Enablement Matters. Empowers Exponentially in the Flow-of-Work.
Traditionally, in a multi-tiered distribution channel, enablement has been the weakest at the frontline. Ironically, this is where the moment of truth occurs, where prospects are engaged to become customers.
Fortunately, things are changing, albeit slowly, but for the better. In the last decade, companies digitized the first hop, from the HQ to their direct distributors and dealers to track primary sales. Building on, companies are now extending their digitisation through the channel as the products sell through to the final point of sale (a.k.a. secondary sales) and finally the sell-out to the final buyers. This brings visibility not just to the product inventory in the channel, but also to the large tribe of dealers, sub-dealers, retailers and their sales reps.
The digitisation pendulum has swung from at first enabling the HQ with dashboards (and soon realizing that there isn’t much data to fill them), to now directly enabling the frontline with mobile apps with the intent to capture the vital signals. A significant part of the channel which was earlier dark and out of sight for the HQ, is now finally ‘lit up’ end-to-end on their dashboards.
In all this, we are missing one vital link. The Frontline Managers.
Every digital transformatory change is Psychology First, then Technology.
The frontline managers and team leaders leading the frontline sales reps on the field are your true Change Makers.
They must be front and centre in your enablement game plan, with their mobile apps giving them visibility to the progress and KPIs of each team member, very importantly in real-time, as the day unfolds seamlessly in their flow-of-work. This empowers them with a SUPER-POWER to be alerted to the hotspot, know the situation exactly, and intervene with a call or an in-app nudge directly to the specific rep while the ‘day is still in play’.
Everybody WINS.
So, while the pendulum swings to the other side, ensure that every stakeholder is meaningfully enabled along its path.
Feel free to add your experiences in the comments. So, Collectively We Learn and Improve as a Community.
Look out for the sequel to this post, where I explore some AI-led use cases for greater business impact.
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