SAN DIEGO – Some 1,200 businesspeople descended on the San Diego waterfront last week as software company Seismic Inc. held its 10th annual Shift conference.

The three-day conference focused mainly on Seismic’s customers, 59 of which have been with Seismic since the very first Shift or even longer, according to Seismic CEO Doug Winter.

“It’s grown tremendously,” Winter said. “Our community has really expanded over the last 10 years. It’s been fun to watch.”

In addition to multiple panels and discussions centered around sales and the business enablement industry, Shift featured keynote speeches from, among others, Fox Sports commentator and WEAR apparel namesake Erin Andrews, Microsoft Partner Director of Product Management Aaron Bjork and Lucianne Decicco, Citi’s senior vice president of sales enablement.

The conference also had a charitable partnership with Canine Companions, a nonprofit that trains and provides service dogs to adults, children and veterans who need them, free of charge.

While attendees could interact with service dogs during the conference, Seismic also matched donations made to the organization during the week up to $10,000. After a previous donation the company made to the group, Canine Companions even named a service dog Seismic.

“It’s quite expensive because the dogs have to get to a really high level” of training, Winter said. “So we’re excited to be able to help out with that.”

Winter founded Seismic – which provides business assistance software to corporate sales teams – in 2010 while working out of a Solana Beach basement. The company has since grown to 1,400 employees worldwide.

At this year’s conference, Seismic launched its new Strategic Enablement Services, a consulting offering intended to help businesses and their sales teams operate more efficiently and generate greater return on investment.

Seismic’s consultants will also help customers create and reach their enablement goals, acting as a de facto member of the customer company’s team.

“We have a lot of customers who get to a certain place with their enablement programs internally and they’re like, ‘Well, how do we go to the next level? We’re doing the basics, we see the bigger vision but we’re not sure how to get there, and can you help us create the plan?’” Winter said.

Taking the Pulse of AI in Sales Enablement

The conference also came on the heels of Seismic releasing the results of a survey about the use of artificial intelligence in sales enablement. The survey of more than 600 full-time managers and other senior business leaders found that 77% of respondents thought AI would transform their respective industries within the next five years.

Nearly 90% of those surveyed also said that integrating AI into their sales efforts would boost revenue by 29% over the next five years, according to Seismic, which conducted the survey from July 24 to Aug. 12.

“Obviously there’s still going to be a strong role for humans to play, but how does AI help them have their answers quicker, sharper?” Winter said. “Maybe having the human not needed when there’s certain simple things that are being asked, things that can be automated away, that’s a train that’s rolling pretty quickly.”

While Seismic remains a private company, it has grown significantly in recent years, with annual revenue approaching $400 million less than three years after surpassing the $200 million and $300 million thresholds.

The company is a leader in the broader enablement market, Winter said, and he intends for Seismic to continue leading in the enablement industry for the foreseeable future.

“The impact of technology on sales and marketing is something that nobody is really questioning,” he said. “Enablement is right in the middle of that, helping the sellers as marketers be more efficient, more effective. So we’re right in the middle of all that growth and all that exciting innovation that’s happening.”

As for broader future plans, Winter said the company is primarily focused on the next revenue milestone.

“People always ask, ‘Where do you want to go from here?’ Well, 500’s the next number, the next round milestone we’re after. … That’s our next big step, and hopefully we’ll make really good progress towards that next year,” he said.

Seismic Inc.
FOUNDED: 2010
CEO: Doug Winter
HEADQUARTERS: San Diego
BUSINESS: Enterprise and enablement software
EMPLOYEES: 1,400 worldwide
WEBSITE: seismic.com
ANNUAL REVENUE: Approaching $400 Million
SOCIAL IMPACT: Seismic partnered with the nonprofit service dog training organization Canine Companions to raise money for the group throughout Seismic’s recent conference.
NOTABLE: Seismic was named to the 2024 Forbes Cloud 100, a ranking of the world’s top 100 cloud companies.