Today marks an exciting moment – we are launching the #CustomerSpotlight series, dedicated to showcasing our customers’ career achievements and thought leadership in sales enablement. Our customers across roles and industries are inventing the future of sales enablement every day, and through these interviews, we will shine a light on how they are making big things happen at their organizations.
First up in the #CustomerSpotlight is Michaela Britt, Senior Manager, GTM Onboarding Programs at Workato.
What does Workato do and what is your role?
My one sentence pitch is that we help companies automate complex workflows with an easy to use platform. The investment in enablement at Workato has been incredible — we have about twelve enablement folks on our team, which is so exciting. Our CEO really believes in enablement and what it can do for the go-to-market organization as a whole.
I was brought on initially as the Enablement Content Manager to implement a solution like Highspot, from the evaluation to the implementation, the launch, and now the iteration of it. Given the amount of content we had in scattered silos, it was important to dedicate a role to the organization of content.
What was your first job and how did it bring you to where you are today?
I actually started my career at a PR agency. I studied Rhetoric in college, which is the art of persuasion and how people tell stories. I really wanted a career that would help me tell stories, so I pursued PR first, and through that, I was exposed to so many incredible tech companies. I was able to switch hats a lot, work with reporters, and amplify the missions of various companies changing the world.
Working in PR, I got to write a lot, which I love. After my time in PR, I wanted to take on a new challenge, so I became a Sales Development Rep (SDR) at a tech company to try my hand at sales.
What’s cool about the SDR job is once you get the hang of it, you can explore other opportunities within a company. I became close with our sole enablement lead at that company and started to help her with projects. I’ve always loved teaching others and showing how they can simplify tasks. After sales, I wound up pursuing product marketing for a little bit, but my heart has always been in enablement, so now I’m in full-time enablement.
What is a best practice you’d like to share with other enablement practitioners?
It might seem obvious to check in with your sellers, but I think they really value feeling like their perspectives have been heard. So I found that whether it’s working with a committee or even one-on-one with an Account Executive, just asking them for their early input has made a huge difference. It offers immediate peer validation for the rest of the sellers. When a program is launched, the AEs feel like their opinion was heard and implemented. Never underestimate the power of getting early feedback from your audience.
What advice do you have for your peers on making enablement a priority within their organization?
It’s important to have a specific focus if you’re just starting out with enablement at your company. I think a lot of enablement programs can be a mile wide and an inch deep if you take on too much too soon. Instead, have a clear vision — for example, a lot of enablement teams will start with onboarding, as the first way to prove ROI on an enablement program. Stay focused and set up one project, demonstrate impact with metrics, and then expand that program to do so much more.
What do you like to do outside of work?
I was born and raised in Vermont, so I grew up skiing and exploring nature. You can always catch me skiing at Tahoe or exploring a new coastal hike whenever I get a chance. I also love listening to true crime podcasts every morning.
What is something most people don’t know about you?
Something most people don’t know about me is that I minored in Dance in college. I attended a small liberal arts school in Maine and they’re well known for their dance program. I’ve danced all my life and was very fortunate to continue dancing in college.
Want to be featured in the #CustomerSpotlight series? Email justina.wu@highspot.com.
