Your sales team is only as strong as the content that supports them. In fact, great sales enablement content can lead to an increase in revenue of 6-20%.
Having the right materials backing them allows your reps to be more confident and credible. It helps to reinforce your brand message and drive prospects through your funnel more quickly.
We’ve written all about why you need a strong sales enablement strategy here if you’re keen to learn more.
In this blog, we’re looking more specifically at the types of sales enablement tools your organisation needs to stand out from your competition and close more deals. We also include a variety of handy writing tips to help you get started. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but it is a good place to start.
When creating your sales enablement strategy, consider:
1. Product/solution propositions
Your proposition is the foundation for everything else – it’s the core messaging that will feed into every piece of content you produce, every sales conversation, every email, it all stems from this.
If it wasn’t obvious, it’s essential that you get this right.
Without established messaging, your salespeople end up improvising, each telling a slightly different story about your business. A clear, concise proposition keeps everyone aligned and ensures prospects hear one consistent narrative, centred around value to the customer, not features.
Try this: Sit down with your sales/leadership teams. Discuss your products/services. Why do they exist? Why do customers buy them? What can you do that others can’t? Take this information and put together a rough draft (approximately 200 words) of your proposition. Then, float it with key decision makers in your business – does it represent you properly? Is it saying the right things?
This should be an iterative process, and you’re unlikely to get it right the first time. It’s the hardest part of this whole journey, so don’t worry if you find it difficult; you’ll get there.
Many organisations trust our content writers (me!) to help them put their ideas into words. If you’d like help refining your proposition, give us a shout. We’d be happy to help.
Let’s chat about your business proposition
2. Brochures
Brochures are the in-depth, designed documents that bring your full offering to life.
Some of our clients have individual brochures for each product/service, others prefer having a brochure that covers their entire suite; it’s completely up to you.
What’s important is that your brochure brings together visuals, messaging and proof points into one cohesive story that prospects can explore in their own time. They demonstrate that you’ve put some serious thought into your offering, that you care about how it comes across, and that you know what you’re doing.
A strong brochure makes complex products or services easy to understand and helps buyers make informed comparisons between vendors. It’s a key tool for the middle of the funnel, when prospects are seeking detail and reassurance.
Try this: Map out a brochure journey to get started. Consider following this rough layout:
- Problem statement – demonstrate that you understand the issues facing your audience
- What is your product/service?
- What are the benefits? How do you help solve the aforementioned problems
- A full breakdown of your product/service (use visuals where possible)
- Why choose you? This can be in the form of statistics, testimonials and case studies
- A call to action to round things off
3. One-pagers/datasheets
Quick and dirty – one-pagers are designed to get down to business immediately. They distil your value proposition into a single, focused piece of collateral, usually on (you guessed it) one page of A4.
They’re ideal for executives who want the highlights or for follow-ups after discovery calls, with the best one-pagers making your benefits instantly clear.
They also serve as a great internal sharing tool for your prospect’s stakeholders, giving them something to easily circulate when they’re deciding on who to buy from.
Try this: Write out 6-8 key benefits, write a small bit of copy mapping it to your audience, and leave it there. It’s very easy to make your one-pagers content heavy; you must fight that urge and keep it concise!
4. Introductory decks
An introductory deck is often your first visual impression. It really matters.
This is the presentation your reps use in that all-important first meeting to introduce your business and set the tone. It should look sharp, sound confident and flow logically: who you are, what you do, and how you solve the challenges that matter most to the prospect.
A well-designed deck not only projects professionalism but also gives your salespeople a structure to follow, helping them steer the conversation naturally and keep the meeting on track.
Try this: When mapping out your intro deck, aim to keep the content light and benefits-focused. This allows your salespeople to lead the conversation, using visual aids and statistics from the deck to bolster their points.
5. Proposal decks
Further down the funnel, proposal decks are where you start to develop commitment.
They take your prospect’s specific challenges and show exactly how your solution solves them. A good proposal deck will have a rough outline and some ideas, but will mostly be completed by your sales reps before sending it across.
They’ll need to include details on previous conversations, demonstrating that they’ve listened. They’ll also need to add pricing, relevant case studies, ROI calculations and next steps.
A good proposal deck helps your team enter into these crucial conversations deliberately. It also looks great to your prospects, which is always a good thing!
Try this: Consider your existing customers – why did they convert? What did you say to convince them to sign on the dotted line? Make sure these points are hit in the proposal deck. Also, add talking points in the notes of the pres for your reps to refer back to if they ever need to.
6. Email templates
Your sales team shouldn’t be starting every email from scratch. Templates for common scenarios (outreach, follow-ups, post-demo check-ins, proposal sends) save hours of admin time and ensure your brand voice stays consistent.
Well-crafted templates also help newer salespeople adopt your tone of voice and structure from day one, without losing authenticity. They’re a quiet but powerful part of sales enablement that keeps communication efficient and professional throughout the funnel.
They also should be fully branded and well-designed, ensuring consistency in your comms.
Try this: Ask your sales team what emails they wish they never had to write again. Create a priority list and map out what needs to be said (and what needs to be left editable). You might even consider automation in your CRM, so your sales team doesn’t even have to lift a finger.
7. Demo videos
If your product or service is visual, or is a piece of software that benefits from being seen, a demo video can make all the difference.
It shows what words can’t: how your solution actually works and what it looks like in action. Demo videos are persuasive, repeatable and scalable; they can reach hundreds of stakeholders as they’re passed around a business.
They’re also perfect for visual learners and decision makers who want to see the value before committing. A well-produced demo will often seal a close deal.
Try this: Record your sales team on a (fake) virtual pitch. What do they show? Why do they show it? Film this demo with an articulate voiceover, but keep it fairly top-level. Show off flashy features if possible, and encourage viewers to get in touch if they want a personalised demo.
8. Internal sales playbooks
This is your salesperson’s bible. It should cover everything your team needs:
- Buyer personas
- Key messages
- Positioning statements
- Common objections
- Competitor comparisons
- Conversation frameworks
It is designed to help your new hires get up to speed quickly, while acting as a quick reference for your more experienced reps. It’s also where your proposition will sit, making it an incredibly important resource for sales to use daily.
Try this: Map out your key decision makers – what do they care about? Why would they be interested in your products/services? Pre-empt their objections by considering what’s happened in the past. If any new objections come to light, update your playbook!
9. ROI calculators
When it comes to decision time, numbers talk. And there’s little more persuasive than an ROI calculator.
Whether you have a generic calculator on your website for all to use, or you create specific ones for high-value prospects, it’s a great way to give your potential customers an idea of what they should see in return if they choose to partner with you.
It might focus on time saved, revenue gained, costs reduced, or anything in between. The important thing is that it’s relevant to what you do.
They’re particularly effective with procurement teams or finance-driven decision makers who need hard justification to move forward. When built well, they take your proposition from “nice idea” to “no-brainer.”
Try this: What do you deliver best? Frame your ROI calculator around this. If you free up staff to be more efficient, build it around that. If you cut costs by automating manual processes, build it around that. Look at your existing customers and the value you deliver, then go from there.
How many of these sales enablement tools do you have?
How’s your sales enablement strategy looking? You ticking all the boxes?
Don’t worry if not. Most sales teams at most organisations are under-equipped to deliver. They’re being asked to deliver large volumes of high-quality leads, and then released into the world.
If you really want your sales team to deliver, then you need to arm them properly. If you’re not sure where to start, then maybe it’s time to give our team at Catalyst a shout.
We work with a wide range of international corporations (in SaaS, Public & Private sectors, aesthetics, tech and more). Many of our clients prefer us not to talk about our work with them, and we respect that. We also work with SMEs ranging in size, from startups to significant enterprises. We can create a sales enablement strategy that’s tailored to your unique needs.
If you’d like to hear about how we can help you energise your sales process, give us a shout. We’re here to jump on a quick call to discuss your sales process and what kind of content your team needs.