What is the role of the Sales Manager in sales enablement
Author
Vestergaard, Steffen
Term
4. Semester
Publication year
2023
Submitted on
2023-06-01
Pages
81
Abstract
Dette speciale undersøger salgschefens rolle i sales enablement med en todelt tilgang: en gennemgang af akademisk litteratur og en kvantitativ spørgeskemaundersøgelse blandt praktikere. Litteraturen viser, at sales enablement sjældent definerer salgschefens individuelle rolle. Spørgeskemaet, der består af 29 spørgsmål om salgsstrategi, processer, indhold og træning samt teknologi, blev fuldført af 88 respondenter (med 32 delvise besvarelser) og vurderet på en fempunktsskala. Sammenligningen med litteraturen afslører en uoverensstemmelse: hvor teorien tildeler salgschefer strategiske ansvarsområder i sales enablement, rapporterer de fleste respondenter, at salgschefer primært arbejder taktisk og operationelt. Dette hæmmer organisatorisk udvikling, omsætningsskabelse og tværfunktionelt samarbejde. Som svar foreslår specialet en ny, tværfunktionel rolle for salgschefen som organisationens ambassadør for salg, der leder og koordinerer indtægtsrelaterede aktiviteter på tværs af funktioner. For at understøtte implementeringen introduceres Sales Managers Collaborate Model—en konceptuel ramme baseret på samarbejde, analyse, design og engagement—samt praktiske værktøjer, der hjælper salgschefer med at navigere i sales enablement.
This thesis investigates the role of the Sales Manager in sales enablement using a two-part approach: a review of academic literature and a quantitative survey of practitioners. The literature reveals that sales enablement research rarely defines the Sales Manager’s individual role. The survey, built from 29 questions covering sales strategy, processes, content and training, and technology tools, was completed by 88 respondents (with 32 partial responses) and rated on a five-point scale. Comparing the results with the literature shows a misalignment: while theory positions Sales Managers with strategic responsibilities in sales enablement, most respondents report their Sales Managers operate mainly at tactical and operational levels. This limits organizational development, revenue generation, and cross-functional collaboration. In response, the thesis proposes a new, cross-functional role for the Sales Manager as an organizational ambassador for sales, leading and coordinating revenue-related activities across functions. To support adoption, it introduces the Sales Managers Collaborate Model—a conceptual framework built on collaboration, analysis, design, and engagement—and offers practical tools to help Sales Managers navigate sales enablement.
[This summary has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project (PDF)]
Documents