Sales enablement materials serves two distinct audiences: internal sales teams who need resources to sell effectively and external prospects (or target audience) who require information to make informed buying decisions. This article explores the various types of sales enablement content and their impact on the sales process.
Internal Sales Enablement Content
Internal content equips your sales team with the knowledge, tools, and resources they need to engage prospects effectively and close deals. Here are the key types of internal sales enablement content and when to use them:
1. Battle Cards
What they are: Quick-reference guides that help sales reps position your solution against competitors.
When to use: During competitive deals and prospect conversations about alternative solutions.
Impact: Enables sales reps to handle objections and highlight your unique value proposition confidently.
What goes in: A leadership consulting firm creates battle cards comparing its executive coaching program to both traditional MBA programs and competitor coaching services. The battle card includes:
- The target audience(s) for the program
- Cost comparison and ROI metrics
- Program duration and flexibility
- Coaching methodology differences
- Success metrics and outcomes
- Key features, benefits, and differentiators in approach
- Common objections and responses.
2. Sales Playbooks
What they are: Comprehensive guides that outline selling strategies, messaging, and best practices for different scenarios.
When to use: Throughout the sales process, particularly during deal strategy planning and before key meetings.
Impact: Ensures consistency in sales approach and helps reps navigate complex sales situations.
What goes in: A business strategy consultant’s playbook includes:
- Detailed buyer personas for different roles (CEO, CFO, COO)
- Discovery question frameworks for different company sizes
- Common pain points and corresponding solution positioning
- Meeting agendas and frameworks for different stages
- Success stories and reference points for various industries
3. Call Scripts and Email Templates
What they are: Pre-written conversation guides and message templates for different scenarios and buyer personas.
When to use: During initial outreach, follow-ups, and specific sales situations.
Impact: Improves response rates and helps maintain consistent messaging across the sales team.
What goes in: A sales training consultant provides their team with:
- Cold outreach templates based on trigger events (new CEO appointment, company expansion)
- Discovery call/ sales scripts with branching scenarios based on prospect responses
- Follow-up email sequences after proposal submission
- Meeting confirmation templates with pre-work requirements
- ROI review conversation guides
4. Product Training Materials
What they are: Detailed documentation about product features, benefits, and use cases.
When to use: During onboarding and ongoing training and as reference material during sales conversations.
Impact: Builds product knowledge and confidence in sales discussions.
What goes in: A management consulting firm creates:
- Methodology playbooks explaining their proprietary frameworks
- Service delivery roadmaps with clear milestones and deliverables
- Value proposition guides for different service tiers
- Client success measurement frameworks
- Implementation timeline and resource requirement guides
External Sales Enablement Content
External sales enablement content helps potential customers understand your solution, build trust, and move through the buying process. Here are the essential types:
1. Case Studies
What they are: Detailed success stories featuring existing customers.
When to use: Middle to late stages of the sales cycle when prospects need social proof.
Impact: Builds credibility and helps potential customers envision similar success with your solution.
What goes in: A sales training company’s case study showcases:
- Initial challenge: A professional services firm struggling with a 15% close rate
- Solution implementation: Custom training program focusing on consultative selling
- Process details: 12-week program including workshops, coaching, and role-play
- Measurable outcomes: 40% increase in close rate within 6 months
- Customer testimonials and specific behavioral changes observed
2. White Papers and eBooks
What they are: In-depth explorations of industry challenges and solutions.
When to use: Early to middle stages when prospects are researching solutions.
Impact: Establishes thought leadership and educates prospects about complex topics.
What goes in: A change management consultant creates a white paper titled “Digital Transformation in Professional Services: A Human-Centered Approach” that includes:
- Industry research and trends
- Common pitfalls and their root causes
- Framework for assessing organizational readiness
- Strategic implementation roadmap
- Impact analysis methodology
- Real-world implementation examples
3. ROI Calculators and Assessment Tools
What they are: Interactive tools that help prospects quantify the value of your solution.
When to use: Middle to late stages when building the business case.
Impact: Helps prospects justify the investment and visualize concrete benefits.
What goes in: A productivity consultant’s interactive assessment suite includes:
- Meeting cost calculator (factors in attendee salaries, meeting frequency, and duration)
- Process optimization potential analyzer
- Team efficiency scorecard
- Productivity gap assessment
- Annual savings projection tool
The tools factor in both tangible metrics (time saved, reduced overtime) and intangible benefits (improved employee satisfaction, reduced burnout).
4. Product Demo Videos
What they are: Visual content showing your solution in action. Product demo / live walkthrough.
When to use: Throughout the sales cycle, but particularly effective in the middle stages.
Impact: Makes complex features tangible and helps prospects understand the practical applications.
What goes in: A business coach’s video content library includes:
- 5-minute methodology overview for executive audiences
- Detailed workshop facilitation clips
- Client testimonial videos with specific results
- Sample coaching session recordings (with permission)
- Virtual program delivery walkthrough. Each video includes clear calls-to-action and is accompanied by written summaries for accessibility.
5. Solution Briefs
What they are: Concise documents outlining specific solutions to industry or role-based challenges.
When to use: Early to middle stages when prospects are evaluating potential solutions.
Impact: Helps prospects quickly understand relevance to their specific needs.
What goes in: A leadership development consultant creates targeted solution briefs for different scenarios:
- “Executive Team Alignment: 90-Day Transformation Program”
- “Building High-Performance Teams in Remote Environments”
- “First 100 Days: New Leader Integration Framework”
Each brief includes: - Specific challenges addressed
- Program components and timeline
- Expected outcomes and metrics
- Implementation requirements
- Next steps for engagement
Be sure to collaborate with your marketing team when working on external sales enablement content, as they may already have marketing content you can repurpose – and vice versa.
Content Creation and Maintenance for Service-Based Businesses
Creating effective sales enablement content is not a “one-and-done” activity. Instead, it grows and evolves over time. Here are key considerations and best practices for creating and maintaining your sales enablement content:
Documentation of Expertise
Service businesses often rely heavily on individual expertise and experience. To create effective sales enablement content:
- Schedule regular knowledge capture sessions with senior consultants and subject matter experts
- Record and transcribe client delivery sessions (with permission) to capture real-world applications
- Document frequently asked questions and objections from actual sales conversations
- Create case studies immediately after successful engagements while details are fresh
- Demonstrate your expertise by writing blog posts, articles, or books.
Maintaining Flexibility
Services often need to be customized for each client. Your content should:
- Focus on frameworks and methodologies rather than rigid solutions
- Include modular components that can be mixed and matched for different situations
- Provide examples of customization options and adaptation strategies
- Document decision trees for common client scenarios
Quality Control
With multiple team members potentially using and sharing content:
- Establish clear content ownership and review processes
- Set up regular content audits (quarterly for competitive information, annually for case studies)
- Create version control protocols for all sales materials
- Track which content versions are shared with which prospects
Resource Allocation
For service-based businesses with limited marketing resources:
- Start with high-impact, frequently used content types
- Create templates that can be easily customized
- Build a content calendar aligned with business development cycles
- Consider outsourcing design while maintaining internal control of subject matter expertise
Maximizing Impact Through Strategic Content Usage
To maximize the effectiveness of sales enablement content:
- Align content with the buyer’s journey: Ensure internal and external content both map to specific sales process stages.
- Keep content updated: Regularly review and refresh internal and external content to reflect market changes and new competitive information.
- Measure content effectiveness: Track usage and impact metrics for both internal and external content to optimize your content as well as your sales training.
- Enable easy access: Implement a centralized content management system where sales teams can quickly find and share relevant content.
- Gather feedback: Create a feedback loop between sales teams and content creators to improve content effectiveness continuously.
Conclusion
An effective sales enablement strategy requires a balanced approach to both internal and external content development. By understanding the different types of content and their use cases, you can better support your sales professionals while providing valuable resources to prospects throughout the buying journey. Regular review and optimization of your content strategy ensures continued effectiveness and relevance in an evolving sales landscape.
