Adobe's Sales Manager Development Program

Adobe is a computer software company based in San Jose, California. Founded in 1982 by John Warnock and Charles Geschke, Adobe is known for products such as Photoshop, Acrobat, Illustrator, and more. Adobe is a global company with more than 26,000 employees worldwide.

Briefly describe the nominated organization or individual: history and past performance (up to 1,250 characters):

Founded in 1982, Adobe has spent the past 42 years empowering everyone, everywhere to imagine, create, and bring any digital experience to life. Adobe is primarily known for software for content publication, including graphics, photography, illustration, animation, video, and print. Its flagship products include Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Acrobat Reader, and the Portable Document Format (PDF).

Within Adobe, the Field Readiness & Enablement (FRE) organization is dedicated to providing timely enablement that aligns with Adobe's greater business needs. FRE has grown significantly in size and funding over the years, and features an average Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 52, which is classified as "Excellent" according to NPS standards. On average, 86% of sellers feel confident in their learning objectives after training.

The Sales Manager Development Program (SMDP) is one of the most important training programs launched by FRE in recent years. SMDP is an 8-month, multi-module program designed to address the toughest challenges facing Adobe's front-line managers (FLMs), building specific competencies through targeted frameworks and ongoing reinforcement. While primarily focused on Asia, Australia, and New Zealand (ANZ), the program's success has influenced several other training programs worldwide.

Outline the nominated achievements since July 1, 2023 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 1,500 characters):

In 2023, 87% of Adobe FLMs in ANZ were new to their role or to Adobe, with no consistent enablement approach to drive sales performance and talent development. To address this, we launched an 8-month, MBA-style program focused on building key competencies through frameworks like ICE (Identify, Clarify, Explore) Coaching, 3Ps (Purpose, Participation, Preparation), and Accountability Agreements. Program achievements include:

• Scalable Hybrid Delivery: Three FY24 in-person workshops, each preceded by a virtual kick-off and reinforced through 1:1 coaching, peer sharing, digital resources, and field application. The program combines strategic frameworks with practical tools, tailored to sales management realities.
• Behavioral and Cultural Shift: Managers now demonstrate greater ownership, accountability, and strategic alignment. The second workshop saw a marked increase in managers actively shaping sales plans, driving deal progression, and nurturing pipeline health.
• Strengthening Coaching Culture: The program embedded frameworks like ICE Coaching, 3Ps, and the Accountability Agreement, driving high performance and clarity across sales teams.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: The most recent workshop in FY25 united Sales, Pre-sales, Customer Success, and Marketing, fostering a unified approach to value realization and customer outcomes.

Program Impact:

• Pipeline Create Attainment rose from 72% to 86%, and GNARR (gross net annual recurring revenue) Attainment surged from 70% to 264% year-over-year.
• From Workshop 1 to Workshop 2, NPS scores improved from 49% to 56%-both "excellent" by industry standards.
• 92-95% of participants rated the training as highly relevant, and the facilitators as highly effective.

Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible compare the achievements to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the organization's past performance (up to 1,500 characters):

Adobe's SMDP is unique in its depth, breadth, and measurable impact:

• Longitudinal, Multi-Module Structure: Unlike typical event-based sales training, SMDP offers a sustained, multi-module journey, blending strategic frameworks with practical, role-specific coaching. This approach is rare in the technology sector.
• Custom Frameworks and Tools: The program leverages models (3Ps, ICE, Deal Scoring, etc.) directly aligned to Adobe's business strategy and sales realities. Participants cite these as immediately actionable and transformative.
• Superior Engagement and Satisfaction: SMDP's NPS (49-56%) and satisfaction scores (92-95%) exceed industry benchmarks for sales enablement (where NPS >30% is considered strong).
• Tangible Behavioral and Business Outcomes: Feedback and Kirkpatrick Level 1 results show managers are not only learning but operationalizing new behaviors-shifting deal reviews from inspection to coaching, implementing 1:1 pipeline reviews, and cascading value frameworks to their teams. The impact is clear and quantifiable, like attainment uplift from 70% to 264%, reflecting a shift in culture and behavior, with FLM and sellers embracing ownership, accountability, and coaching as core success drivers.
• Industry Comparison: Last year's Stevie winner, Autodesk, was recognized for the "Skill Ready and Leadership Ready" program. Adobe's SMDP matches and exceeds this standard by integrating cross-functional collaboration, continuous coaching, and a focus on value realization, as evidenced by participant testimonials and business results.

Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 1,500 characters):

Our submission is substantiated by robust, multi-source evidence:

• Participant Feedback Reports: The detailed executive report (Pages 1-4) from the first workshop provides quantitative and qualitative data on relevance, facilitator effectiveness, and NPS, with direct participant quotes and improvement areas.
• Program Journey Snapshots: Visuals and tables (see "SMDP Key Models" on pages 5 and 6 and " The SMDP Journey" on pages 7 and 8) illustrate the comprehensive, staged nature of the program, the time investment, and the integration of coaching, assessment, and executive alignment.
• Frameworks and Models: "SMDP Key models" on pages 5 and 6 detail the proprietary tools and their application, demonstrating how SMDP goes beyond theory to drive real-world change.
• Kirkpatrick Level 1 Reaction Report: Workshop 4's Kirkpatrick report (pages 9-13) shows 95% satisfaction, NPS +90, and high intent to apply learning, with supporting qualitative feedback and representative quotes from Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success leaders.