Key Takeaways
- Invest in your content governance strategy to get the most out of AI
- With smart content governance and tools that add clear value, your reps will be more productive and better equipped to win big deals.
- To best enable your sales teams, you need to consolidate your data
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the power to transform sales enablement, but adoption can be tricky. Businesses need to show ROI within two to three years, yet many projects fail due to poor alignment or resistance to change. Concerns around security, compliance, and trust in AI may also stall progress.
Despite these challenges, AI’s potential is too big to ignore. At Spark ‘24, Highspot’s annual customer conference, sales-enablement leaders shared how they’re overcoming tough challenges to make the most of artificial intelligence. Here’s their advice for getting started and making AI work for your sales team.
Start with Content Governance
AI is getting better all the time, but it’s only as good as the content that feeds it. That’s why you should invest in content governance before adopting new tools. A good governance strategy includes removing outdated content, addressing gaps, setting clear policies and guidelines, and defining how you’ll measure performance.
“Take your time in the beginning,” advises Ted Sayland, Juniper Network’s Head of Global Enablement Platforms. “Spend two to three months cleaning up your content, identifying gaps, and ensuring proper sourcing and integrations.”
Though content governance is time-consuming, it’s well worth the effort. Juniper slashed content search times from one minute to just a few seconds, a 95% improvement. Tools like Highspot’s Instant Answers help sellers immediately find the information they need using Search, Slack, or Teams.
Many companies delay content cleanup due to a lack of time, money, or resources. But you can’t skip the process if you want to get the most value from AI.
“Complete content governance before using generative AI at scale,” says Chris Medina, Product Leader, Enablement Technology at AWS. “That’s how you get the true benefits of AI. Use AI adoption as the reason to clean up content and get the resources you need.”
Disorganized content slows down teams, damages brands, and erodes trust. With upfront organization, your reps can quickly find the content they need so they spend more time selling and less time searching.
Empower Sales Teams to Work Smarter and Faster
Once you’ve finished content governance, it’s time to improve sales productivity. Sales teams are under intense pressure to do more despite shrinking headcounts, bigger goals, and economic uncertainties. So how can you help your reps succeed?
Start small and experiment
Any tools you adopt should solve real-world problems. Don’t get caught up in the buzz of AI. Instead, focus on what adds the most value. This approach requires thorough testing to see what works best.
“Before you deploy anything at scale, test it in your own environment with your own people to make sure it’s delivering the value you expect,” advises Oliver Sharp, co-founder of Highspot.
Oliver suggests being “long-term optimistic and short-term pragmatic.” In other words, don’t rush to adopt AI in sales, but don’t resist it either. Experimentation is key. Start by introducing AI tools to your sales teams, watching how they use them, and adjusting based on feedback.
It’s easy to get distracted by the shiny, new features of AI. But remember that the main purpose is to help reps solve real-world problems. By starting small, you can figure out what tools work best and build from there.
Use tools that simplify and support
The most valuable AI tools make it easier for sales reps to succeed. These tools may include self-assessments such as Highspot’s Instant Knowledge Checks, insights from past meetings to help reps prepare for future meetings or instant feedback to sharpen sales skills.
At AWS, an investment in tested AI tools is paying off. “We’re saving thousands of hours every day compared to where we were 18 months ago,” says Chris Medina. “The productivity gains are enormous.”
Generative AI makes it easier for reps to do more with less. With smart content governance and tools that add clear value, your reps will be more productive and better equipped to win big deals.
Act on Data-Driven Insights
You’ve likely heard the saying, “you can’t manage what you can’t measure.” Without clear metrics, it’s nearly impossible to see what’s working, what’s not, and how to improve. Scattered data is often to blame. But how can you predictably grow revenue if your teams use different tools, workflows, data, and metrics?
Consolidate data for clarity
To best enable your sales teams, you need to consolidate your data. Eliminating silos makes it possible to engage, train, and coach your reps all in one spot. Consolidating data also ensures everyone uses the same analytics to measure performance. Unified offerings like Highspot has can help.
With all your data working together, you can make decisions based on facts rather than guesses or gut feelings. Sales enablement analytics help sellers work smarter with real-time insights and content on demand.
“AI helps us meet sellers where they are,” says Tiffany Jones, VP of Sales Strategy and Field Operations at HackerOne. “They can quickly find exactly what they need, when and where they need it.
With clear and timely metrics, you get a better look at rep performance and how to help them improve. Tools like Highspot’s initiative sales scorecards are a simple way to track how reps use content, assess your training, and measure seller engagement.
Never Stop Learning and Adapting
Adopting AI isn’t a one-time project, but a continuous process of learning, adapting, and trying new things. By laying a strong foundation with content governance, adding value with new tools, and acting on data-driven insights, you can empower your sales teams to get the most from AI.
