Bold Calling podcast

Enablement without the eyerolls with Colin Specter

3/11/2025
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An award-winning podcast presented by Orum

Episode Summary

In this episode of Bold Calling, host Adam Sockel sits down with Colin Specter, SVP of Revenue at Orum, to talk about sales enablement that actually works—without the usual eye rolls from sales reps.

They dive into how sales and marketing can align, how to create content that gets used, and the best ways to drive accountability in a fast-paced sales organization. Along the way, Adam and Colin swap stories, challenge assumptions, and share real-world strategies that any sales and marketing team can implement today.

Key Takeaways & Great Quotes

🔹 Sales & Marketing: A Two-Way Street

"Marketing can’t say yes to everything, just like product teams can’t build every feature request. It’s about business impact—how many customers will benefit, and what’s the revenue impact?"Colin Specter

"Every time you say yes to something, you’re saying no to something else. Prioritization is key."Adam Sockel

🔹 Adoption Starts with Champions

"Reps love reducing uncertainty. The best way to get adoption? Find a pilot rep who others respect. If they use it and win with it, others will follow."Colin Specter

"I’m a people pleaser—I always want to say yes. But before I do, I go to another team and ask, ‘Would this actually help you, too?’ Because if it’s just a one-off, it’s probably not the best use of time."Adam Sockel

🔹 The Role of Product Marketing

"Salespeople don’t want to learn about product releases at the same time as customers. Marketing needs to be ahead of the curve, ready with assets before a launch."Colin Specter

"We don’t want to be learning about product updates in real-time with sales. If that happens, we’re already in trouble."Adam Sockel

🔹 Developing Accountability for Sales Enablement

"Repetition is the mother of learning. As a sales leader, your job is to over-communicate. If people aren’t rolling their eyes at how often they hear a message, you’re not saying it enough."Colin Specter

"I can hype up content all I want, but if I don’t have buy-in from sales, it’s just another link in Slack that gets ignored."Adam Sockel

🔹 How Sales Teams Can Amplify Marketing Campaigns

"Sales leaders set the tone—if your team sees you posting and amplifying content, they’ll follow. But don’t assume they will naturally rise to the occasion—train them on what good looks like."Colin Specter

"Attitude reflects leadership. If sales sees me hyping up content, they’re more likely to use it. But if I just drop a link in Slack and disappear, it’s getting buried under 100 messages."Adam Sockel

Actionable Tips for Sales Enablement Leaders

Start with a listening tour – Talk to your top reps and sales leaders to identify patterns in what’s needed.
Prioritize by impact – Assess the revenue and adoption potential before investing in new assets.
Use a pilot approach – Get buy-in from respected reps before rolling things out at scale.
Create a structured request process – Leverage Slack workflows or structured intake forms to gather details.
Over-communicate – Ensure that both sales and marketing teams know where content lives and how to use it.
Align marketing with product sprints – Ensure that content is ready before major feature releases.

Final Thought from Colin

"If you’re just starting out with sales enablement, focus on impact. Identify the behavioral metrics you want to improve—whether it’s connect rates, meeting rates, or win rates—and work backward from there. Enablement is about reducing uncertainty and equipping reps with the right tools at the right time."

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