Financial Services, Trends & Insights, Enablement
How a modern and unified approach to enablement is a catalyst for growth in financial services
By Tony Smith — On September 16, 2025
Financial services firms have always operated under high stakes — but in today's environment, the pressure has escalated. With shifting client expectations, increasing competition, and more regulatory demands, it's no longer enough to maintain the status quo. Firms must evolve how they enable their client-facing teams, or risk falling behind.
A new report by Harvard Business Review Analytic Services, in association with Seismic, reveals the core issue: while revenue enablement decision makers agree on the importance of revenue (or sales) enablement fundamentals, fewer feel confident in their ability to execute them effectively. This can result in missed opportunities, misaligned teams, and stagnant growth.
But there's a path forward, and it starts with enablement that's built for the financial services industry.
The revenue enablement execution gap in financial services
Across the financial services industry, success hinges on trusted client relationships. But firms are struggling to ensure their client-facing teams are equipped to deliver those high-impact interactions.
The survey of 315 global revenue enablement decision makers from the Harvard Business Review audience found significant gaps between what respondents say is important and how effective their organizations actually are:
- 96% say creating meaningful customer interactions is highly important to successful revenue enablement — but only 57% believe their organization is highly successful at doing so
- Just 25% report high success in training or upskilling revenue-focused employees
- Only 31% report high success in executing their go-to-market execution
In an industry where client trust and strong relationships are essential, this disconnect poses a serious risk — not just to performance, but to reputation.
Sales training and coaching must meet today's demands
Legacy enablement models generally fall short in financial services. Static playbooks and outdated onboarding approaches can't keep pace with evolving client expectations, increasingly complex product offerings, and the need for timely, compliant expertise at every interaction.
What's needed is a modern approach to sales training and coaching — one that enables client-facing teams to:
- Consistently demonstrate expertise
- Tailor conversations with data-backed insights
- Build trust through consistency and value
- Navigate regulatory requirements confidently
Yet, most firms are not equipped to deliver, challenging growth and revenue predictability. The report shows that 70% of respondents believe current economic conditions make it hard to forecast their organization's revenue accurately. Additionally, 62% agree that, at their organization, current economic conditions have had a negative impact on achieving their revenue goals.
The message is clear: to stay competitive, firms must empower their teams with more than product knowledge. They need strategic, real-time support.
Why AI-powered enablement is a game-changer
AI is rapidly transforming how the financial services industry operates, presenting many opportunities for firms to drive more impact and increase productivity. AI-powered enablement unlocks:
- Automated, personalized learning paths for client-facing teams
- Meeting summaries and follow-up guidance for client interactions
- Real-time coaching insights for managers
- Regulatory compliance support baked into sales workflows
With the right technology in place, firms can create a seamless experience for teams to engage with clients in an efficient and personalized way. As Cheryl Delany, Senior Vice President of Digital Marketing Client Experience and Analytics at Franklin Templeton, states in the report, "We want to make it really easy for the individual to view the information and then do something with it. AI can do something as simple as generating a list of clients you should follow up with every day, then you can follow through by sending a preformatted email and get recommended materials to attach to those communications."
Seismic's research shows that 92% of organizations are investing in enablement tech because of AI — and 88% believe AI can boost revenue growth by 27% over the next five years.
In Financial Services, AI isn't replacing the human touch. It's enhancing it.
Build enablement around outcomes, not just activity
To deliver measurable growth, firms must align their enablement programs to specific business goals like client acquisition, wallet share expansion, and AUM growth. The best firms do this by:
- Designing enablement initiatives around strategic priorities like product launches, cross-sell programs, client acquisition
- Giving managers the tools to reinforce learning and coach performance
- Using real-time data to assess and optimize initiatives This is where modern enablement technology excels — providing a unified platform that empowers client-facing teams to design, activate, and measure initiatives across the entire value chain.
Financial services firms need enablement built for the real world
In an industry where trust is currency, enablement isn't a luxury — it's a strategic imperative. The organizations that will win in this environment are those that invest in their people, prioritize readiness, and harness the power of AI to deliver measurable outcomes.
With the right tools and approach, leaders can ensure that every client-facing team member is ready to deliver — not just once, but every time.
Download the Harvard Business Review Analytic Services report to explore the financial services findings in full — and learn how leading firms across industries are reimagining enablement to achieve top business outcomes.