So, your company recently invested in a sales enablement solution. Now what? Of course, there are obvious first steps like onboarding sellers and migrating content, but what comes next?
Once your sales enablement tool is up and running, it’s time to make sure it’s making your sellers more effective. You’ll eventually need to measure and demonstrate its return on investment (ROI).
But how do you go about evaluating sales enablement ROI?
In Seismic’s Annual Sales Enablement Benchmark Report (2021), we discovered the answer isn’t always easy. Only 68% of the companies expressed confidence in the data they use to track the effectiveness of their sales enablement strategy.
However, 94% of sales enablement Visionaries expressed confidence in their data. In this article, we’ll share how Visionaries use data to track sales enablement ROI and, more importantly, why it matters.
Understanding who is using your platform
Platform adoption is a baseline metric used to measure sales enablement ROI. Adoption helps sales enablement leadership understand how many sellers use the solution and how often.
Platform adoption can have a significant impact on a variety of additional metrics. For instance, the data that’s generated by your sales enablement solution can be used to measure content effectiveness. But, to generate reliable data, you need more sellers to adopt and routinely use your sales enablement solution.
Platform adoption rates can also help diagnose challenges. If fewer sellers than expected have adopted your platform, you may need to revisit onboarding or provide additional training.
“If nobody is using it, you are either wasting your money or have done a poor job with rollout and training and need a reboot.”
CMO, Brand Management Company
In the survey, 52% of respondents reported that their sellers had fully adopted their sales enablement solution. That figure increases to 64% among Visionaries.
Seismic’s sales enablement solution provides robust platform analytics to monitor adoption and other critical metrics. It also captures data on content performance which provides more insight into sales enablement ROI.
How content influences sales cycles and revenue
Customers are more inclined to do business with sellers who deliver highly personalized content experiences.
Most Visionaries expressed confidence in the data they use to measure content effectiveness. So, what sales enablement metrics do they use to measure success and identify areas of improvement?
These metrics help clarify sales enablement ROI by showing which content resonates with both buyers and sellers.
Understanding which content sellers use is valuable to marketers because it highlights what they find most useful. Knowing what content impacts opportunities and revenue helps sellers leverage top-performing content to speed up sales cycles and close more deals.
These metrics are important for many reasons, but ultimately, they help sellers and marketers make informed content decisions.
Revenue is the best marker of ROI
Adoption and content effectiveness metrics help enablement leaders measure ROI. They also help other parts of the go-to-market (GTM) organization identify trends and patterns that underpin success.
Seismic’s Benchmark survey found that enablement Visionaries use these insights to scale best practices from their most successful sellers across the organization.
Organizations with more mature enablement practices track a number of metrics to evaluate ROI. The data they capture allows them to drive new efficiencies and increase revenue.
Visionaries in our study reported that their companies achieved 121% of their quota in the past fiscal year. 43% of Visionaries also noted that their companies rated in the top 10% in their industry in customer satisfaction as measured by net promoter score (NPS).
If you’d like to learn more about how Visionaries leverage sales enablement as a strategic business enabler, check out the study results. You can also check out some FAQs around the report below!
How can we effectively measure the ROI of a sales enablement tool?
To effectively measure the ROI of a sales enablement tool, it’s important to track metrics like platform adoption rates and content effectiveness. These metrics reveal how well sellers are using the platform and its impact on revenue. Comparing these metrics to organizational goals and benchmarks also helps assess the success of your sales enablement efforts.
What are the most important metrics to track sales enablement success?
Leaders focus on sales enablement analytics like platform adoption rates, content effectiveness, and revenue generated. Analyzing these metrics helps them understand what content works for buyers and sellers. This allows them to make informed decisions to improve sales processes and boost revenue.
How long does it take to see ROI from a sales enablement solution?
The timeline for seeing ROI can vary depending on factors like platform adoption rates and the effectiveness of content. Organizations that monitor and optimize their sales enablement strategies begin to see measurable improvements within the first 6-12 months.
How can we improve platform adoption among our sellers?
Improving adoption can involve revisiting your onboarding process, providing additional training, and ensuring that the platform integrates smoothly into your sellers’ workflows. Regularly communicating the benefits and sharing success stories can also motivate sellers to engage more with the sales enablement tool.
