ATD Blog
Sales Enablement in 2025: What New Research Tells Us About Successful Teams
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Sales enablement teams should focus on these essential skills for differentiating your product or service and closing business.
Sales enablement teams should focus on these essential skills for differentiating your product or service and closing business.
Thu Feb 13 2025
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It’s a new year, but it’s clear the selling environment remains challenging for many organizations:
It’s a new year, but it’s clear the selling environment remains challenging for many organizations:
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For some, the buying process is longer. For others, more stakeholders are involved.
For some, the buying process is longer. For others, more stakeholders are involved.
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The use of AI and other technology is disrupting the status quo for both buyers and sellers.
The use of AI and other technology is disrupting the status quo for both buyers and sellers.
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Senior executives are uncertain of the direction of the economy, making them more likely to conserve resources and hesitant to invest.
Senior executives are uncertain of the direction of the economy, making them more likely to conserve resources and hesitant to invest.
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Given these dynamics, how do sales enablement and sales training professionals equip their sales teams to meet revenue goals—or even overperform?
Given these dynamics, how do sales enablement and sales training professionals equip their sales teams to meet revenue goals—or even overperform?
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The Brooks Group surveyed hundreds of B2B sales leaders about their priorities and plans to achieve sales excellence. The new 2025 Sales Leader Report: Best Practices of Winning Sales Teams shares our findings and critical trends for success in 2025.
The Brooks Group surveyed hundreds of B2B sales leaders about their priorities and plans to achieve sales excellence. The new 2025 Sales Leader Report: Best Practices of Winning Sales Teams shares our findings and critical trends for success in 2025.
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The data reveals significant differences in how teams that meet or outperform their revenue goals sell, train, and coach their teams. The big takeaway: Success comes when sellers forge meaningful, transparent, and collaborative connections with customers.
The data reveals significant differences in how teams that meet or outperform their revenue goals sell, train, and coach their teams. The big takeaway: Success comes when sellers forge meaningful, transparent, and collaborative connections with customers.
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Highly effective sales teams leverage consultative selling skills. Sales enablement teams should focus on these essential skills for differentiating your product or service and closing business:
Highly effective sales teams leverage consultative selling skills. Sales enablement teams should focus on these essential skills for differentiating your product or service and closing business:
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Questioning to pressure test wants and understand the buying process
Questioning to pressure test wants and understand the buying process
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Building trust to create confidence in your value proposition
Building trust to create confidence in your value proposition
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Creating value to show return on investment
Creating value to show return on investment
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Having a healthy dose of emotional intelligence to tailor your communication and know when to ask for the business
Having a healthy dose of emotional intelligence to tailor your communication and know when to ask for the business
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Instead of focusing on transactions, forward-looking sales enablement leaders will ensure their sales teams have the skills to differentiate themselves, build long-term relationships, sell with value, and become trusted business partners.
Instead of focusing on transactions, forward-looking sales enablement leaders will ensure their sales teams have the skills to differentiate themselves, build long-term relationships, sell with value, and become trusted business partners.
3 Recommendations for Sales Enablement Leaders in 2025
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Recommendation 1. Train Sellers on a Well-Defined Sales Process
Recommendation 1. Train Sellers on a Well-Defined Sales Process
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A sales process is an organization’s standard approach to closing deals. It’s a series of repeatable steps to move a prospect from the early stage of awareness to a sale. Sales process adherence means the team has a consistent framework for conducting business.
A sales process is an organization’s standard approach to closing deals. It’s a series of repeatable steps to move a prospect from the early stage of awareness to a sale. Sales process adherence means the team has a consistent framework for conducting business.
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Research shows organizations that overperform against revenue goals value a structured sales process and reinforce it with training. Compared to underperforming organizations, successful sales teams are more likely to consistently follow a sales process, and teams that follow a sales process are more effective at critical sales skills.
Research shows organizations that overperform against revenue goals value a structured sales process and reinforce it with training. Compared to underperforming organizations, successful sales teams are more likely to consistently follow a sales process, and teams that follow a sales process are more effective at critical sales skills.
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>> Work with your sales leaders to define, communicate, and reinforce a straightforward sales process.
>> Work with your sales leaders to define, communicate, and reinforce a straightforward sales process.
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Recommendation 2. Develop a Formal Onboarding Process
Recommendation 2. Develop a Formal Onboarding Process
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Sales onboarding is a process designed to welcome, train, and engage new sellers into an organization. Your onboarding process can include company and product knowledge, industry insight, compliance and regulatory information, as well as sales process and selling skills training.
Sales onboarding is a process designed to welcome, train, and engage new sellers into an organization. Your onboarding process can include company and product knowledge, industry insight, compliance and regulatory information, as well as sales process and selling skills training.
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Successful teams have extensive, structured onboarding, and most use a hybrid mix of in-person and virtual onboarding activities. When done well, sales onboarding engages sellers and puts them on a fast track to meet targets and, ultimately, ensure success for the organization.
Successful teams have extensive, structured onboarding, and most use a hybrid mix of in-person and virtual onboarding activities. When done well, sales onboarding engages sellers and puts them on a fast track to meet targets and, ultimately, ensure success for the organization.
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>> Use onboarding to align new sellers with your company’s selling culture.
>> Use onboarding to align new sellers with your company’s selling culture.
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Recommendation 3. Strengthen Discovery and Value-Based Selling Skills
Recommendation 3. Strengthen Discovery and Value-Based Selling Skills
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A seller can only confidently ask for the business once they are clear about the value of the solution and the process for buying it. Sellers must start exploring both business wants and buying process details early in discovery.
A seller can only confidently ask for the business once they are clear about the value of the solution and the process for buying it. Sellers must start exploring both business wants and buying process details early in discovery.
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Build discovery skills in three areas: 1) understanding the customer’s needs, wants, and buying process; 2) presenting a solid ROI that can be advocated throughout the customer’s organization; and 3) strengthening your team’s confidence and ability to ask for the business. Without these essential skills, sellers will have difficulty asking for the business or overcoming late-stage stalls and objections.
Build discovery skills in three areas: 1) understanding the customer’s needs, wants, and buying process; 2) presenting a solid ROI that can be advocated throughout the customer’s organization; and 3) strengthening your team’s confidence and ability to ask for the business. Without these essential skills, sellers will have difficulty asking for the business or overcoming late-stage stalls and objections.
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>> Train your sellers to figure out the problem they are solving and the way that solution will be purchased.
>> Train your sellers to figure out the problem they are solving and the way that solution will be purchased.
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Download your copy of the 2025 Sales Leader Report: Best Practices of Winning Sales Teams to learn how to transform your sellers into strategic advisors and achieve long-term revenue gains.
Download your copy of the 2025 Sales Leader Report: Best Practices of Winning Sales Teams to learn how to transform your sellers into strategic advisors and achieve long-term revenue gains.