Summary
Sales enablement content is the missing link between a marketing team that produces and a sales team that closes. This post breaks down what enablement content actually is, why most of it goes unused, and what assets your team needs to support real buyer conversations — from battle cards to sales decks.
Key Takeaways
- Most sales teams have a content problem, not a selling problem — and marketing is often building for the wrong stage of the funnel.
- Sales enablement content is distinct from content marketing: it supports reps in active deals, not buyers in early research.
- The core assets every sales team needs are battle cards, one-pagers, and a problem-first sales deck.
- Enablement content only works when sales informs it — reps hear the real objections, and that intelligence needs to make it back to marketing.
- Usage rate and deal progression are the metrics that tell you whether your enablement content is actually doing its job.
We’ve all seen it play out. The marketing team blames sales for not… making sales. And the sales team blames marketing for sending in “junk” leads, or labelling a lead as “sales-ready” when all they’ve done is sign up for a webinar. And somewhere in the middle of all this, a folder full of sales enablement content sits untouched.
Unfortunately, there’s a growing gap between sales and marketing in the age of content marketing. Sales representatives need tools to close sales. Marketing is building tools for traffic. The marketing team might even produce content for the sales team to use, only for that content to be completely forgotten about.
Thanks to marketing content and a plethora of research tools available, buyers are already deep into the decision-making process before even speaking to sales. They don’t necessarily need more information by the time they’re in a sales meeting; instead, they need to be convinced emotionally.
A successful team will have both awareness content and revenue-driving content on hand. Today, we’ll be exploring content that supports deals, not just lead generation.
What is sales enablement content?
Sales enablement content is any asset that helps a sales rep move a deal forward, whether used before, during, or after a conversation. Sales reps operate in tandem with these resources, strategically using them to provide more information to the prospect.
What it is not
Sales enablement content is not the same as content marketing. Content marketing is a tool that’s more brand-driven and buyer-facing. In contrast, sales enablement content supports reps directly, and is often used on a qualified lead after they’ve interacted with a sales representative.
It’s also not a sales playbook. Playbooks explain methodology, whereas enablement content provides specific assets and scenarios.
Internal vs. buyer-facing content
Some content should never be shared with prospects, because they’re designed to help the sales team sell to them. This includes battle cards, talk tracks, and objection handling documents.
Buyer-facing content includes one-pagers, desk, and case study presentations. These are polished pieces that are prospect-ready.
Why sales teams ignore marketing content
To understand the “feud” between sales and marketing, we need to take a look at what the marketing team does and why it may not always be perfectly aligned with the sales team’s objectives.
Firstly, marketing builds content for top-of-funnel leads. Sometimes, this means there’s not enough bottom-of-funnel content for sales reps to make use out of.
And if there is, then that content might even be hard to find. Marketing moves on from posting one resource to another. Sales could have a difficult time finding a useful piece of content from two years ago. And when that content is found, it might be too in-depth. You can’t scroll through a 84-page white paper with a prospect in the room.
And ironically enough, sales might not be communicating enough with the marketing team. Sales reps hear real objections and questions. If those aren’t addressed in marketing content, then sales can’t use that content.
The main types of sales enablement content
The best sales enablement content examples all share one thing: they’re built around a specific moment in the sales conversation.
Battle cards
These are internal, one-page reference tools. They can help a rep address competitors, handle objections, or get up to speed on a product.
Battle cards should include comparisons, outcomes, and approved talk tracks. They’re great for pre-call preparation or for a quick mid-conversation reference, but keep in mind that they could fail if they’re too long or outdated.
One-pagers
One-pagers are buyer-facing, single-page summaries.
There are different types of one-pagers, with some addressing the product or service offering, or making comparisons to competitors. The most powerful one-pagers are usually ROI or value summaries.
These should include a problem-focused headline, a clear benefit, a brief explanation, and a clear next step. When developing a one-pager, remember that it’s not a company brochure. It’s a page focused on the buyer’s problem.
Sales decks
These are the heavy hitters that we’ve all heard of and used before.
Sales decks are presentation tools used in live conversations. They’re used in tandem with a knowledgeable representative. Decks include problem-first opening slides, a clear narrative that addresses the problem, relevant social proof, and clarity on the process.
How to build a sales enablement content strategy
If your marketing team is tasked with building a sales enablement content strategy, then these are the steps that need to be taken:
- Start with lots of questions. Ask the sales team about common objections, top competitors, and frequent pitfalls or pain points the customer faces.
- Map content to the buyer journey. Know where the buyer is at pre-call, how they’re feeling mid-conversation, and what they might wonder post-call.
- Audit existing content. Identify outdated or unused assets.
- Document the strategy. Align marketing and sales around priorities.
- Build a feedback loop. There should be a monthly sync or shared channel on what works and what doesn’t.
Who owns sales enablement content?
Let’s talk about who exactly owns sales enablement content.
In the earlier stages of a team, it should be a shared responsibility. Once your organization is in the growth team, it should fall under product marketing. Larger teams should have a dedicated enablement role/team.
For small and medium businesses, marketing should be building the content, with sales providing input. An effective sales enablement content strategy for SMBs will have lots of teamwork involved.
How to measure sales enablement content effectiveness
Leadership could measure the effectiveness of sales enablement content through different metrics.
First of all, the usage rate. Are sales reps actually using the assets? After reviewing the numbers, have a few conversations with your reps to see why or why not.
The biggest indicators will be deal progression and closings. There should be an uptick in performance after effective enablement content is applied to the process.
Sales enablement content checklist
Here’s a content checklist of all the things that a sales rep should have on-hand:
- Battle cards for top competitors
- Objection-handling guidance
- One-pagers for each core offering
- An effective sales deck built around the customer problem
- Relevant case studies
- An easy way to access everything
Frequently asked questions
What is sales enablement content?
Sales enablement content is any asset that helps a sales rep move a deal forward, before, during, or after a conversation with a prospect. Unlike content marketing, which builds brand awareness and drives traffic, sales enablement content is designed to help reps close. Think battle cards, one-pagers, and sales decks rather than blog posts and social content. This is especially true for B2B sales enablement content, when buying decisions include multiple stakeholders.
How is sales enablement content different from content marketing?
Content marketing is built for buyers who haven’t talked to anyone yet. It drives awareness, earns trust, and generates leads. Sales enablement content kicks in after that; it’s built for reps, not search engines.
What are the most important sales enablement assets?
The three core assets every sales team should have are battle cards, one-pagers, and a solid sales deck. Battle cards keep reps sharp on competitors and objections. One-pagers give prospects something clear and concise to walk away with. And a well-built sales deck anchors the live conversation around the buyer’s problem, not your product features.
Who should create sales enablement content?
Marketing should build it, sales should inform it, and leadership should prioritize it. Sales reps are on the front lines. They hear the real objections, the real questions, and the real hesitations. If that intelligence never makes it back to the marketing team, the content will miss the mark every time.
Why don’t people use sales enablement content more often?
Teams often overlook sales enablement content for several reasons. It’s built for the wrong stage of the funnel, it’s too long to be useful in an actual conversation, or it’s buried somewhere no one can find it. The fix isn’t always more content. It’s better content that’s easy to access, built around real buyer conversations, and kept up to date.
Want Effective Sales Enablement Content?
Most sales teams don’t have a selling problem. They have a content problem.
Redefine builds sales enablement content that your reps will actually reach for. Battle cards, one-pagers, and sales decks built around your pipeline and the conversations your team is already having. Let’s build yours.
Work with Redefine to build sales enablement content your team will actually use, from battle cards to full sales decks aligned to your pipeline.
