In today’s strained economic environment, businesses around the world are making strategic decisions about how and where they invest, especially when it comes to technology. As budgets become subject to greater scrutiny, the software that teams use has to demonstrate clear value. Sales enablement software is no different.
With this reality in mind, Seismic commissioned a study to better understand the value of sales enablement tools. The Seismic 2023 Value of Enablement Report sampled more than 1,200 full-time sales, enablement, and customer success professionals in managerial and leadership roles throughout the United States and Europe. The report found that sales enablement technology is exceedingly popular, with 82% of respondents saying they use it on the job.
It would be easy for us to say that sales enablement makes practitioners’ jobs easier. However, that statement is much more impactful when numbers bear it out. Perhaps, what’s even more interesting is the feedback we received from organizations that don’t use sales enablement solutions.
That’s where we’d like to start in this post. We’ll share some of the study’s highlights and outline the experiences of the “haves” and the “have-nots.”
Those who have sales enablement technology
Let’s start with a simple question: does enablement technology make work easier? The short answer is a resounding yes. 99% of respondents who use sales enablement platforms said that it makes their job easier.
A variety of considerations factored into this claim. As sellers become increasingly responsible for ambitious sales targets, every minute of their workday is more valuable. Any tool that gives them an advantage, or saves time, has a significant impact on their outcomes. 80% of respondents who use enablement technology stated that it frees up time to focus on revenue-generating activities. Furthermore, they reported that it saves them 15 hours per week. That’s nearly two workdays that can be spent interacting with and responding to customer needs instead – not searching for or updating content.
Enablement technology’s ability to save users time creates opportunities in other areas, too. Not only does enablement software give go-to-market (GTM) teams more time to prioritize client-facing activities, it ensures that they feel more prepared and knowledgeable. When users have the content and resources they need at their fingertips, it’s easy to feel empowered. In fact, 97% of respondents who said enablement technology gave them quick access to content, information, or coaching believed they were able to speak to clients from a more informed perspective. And 68% of respondents said that having quick access to information and content prevents them from second-guessing themselves.
The enablement have-nots
While respondents who don’t use enablement technology didn’t explicitly say that their lack of access made their jobs more difficult, the numbers said it for them. Their responses indicated that not using enablement technology had negative impacts on their bottom line. Of those who do not use sales enablement tools, 36% said their company struggles with increasing client retention.
Sales enablement platforms with built-in learning, training, and coaching capabilities are vital to sales acceleration. When organizations onboard reps faster, the sooner they can win new business and have an impact on revenue generation. The inverse can prove consequential. 88% of respondents whose organizations struggle with onboarding agreed that poor onboarding disrupted company operations. These disruptions result in opportunities lost and can stunt a company’s growth.
Organizations without a sales enablement strategy face challenges that go beyond training and coaching. Once GTM hires are onboarded, poor access to content poses an additional challenge to customer-facing roles. Comparatively, sellers who work for organizations with streamlined access to content felt more prepared and confident going into their customer interactions. On the other hand, 97% of those who didn’t use enablement technology said they were often (19%) or sometimes (78%) unable to locate the content they needed. Of those respondents, 91% said this makes them feel less productive.
The value of a sales enablement program
The findings in the report indicate that the value of sales enablement can’t be understated. In organizations with a sales enablement team and technology, sellers feel supported and well-equipped to do their jobs. We couldn’t agree more.
Again, we could tell you ourselves why we believe a sales enablement platform is a sound strategic investment, but we won’t. Instead, we invite you to see for yourself. If you’d like to learn more about why enablement is valuable – both in times of economic uncertainty and abundance – check out The Seismic 2023 Value of Enablement Report.
