It’s no secret that sales content is one of the most important tools sellers use to engage prospects. A 2020 Demand Gen report found that 67% of buyers now rely more on content to inform buying decisions than they did in the previous year.
Buyers also want the content they receive to be personalised and informative. Content that is irrelevant to a buyer will simply be ignored. So, in order to get the content experience right, organisations need to create content that helps them to build relationships with buyers and, ultimately, generate more revenue.
What is sales collateral?
Sales collateral includes any document or materials that sales reps use throughout a deal cycle. While there are many different types of sales collateral, the primary purpose of collateral is to educate, inform and engage prospects so they’ll move closer to making a purchase decision. Effective B2B sales collateral gives buyers more information about your company, its products and services and how they help customers solve their unique business challenges.
What’s the difference between sales collateral and sales enablement collateral?
Before we dive into examples of common collateral, it’s important to understand the difference between sales collateral and sales enablement collateral.
Sales collateral includes the sales and marketing materials that are designed to support the sales process. Sellers use sales and marketing collateral with buyers and customers to educate them on your products and services. These are intended to be external-facing and used during sales presentations, meetings and other communication with buyers.
Sales enablement collateral is broader in scope. It includes materials, tools and resources that empower and enable sellers to perform at their best. Sales enablement assets equip and support sellers with the knowledge, skills and resources they need to succeed in their roles. Sales enablement documents include both customer-facing materials (sales collateral) and internal resources like training content, sales playbooks, messaging desks and competitor analysis materials.
Sales and enablement collateral are equally important because they both help sellers do their jobs quickly and effectively. In this post, we’ll dive into specific examples of sales collateral and how they impact your company’s bottom line.
Effective sales collateral examples
Regardless of the type of collateral you send buyers, it should clearly convey useful information that addresses their questions and needs. Some of the most common collateral materials include:
- Blog posts: Blog posts are one of the best formats for building awareness with new buyers. They demonstrate thought leadership, helpful knowledge and expertise on a variety of topics. Blog posts have high shareability and are great for sellers to share on social media and in emails.
- eBooks: Similar to blog posts, eBooks effectively promote and raise awareness of your organisation. They also provide helpful education on common challenges.
- Case Studies: Testimonials are powerful sales materials. They provide tangible and social proof that your company has helped others navigate and solve similar challenges and pain points.
- Research reports: Research reports, also called white papers, often include third-party research that positions your company as a market leader. Organisations may also conduct their own research on a specific trend or topic and share the findings. These are best for presenting research findings, facts and figures, and other specific data.
- Product demos: Personalised demos are a direct way to show buyers the ins and outs of your product while demonstrating how it helps them solve their specific challenges.
- Knowledge bases: A knowledge base or FAQ site provides a solid collection of articles and reports created by your organisation. These bolster a buyer’s confidence in your capabilities and availability to answer their questions once they become a customer.
- Newsletters: Newsletters can help keep your brand top-of-mind, share important company news and foster deeper relationships.
Why is sales collateral so important?
Sales collateral is an important tool in the sales cycle. In fact, 95% of purchasing decisions are directly influenced by content. Sales collateral helps sellers:
| Build credibility | Drive engagement | Close more deals |
|---|---|---|
| Sales content that provides relevant and personalised information adds an extra layer of credibility for your sellers and organisation. | A great piece of sales collateral paired with a friendly seller is a powerful combination that leaves a lasting impact on buyers. As a result, they’re more likely to engage with a seller and continue the conversation. | 82% of buyers review an average of 5 pieces of content before making a purchase. Without the right content delivered at the right time, deals will stall and potentially end as closed-lost. |
Mapping sales materials to the buying process
Today’s buying process is more complex than ever. The best sales collateral aligns with the buyer’s journey and supports buyers as they move from stage to stage. Let’s take a closer look at these stages and what types of sales collateral is most effective for each.
The first stage is awareness. Buyers have identified a challenge they want to solve and are actively researching information to better understand the problem and possible solution. Awareness-level content brings buyers to your site, introduces your company and products, and provides helpful information. This type of collateral often includes eBooks, blog posts and webinars.
Once a buyer discovers your business, you need to deliver relevant collateral that keeps you at the top of their consideration. This is when sellers start conversations, build relationships and learn more about the buyer. Because they’re likely considering multiple vendors or options, sales collateral needs to show how your product can fit into their business and help them reach their goals. This is when case studies and personalised demos are useful.
Over time, buyers will narrow down their options and make a final decision. So, it’s important to provide materials that facilitate conversations, foster authentic relationships and reinforce the benefits of partnering with your organisation. Pricing guides, case studies and competitor comparisons are essential during this stage of the deal cycle.
The buyer’s journey doesn’t stop once a prospect becomes a customer. Now, it’s time to drive satisfaction to encourage retention and growth. By providing FAQs, newsletters and customer-only events, your organisation will build stronger relationships and encourage customers to become advocates.
Sales collateral best practices
Now that we’ve covered the meaning of sales collateral and the value it brings, let’s look at some best practices to help your organization leverage collateral as much as possible.
Assess your sales materials
First, take inventory of your current sales collateral library. Gather all your content, then take a step back to review each piece. Consider if it supports your organisation’s goals and objectives. This will help you identify what type of collateral is missing. And remember, if one part of your collateral becomes outdated, it doesn’t mean the entire piece is useless. Search for ways to keep the parts of content that works while discarding anything that’s no longer relevant or up to date.
Tailor collateral to the buyer’s journey
It’s important to understand the process your buyers take to make a purchase decision so you can customise your collateral accordingly. Remember, personalised sales content is far more engaging than generic marketing materials. Give your sellers the ability to quickly and easily customise content for each buyer.
Talk to your sellers
The people who have the best ideas and feedback about your content are the ones who use it each day. Ask your sellers what content they find most useful or used most often. At the same time, find out what they rarely use or would like to see created to better address their needs.
Track and measure collateral effectiveness
Monitor content analytics such as open rates for email attachments, engagement with digital collateral and conversion rates at different stages of the sales process. This will help you refine and improve your collateral over time.
Leverage a sales enablement tool
Let technology be your partner! A dedicated sales content management system organises, stores and manages sales collateral. Let’s learn a bit more about the value of an enablement tool and how it helps organisations manage collateral.
The value of enablement tools for sales collateral
A recent survey of more than 1,200 full-time sales, enablement and customer service professionals found that enablement tools help organisations effectively manage and use their sales collateral. In The 2023 Value of Enablement Report, 9 in 10 respondents report using enablement tools in their job, and 99% of them agree that it makes their jobs easier. Let’s take a look at why organisations need enablement technology.
Time saved
Sellers in organisations without an enablement tool spend an average of 10 hours per week searching for and updating sales and marketing materials. However, respondents at organisations that use an enablement tool save 13 hours each week.
Confident sellers
It’s also worth noting that quick access to sales collateral enables sellers to not second-guess themselves. 97% of sellers say that quick access helps them speak to buyers from a more informed standpoint. Comparatively, 51% of respondents at organisations without an enablement tool say that they have misspoken during a sales or customer call.
Increased productivity
88% of respondents say that an enablement tool allows them to be more productive in their roles. When sellers can quickly locate the right content at the right time, they can shift their focus to other high-priority and revenue-generating activities. However, productivity significantly decreases at organisations without enablement technology. 91% of respondents agree that not having access to the content they need makes them feel less productive.
How to organise sales collateral
Sales collateral only works if it’s easy to find, personalise and share with buyers. Effectively storing and organising sales collateral is crucial for ensuring that your sales team can access, use and distribute materials effectively. Here are some tips organisations can follow to streamline sales collateral management and organisation.
- Create a clear folder structure: Create a logical and consistent folder structure within your sales CMS. Organise materials by type, product/service, industry, buyer persona or any other relevant criteria. Consider using a taxonomy that makes it easy for salespeople to navigate and find what they need.
- Implement metadata and tagging: Use metadata and tagging systems to add descriptive information to each piece of collateral. This metadata should include keywords, descriptions and other relevant details. This helps in quick searching and categorisation.
- Establish version and access controls: Clearly label and archive older versions while ensuring that the most current versions are readily accessible. This prevents confusion and ensures that outdated content isn’t used. Be sure to also implement access controls and permissions to restrict who can view, edit or download specific pieces of content.
- Audit and clean content: Conduct periodic audits of your sales collateral library. Remove outdated or irrelevant materials. This keeps the library clean and reduces clutter.
- Build a content approval workflow: Establish a content approval process to ensure that all collateral meets quality and branding standards before it’s added to the library. This can include review by marketing, legal or other relevant teams.
Say goodbye to sales content chaos
Sales collateral is a valuable tool for every go-to-market team. But, in order for sales content to be effective, it has to be easily accessible, engaging and personalised. Sales and marketing teams use Seismic’s sales content management tool to power content accessibility and personalisation at scale. With Seismic, sellers can find useful collateral, customise it for each prospect and share it in a matter of seconds. The result is faster deal cycles and more engaged buyers. Want to learn more? See Seismic’s content management platform in action.
