Frontline managers are the leverage point of every sales organization. Yet, we continue to bury them in administrative debt.
We hire them to coach. We force them to forecast. We ask them to develop talent, but we drown them in dashboard reviews. This is not a recipe for growth. It is a recipe for burnout.
At the 2025 Q4 Enablement Growth Forum, we sat down with Hugh Robbins, Blackbaud’s SaaS Sales and Enablement Leader, and Stacey Unck, Director of Sales Enablement at MasterControl, to strip away the hype around artificial intelligence (AI) and focus on the reality.
The consensus was clear: AI is not just about productivity, AI is architectural change.
Most organizations are stuck at Level 1 or 2 of AI maturity. They are using tools to summarize emails. The leaders are using tools to orchestrate revenue. And here is how the best in the business is closing the gap.
1. Stop Creating Admins. Start Building “AI Architects”.
Research shows that managers spend the majority of their week on low-value tasks. They are data entry clerks with expensive titles.
We promoted them to coach. We pay them to strategize. But we force them to spend their days scrubbing CRM data and chasing forecast updates.
The goal of AI implementation is not to help managers type faster. It is to free them to do the one thing software cannot do: Lead.
What enablement needs to do:
- Shift the allocation
Move the manager’s focus from deal inspection (which AI can do) to deal acceleration (which requires human judgment).
- Define the new role
The manager of the future is an "AI Orchestrator." They do not just use the stack; they leverage it to predict outcomes and architect solutions.
- Automate the mundane
If a task is repetitive, it belongs to an agent, not a manager.
We need to stop asking managers to report the news. We need to equip them to make the news.
We need to stop asking managers to report the news. We need to equip them to make the news.
2. Adoption Is Not IT’s Job. It Is Yours.
A common failure mode in AI rollout is the "Field of Dreams" strategy: Buy the license, distribute the login, and hope they use it.
Hope is not a strategy.
During the forum, we polled the room. Most organizations are hovering in the early stages of maturity (Level 1 or 2). The tools are available, but the utilization is shallow. As discussed during our session, you cannot email your way to adoption. You need a change agent.
What enablement needs to do:
- Appoint AI champions
Do not rely on top-down mandates. Find the high-performers already using the tools and give them the microphone.
- Demystify the workflow
Show, don't tell. Have champions demonstrate how AI fits into their daily routine, not just how the buttons work.
- Measure maturity
You cannot improve what you do not measure. We launched our new AI Maturity Assessment to help leaders benchmark exactly where they stand.
If your managers are only using AI to summarize emails, you are leaving revenue on the table.
3. The Blueprint: How Blackbaud Built the “Super-Manager”
Blackbaud didn’t just buy Microsoft Copilot and Gong. They integrated them into a single source of truth.
The organization has moved past simple productivity gains and is now building custom agents in Copilot Studio. These agents integrate with Salesforce and Seismic to do the heavy lifting: account research, call prep, and even generating coaching plans.
This is the difference between "using AI" and "scaling with AI."
What enablement needs to do:
- Enforce the handoff
Use automated scorecards and deal boards. If the data isn't in the system, the deal doesn't move.
- Build custom agents
Don't settle for out-of-the-box generic outputs. Train agents on your specific sales methodology.
- Get executive sponsorship
Adoption at Blackbaud worked because it was top-down. Leadership didn't just approve the budget; they modeled the behavior.
Marketing would never launch a campaign without tracking. Sales should never launch a deal without data.
4. Practice Should Not Be a Cost Center
Roleplay is critical, but it is expensive. It pulls managers off the floor and consumes hours of selling time. Because it is hard to schedule, it rarely happens. So reps practice on live prospects. They hear an objection for the first time on a renewal call, freeze, and fumble.
Trust is lost. So is the deal.
MasterControl Stacey Unck flipped this dynamic using Letter AI.By deploying AI-powered roleplay, MasterControl did not just save time. They improved outcomes:
- Seller confidence increased by 55%.
- Manager time was reclaimed.
- Certification was scaled.
What enablement needs to do:
- Create controlled environments
Stop practicing on live revenue. Let reps fail in front of a bot so they succeed in front of a buyer.
- Scale the feedback
A manager can only listen to so many calls. An AI agent can listen to thousands simultaneously and provide instant scoring.
- Limit the scope
Do not overwhelm sellers with infinite scenarios. As Stacey noted, focus on specific skills and product knowledge.
Confidence is not built through observation but through repetition. Hence why AI makes repetition scalable.
The Era of Experimentation Is Over
The gap between the "haves" and "have-nots" in sales enablement is widening. The "haves" are treating AI as a strategic teammate. They are building custom agents, automating roleplay, and turning managers into architects of revenue.
The "have-nots" are still trying to figure out how to write a prompt. The tools are here. The playbooks are written. The only variable left is execution.
If you are waiting for a perfect roadmap, you are already behind. Don't guess where you stand, measure it.
