Sales enablement collateral plays a crucial role in today’s sales process, as customers are increasingly informed, ready to compare, and skeptical about salespeople. Sales conversations used to begin with education, but they now start with validation, clarity, and trust.
The sales enablement collateral that sales teams use in these conversations determines whether the momentum in the sales process builds or stalls.
Several factors will influence the purchasing decisions made by B2B customers. First, there are now more stakeholders involved in these buying decisions than ever before; secondly, the time customers spend evaluating a product has increased significantly; thirdly, B2B customers expect stronger proof of value and performance from their vendors.
According to research conducted by Gartner, B2B buyers meet with a sales representative only 17% of the way through their buying journey, which means that most of the influence in their buying process occurs before and between meetings with a sales representative.
Sales enablement collateral is intended to fill this space, reaffirming the value of your product, addressing objections, and assisting in the buyer’s internal decision-making process.
In this blog post, we’ll explore 17 effective sales enablement collateral examples that contribute positively to sales conversations. These collateral types are not theoretical. They comprise sales teams across industries that use to close deals consistently and with predictability.
What Makes Sales Enablement Collateral Effective
Before listing examples, it helps to clarify what effective sales enablement collateral looks like.
Good collateral aligns with the buyer’s stage, supports the salesperson rather than replacing them, and reinforces a consistent narrative. It clearly answers common questions and helps buyers justify decisions internally.
Whereas a poor collateral often looks impressive but goes unused because it does not reflect how sales teams sell.
According to CSO Insights, organizations with an established sales enablement program demonstrate a 13.7% increase in quota attainment compared to those without an organized system in place. High-performing sales teams view sales enablement as an integral part of their sales process, rather than just a series of documents to reference.
Below are the 17 most effective sales enablement collateral examples, which include:
1. Sales Pitch Deck
A sales pitch deck is often the first structured asset a prospect sees during a live conversation. Its role is not to present every feature or detail but to guide the conversation and create shared understanding.
According to DocSend, the average time spent by buyers reviewing pitch decks is 3 minutes and 44 seconds.
Attention starts to diminish precipitously after slide 15, confirming the thought that a well-crafted pitch deck should focus more on a narrative of clarity versus an overabundance of detail.
Well-organized pitch decks have a defined storyline stating the issue, the ramifications of the issue, how the company resolves the issue, and the resulting outcome.
This arrangement allows for a dialogue between the buyer and the sales representative and does not require the sales representative to read verbatim through the slides.
Teams that treat pitch decks as modular, rather than static, see stronger engagement because reps can adapt the flow based on the prospect’s priorities.
Read More: How To Map Your Sales Process in HubSpot CRM
2. Product or Service One-Pager
One-pagers remain one of the most practical sales enablement assets because they respect time. Many buyers are looking for a succinct and direct way to understand new vendor offerings and provide their internal teams with a set of common reference materials.
Demand Gen Report states that 68% of B2B buyers prefer brief content when researching new vendors. One-pagers are a great solution because they preserve the buyer’s time while presenting clarity.
A well-written one-pager emphasizes “outcomes” and not “features.” A one-pager should clearly delineate to potential customers whom the solution serves, what problem it solves, and how the customer will benefit from using the solution.
Sales teams commonly provide one-pagers to potential customers after the initial contact and during follow-ups, as well as to present solutions to new stakeholders.
3. Case Studies
Case studies provide proof. They show that your solution works in real situations with real customers. According to Demand Gen research, case studies consistently rank among the most influential content types in B2B buying decisions.
In Demand Gen Report’s studies on buyer behaviour, it’s demonstrated that case studies are a crucial piece of research when making a B2B Purchasing Decision, especially in terms of how you will decide it is justifiable and when you’re in the consideration stage.
The case study should consist of Context, the Challenge faced by the customer, and what Solution was provided, along with the results that could be tracked or measured for those who experienced it. The results must be quantifiable.
They avoid vague success statements and instead provide concrete outcomes. Sales teams use case studies during evaluation stages to reduce perceived risk and reinforce credibility.
Read More: Renewal Pipeline in HubSpot
4. Client Testimonials
Unlike the full case story, testimonials are used as quick sources of comfort and confidence, while case studies are used for an in-depth view of the situation.
According to Trust Research done by Edelman, peer credibility is one of the greatest forms of trust that influences the decisions of B2B buyers.
Therefore, testimonials are typically short and specific, and work great as part of a follow-up email, proposal, and presentation slides.
They reinforce trust without requiring a long read. When testimonials reflect the prospect’s industry or role, they carry even more weight.
5. Buyer Persona or ICP Cheat Sheet
Internal enablement matters as much as external collateral. Research from Forrester indicates that personalized sales interactions increase conversion rates by up to 10 percent.
Buyer persona or ideal customer profile cheat sheets help sales teams tailor conversations effectively. These assets summarize key pain points, priorities, buying triggers, and objections for specific roles or industries.
The use of a Buyer Persona or Ideal Customer Profile can help eliminate generic messaging and increase relevance to the current conversation.
Since Sales Teams rely on the relevant guidelines contained in these Cheat-Sheets to prepare or adjust their calls based on how the conversation is unfolding, they are invaluable.
6. Competitive Comparison Sheet
There is no getting away from Competitive Conversations when Selling, and without structure for assistance from their Sales Teams, it can be difficult to ensure that the conversation will be productive and consistent.
According to Harvard Business Review, 90% of B2B buyers will compare Vendors before making a decision. To ensure that your Customer is clear about how your offer is differentiated, it is important to use a Competitive Comparison Sheet.
The strongest versions focus on positioning and value rather than feature checklists. They help sales teams speak confidently while maintaining credibility. Buyers use these materials when evaluating alternatives and building internal consensus.
7. Objection Handling Guides
Objections are predictable. Pricing concerns, implementation questions, and change resistance appear in nearly every deal. CSO Insights reports that more than 60% of stalled deals fail due to unresolved concerns, not lack of interest.
Documented objection-handling guides help sales teams respond consistently and calmly. These guides outline common objections along with approved responses and supporting evidence. They are especially valuable for onboarding new reps, reducing reliance on improvisation.
8. ROI Calculators or Business Case Tools
Many deals slow down during financial review. Decision-makers want clarity on return, cost, and impact. Research from Gartner shows that B2B buying groups increasingly require financial validation tied to broader business outcomes, not isolated cost savings.
ROI calculators and business case tools help sales teams support these conversations with structure. They allow prospects to model outcomes using their own numbers.
According to Gartner, buying groups increasingly expect financial justification that aligns with broader business goals, not isolated cost savings.
Read More: Benefits of Sales and Marketing Automation
9. Sales Battlecard
Sales battlecards facilitate conversations by providing concise references rather than lengthy descriptions. According to data collected from Forrester Research, top-performing sales teams utilize predictive intelligence 1.5x more frequently during their live sales calls.
Properly executed sales battlecards contain positioning statements, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of competitors, traps commonly encountered, and proof points.
A sales representative will refer to the battlecard while making the sales call, or immediately before making the call, to be on the same page and to have his or her mind set.
10. Demo Script/Playbook
Product demos are high-impact moments. Without structure, demos often drift or overwhelm. According to Chorus.ai, structured demos outperform unstructured demos in both engagement and close rates.
Demo scripts and demo playbooks offer a framework to work from, but also allow flexibility. These tools detail what needs to be shown, including how it will help and what questions to ask the prospect.
Companies that conduct demos in a structured manner have a higher likelihood of demonstrating value and more effectively eliminating buyer confusion.
11. Email Templates/Follow-Up Series
Email templates and follow-up series create momentum throughout a sales cycle. Templates allow sales representatives to remain on-brand while saving time.
According to HubSpot, when using templated follow-up emails, salespeople are quicker to reply and use the same messaging from deal to deal.
Effective communication templates should be recognizable as a sales language and not just a marketing script. Email templates should be customized to the specific step and outcome of the sales cycle.
Templates can also be used to reconfirm the next steps, summarise the conversation, and re-engage deals that have stalled.
12. Editable Proposal Templates
Editable proposal templates enable you to quickly produce effective business communications by standardizing how you present proposals. The result of a standardized proposal structure is enhanced results, an increased probability of closing a deal.
An editable proposal template makes it possible to create proposals with accurate timelines, milestones, clearly defined objectives and deliverables, and measures of success that are consistent with the expectations of your (the seller’s) recipient.
Extra information prepares sales teams and enables the successful completion of the proposal process. In addition, potential customers benefit from proposals that are aligned to the discussions that occurred prior to the proposal being created.
13. Sales Playbooks
Sales playbooks provide structure to the sales process by providing a framework around the stages of deal progression. According to CSO Insights, companies that have established sales playbooks are more likely to have greater win rates than those that do not; they also take much less time to train and ramp up new hires.
Sales playbooks typically provide stages, relevant tasks, messaging and supporting materials. By offering a clear and consistent method to achieve their objectives, they enable newly hired salespeople to be as successful as experienced salespeople in meeting sales goals.
As a result, sales teams using sales playbooks scale faster because of the ability to achieve a higher level of consistency with their execution.
14. FAQs for Sales
FAQs are critical to enabling sales professionals to address common questions and concerns of potential customers during the sales process.
Sales professionals typically receive questions about pricing, implementation, limitations, and integrations.
When sales professionals have access to pre-approved and accurate answers to these types of questions, there is less resistance to purchase.
Therefore, sales professionals can answer the question without looking for the answer in another location (i.e., on the internet).
In addition, when sales professionals know that they can obtain accurate responses quickly, they are more confident when interacting with potential customers.
15. Onboarding and Training Materials
Enablement collateral supports more than active selling. It also accelerates ramp-up for new hires. CSO Insights data shows that shorter ramp times correlate directly with stronger enablement programs.
Onboarding materials that reflect real sales scenarios help new reps gain confidence faster.
According to CSO Insights, shorter ramp times correlate strongly with structured enablement programs. Teams that invest here see faster productivity and stronger retention.
16. Customer Success and Expansion Assets
The Sales Enablement Lifecycle does not stop when the sale closes. Additional materials, customized to support the sales team in their post-sale expansion and renewal conversations, should be created.
According to Gainsight, creating enablement materials that support the retention of customers creates an increase in both the lifetime value (LTV) and renewal rate of those customers.
Customer Success Assets provide the framework for showing continued, established value to the customer through the customer’s use of your product, and to show how the customer has benefited from their own usage of your product, and that there are further opportunities for the continued growth of their investment in your products.
17. Sales Process and Stage Documentation
Documented sales processes will help your sales team execute the process without confusion as to what their responsibilities are.
According to Gartner, companies that have documented sales processes tend to have more accurate forecasting of their revenues and higher levels of consistency between different sales teams.
Stage guides outline expectations at each phase, including required actions and recommended assets.
Documented processes align the sales enablement efforts with the workflows used in most sales management systems (CRMs) and create less confusion.
Companies that document their sales processes have a higher adoption of these processes, leading to a higher degree of accuracy in the forecasting of future revenues.
The Bottom Line
In Conclusion, sales enablement collateral is successful if it mirrors the actual processes used by sales teams to generate sales.
The examples provided above show types of assets that reduce sales friction, create confidence in sales personnel, and assist sales personnel in getting buyers to commit to the next step in their buying journey.
If you want to evaluate or improve your sales enablement strategy, start by asking yourself this simple question: How will this asset enable our sales personnel to conduct a more effective sales conversation in the present?
If you want to know more about funnel mapping & automation or CRM optimization & integrations, schedule a free consultation with one of our experts.
