vablet Blog

Comparing Sales Enablement Platforms

Written by Debbie Marks | Jun 7, 2021 1:35:13 PM

Implementing a sales enablement platform provides so many benefits for your business. The data easily proves the advantages of sales enablement, including the fact that 65 percent of organizations that employ it outperform revenue goals.

Such a solution improves productivity, sales and marketing alignment, and insights. When seeking out the best fit for your organization, you’ll be comparing multiple platforms.

But what should you look for regarding features? What questions should you ask of vendors? Before you choose a software, you’ll want to read this post.

What are your sales enablement goals?

To conduct a comparison that’s unique to your needs and organization, you need to start with the goals you wish to accomplish with sales enablement software. A sales enablement platform should remove the challenges you currently have in sales and marketing.

Those goals may include:

  • Getting the most value out of content by informing sales when new content is ready for sharing. Providing fresh, quality content to the sales team is the main objective of sales enablement platforms, according to 70 percent of sales leaders.
  • Enabling quick and easy access to documents in a standardized format to eliminate wasted time searching for them and ensure sales teams share the right version.
  • Faster onboarding and training, so sales reps are ready to sell faster. 
  • Fostering better sales and marketing alignment.
  • Understanding the performance of content used by sales teams by capturing metrics and closing the feedback loop.
  • Automating processes to boost efficiency.
  • Creating a secure repository for content.

How do you compare platforms based on your needs?

Once you define your goals, you’ll also need to consider the use cases for your organization, unique features that empower sales teams, and how your industry impacts your needs. Merge your goals and needs in a scope document to begin comparing platforms.

Some questions to consider when comparing platforms include:

How will you use sales enablement software?

The use cases for sales enablement software align with the goals above and include how your sales and marketing teams will leverage the technology. To understand this, you need to look at current processes within both groups and where the gaps are. You’ll find that sales enablement software can bridge these.

What unique features will allow sales enablement tools to deliver ROI?

One of the most important considerations is if the platform has customizable features. While many sales enablement solutions have basic functionality for strengthening sales processes and sharing content, most don’t have the breadth of capabilities that can really drive better performance and ROI. 

For example, most don’t have the ability to support video or other enhanced content types. These extras can make a real difference when your sales reps interact with customers, helping you win more deals. It could be the differentiator that customers can’t resist. 

Do you have industry-specific requirements for your solution?

Another essential comparison is determining if the platform has specific features that align with your industry. This innovative approach to sales enablement is a priority for vablet, which has solutions for life sciences, manufacturing and distribution, field services, finance, and digital marketing agencies

Each of these industries has specific problems to solve with sales enablement software. They have shared concerns regarding access, compliance, and metrics, meaning you need specialized components. A sales enablement solution that is a one-size-fits-all approach may not deliver the features you need for your industry nor the expectations you have around objectives.

What else should you ask about when comparing platforms?

Beyond questions about industry specifics and capabilities on content, there are many other questions you need to ask, including:

  • Can you set unique permission controls on individual files and devices?
  • What type of encryption do you use for security purposes?
  • Are push notifications available to alert users of new content?
  • Are the content and functions accessible online and offline?
  • How does the analytics engine work, and what can you track?
  • What are the integration capabilities, and are they native to the platform?

How does vablet stack up compared to other sales enablement solutions?

When comparing sales enablement tools, you’ll find many have similar features and functionality. However, there are differences. With vablet, you get a robust platform that delivers many capabilities that address specific industry needs, support dynamic content, and help you reach your goals.

Here’s why vablet outperforms others:

  • It’s always accessible on any device, online or offline.
  • It has integrations that make your workflows more manageable, including customer relationship management and marketing automation. The platform also has a robust and open application programming interface. This element is critical for boosting productivity and syncing information.
  • Setup and configuration are easy and fast. If you are ready, you can implement and deploy it in one day. IT assistance is rarely necessary. 
  • It includes industry-specific features such as content locks, email disclaimers, and other detailed features for the confidential nature of regulated industry data.
  • The user experience is intuitive, requiring little training or technical savvy. Therefore, it could be ineffective to deploy software that’s too hard to use, which will cause slow adoption. 
  • You can control features that limit what’s available for sales and quickly block content that needs updates before it gets out there.
  • No video plug-ins are required; it was built for video, especially very large ones.
  • It easily supports complex rich media content.
  • It streamlines processes with extras such as fillable forms for orders, which you can use offline as well.
  • Users can create their own customized presentations or leverage advanced technology such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to pinpoint the content audiences will most likely respond to at each buying cycle proactively.

Ready to compare sales enablement platforms?

With your goals, needs, and questions ready, you can compare options. What you’ll find is that vablet delivers a wealth of features and benefits. From unique features to industry-specific options to seamless access, it’s easy to see why so many companies trust us to power their sales and marketing efforts. 

You can dig deeper into the benefits of sales enablement by downloading our e-book, Secrets Revealed: How Marketing Can Help Increase Sales Using a Sales Enablement Platform.You can also preview how vablet works by requesting a demo.