Revenue Enablement That Moves the Numbers with Sally Ladrach

When Revenue Enablement Owns the Data, Revenue Moves

What if the reason enablement doesn’t always have a seat at the executive table has nothing to do with influence—and everything to do with ownership?

In our recent conversation with Sally Ladrach, Director of Sales Enablement & Training at SavATree and board member of the Revenue Enablement Society, one message came through loud and clear:

This isn’t a conversation about better onboarding decks or more engaging training sessions. It’s about how revenue enablement can move from reactive order-taker to strategic revenue driver—by following the numbers all the way back to behavior.

The Shift: From “Do This Training” to “Here’s the Revenue Opportunity”

Most enablement teams are familiar with the request cycle:

The instinct is to respond quickly and build something. But Sally argues that the real work starts before the solution.

That means understanding CRM object relationships, stage definitions, conversion rates, time-in-stage, and the behaviors behind them. It means tracing executive-level metrics—pipeline coverage, win rate, forecast accuracy—back to frontline execution.

Because until you can quantify the problem, you can’t credibly recommend the solution.

Clean Systems Create Credible Forecasts

Forecast accuracy is one of the fastest ways to gain—or lose—executive trust.

But inaccurate forecasts are rarely just a “rep discipline” issue. More often, they’re a systems design issue.

When systems allow ambiguity, pipeline becomes inflated. When pipeline is inflated, forecasts are unreliable. And when forecasts are unreliable, leadership loses confidence.

The fix isn’t a motivational speech—it’s structural clarity.

Sally described starting with closed-won analysis:

From there:

When inputs improve, the forecast improves. And when the forecast improves, enablement becomes part of strategic planning—not just execution support.

Diagnose the Revenue Engine Like a System

One of the most practical frameworks discussed was the “revenue bow tie”—a full-funnel diagnostic view.

At each stage, measure:

Then layer in behavior:

This is where enablement becomes powerful.

The Million-Dollar Lesson: Not All Pipeline Is Equal

In one of Sally’s favorite success stories, she conducted a comprehensive analysis of what “good deals” actually looked like.

She built a composite score factoring in:

Then she compared those scores across acquisition channels.

The insight?

Organic demand generation consistently produced higher-quality, faster-closing, more profitable deals.

Outbound volume, on the other hand, produced lower project scores and more challenging customers.

At the time, some leaders believed increasing outbound activity would win the “math game.” But the data showed that more volume didn’t equal better revenue.

Instead, the company doubled down on:

Within one quarter, those efforts generated over $1 million in qualified pipeline.

The Hidden Revenue Leak: Speed to Lead

Another recurring theme was speed-to-lead.

In one example, inbound leads weren’t even being routed correctly. Using historical conversion rates and average deal size, Sally quantified how much revenue was being lost simply due to slow or nonexistent follow-up.

This wasn’t a skills problem. It wasn’t a messaging problem.
It was operational.

After tightening routing, accountability, and response processes:

Sometimes the biggest growth lever isn’t a new initiative—it’s fixing a broken handoff.

Don’t Let AI Become a Distraction

With AI and sales tech evolving rapidly, it’s tempting to look for tool-based solutions.

But the principle remains the same: Start with the problem.

If proposals are weak:

Technology amplifies what already exists. If your process is unclear, AI will simply automate the confusion.

Enablement’s role isn’t to chase innovation for its own sake—it’s to evaluate tools through the lens of measurable revenue impact.

How Enablement Earns a Seat at the Table

Executives and boards think in numbers.

If enablement leaders don’t understand how those numbers are constructed—or how behaviors influence them—they remain tactical.

But when enablement can say:

The conversation changes.

Revenue enablement isn’t about content creation.
It isn’t about event planning.
It isn’t even about training.

At its highest level, it’s about bridging the gap between executive metrics and frontline behavior.

That bridge is built with data.
Own the data.
Follow the breadcrumbs.
Quantify the opportunity.
Design solutions around root cause.

When enablement does that, revenue doesn’t just improve.
It becomes predictable.