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Introduction In the summer of 2013, Demand Metric completed a benchmark study on Sales Enablement, discovering varying views and levels of contribution for the function. At that time, Sales Enablement seemed to suffer from an identity crisis, with many study participants unclear on what the function was or what it was supposed to do. Other participants in the 2013 study had a very clear vision for Sales Enablement, reporting that it was making significant contributions. At the time, about half of the study participants had some level of commitment to a Sales Enablement function in their organizations. Today, the understanding of Sales Enablement seems much clearer. Many organizations are placing a heavy emphasis on sales and marketing alignment, and Sales Enablement has proven an effective strategy for achieving better alignment and facilitating better performance, which generates measurable results. Anyone who is part of the marketing or sales community has probably observed that the Sales Enablement strategy has gained traction in the past few years. Where it once might have seemed like a fad, Sales Enablement as a business strategy seems to have earned legitimacy, with an increasing number of organizations committing to it. Sales Enablement is a cross-functional discipline that links corporate business goals with tactical execution on the sales and marketing front. Skura and Demand Metric collaborated to field a study that examined the extent to which organizations are using Sales Enablement, what best practices are in use and what benefits the strategy is delivering. The results of that study are contained in this report. Table of Contents - Introduction - Executive Summary - Sales Enablement Commitment - Content Challenges & Outcomes - Content Creation & Usage - Managing Content - Lead Nurturing & Qualification - Benefits - Analyst Bottom Line - Acknowledgements - About Skura - About Demand Metric - Appendix - Survey Background
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2015 Sales Enablement Benchmark Report © 2015 Demand Metric Research Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Benchmark Report Sponsored By: 2015 Sales Enablement
TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 4 6 8 13 17 Introduction Executive Summary Sales Enablement Commitment Content Challenges & Outcomes Content Creation & Usage Managing Content 25 28 30 Analyst Bottom Line About Skura & Demand Metric Appendix: Survey Background 19 23 Lead Nurturing & Qualifications Benefits 27 Acknowledgements TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 4 6 8 13 17 Introduction Executive Summary Sales Enablement Commitment Content Challenges & Outcomes Content Creation & Usage Managing Content 25 28 30 Analyst Bottom Line About Skura & Demand Metric Appendix: Survey Background 19 23 Lead Nurturing & Qualifications Benefits 27 Acknowledgements
INTRODUCTION In the summer of 2013, Demand Metric completed a benchmark study on Sales Enablement, discovering varying views and levels of contribution for the function. At that time, Sales Enablement seemed to suffer from an identity crisis, with many study participants unclear on what the function was or what it was supposed to do. Other participants in the 2013 study had a very clear vision for Sales Enablement, reporting that it was making significant contributions. At the time, about half of the study participants had some level of commitment to a Sales Enablement function in their organizations. Today, the understanding of Sales Enablement seems much clearer. Many organizations are placing a heavy emphasis on sales and marketing alignment, and Sales Enablement has proven an effective strategy for achieving better alignment and facilitating better performance, which generates measurable results. Anyone who is part of the marketing or sales community has probably observed that the Sales Enablement strategy has gained traction in the past few years. Where it once might have seemed like a fad, Sales Enablement as a business strategy seems to have earned legitimacy, with an increasing number of organizations committing to it. Sales Enablement is a cross-functional discipline that links corporate business goals with tactical execution on the sales and marketing front. Skura and Demand Metric collaborated to field a study that examined the extent to which organizations are using Sales Enablement, what best practices are in use and what benefits the strategy is delivering. The results of that study are contained in this report. INTRODUCTION In the summer of 2013, Demand Metric completed a benchmark study on Sales Enablement, discovering varying views and levels of contribution for the function. At that time, Sales Enablement seemed to suffer from an identity crisis, with many study participants unclear on what the function was or what it was supposed to do. Other participants in the 2013 study had a very clear vision for Sales Enablement, reporting that it was making significant contributions. At the time, about half of the study participants had some level of commitment to a Sales Enablement function in their organizations. Today, the understanding of Sales Enablement seems much clearer. Many organizations are placing a heavy emphasis on sales and marketing alignment, and Sales Enablement has proven an effective strategy for achieving better alignment and facilitating better performance, which generates measurable results. Anyone who is part of the marketing or sales community has probably observed that the Sales Enablement strategy has gained traction in the past few years. Where it once might have seemed like a fad, Sales Enablement as a business strategy seems to have earned legitimacy, with an increasing number of organizations committing to it. Sales Enablement is a cross-functional discipline that links corporate business goals with tactical execution on the sales and marketing front. Skura and Demand Metric collaborated to field a study that examined the extent to which organizations are using Sales Enablement, what best practices are in use and what benefits the strategy is delivering. The results of that study are contained in this report.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Half of this study’s participants identified as marketers, and a vast majority were in B2B organizations, of which slightly over half reported revenue growth in the most recently completed fiscal year. The analysis of this study’s data provides these key findings: While the commitment to a Sales Enablement strategy varies, 83% of the organizations in this study have implemented it to some degree. The most common reasons companies in this study cited for not having a Sales Enablement function are lack of staff, budget, systems or technology. Organizations in this study that are mostly or totally committed to Sales Enablement experience fewer challenges with getting sales representatives to use marketing content. A strong commitment to Sales Enablement results in better sales and marketing alignment, a better understanding of the buyer’s journey and more accurate market/competitive knowledge. The sales team is included in the creation process for customer-facing materials by almost two-thirds of organizations with a strong commitment to Sales Enablement. With weak or no commitment to Sales Enablement, this collaboration occurs in less than half of organizations studied. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Half of this study’s participants identified as marketers, and a vast majority were in B2B organizations, of which slightly over half reported revenue growth in the most recently completed fiscal year. The analysis of this study’s data provides these key findings: While the commitment to a Sales Enablement strategy varies, 83% of the organizations in this study have implemented it to some degree. The most common reasons companies in this study cited for not having a Sales Enablement function are lack of staff, budget, systems or technology. Organizations in this study that are mostly or totally committed to Sales Enablement experience fewer challenges with getting sales representatives to use marketing content. A strong commitment to Sales Enablement results in better sales and marketing alignment, a better understanding of the buyer’s journey and more accurate market/competitive knowledge. The sales team is included in the creation process for customer-facing materials by almost two-thirds of organizations with a strong commitment to Sales Enablement. With weak or no commitment to Sales Enablement, this collaboration occurs in less than half of organizations studied.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY When marketing often or always includes sales in the content creation process, almost half the time content consumption data is shared well. When collaboration around content creation is rare, the sharing of content consumption data occurs well for only 14% of the organizations studied. When the sharing of content consumption data occurs well, the content that marketing produces for lead generation, nurturing and qualification is effective in 78% of the cases this study examined. When this data sharing doesn’t occur well, the content effectiveness rating drops to 49%. The top benefits of Sales Enablement are capturing a greater number of leads, greater sales and marketing collaboration and a higher conversion rate of leads to qualified leads. This report details the results and insights from the analysis of the study data. For more detail on the survey participants, please refer to the Appendix. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY When marketing often or always includes sales in the content creation process, almost half the time content consumption data is shared well. When collaboration around content creation is rare, the sharing of content consumption data occurs well for only 14% of the organizations studied. When the sharing of content consumption data occurs well, the content that marketing produces for lead generation, nurturing and qualification is effective in 78% of the cases this study examined. When this data sharing doesn’t occur well, the content effectiveness rating drops to 49%. The top benefits of Sales Enablement are capturing a greater number of leads, greater sales and marketing collaboration and a higher conversion rate of leads to qualified leads. This report details the results and insights from the analysis of the study data. For more detail on the survey participants, please refer to the Appendix.
ABOUT SKURA Skura is empowering the next generation of sales reps. The Skura SFX™ platform is the first to offer adaptive sales enablement, providing unprecedented visibility and insight throughout the entire sales process. Skura SFX enables sales and marketing executives to engage with customers across all channels and devices – from a single platform – providing accountability and measurement across the entire sales cycle. This platform offers next-generation predictive analytics, ensuring the right message reaches the right person at the right time, increasing sales and customer success. For more about Skura, visit www.skura.com. ABOUT SKURA Skura is empowering the next generation of sales reps. The Skura SFX™ platform is the first to offer adaptive sales enablement, providing unprecedented visibility and insight throughout the entire sales process. Skura SFX enables sales and marketing executives to engage with customers across all channels and devices – from a single platform – providing accountability and measurement across the entire sales cycle. This platform offers next-generation predictive analytics, ensuring the right message reaches the right person at the right time, increasing sales and customer success. For more about Skura, visit www.skura.com.
ABOUT DEMAND METRIC Demand Metric is a marketing research and advisory firm serving a membership community of over 70,000 marketing professionals and consultants in 75 countries. Offering consulting methodologies, advisory services, and 500+ premium marketing tools and templates, Demand Metric resources and expertise help the marketing community plan more efficiently and effectively, answer the difficult questions about their work with authority and conviction and complete marketing projects more quickly and with greater confidence, boosting the respect of the marketing team and making it easier to justify resources the team needs to succeed. To download this full Benchmark Report, click here! ABOUT DEMAND METRIC Demand Metric is a marketing research and advisory firm serving a membership community of over 70,000 marketing professionals and consultants in 75 countries. Offering consulting methodologies, advisory services, and 500+ premium marketing tools and templates, Demand Metric resources and expertise help the marketing community plan more efficiently and effectively, answer the difficult questions about their work with authority and conviction and complete marketing projects more quickly and with greater confidence, boosting the respect of the marketing team and making it easier to justify resources the team needs to succeed. To download this full Benchmark Report, click here!
