How to build your enablement charter

The world of enablement continues to evolve rapidly. And, although it’s exciting, this leaves the door open for interpretation. This means that different organizations – and even individuals within those organizations – may define enablement, their roles, and responsibilities quite differently. Building an enablement charter will help address these questions, strengthen alignment across your organization, and transform enablement from a function to a strategic operation. 

So, what exactly is a sales enablement charter? Think of a charter as your North Star. It’s the overall business plan for enablement. A charter transforms random efforts into a strategic and value-adding sales enablement strategy that positively impacts business objectives.

Whether you are a team of one, or a global team supporting multiple regions, establishing a charter will help your team:  

• Apply and scale your sales enablement initiatives

• Identify gaps and challenges 

• Define which responsibilities are in and out of scope

• Build a clear sales enablement org chart

• Establish executive buy-in 

• Build an internal reputation

• Measure the impact and ROI of your efforts

Once your charter is built, it’s critical to properly share and activate it across your organization. Start to identify your strongest supporters, early adopters, and force multipliers. These are individuals who will help champion enablement efforts across the business.  

Three steps to supercharge your sales enablement charter

1. Designate enablement board

The enablement board should include your executive team, so it’s important to establish this relationship early. Meet with this team quarterly to gain buy-in from executive sponsors for your enablement strategy, establish a consistent feedback loop, and ensure that your strategy aligns with the organization’s overall vision, mission, and goals. 

As a best practice, interview senior executives to learn more about these areas. A vision and mission aren’t goals and objectives based on financial performance indicators. A vision statement explains your desired future state as an organization. It also communicates the purpose of your business and its supporting values. A mission statement defines how your organization will arrive at its future state.   

Structure your conversations with this team to help you put the vision, mission, and goals at the center of your enablement strategy. The stronger the alignment, the easier it will be to gain and maintain executive buy-in for your enablement priorities every quarter and prove business impact.   

2. Gather a team of advocates

An advocate team is a formal approach to building and maintaining cross-functional partnerships with internal enablement customers. This team consists of enablement champions across the different audiences and roles your team supports. If your team supports the full go-to-market organization, the advocate team should include a combination of sales, customer success, and marketing teammates. Similar to your enablement board, you should meet with this team regularly.  

Lean on these individuals to champion enablement initiatives across the business and trust them to provide feedback on what’s working and what isn’t and provide input on the variety of upcoming enablement initiatives or launches. Ideally, nominate new members every six months to welcome fresh perspectives, ideas, and continuous feedback as you prioritize and scale your enablement strategy. 

3. Create an enablement council

Now it’s time to take a “zoom-out” approach and drive cross-functional alignment with the teams and roles outside of enablement. For example, this may include representatives from your product or sales operations departments. Although your team does not support roles across the entire organization, you need insight into the other key initiatives and priorities happening throughout the business.  

The council’s focus is to exchange important information and transfer critical knowledge monthly. By staying connected, fostering relationships, and enhancing communication, the council will uncover opportunities for collaboration and alignment. This will help the business run smoother and allow your team to establish the enablement ecosystem as a mission-critical area of the organization.  

Enablement charter FAQs

How does an enablement charter address different enablement roles and responsibilities?

An enablement charter allows organizations to customize their approach based on their unique needs and interpretations of enablement roles. It’s meant to serve as a guide to reference during collaboration with key stakeholders. This process is important to define specific roles and responsibilities and ensure alignment with the organization’s goals and objectives.  

What should the criteria be for selecting members of the advocacy team? 

We recommend working with other team members who demonstrate a deep understanding of enablement, have a passion for championing initiatives, and represent diverse perspectives within the organization.  

How can organizations effectively facilitate meetings and maintain ongoing engagement and collaboration?  

To facilitate productive meetings, create structured agendas, and clearly communicate goals ahead of time. This ensures that your organization will remain focused on the right tasks at the right time. Ongoing engagement and collaboration can also be supported by regular check-ins, feedback loops, and the establishment of clear communication channels. Remember, consistent communication is crucial for successful enablement initiatives. 

Closing thoughts

Remember that your sales enablement charter isn’t just a piece of paper. It’s a living document that helps you get what you need at the right time. Be sure to review your charter as a team at the beginning of each quarter. Take time to discuss and review any needed adjustments to keep the charter aligned with your organization’s goals.  

For more detailed information on how to build your enablement charter, don’t miss Build Your Enablement Charter webinar as we discuss the key elements that every best-in-class charter should include. Or check out Seismic’s Sales Enablement Charter Checklist for a step-by-step guide.