Opportunities for Enhancement Before Strategic Enablement Services  

Ascensus’s internal teams identified areas for growth:  

• Content organization and governance: Marketing materials were stored on SharePoint but could benefit from improved structure and accessibility to ensure sales reps easily find the most up-to-date resources.
• Maximizing Seismic’s capabilities: While adoption rates were strong, employees had opportunities to further leverage Seismic’s features to enhance their sales efforts.  
• Streamlining workflows: Some manual processes, such as mail merges for email outreach, presented opportunities for increased efficiency and smoother client interactions.  
• Improving content engagement visibility: Sales and marketing teams sought better insights into client interactions with content to track outreach effectiveness and optimize materials for sellers.

Recognizing the need for a comprehensive solution, Ascensus saw an opportunity to leverage Seismic’s Strategic Enablement Services for expert guidance. 

The Strategic Enablement Experience 

Seismic’s Strategic Enablement Services provided Ascensus with much more than just technology implementation. The team brought in experts to address Ascensus’s specific business challenges, going beyond recommendations to deliver actionable solutions. Working side by side with Ascensus, the team identified key challenges, developed customized strategies, and implemented practical, results-driven initiatives that laid the foundation for long-term success. 

A Collaborative, Personalized Approach

From the start, Seismic’s enablement specialists demonstrated a deep understanding of Ascensus’s unique needs. The team worked closely with Walker and his colleagues to assess the organization’s current state and prioritize areas for improvement. This personalized approach was a key differentiator.

"What made this partnership special was the empathy and understanding. Irina’s team knew exactly where we were in our journey and tailored their recommendations accordingly," Walker explained. "This wasn’t a cookie-cutter approach—it was built specifically for us."  

Instead of overwhelming Ascensus with everything Seismic could offer, the team focused on creating a structured and manageable enablement roadmap.

Building Strong Foundations: Content Curation and Governance

One of the first steps was enhancing content organization and governance.  Seismic’s team guided Ascensus through a curation process, ensuring that only relevant and valuable materials were migrated into Seismic’s content hub. They also established governance processes to ensure the content remained well-organized and easy to access.

"It wasn’t about just moving everything from SharePoint into Seismic. Irina’s team helped us think critically about what we actually needed and how to structure it properly," Walker said.

This initial step laid the groundwork for scalable content management and helped the sales team access the right materials more efficiently.

Training That Scales: The Seismic Academy

Seismic’s team designed and implemented the Seismic Academy, a comprehensive training program structured around progressive learning levels (101, 201, and 301). The academy enabled Ascensus’s employees to gradually build their knowledge of the platform, starting with basic content navigation and progressing to advanced use cases like creating Digital Sales Rooms.

"The Seismic Academy was a game-changer," Walker said. "It allowed us to take a bite-sized approach to learning. Our team didn’t feel overwhelmed—they could absorb the basics first and then tackle more advanced tasks as they gained confidence."

Leadership teams were able to direct employees to specific parts of the training when needed, ensuring continuous improvement and adoption.

Additionally, Seismic deployed the Skill Development Program, helping Ascensus map competencies for key roles and build structured training programs tailored to the needs of its sales teams. This initiative ensured that skill-building efforts were aligned with business objectives, enabling sellers to maximize their effectiveness in client interactions.

Designing Impactful Digital Sales Rooms (DSRs) and Pages

The collaboration also focused on creating custom Seismic Pages and Digital Sales Rooms—key tools that enabled the sales team to personalize their outreach and accelerate deal cycles. Irina’s team provided hands-on training and best practices, even working with Walker to refine and polish early drafts of Seismic Pages.

"Irina and her team taught us how to build pages that looked professional and were easy to use," Walker shared. "Small design tweaks made a huge difference, and those lessons are something we’ll carry forward as we scale this initiative."

Digital Sales Rooms transformed how Ascensus engaged with financial advisors. Instead of sending traditional email attachments, the team created interactive, personalized landing pages tailored to each advisor’s needs. This approach not only saved time but also made a strong impression on clients. With 10 available DSR templates, Ascensus created 258 DSRs, allowing sellers to deliver highly personalized client experiences and streamline sales processes.