Austin Hughes 🤝’s Post

📊 Today is the final question from Federico's latest report: "What key metrics would you focus on during the first 12-18 months of a new sales enablement function?" It's easy to get pulled into a ton of different directions here. Measuring enablement is a marathon not a sprint so don't stress thinking you need it all figured out ASAP. Pick one team and one program. It's better to measure one thing well than a few things poorly...I think there's a Ron Swanson quote about that for any Parks and Rec Fans out there. 😉 As an example, I’m 9-months into this journey and I first focused on measuring AE ramp time. I started with AEs for a few key reasons: - They’re the easiest to measure as it relates to revenue impact and for a business they are usually the role most measured and most invested in. - We've also been hiring a ton of AEs and I was updating their onboarding program. - Like all companies, we have a goal as a leadership team to decrease ramp and increase productivity. So by aligning myself to new AEs I can show tangible impact and then continue to build out meaningful reporting for other roles. Here's a quick list of what I'm tracking for new hires: - Onboarding completion - Account plan and personas certifications - Overall ramp time - Time to first opportunity created, opportunity type, product, and amount - Time to 1st deal, opportunity type, product sold, and amount - Time to 2nd deal, opportunity type, product sold, and amount - Total pipeline created 30 days, 60 days, and 90 days Once I nailed the new hire dashboard I then expanded it to the full team tracking many of the same pipeline and attainment metrics. Now I’m beginning to build out relevant dashboards tracking metrics for SDRs and then start working through our technical teams. What do you measure when starting a new role? Let us know! #day29 #sales  #salestraining  #enablement  #salesenablement  #revenueenablement

Sales reps and AE's do not have it easy these days. Not because of the market or tougher customers, but because: ➡ The amount of low-quality "helpful" content on social media ➡ Ineffective leadership Yes...I said it. I believe as leaders/managers we have misunderstood what our role is. As Simon Sinek perfectly said about leaders: "your job is to serve." If we are to develop the next great seller, it will not be because of some new sales process we put on a slideshow, but because we help them build their path and lead by example. At Docusign in Chicago, a few of us leaders take this to heart. We want our sales reps to see what great can look like, not by telling them, but by SHOWING them. This week I got to watch my amazing colleague Luke Johnson take some accounts and start cold-calling in front of his reps to demonstrate how to do it well and he crushed it (that's just what he does). But more importantly, his reps loved it and started to implement it. Brick by brick right Luke? So that is my ask for all the leaders out there. Let's ease up on the posts and blogs about yourself, your accomplishments and your journey...make the focus on your reps and what you are doing to lead (and serve) by example. It's on us. (But for some great content that is actually legit go follow Josh Braun and Jake Dunlap) #docusign #lifeatdocusign #sales #leaders #careers #careeradvice

Celebrating 1 Year of running PreSales Collective! 🚀 What a year of professional growth! I’ve poured my heart into this, and I’m grateful for everyone who guides, believes, and helps build this world-class community. Here are some key highlights: Surprises: ▪Building a community is tougher than running a SaaS company. ▪The overwhelming support has been incredible. Every message matters! ▪Communities thrive on world-class partnerships, investments, and sponsorships—those who get it, get it. ▪Endless suggestions for improvement are invaluable. ▪Being “easy to do business with” applies to everything. Accomplishments: ▪Rewrote the playbook for success in 2024. ▪Reduced prices, expanded financing, and grew our learning portfolio. ▪Built a stellar partnership program—thank you to our investors! ▪Launched firsts in tech, industry, and enablement partnerships. ▪Designed a multi-year revenue program to ensure PSC’s legacy. ▪Surpassed 40K members and doubled engagement in some areas. Industry Insights: ▪PreSales is at a pivotal point in value and ownership in GTM. ▪B2B SaaS is all the rage, but other sectors need attention too. ▪Frontline PreSales managers need broader GTM expertise to advance. ▪Technical skills are shielding ICs from headcount cuts. ▪Soft skill enablement is crucial for long-term growth. ▪Learning “what good looks like” outside your organization is key to success. CTA! What has surprised you most about working in PreSales? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments!👇 Thank you for trusting me PreSales Collective #PreSales #CommunityBuilding #ProfessionalGrowth #Leadership #GTM #TechIndustry #B2B #CareerDevelopment

Whether you want to admit it or not, at least half of us have an Ineffective Sales Process 😲 48% of sales teams say their biggest challenge is creating a scalable sales process. (Harvard Business Review) 50% of sales teams do not have a playbook. (Salesforce)   As the Chief Sales Officer at AspireSix, my team and I provide Executive-Level Fractional Services to drive more business revenue and growth.  AspireSix is you’re one-stop-shop with well over 100 years of Executive experience including marketing (CMO), sales (CSO), revenue (CRO), leadership (CXO), and more. How can we help your sales department? 👉 Quick Implementation 👉 Accelerated Results 👉 Sales Playbook Catered to You 👉 Proven Track Record 👉 Best Practices 👉 Fresh Ideas 👉 Skill Development 👉 Revenue Growth 👉 Sales Efficiency   Ready to take your sales to the next level? Message me and LET’S GO! 🚀 #sales #salescoaching #salesdevelopment  

Last week, so many high-tech companies hosted their annual Sales Kickoff (SKO) events—from ServiceNow to Qlik to NICE and many others. They came together to celebrate top performers, align on go-to-market strategies, share updates on products and partnerships, and build camaraderie across teams. I’ve always loved the energy and focus of SKOs. Having had the privilege to present at several, I know how powerful these events can be for fostering alignment between sales and account-based marketing (ABM) teams. As an ABM leader, I’ve often shared “what good looks like”—how ABM can serve as a strategic partner to sales, driving revenue growth in key accounts through hyper-targeted programs, shared metrics, and deep collaboration. When ABM and sales move in lockstep, magic happens. A successful SKO isn’t just about setting the tone for sales; it’s about ensuring every function supporting revenue is aligned and ready to execute together. Because when marketing and sales operate as one team, the impact is exponential. To those coming out of your SKOs, take advantage of what you learned, who you met and the energy you feel to have a strong start to your year. Let’s gooooooo! #ABM #SKO #GoToMarket #SalesAndMarketingAlignment #RevenueGrowth #opentowork

Here’s what I learned that helps me not just survive, but thrive: Celebrate Small Wins: Every sale, every conversation, every follow-up is a step forward. We celebrated every achievement, however small, which kept morale high and motivation strong. Empower Your Team: When everyone feels trusted to bring their ideas and strategies, they give their best. Stay Close to Your "Why": In sales, it’s easy to get caught up in quotas and numbers, but staying grounded in our mission kept us focused. We weren’t just closing deals; we were solving real problems for our clients. By the end, we surpassed our goals—and the clients become one of our strongest advocates. But the biggest reward? Seeing myself come out stronger, more confident, and ready to take on anything. In sales, the journey is as important as the result. Here’s to celebrating every step forward. 💪 #SalesLeadership #GrowthMindset #TeamSuccess #CelebrateWins #Salesforce #CloudAnalogy

🔊 BIG ANNOUNCEMENT 🔊 As I close the door with Salesforce on an unforgettable 10-year journey, I want to extend a massive thank you to everyone who shaped my career at the company. I'm grateful to have worked with so many inspiring leaders and teams who continue to set the standard in our industry. As for what’s next…I’m humbled and excited to announce I'm joining Tim Williamson at Acquire2Win as Co-Founder/COO. In our combined experience, Tim and I developed and executed integration strategies for over 20 acquisitions valued at $50B+. Along the way, we met Industry and M&A professionals who shared their own consistent set of ongoing challenges that need to be solved: • How can we speed up go-to-market alignment in M&A? • What’s the best way to motivate & merge acquired Sales teams from day one? • How do we avoid the technical debt that often comes with new integrations? Acquire2Win was born out of these questions. Whether you’re an in-house CorpDev team building your GTM muscle, a PE Operating Partner looking to accelerate growth in your investment, or a Sales/CRO leader tasked with achieving M&A success – we’re here to support your plan! 🔎 📈 𝐌&𝐀 𝐈𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐩. And successful M&A takes more than just jargon like ’product-led synergies’ or ‘war room strategies.’ Our focus is on practical, results-driven insights to turn deal models and due diligence into revenue — i.e • 𝐂𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 that aligns Sales & Product • 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬-𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐩-𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 in sales organizations • 𝐄𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐬 through targeted compensation • 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐬 to foster collaboration • 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 across territories and accounts • 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 through tech and tool integration If you’ve recently engaged in M&A, or are planning to acquire, let’s talk about successes and challenges across any of these areas. I can’t wait to embark on this new chapter and appreciate those of you who have been an ally through it all! Please repost, like, and share 👍 Ping me to connect and Let’s Go!! 🚀

Have you ever experienced this? Building strong relationships with colleagues is key to a positive work environment. Imagine finding a coworker who not only excels at their job, But also fosters a collaborative and enjoyable atmosphere. Then, life takes them in a new direction – a promotion or a new opportunity. But here's the silver lining – the impact they made remains! Share this video with your network if this resonates with you. Let's celebrate the fantastic coworkers who elevate the workplace, even if their time with us was limited. DM us and we’ll let our BDMs help you! #sales #businessdevelopment #salesmanager #salesmotivation #salesforce #technology #strategy #salestechnology

Consistency beats talent when talent doesn’t show up. Here’s why showing up every single day is the key to faster success for Salesforce Partners and Consultants: 👇👇👇 ➡️ Wins become a habit. The more you keep going, the easier it becomes to stack up accomplishments. ➡️ You gain an edge over the competition. While others are waiting for motivation, your steady progress keeps you ahead. ➡️ You remain visible in your market. Staying active keeps your name fresh in the minds of clients and prospects. ➡️ Reputation grows stronger. Consistency is a signal of dedication, setting you apart as someone who delivers. Consistency doesn’t just build businesses—it builds legacies. 🏆 Salesforce Partners

Want to know what enablement really does? It drives measurable revenue growth. No fluff. Just results. Here’s how: Sales ramp time shrinks. → New hires hit quota faster. → Why? They’re armed with the right tools and training. Pipeline gets real. → Reps stop wasting time on low-quality deals. → Enablement helps them focus on prospects that close. Close rates climb. → Reps know the right message, for the right buyer, at the right time. → They’re not guessing—they’re selling. Customer success soars. → Handoffs are seamless. → Upsells and renewals become standard practice, not wishful thinking. Revenue visibility improves. → Leaders see what’s working—and what’s not. → Enablement ties effort directly to outcomes. This isn’t about more meetings or prettier decks. It’s about driving money to the bottom line. And here’s the secret: Enablement doesn’t just support revenue growth. It accelerates it. Invest in enablement, and watch your numbers prove it. #enablement