4 Proven Sales Enablement Strategies for Driving Success
Imagine a sales enablement strategy that not only supports your sales teams but drives measurable business outcomes, increases revenue, and positions your organization as a leader in its field. That’s exactly what companies like Cigna Healthcare, TIAA, and Ameritas are achieving with Allego’s platform.
At the 2024 Sales Success Summit, enablement leaders from these companies shared how they’ve harnessed the power of Allego to tackle their toughest challenges and accelerate sales success. Throughout the discussion, panelists explored the critical elements of sales enablement, from securing leadership buy-in to engaging sales teams and collaborating with subject matter experts (SMEs). The conversation highlighted not only the innovative ways these organizations use Allego but also how they measure sales success and drive tangible business results.
As the panelists shared their experiences, several key strategies emerged that can help any organization unlock the full potential of their sales enablement efforts. Whether you’re just starting or looking to optimize your current program, these four sales enablement strategies provide a clear roadmap for success.
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4 Strategies for Sales Enablement Success
While every organization faces its own set of challenges, there are common tactics that can ensure your sales enablement strategy succeeds. From gaining leadership support to building a foundation of trust with sales teams, the panelists shared their best practices for driving alignment and engagement within their organizations. Below are the key takeaways from their experiences, starting with one of the most critical factors for success: securing buy-in from leadership.
1. Get Leadership on Board: Secure the Resources You Need
One of the most critical components of a successful sales enablement program is leadership buy-in. Without the support of executives and key decision-makers, it can be difficult to secure the necessary resources and drive lasting change. Each of the panelists emphasized this, sharing how they managed to get leadership on board with their enablement initiatives.
For RuthAnn Beninghoff, Director of Sales Enablement at Cigna Healthcare, it all started with showing the value Allego could bring by consolidating disparate systems and streamlining the sales process.
“We work for a fiscally conservative company,” Beninghoff explained. “Showing the value and the ROI that the platform can bring was important to us. We recognized we had to make a change and move to a better learning journey.”
By demonstrating how Allego could simplify their tools and save resources, Beninghoff was able to get leadership’s full support.
Similarly, Steph Rezendes, Managing Director, Head of Sales Onboarding & Training at TIAA, highlighted the importance of aligning enablement goals with what matters most to leadership.
“I ask a very simple question: ‘What’s important to you?’” she said. “If it’s important to you, then it sure is important to me.
To get leadership buy-in, “I ask a very simple question: ‘What’s important to you?’ If it’s important to you, then it sure is important to me.” — Steph Rezendes, Managing Director, Head of Sales Onboarding & Training, TIAA
This straightforward approach helped Rezendes not only secure a seat at the table but also tailor her enablement strategies to directly support the organization’s mission.
But leadership buy-in isn’t just about presenting a polished strategy—it’s about demonstrating quick wins. Rezendes recommends starting small: “You don’t have to solve everything. Demonstrate one thing really well … and measure what that looks like. Once you start to showcase that it’s working, then you can get that buy-in, and you can start to broaden your enablement efforts.”
Takeaway: Align your strategy with the goals that matter most to executives, and focus on demonstrating quick, measurable wins. By showing clear value early on—whether through cost savings, increased efficiency, or revenue impact—you can build the trust and support needed to expand your enablement efforts.
2. Drive Engagement: How to Get Sales Teams Excited
A sophisticated sales enablement platform like Allego can deliver results only if sales reps are fully engaged with the tools and resources provided. For many of the panelists, creating a seamless, intuitive experience for their reps was key to driving adoption.
Marcus Wernke, Sales Enablement Manager at Ameritas, discussed the importance of gradually building engagement with the sales team. His solution was to meet reps where they were, using video content and hands-on training to get them comfortable with the platform.
Wernke and his team got the sales team engaged via watch-and-record videos and lunch-and-learns. They started slowly and met with reps individually if needed. Demonstrating how Allego made the workflow easier was a critical factor in gaining buy-in from sales reps, he said.
Beninghoff shared a similar approach: focusing on the importance of making the platform easy for reps to use.
“We have to make things simple, efficient, and immediate for our sales team,” she explained. “They don’t want to be clicking down more than twice to find a piece of information. They need it as they’re leaving or heading into a meeting.”
Giancarla Calzetta, Performance Execution Manager, Sales Enablement at Cigna, echoed the need for simplicity and ease of use, which Allego provides. “Not only does the platform allow us to easily create more learning and training and put it in one place, but it empowers salespeople, SMEs, and managers to go in and do their own thing … and not wait for one of us to get back to them,” she said.
Beninghoff and her team also used trusted advisors within the sales team to evangelize the platform. They put them in a group with skeptics and early adopters, where they were able to build trust in the platform and foster broader adoption across the organization.
Takeaway: Make the platform simple, intuitive, and immediately beneficial to your sales team. Start small, offer personalized training, and highlight how it will make their daily workflow easier. Use trusted advisors or early adopters to help evangelize the platform across the team, building trust and engagement from the ground up.
3. Empower SMEs: Boost Performance with Expert Input
SMEs, with their deep knowledge and understanding, help bridge the gap between complex product information and practical sales application. For the panelists, involving SMEs early and often proved essential in ensuring the success of their sales enablement strategies.
Calzetta stressed how crucial it is to involve SMEs not just in content creation but also in maintaining ongoing engagement. “We owe a lot to our SMEs. We cannot do what we do without them,” she emphasized.
Initially, Cigna’s SMEs experienced similar frustrations to the sales team—content was siloed and difficult to access. Calzetta’s team worked to streamline these processes by bringing SMEs into the Allego platform, allowing them to co-create materials and provide direct feedback. This collaboration empowered SMEs to fine-tune their materials based on actual usage and feedback from the field.
For example, if their salespeople weren’t grasping a certain concept, SMEs could immediately see that in the data and adjust the sales content accordingly, Calzetta explained. This not only improved the quality of training materials but also made the sales team feel more supported and aligned with the company’s goals.
At Ameritas, Wernke said Digital Sales Rooms (DSRs) have been a game-changer for enabling SMEs to contribute without overwhelming them.
“You could have someone who isn’t excited to put their face on everything. They don’t want to be in the forefront. So, you can make a DSR, they can put material that they’re comfortable with in there … all the materials in one place,” he said.
By involving SMEs in content creation, feedback, and continuous improvement, not only will you enhance the relevance of your training but also foster a culture of collaboration.
Takeaway: Get SMEs involved early and equip them with the tools they need to create meaningful content that directly supports your sales teams. Use feedback and data to help them refine their materials continuously.
4. Prove ROI: How to Measure Success and Keep Momentum
As with any business initiative, measuring the success of sales enablement efforts is key to sustaining them over time. For many organizations, proving the ROI of these efforts is essential for continuing investment and demonstrating the tangible impact on sales performance. When tracking success metrics, however, keep in mind that measurement is not just about numbers, the panelist stressed. It’s about showing how enablement efforts drive real business outcomes.
For example, Beninghoff’s team looks at success in two ways: individual success and organizational ROI. Her team watches to see if sales reps can find what they need, if they are engaged, and whether their enablement efforts generate revenue.
Wernke from Ameritas takes a more granular approach to measuring success by tracking usage across different teams. “We show quarter over quarter, so just internally, the usage of each team, to find out, ‘Hey, why is this team not using it as much?’” he explained.
By drilling down into usage data, his team can identify which groups may need additional support and what kinds of content are resonating with sales reps. “That really is the basis of the ROI right there for internally,” he added.
He also said real-time feedback from the field is another important measure of success. “If you win a deal, and the sales rep says, ‘Hey, we love this DSR,’ that’s immediate feedback. … That’s the ROI we’re looking for,” he said.
Rezendes from TIAA highlighted that measuring success isn’t just about proving the value of the technology but also about demonstrating the effectiveness of the enablement programs themselves.
“It’s less about proving the ROI of the investment in technology and more about proving the ROI of the enablement play and program that you’re running to support the business outcome,” she explained.
In addition, by aligning enablement initiatives with business goals from the outset, Rezendes ensures her team is always focused on metrics that matter most to the organization.
Takeaway: Focus on the metrics that matter most to your organization. Use real-time feedback from the field and data from your sales enablement platform to show leadership the tangible business outcomes your program is driving.
Unlocking Sales Success with Digital Enablement
As TIAA, Ameritas, and Cigna have demonstrated, the path to sales success starts with a modern enablement strategy that leverages digital tools like Allego. By securing leadership buy-in, engaging sales teams, and collaborating with SMEs, your organization can transform its sales process and see measurable results. Now is the time to adopt digital enablement strategies and future-proof your sales teams in today’s competitive market.
Prove the ROI of Your Sales Enablement Program
Get The Complete Guide to Sales Enablement ROI get actionable advice to help you measure and maximize the impact of your sales learning and enablement investment. Download the eBook now.
