1. WHEN THE CORPORATE SALES
UNIVERSITY FALLS SHORT
A 6 STEP APPROACH TO DEVELOP A WORLD CLASS,
INDUSTRY LEADING SALES ENABLEMENT MODEL
GREG HASKELL
“A World Cass sales
approach incorporates the
needs and differences of the
GLOBAL sales organization
not just the needs that apply
to the country the
corporation is based in”
“World Class happens when
the entire company is
aligned with the same
strategy, but effectively
executes based on the
culture of that country”
“What often stands in the
way of Corporate Sales
Training success is the
belief you can solve a new
problem with an old solution”
“The number one competitor
facing the global sales
professional today is status
quo”
-Jay Shephard
7/2013
Greg Haskell
Greg is a distinguished sales
consultant, coach and master trainer
with 4 decades in Sales, Sales
Enablement Deployment, Coaching
and Leadership Development.
He is a high energy evangelist of
sales effectiveness with a contagious
passion to help people succeed.
Greg can be reached at
gehaskell@gmail.com
Is This Your Story?
Your global technology business continues to grow. Yet, as an
experienced sales executive, you know the first $1 billion in revenue
earned selling a product based solution will not get you to the next billion
dollar milestone and beyond. So you create a strategic goal to transform
the global sales team into the world class solution sales organization it
needs to be.
Unfortunately, a massive roadblock in achieving your goal is your
Corporate Sales University. Though they have talented, well intentioned
people on staff, they are not equipped to design or support the important
global sales knowledge requirements necessary to achieve your goal of
“world class”.
As you investigate further, you learn the credibility and perceived value of
the University is also in question. The Corporate Sales University has
evolved to become a provider of basic training and has little to no
relationship with the global sales organization it is responsible to serve.
The Corporate Sales University is critical to achieving your goal but falls
short of where you need it to be strategically. What do you do?
What Is The True Purpose of Your Corporate Sales University?
Purpose justifies the value. Similarly, there is an interesting debate today
on the purpose & value of a college degree vs. the investment. Fortunately
for colleges, that justification is not based on the alumni’s ability to retake
final exams and pass years after graduating.

2. Corporate Sales University models which focus only on providing training are under similar scrutiny as our story above
and numbers below suggest:
 20-33% of sales personnel do not have the capabilities to be successful in their current role. ES Research
(ESR)
 80% of sales training does not produce an impact after 3 months. ES Research (ESR)
 ASTD’s The State of Sales Training, 2012 reports that half of their respondents believe that 50% or less of the
training they received was relevant to their role.
Does this describe your Corporate Sales University? If so, what do you do to revive its true potential?
Step #1: Analyze Gaps
In today’s tight margin operating environment, the Corporate Sales University (CSU) training-only model of “hope it
sticks” can no longer be justified. As with an under-performing sales professional, you can only keep a marginally
performing service unit on life support for so long. This isn’t a blame game on the CSU as everything changes over
time. It is a time to “know what we do not know” and design an approach that will accomplish your strategic sales
objectives. It starts with analysis.
Step #2: Redefine CSU’s Value
There is a tired old phrase that says, “If you can’t sell…train”. This
negative perception is about to change in Step #2 as we begin the move
from Corporate Training Provider to a Corporate Strategic Sales
Enablement Partner.
What Is Corporate Training vs. Strategic Sales Enablement?
To redefine value it is important to understand the difference between
Corporate Training vs. Strategic Sales Enablement. It is as different as
cost vs. profit. Training is a cost to the organization while Strategic Sales
Enablement could be a true profit enabler.
Conduct a Global Situational Needs Analysis via video web
conference, online survey and/or face to face (where possible) with sales
professionals and managers regarding their role based sales challenges and
requirements for success. Engage local personnel as much as possible.
 Go beyond surface level discussions…understand their day, allow
them to share what works/fails, resources they need and how they
want to learn and be supported. Ask about the sales solutions, clients,
competitors and the markets each sales role sells to and the training
they have received to date. Work with Marketing and other appropriate
departments to ensure you understand the sales messaging and
business value well enough you could effectively present to clients if
given the opportunity. Remember this is a GLOBAL survey.
 Talk with actual customers & partners around the globe and learn what they require from salespeople in that
part of the world. Ask them to define what “world class” means to them. You may be surprised how open they
are to share.
 Expand the analysis to internal departments within your organization such as operations, marketing, HR, IT,
etc. as this will add value to the new strategic sales enablement blueprint you will help to build in Step #2.
Conduct A 360 Degree Analysis of the CSU’s global capabilities, training solutions and value added skills of the
personnel. Often you have highly talented people who have morphed into positions they are not particularly skilled at
and they are not happy. Remember your objective is to create a productive and positive learning environment that
enables world class. That means some personnel could take on new roles in or outside of the CSU.
Map The CSU’s Capabilities To The Requirements Of World Class What is missing or needs updating? Is it
better to outsource or build? Connect with HR on updated sales competencies or special skills critical for success.
Consider sharing the analysis and recommendations to those in sales and leadership who participated.

3. What Is Your Vision For World Class?
I suggest setting goals and objectives that drive a new reputation within your
organization, your global clients, channels & alliances partners AND the
industry. Imagine the day when your organization’s highly respected,
industry leading strategic sales enablement model attracts the best talent
available because of its reputation world-wide. This is a very attainable goal.
By simple definition, Strategic Sales Enablement (SSE) is building a sustainable world class, customer respected
sales organization through the alignment of multiple tools, teams and resources. Though organizations may define or
implement SSE differently due to their challenges, culture or corporate structure, SSE will never operate in a silo.
Think of it as the Managing Partner of an even larger Sales Performance Ecosystem that aligns Sales Operations,
HR/Talent Management, Marketing and Solutions, etc. all focused on maximizing sales performance.
Strategic Sales Enablement through this collaborative ecosystem breaks down silos, further enabling the efficiency &
effectiveness of all resources, systems and processes. Consider for example the huge cost and high stakes bet on
CRM. A majority of salespeople see little to no value in CRM and it shows. Sales Marketing is another misunderstood
value. Strategic Sales Enablement aligns these resources so they can be fully optimized.
Step #3: Redesign Global Solutions
With Step #3 the sales organization will begin to take notice. The good news is if you conducted the face to face,
small group element of the needs analysis correctly (from step #1) you have already started the journey to build
rapport and credibility with the “clients” you serve.
Align With Your BUY/SELL Process & Live Sales Opportunities
Whether you build or outsource, design all CSU solutions so they align to the BUY/SELL process. This ensures
consistent use of terms, language and focuses the sales professional on where they are in the process and required
actions. Design solutions so 75% focuses on real world application to their live opportunities, 25% on theory.
Organizational Alignment
As discussed above with the Sales Performance Ecosystem, it is critical that CSU Solutions contribute value to other
departments and processes. Let’s use Negotiation Skills as an example. A typical BUY/SELL process has a
“negotiation phase”. Your Contracts team may need the prospect to review the contract T’s & C’s earlier in the process
to prevent a larger issue further down the cycle. (This is best practice as neither side feels they are negotiating and
more open to discussion vs. later in the “quiet phase”).
Another example is CRM. Sales applications are available today that provide customized ‘virtual coaching” to
expanded analytics. Also consider Sales Playbooks which provide a one stop access point of all sales resources and
tools wherever the sales professional may be in the BUY/SELL process.
Determine How Your Sales Organization Wants To Learn
Adult learning models have become more of a jig saw puzzle in the last 5 years given the emergence of the new
learner (technology baby). Onsite classrooms in some cases can successfully become virtual instructor led classrooms
with a master trainer on-line and local co-workers serving as facilitators or coaches. Consider new ideas like a weekly
dose of digestible learning nuggets that can be pushed to the mobile phone or on demand with just a few clicks. Just
be mindful to monitor the true cost of the learning approach and its return on effectiveness.
Measure. Measure. Measure.
All solutions should include baseline performance metrics including leading and lagging indicators.
Get Key Global Sales Personnel Involved
I suggest you consider expanding that relationship further by
inviting key, well respected members of the global sales
organization to help contribute to the design and specific content
of the training as it applies to their role and region. This
encourages a shared ownership of sorts and builds momentum.
Consider using collaboration type software allowing this “elite
group” to freely contribute new ideas or improvements as the
solutions are built.

4. Step #4: Accountability
The Profession of Selling is in transition. It wasn’t too long ago when sales jobs were plentiful and you could succeed by
“winging it” as long as you had a great personality and decent results. The mere thought of accountability was quietly
dismissed as long as the salesperson made quota that year.
The Sales Professional and CSU
If Strategic Sales Enablement is about developing a sustainable world
class sales organization, then salespeople who are not interested in
growth and continuous learning are at risk. With this new model the
Corporate Sales University will have the responsibility to train globally
and enable globally (using local personnel-coaches/managers when and
where possible). The sales professional will have the responsibility to
learn and commit to its application thru proof of use.
Requires Genuine Commitment
Genuine accountability is significant to the success of this transformation requiring a serious commitment to
measure performance and use. For example, a Software Sales Executive recently shared with me that they were in
the process of implementing a whiteboard messaging solution that required the sales professional to visually share
and draw the corporate story. The company would provide detailed training and ample practice time. The sales
professional has three opportunities (with coaching feedback) to present the story. If it is determined after 3
attempts they cannot effectively tell the story they are subject to a job reassignment or worse.
Certification Motivates The Culture And Raises The Bar
I recommend developing a challenging multi-tiered sales certification path that includes role specific training, self-
study, field application and the ability to coach others. This is not a cake walk certification, it has to mean
something. Work with the Sales Performance Ecosystem to determine the curriculum content and necessary sales
competencies. Certification benefits could range from company wide recognition to title changes. Compensation is
always a motivator BUT recognition amongst peers is golden. Once again be sensitive to global interests.
Step #5: Brand Relaunch
Have you ever noticed how effective marketing agencies can be changing the perception of a brand? Take the ham
product, SPAM. Here is a canned food product that looks disgusting and shares a name with junk email that
frustrates computer users each day. Yet, the product flies off the shelf. Marketing is a wonderful gift in times like
these.
Step #6: Stay Close To Your Audience
Congratulations. Your new Corporate Sales University has a new lease on life. The CSU is now wired to the action
thru the sales collaboration platform constantly monitoring what works, needs improvement or emerging trends and
issues. Consider starting a Sales Professional Roundtable to share ideas, challenges and potential solutions.
Actively post thought provoking questions and polls and welcome healthy debate. Another idea is to develop a higher
level sales certification path to continually challenge the status quo.
Remember everything changes over time.
Design The CSU Marketing Campaign
Through this process your Corporate Sales University has experienced a complete make-over and it is time to share
it with your entire organization via a marketing campaign. Consider framed wall posters with an engaging message
featuring your sales professionals, managers or other key people. Send personal notes on specially printed CSU
themed note cards offering congratulations for a key sales success or certification achievement. Consider other
branding items as well.
Look to all effective routes to get your message out and involve well respected global sales professionals and
managers early. They are most often the trend setters which others follow. Encourage them to tweet their
involvement or post on the company intranet or landing page. You are building credibility with consistent messaging
and subtle conversations.