This is a program detail page, not a provider profile. The provider is Sandler. SES is one of several programs Sandler delivers. The full provider profile lives at Sandler. For very large multi-region engagements, the corporate team is Sandler Global Accounts.
What SES is
Sandler Enterprise Selling is the major-accounts curriculum inside Sandler. Launched in 2016 with the publication of the McGraw Hill book "Sandler Enterprise Selling: Winning, Growing, and Retaining Major Accounts" (co-authored by Sandler CEO David Mattson and Brian W. Sullivan, Sandler's Vice President of Enterprise Selling), the program sits on top of the foundational Sandler Selling System and adds the structures that long-cycle, multi-stakeholder pursuits require.
The program is delivered by any Sandler franchise office globally. For large-scale multi-region engagements or 300-plus seller organizations, delivery is typically coordinated by Sandler Global Accounts, the corporate team that handles enterprise rollouts directly from Sandler head office.
Methodology
The original SES framework is six stages. The 2024 to 2025 refresh restructured the curriculum into seven modular frameworks. Both versions are still in market depending on local franchisee delivery and engagement shape.
The original six stages are: (1) set a baseline for success across each territory and account, (2) identify the opportunities with the highest probability of success, (3) engage with buyers to qualify the enterprise opportunity, (4) craft a solution that directly addresses the client's needs, (5) propose the solution and achieve advancement of the deal, (6) serve and satisfy the client, earning the right to grow the business. The architecture is built around the recognition that enterprise deals do not end at the signature, they begin there.
The updated framework splits the original stages into seven modules: Understanding Your Market, Opportunity Identification, Teaming, Qualification, Solution Crafting, Proposing and Advancing, and Account Management and Expansion. Teaming is the most material addition, reflecting that enterprise deals are rarely run by a solo seller. The refresh also added AI-prompt tooling, integrating generative AI prompts into the qualification and account-planning workflows.
SES inherits two foundational Sandler ideas. The up-front contract still anchors every meeting. Pain quantification is still the qualification spine. The differentiator from general Sandler is the explicit framework for multi-stakeholder teaming, account-level planning, and the post-signature expansion motion.
Modules within SES
- SES core curriculum, the six-stage (or seven-framework) major-accounts methodology delivered in instructor-led waves over multiple quarters
- Quarterly Value Review (QVR), the post-signature account-management tool added in recent program updates
- SES for sales leaders, frontline manager development tailored to coaching enterprise pursuits
- AI-prompt toolkit, generative AI prompts integrated into the qualification and account-planning workflows
Who SES is best for
SES fits enterprise sales organizations of roughly 25 to 500+ sellers running deals with six-figure to eight-figure ACVs, multiple stakeholders on the buying side, and pursuit cycles measured in quarters rather than weeks. It is most useful for organizations that already have a stable foundational methodology and want a major-accounts overlay, and for organizations whose post-signature expansion motion is informal or undocumented.
SES is less of a fit for SMB or owner-led teams whose primary need is foundational behavior change. Those buyers are better served by the foundational Sandler Selling System. SES is also less of a fit for high-velocity SaaS organizations who prefer a SaaS-native operating system. Force Management plus MEDDICC, or Winning by Design, are typically the comparison set for that lane.
Strengths and weaknesses
What SES does well
- Explicit framework for the post-signature expansion motion. The QVR tool gives account managers a structured way to surface renewal and expansion risk before it shows up in the forecast.
- Teaming module addresses a real gap in most enterprise methodologies. Multi-stakeholder pursuits rarely have a documented internal protocol.
- Documented methodology in a McGraw Hill book, which lowers the cost for a buying team to align internally before engaging a delivery partner.
- Delivers through Sandler's existing 230+ office footprint, so local delivery is usually available in major markets. For 300+ seller engagements, the corporate Global Accounts team coordinates centrally.
Where SES is weaker
- Franchise delivery variance carries over from the parent Sandler brand. Local trainer experience with enterprise pursuits varies, and not every franchisee has deep SES delivery muscle. Vet the local office before committing, or engage Sandler Global Accounts directly for multi-region rollouts.
- For SaaS-native sales motions, the SES framework sometimes feels less directly applicable than Force Management's integrated Command Series or Winning by Design's revenue architecture. SES is methodology-first, not industry-first.
- Program-specific case studies and third-party reviews live inside the parent Sandler aggregate rather than under a separate SES rating. Buyers evaluating SES on its own merits have to look through the broader Sandler reviews and filter for enterprise-engagement signals.
- The 2024 to 2025 refresh added value but means some local offices are mid-transition between the original six-stage and the new seven-framework structure. Ask the trainer which version you are buying.
Reviews and case studies
SES does not maintain a separate G2, Capterra, TrustRadius, or Gartner Peer Insights listing. Program-level reviews aggregate into the parent Sandler Training rating (4.7 stars across 122 reviews verified 2026-05-24). The aggregate covers all Sandler programs, so SES-specific signal has to be extracted by reading the longer-form enterprise testimonials.
Publicly disclosed SES case studies include Sonoco Protective Solutions (packaging and components), DS Smith Plastics (industrial packaging), Enersul (resource industries), and Drillform (oil and gas services). A representative from Salesforce has publicly credited Sandler training broadly for impact on team performance and confidence, though that testimonial sits at the parent Sandler level rather than against SES specifically.
"We chose the program because it takes our skills to the level necessary to outperform in a highly competitive, sophisticated market. Sonoco's emphasis on strategic account management and sustainable value creation are completely aligned with the SES process and tools." VP of Sales, Sonoco Protective Solutions, sourced from Sandler-published case material.
"The program gave us a common set of tools for progressing a sale to close, a common language when making a sale, and a common strategic platform to make the process scalable and repeatable." DS Smith Plastics, sourced from Sandler-published case material.
How to engage Sandler for SES
SES is a program inside Sandler, so the buying conversation runs through Sandler, not through this page. Two paths.
Path 1: through a local Sandler office.
For organizations of 25 to roughly 300 sellers or for engagements concentrated in a single region, the standard route is to contact the local Sandler office. Local franchisees with SES delivery experience handle the rollout. Vet the trainer's enterprise track record before committing.
Go to the Sandler profile →Path 2: through Sandler Global Accounts.
For 300+ seller organizations, multi-region rollouts, or multi-language delivery requirements, the corporate Global Accounts team coordinates the engagement directly from Sandler head office. This is the right path when you need consistent delivery across geographies, native-language training in multiple markets, or enterprise-grade analytics and reporting.
Go to Sandler Global Accounts →