2012 CEO’s Focus on Top Line Growth through Sales Enablement

In the latest 2012 Executive Job Market Intelligence Report from ExecuNet, (July 2012), they reported that “CEO’s continue to wrestle with economic uncertainty while searching for ways to boost performance, retain top management talent and deliver results to shareholders. So, what exactly, is keeping chief executives incredibly busy by day and awake at night? Top line growth. The pursuit of new revenue streams, the development of new products and services, maximizing existing sales channels and innovating new value for customers have put CEO’s collective focus on increasing sales and providing the right level of sales enablement and marketing support to boost sales.” “As CEO’s take stock of the management leadership capable of creating sales growth, they are also assessing other corporate objectives and whether they can be achieved with existing leaders and teams or whether they will need an infusion of new talent, new ideas and new energy to achieve enterprise goals.”

There are a couple of things that came out of this report that strike me. The first is that CEO’s finally see and recognize sales enablement as their top priority to drive top line growth. Second is that it appears that they understand that marketing support (which goes hand-in-hand with sales enablement), is also an important part of this equation. In today’s tight and tough economy, everyone is working longer and harder. We need to also help them work more efficiently and smarter.

Sales and Marketing need to be more closely aligned in order to achieve top line growth. Sales Enablement has finally risen to the prominence that it both needs and deserves, so that organizations can meet their goals.

Obviously, if CEO’s have finally recognized that to drive top line growth they need to focus on implementing the right level of sales enablement, then this is your cue to push for more and better sales enablement within your own organization. If you haven’t started these initiatives within your own organizations then what are you waiting for?