Sales teams are juggling more tools, more data, and higher buyer expectations than ever. But when it comes down to closing the deal, the content your reps are using is the most important piece that will make or break the sale.

Sales enablement content gives your sales reps the resources they need to build trust, help with objection handling, and move potential customers through the sales funnel. It’s a necessity, not a luxury.

In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about sales enablement content, including what it is, why it’s crucial for success in sales, how you can build a solid sales enablement content strategy, and more.

What is sales enablement content?

Sales enablement content is any resource meant to help your sales team engage with leads more effectively and help them close deals faster. Think tools that are created with the sales process in mind, like product one-pagers, battlecards, sales scripts, case studies, and testimonials, which we’ll get into in more detail later.

The goal is to give your reps the right content and assets that will help them throughout the buyer’s journey.

Why is sales enablement content important for sales teams?

Effective sales enablement content directly supports your reps when making a sale, meaning they can deliver a smoother sales experience for the customer.

This content helps them:

• Answer tough product questions
• Personalize pitches to match customer pain points
• Handle objections with proof backed by data
• Stay aligned with marketing and product messaging
• Reduce ramp-up time for new hires

Think about it: if your teams have access to the most relevant, up-to-date content, they’ll be more efficient, more in tune with buyers’ needs, and more likely to hit their targets.

What is sales enablement content vs content marketing?

Sales enablement content and content marketing are two different ideas serving distinct purposes.

Let’s break down the key differences:

Content marketing is the customer-facing material that brings people in, and sales enablement content helps convert those prospects into clients.

What is a sales enablement content strategy?

A sales enablement content strategy helps your team close more deals by providing a structured approach to creating and sharing effective content.

Here are some components that every strong strategy should include:

• Needs assessment: This determines what reps need at each stage of the sales process.
• Content audit: Auditing your content will help you determine what you already have and what’s missing from your sales strategy.
• Collaboration: Your sales and marketing teams should work together to align on messaging and priorities.
• Content management: Tools that can help you organize, update, and share resources easily are key to a smooth strategy. PandaDoc, for example, can help you easily create, manage, and eSign your contracts and proposals all in one tool, simplifying your process.
• Performance tracking: You need to know how your content is performing so you can decide how it can be improved.

Remember, a clear strategy prevents content from getting scattered, outdated, or underused.

8 Types of sales enablement content that drive results

Now that you have a better idea about what sales enablement content is and why it matters, let’s take a look at the most effective content types, plus when and why you should use them.

1. Battlecards

Battlecards are quick-reference guides that your reps can use to counter competitor claims and highlight product differentiators.

These are typically used during sales calls or demos when prospects ask about competing solutions. Battlecards give your reps what they need to respond quickly and with compelling, pre-approved talking points.

2. Case studies

Wouldn’t you be more inclined to purchase a solution when you know it’s worked for someone else? That’s the power of customer success stories.

They help you build credibility while showing your product/solution in action. These are particularly useful for demonstrating ROI and giving social proof to prospects in similar industries/roles.

3. Product demos

Talk about seeing your product in action— explainer videos and live walkthroughs are a great way to showcase product features and benefits of your solution, which is great for later-stage prospects.

Demos bring your solution to life and show your potential buyers how it works in a real-world scenario.

Speaking of product demos, request a free demo of PandaDoc here

4. Sales playbooks

Sales playbooks are comprehensive guides that outline all of your sales strategies, tactics, tools, and best practices for your salespeople to use and follow.

They are go-to manuals for your reps, making sure everyone is on the same page and knows how to approach various types of buyers.

5. Sales scripts

These are essentially talk tracks for phone calls, discovery sessions, and follow-ups that make sure you’re operating consistently and confidently.

Sales scripts give your reps a foundation for conversations while allowing them to personalize based on what the prospect needs.

6. eBooks and whitepapers

These are longer-form content that provides value, positions your company as a thought leader, and can help justify ROI.

eBooks and whitepapers can be shared with prospects during the education stage of the sales process, as they can provide proof points and a more thorough background about your solution and its impact.

7. One-pagers

One-pagers are concise product or solution overviews that are no more than—you guessed it—one page.

These are great for busy stakeholders or quick follow-up emails, so reps can quickly reference key value propositions since the content is in an easy-to-digest format.

8. Email templates

Pre-written emails for common scenarios can save you valuable time while keeping messaging on-brand. These could cover everything from initial outreach to post-demo follow-ups. They are key to helping your reps be efficient and consistent throughout the sales cycle.

Speaking of templates, check out PandaDoc’s extensive document template library that will help you jumpstart document creation.

How do you measure the effectiveness of sales enablement content?

Success doesn’t stop at creating winning sales enablement materials—you need to know what’s working and what’s not.

Here’s how you can measure how effective your content is:

• Usage data: Are your reps using the content? What types of content are most accessed?
• Engagement metrics: Do your prospects open, read, or interact with the content?
• Conversion rates: Are deals progressing faster or closing more often after content is shared with them?
• Sales feedback: Are your reps finding the content helpful? What do they need more of?
• Attribution: Can specific content pieces be tied to revenue or deal wins?
  

Tracking your success is key to refining your sales enablement content strategy over time.

This is why it’s important to track key sales enablement metrics, including monthly recurring revenue (MRR), customer lifetime value (CLV), churn rate, win rate, and more.

But how do you do this? By using the right tools like CRMs, sales content platforms, and document workflow automation. These tools help you better understand how your prospects are engaging during the sales process, which gives your team an advantage.

Build a better sales engine with the right enablement content

Sales enablement content is more than another box to check. When done right, sales professionals can deliver more value, overcome objections, and close more deals.

Plus, with a smart strategy in place, your content will stay relevant, accessible, and aligned with your sales goals. This means driving more growth for your business.

Want a solution to help your sales teams centralize and collaborate on all their documents, like proposals, contracts, quotes, and one-pagers? PandaDoc has you covered.

Start your free trial today.

Discliamer

PandaDoc is not a law firm, or a substitute for an attorney or law firm. This page is not intended to and does not provide legal advice. Should you have legal questions on the validity of e-signatures or digital signatures and the enforceability thereof, please consult with an attorney or law firm. Use of PandaDoc services are governed by our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.