduce the noise, and create a space for learning that helps a sales rep see and achieve their potential. Helping them reach their potential impacts the company's performance and revenue, so it’s a win-win.

W: What is one thing you are looking forward to in your professional (or personal) life in 2022?  

RS:   I’m coming out of the two years of COVID lockdown with a lot of hope, recharged dreams, and drive to accomplish things that I’ve always wanted to do, so watch out, world😊.

 

From a personal perspective, I just ran my first marathon, a dream that I personally never thought I could accomplish.

 

From a business perspective, I'm working on a few projects to help us scale our business to meet the increasing demand. I’m also looking forward to traveling again and seeing my customers in person. 

W: What are some skills you possess that make you successful in an enablement position?  

RS:   
1. Understanding my customers' world: I have been selling for years, so knowing and living in this world of sales (e.g., having to prospect, qualify opportunities/discovery, design solutions, negotiate, win and lose deals) helps me create practical programs that are consumable and resonate with sellers. I also feel empathy with every salesperson, and I can understand and relate to why things happen a certain way.

  

2. Aligning to my customers' strategic objectives: I conduct my research thoroughly to understand my stakeholders' world, needs, and challenges. When I meet with my stakeholders, I'm there to validate my findings, actively listen, ask relevant follow-up questions, conduct a business-level conversation, add insights, and create a solution that aligns with business outcomes.


3. Actively listening and collaborating: I've always approached sales enablement and sales consulting as a partnership with my stakeholders. It’s not about me showing off how much I know, but it’s about working together to create impactful programs that make a difference.


4. Using data and insights: I'm an analytical communicator, so I approach every initiative with objectivity. I look at trends, correlations, and qualitative and quantitative research to help us take calculated risks, develop effective programs, and continuously improve them.


5. Tailoring and structuring the communication: I teach that in my communication program and try to practice it daily. We need to speak in a language that resonates with our audience for our message to resonate. We need to structure our communication in an articulate, organized, and memorable way. I try to do that when I communicate with my stakeholders. 

W: How do you see enablement changing over the next five years?  

RS:   
1. I think we will continue to see a hybrid approach to sales enablement as organizations saw during COVID how much efficiencies and cost savings we can accrue in virtual training.

2. We’ll continue to see enablement play a role in not only enabling sellers but all customer-facing roles, as customer experience is key to adoption, renewal, upsell and cross-sell.

3. More use of micro and just-in-time content.

4. More use and adoption of technology to scale and meet the needs of the remote workforce. 

W: What is the most important advice you can offer to someone who is looking to get into the enablement field?

RS:   
1. Listen to your customers (sales leaders, sales reps) and make an effort to understand their world—seek first to understand, then to be understood.

2. Develop solutions aligned to business outcomes—and when you present the solution, articulate the why in a language that resonates with your audience.

3. Demonstrate value to the business—how are you measuring success and how are you communicating it to the business.

4. Be responsive to your stakeholders—it doesn’t mean you agree with everything they say. It’s about acknowledging and collaborating on a solution.

5. Use data and insights to build and measure program. 

W: What books, networking groups, podcasts, or resources do you recommend for enablement enrichment?

RS:   





If you're a woman in enablement and would like to be interviewed for the site,

 email WiSEGlobalContact@gmail.com with the subject line, 'Interview'