Jennifer Bullock

Principal Analyst

Forrester Bio

Author Insights

Blog

Improv And Playbooks: Navigating The Unscripted World Of Modern Selling

Jennifer Bullock September 28, 2023
I’m from Chicago, which is known for many things, particularly its rich history with improvisational theater. Improv is a form of theater performed unscripted and created spontaneously by the players on stage, often through an audience suggestion. As a theatergoer, I am amazed at how much knowledge the actors must have to create something from […]
Blog

Role-Based Sales Competency Maps — I Ain’t Got Time For That!

Jennifer Bullock October 4, 2022
Ugh. I get it. When I was a first-time sales enablement practitioner, just the mention of “competencies” made my eyes glaze over and my attention immediately wane. I believed that competency mapping was a theoretical exercise invented by human resources or learning designers to test my last nerve. I was certain that the exercise would […]
Blog

First-Line Sales Managers Are Your Secret Agents Of Change

Jennifer Bullock August 4, 2022
Spies. Secret agents. They represent a world of intrigue. When major change is disrupting some portion of humanity, a government force quietly sends in their top agent to resolve the issue, mitigate the risk, and get things back on track. But even in movies and books, the best agents accomplish nothing without a great supporting […]
Blog

Sales Enablement Technology Decisions Just Got Easier: Introducing The Now Tech Report For 2022

Peter Ostrow June 23, 2022
Sales enablement automation (SEA) solutions equip sellers with personalized training and content to effectively engage with and meet the expectations of increasingly digital-first buyers. Over the past decade, these solutions have evolved and empowered B2B revenue teams to: Optimize sales processes. Break down organizational silos. Shorten time-to-competency. Measure the impact of enablement programs. These technologies […]
Blog

The Great Sales Content Disconnect

Jennifer Bullock April 20, 2022
Today, both sellers and buyers are forced to navigate a perfect storm of content, as the average number of interactions per B2B buying cycle has jumped 54% over the past two years and reps have an average of 1,400 sales assets to choose from. While reps now have more tools to leverage than ever before […]
Blog

2021: The Sales Enablement Year In Review

Peter Ostrow December 14, 2021
A number of trends in the B2B sales space have disrupted, challenged, and motivated sales enablement teams this year. As the first quarter of 2022 begins, let’s understand how these macro trends and the pandemic have reshaped our function and industry. First, the multitude of sales enablement tech acquisitions we’ve seen allows us to brag […]
Blog

Hey! Don’t Leave An Important Faction Off Your Sales Learning Event Guest List

Jennifer Bullock November 29, 2021
First line sales managers will be working day in and day out with reps. So, to ensure that the knowledge and skills just learned at sales enablement training events stick, it’s critical that you enable FLSMs to coach and inspect their teams and help reps put into practice whatever the newest competency may be.
Blog

Put A Finer Point On What A “Coaching Culture” Really Means For Your 2022 Planning

Jennifer Bullock November 8, 2021
When your sales organization looks to create a “coaching culture,” does everyone fully understand what behaviors you need them to demonstrate? How about what outcomes you’re looking to drive? If you don't take the time to clearly define what sales coaching is, you risk it becoming just another diluted buzzword leading to nothing of significance getting accomplished.
Blog

Sales Enablement Leaders Must Emphasize Role-Specific Enablement In 2022

Jennifer Bullock October 5, 2021
Buyers expect sellers to partner with them and not only demonstrate a deep understanding of their market, industry, and role — but also to anticipate their next steps. Sales enablement leaders need to ensure that reps have the content, credibility, competency, and confidence to deliver.
Blog

Should Sales Enablement Be Responsible For Hiring New Reps?

Jennifer Bullock July 27, 2021
At this year’s Forrester B2B Summit, we introduced our Sales Competency Management Framework, which provides a comprehensive look at sales talent management through the lens of attracting, onboarding, and optimizing (ongoing development) sales professionals.
Blog

This Year’s B2B Summit Sales Enablement Track — “How’d We Do?” And “What Comes Next?”

Jennifer Bullock March 22, 2021
Enablement practitioners proved to be incredibly innovative and agile when making the shift to working remotely in 2020.
Blog

Confessions Of A Former “Charterless” Sales Enablement Practitioner

Jennifer Bullock December 17, 2020
Without a charter, sales enablement leaders run the very real risk of being in the position of having to solve problems as they arise with no real scope, strategy, or sense of priority. In her latest blog post for Forrester, analyst Jennifer Bullock shares why a sales enablement charter is key to success.
Blog

What My Love-Hate Relationship With Golf Taught Me About Sales Role-Playing

Jennifer Bullock November 2, 2020
Like in golf, there are so many motions to consider in any customer interaction. Sales enablement practitioners must deconstruct role-playing exercises to enable reps to get into top-selling form.
Blog

Building A Sales Enablement Team: Know The What, When, And Why, But Focus On The Who

Jennifer Bullock October 1, 2020
You can ask 10 different sales enablement professionals how they define their function and hear at least that many definitions of what sales enablement is, does, or is responsible for.
Blog

Podcasts for Sales Learning — Is that a Thing?

Jennifer Bullock December 17, 2019
  • Podcasting has witnessed a boom in engagement with more senior-level executives
  • SiriusDecisions research reveals that while podcasts don’t prove to be effective for sales-specific learning, they are effective for communications
  • Podcasts are most effective when they’re part of an integrated communications plan with the field