Sales Operations.
What is it? Do I need it? Where does it fit in the org? I've also heard of Sales Enablement; is it different? How do I do it right? What career paths get you to Sales Ops and where can you go from there? Is Sales Ops leadership the same as Sales leadership? So many questions. So few good answers.
Since venturing further on my journey of marketing and sales leadership, I've asked and been asked a lot of questions about Sales Ops. It's an intersection I'd landed very naturally based on my experiences in business analysis, systems integration, and process (re)design, among others.
I went back into the deep archives of my internet history and dug up my research over several months. This was a process of discovery and pursuing development to hone my craft. I am definitely not an expert in this domain, but have had a lot of fun immersing myself in something that pushes both left brain and right brain.
Here are a few of the notable articles you might enjoy:
Sales Operations 101: Roles, Duties, Headaches, and Pro Tips (undated)
Understanding the Role of Sales Operations (October 31, 2013)
Sales Enablement and Sales Operations - One Team (August 10, 2016)
Why Sales Ops Is So Hard to Get Right (December 29, 2014)
Looking beyond technology to drive sales operations (June 2016)
Lots of mixed content, but that's exactly how it is. It's not a well-defined profession and function, but then again, what professions are perfectly defined anyway.
Have fun with it and keep on improving :)