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Sales Content Management – Insights and Recommendations

The State of Sales Enablement Content Insights ReportThe State of Sales Enablement Content Insights is here! Finally, information on the state of the Sales Content Management (SCM) world that you can leverage for your buying process.

Before diving into the details, let’s provide brief background information for those of you who have not been aware of our efforts.

 

What is the State of Sales Enablement Content Insights Report?

To launch this portion of our business, we wanted to focus initially on a small slice of the software market: sales content management.  

To ensure we did this right, we focused on reporting capabilities first.

Why?

Every vendor looks the same, and all promise to do it all.

We know the truth is that the analytics provided by the solutions is far behind the we-do-it-all marketing that’s out there, and we wanted to get to the truth.

Read our original article to learn more about the model we used in this analysis of sales content management tools.

Note: Each quarter, we will go deeper with sales content management solutions and add additional categories that we will also begin to analyze. We are just at the beginning.

 

What vendors are in this report?

We reached out to many vendors and informed them they would be in the report. The complete list, in alphabetical order:

Vendors were then placed into three categories based upon their willingness to collaborate.

 

Trusted Vendors

Trusted Vendors are those that gave us open access to their platforms without requiring an NDA – we had full reign to test these offerings. These vendors have been incredible to work with at every step. Trusted vendors included.

  • Data Dwell
  • Enable.us
  • Paperflite
  • Saleshood
  • Showell

Participating Vendors

Participating vendors provided us with demos and answered our questions. They did not provide us access to their sales content management solution. Participating vendors included:

  • Allego
  • Highspot
  • Modus
  • Pitcher

Non-participating Vendors

Non-participating vendors fall into three broad categories.

 

Slower to Respond

Showpad is in this category, and we are optimistic that we will be able to work more closely with them in future quarters.

 

Would not Participate without an NDA

Seismic and Mindtickle had initial meetings but were unwilling to participate without an NDA.

 

Non-Responsive Vendors

Bigtincan and Mediafly both ignored all outreach on our part.  

 

Our Findings – The State of Content Insights Report

In large part, all vendors are the same in this one regard. While each vendor varied in terms of ease of use, it was, unfortunately, expected.

However, one vendor, and only one vendor, actually delivered real insights to power your business and measure the full impact of enablement on your business outcomes.

That vendor?

 

Data Dwell

Data Dwell is the creme of the crop, the top overall platform in the market today, for businesses looking to power their sales enablement programs with data-driven insights aligned with your overall business goals and performance.

One customer, explaining why they switched from another sales content management system to Data Dwell, noted that the other vendor:

  • did not provide enough data directly in Salesforce to measure the actual revenue attribution for content usage in the platform.”
  • were “more expensive than Data Dwell. As a result of this switch, they could double the number of people using their systems.

and they went on to note:

that this was the first time they ever bought software and did not feel let down after the purchase. Data Dwell met and exceeded what they discussed in the sales process.

The thing about those comments to recognize is that they are not so much a knock on the other vendor, a fantastic platform in its own right, as they are a comparison of Data Dwell to every other sales content solution on the market today from a reporting perspective.

From a reporting and insights viewpoint, there is Data Dwell, and then everyone else.

Caveats: Data Dwell runs as a native Salesforce application. If you are not standardized on Salesforce, you should note that all other content solutions are equal concerning reporting capabilities.  

The Bottom Line: If you are a high-tech business running Salesforce as your CRM, buy Data Dwell, you will love it!

Note: Most other vendors integrate with Salesforce, but they use Salesforce activities to track interactions.  This model limits the ability of businesses to report to the level Data Dwell has achieved.  If you do not care about this level of business insight, other options are available.

 

Sales Content Management – Other Findings and Recommendations

Data Dwell stands alone at the top of the content insights.

And summarizing our last point, if you are a high technology business running on Salesforce.com, you should buy Data Dwell.  See our recommended tech stack for businesses using Salesforce.

But what if you are not a high technology company or are not running on Salesforce CRM?

Our recommendations for various technologies, industries, and use cases follow.

 

What if you are a technology company using Microsoft Dynamics or Pipedrive?

If you are a Microsoft Dynamics or Pipedrive CRM company, your best bet is to purchase Paperflite.

Paperflite is a complete sales management solution.

See our recommended tech stack for businesses using Microsoft Dynamics.

 

What if you are a technology company using Hubspot as your CRM?

Hubspot users have three good options: Paperflite, Enable.us, and Allego.

See our recommended tech stack for businesses using Hubspot.

See our comparison table below.

CapabilityPaperfliteEnable.usAllego
Digital Sales RoomsSolid capabilities, dynamic content (optionally), security, chat/conversation capabilities.Solid capabilities, dynamic content (optionally), security, chat/conversation capabilities.Solid capabilities, dynamic content (optionally), security.
Content PlaybackBasic, No Annotations or NotesBasic, No Annotations or NotesBasic, No Annotations or Notes

Allego notes their capabilities are more advanced and we will investigate in Q2. This press release shows incredible potential.
SearchTitle, DescriptionTitle, DescriptionTitle, Description, and into Sales Call Clips.
ReportingSellers can use reporting to identify customer engagement, identify who to reach out to and what to discuss.Sellers can use reporting to identify customer engagement, identify who to reach out to and what to discuss.Sellers can use reporting to identify customer engagement, identify who to reach out to and what to discuss.
Email IntegrationsGmail, Microsoft OutlookGmail* (new but untested by our team)Gmail, Microsoft Outlook
CRM IntegrationsHubspot, Pipedrive, Microsoft DynamicsSalesforce, Hubspot (* Only at Growth Plan Pricing)Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, Hubspot, Oracle
PricingTry Free
$50/user/month
All Pricing
Startup Plan
$25/user/month
– Unlimited Content Storage for docs, videos, infographics, PDFs, etc.
– Content Management including attributes, versioning control, permissions, etc.
– Digital Sales Rooms
– Contact-based engagement tracking
– Sales Room Analytics

Growth Plan
$50/user/month
– CRM Integration (Salesforce & Hubspot)
– Video Conferencing Integration (Zoom & RingCentral)
– Content Repository Integrations (Google, Microsoft, DropBox)
– Content Level Analytics
– Individual Content Link Sharing with Detailed Tracking Metrics
– Mutual Action Plans
– Ideal for teams with 3 or more users

Enterprise
Pricing not Published
– Custom Delivery Domain Name
– Reference Management
– Sales Room and Mutual Action Plan Templating
– Custom Integrations

Not Published
Evaluate NowEvaluate NowEvaluate Now

Financial Services Companies

You should consider a company with deep knowledge in the space. 

Our recommendations would be to look at Allego, Highspot, or Seismic.

Read our full recommendations for financial services companies.

CapabilitySeismicAllegoHighspot
ReportingSellers can use reporting to identify customer engagement, identify who to reach out to and what to discuss.Sellers can use reporting to identify customer engagement, identify who to reach out to and what to discuss.Sellers can use reporting to identify customer engagement, identify who to reach out to and what to discuss.
Document AutomationSeismic LiveDocs is the leading document automation solution in the Enablement space.NoneNone
Sales Training and CoachingAcquisition and integration of Lessonly are underway — still coming together.Strong training and coaching capabilities.Immature as newly released with mixed customer feedback
Email IntegrationsGmail, Microsoft OutlookGmail, Microsoft OutlookGmail, Microsoft Outlook
CRM IntegrationsSalesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, Hubspot, Netsuite, Skuid, SugarCRMSalesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, Hubspot, OracleSalesforce, Microsoft Dynamics
PricingNot PublishedNot PublishedNot Published
Evaluate NowEvaluate SeismicEvaluate AllegoEvaluate Highspot

Manufacturing Companies

Manufacturing, like Financial Services, has a host of unique challenges. Manufacturing companies should consider Showell and Saleshood as their primary options.

Read our full recommendations for manufacturing companies.

CapabilityShowellSaleshood
Digital Sales RoomsSolid capabilities, dynamic content (optionally), security.Solid capabilities, dynamic content, but no security.
Content PlaybackGood playback includes annotations and the ability to save notes.Basic, No Annotations or Notes
SearchTitle, DescriptionTitle, Description
ReportingSellers can use reporting to identify customer engagement, identify who to reach out to and what to discuss.Sellers can use reporting to identify customer engagement, identify who to reach out to and what to discuss.
Email IntegrationsNoneNone
CRM IntegrationsSalesforceSalesforce
PricingFree
– Up to 25 documents
– Up to 5 users
– Basic theme
– Self-service onboarding
– Help Center and tutorial videos
– Virtual product training
– Community Slack support

Essential
$18/user/month
– Up to 50 documents
– Up to 20 users
– Basic theme
– 1-to-1 virtual onboarding session
– Help Center and tutorial videos
– Customer support
– Community Slack support

Professional
No pricing published
– Unlimited volume & storage
– Unlimited users & admins
– Custom themes
– Onboarding program
– Dedicated customer success manager
– Premium support
– Showell community
Try Free
$50/user/month
All Pricing
Evaluate NowEvaluate Now

Pharmaceutical Companies

Pharmaceutical sales is a challenging, yet unique, environment.  That’s why we are recommending three companies with deep experience in the space:  Pitcher, Saleshood, and Allego are good choices.

Read our full recommendations for pharmaceutical companies.

CapabilityPitcherSaleshoodAllego
Digital Sales RoomsSolid capabilities, dynamic content (optionally), security.Solid capabilities, dynamic content, but no security.Solid capabilities, dynamic content (optionally), security.
Content PlaybackBasic, No Annotations or NotesBasic, No Annotations or NotesBasic, No Annotations or Notes

Allego notes their capabilities are more advanced and we will investigate in Q2. This press release shows incredible potential.
SearchTitle, DescriptionTitle, DescriptionTitle, Description, and Sales Call Clips
ReportingSellers can use reporting to identify customer engagement, identify who to reach out to and what to discuss.Sellers can use reporting to identify customer engagement, identify who to reach out to and what to discuss.Sellers can use reporting to identify customer engagement, identify who to reach out to and what to discuss.
Email IntegrationsNoneNoneGmail, Microsoft Outlook
CRM IntegrationsSalesforce, SAP, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, Hubspot,SalesforceSalesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, Hubspot, Oracle
PricingNot PublishedTry Free
$50/user/month
All Pricing

Not Published
Evaluate NowEvaluate NowEvaluate Now

For the sake of this report, we also include three final categories for you to consider.

 

Product Enablement

monday.com logomonday.com, the leader in project management tools, has grown up and delivers a complete answer to any product enablement team.

Read our complete thoughts.

 

Partner Enablement

enable.us logoEnable.us has the best digital sales room (DSR) of any solution, and the DSR provides excellent support (at an amazing price) for those supporting channel partners.

Learn more.

 

All-in-one Enablement solutions

Some of you may be wondering about the category of the all-in-one enablement solution – One whole solution from one vendor with sales content management, training, and coaching built in.

As of this moment, we can only recommend either Saleshood or Highspot.  

  • If content and training/coaching are equally critical, Saleshood will come out on top.
  • If the content is the most important, with a need for coaching and training necessary, but slightly less, Highspot will be your choice.
CapabilitySaleshoodHighspot
Digital Sales RoomsSolid capabilities, dynamic content, NO security yet on deal rooms.Solid capabilities, dynamic content, security.
Content PlaybackPlayback without native applications. Lacks drawing tools and note-taking capabilities during playback.Unknown
ReportingSellers can use reporting to identify customer engagement, identify who to reach out to and what to discuss.Sellers can use reporting to identify customer engagement, identify who to reach out to and what to discuss.
Document AutomationNoneNone
Sales Training and CoachingStrong solutionImmature as newly released with mixed customer feedback
Social SellingNoneNone
Email IntegrationsNoneGmail, Microsoft Outlook
CRM IntegrationsSalesforceSalesforce, Microsoft Dynamics
Pricing$50/user/monthNot Published
Primary VerticalsTechnology, Clean Technology, Health TechnologyTechnology, Financial Services, Machinery
Secondary VerticalsPhilanthropy, Financial Service, GovernmentTelecommunications, Real Estate, Retail
Year Founded20132012
Funding to Date$1.8M$645M
Ideal Customer SizeMid-sized Businesses through EnterpriseMid-sized Businesses through Enterprise
Evaluate NowEvaluate SaleshoodEvaluate Highspot

 

Remember to use our Buying Guide

If you are purchasing any SaaS tech, use buying guide.

 

A summary of our recommendations

Here is our final summary of our first-ever report, we hope you find it helpful.  

If you areYou should evaluate
OVERALL WINNERData Dwell
a Technology company utilizing Salesforce CRMData Dwell
a Technology company utilizing Pipedrive or Microsoft DynamicsPaperflite
a Technology company utilizing HubspotPaperflite, Enable.us, and Allego
looking for a complete sales content management, training, and coaching solutionSaleshood or Highspot
a Financial Services companyAllego, Highspot, and Seismic
a Manufacturing companyShowell and Saleshood
a Pharmaceutical CompanyPitcher, Saleshood, and Allego
just looking to add Product Enablementmonday.com
just looking to add Partner EnablementEnable.us
Sales Content ManagementIdeal for Customers Like…G2 RatingsProsConsPricingTry Now
BigtincanNon-responsive to our outreach –
Not Recommended
4.2/5.0
(27 Reviews)
Not published
Details
Data DwellCompanies using Salesforce.com4.9/5.0
(6 Reviews)
Deeply integrated into Salesforce.com — allowing it to support any configuration while delivering in-depth analytics.Only available for Salesforce.comNot PublishedTry Now to Amplify Sales Content
Enable.usChannel Sales4.8/5.0 (27 Reviews)Incredible digital salesroom experiences with support for Mutual Action Plans built-in.Startup Plan
$25/user/month
Unlimited Storage
Digital Sales Rooms

Growth Plan
$50/user/month
Startup Plan+
CRM Integration
Live Meeting Integration
Mutual Action Plans

Enterprise Plan
Not published
Growth Plan+
Reference Mgmt
Custom Integrations

Details
Try Now to Amplify Channel Sales
GTM Buddy4.9/5.0
(10 Reviews)
Not Published
MediaflyNon-responsive to our outreach –
Not Recommended
4.6/5.0
(167 Reviews)
Not Published
Details
Modus4.3/5.0
(133 Reviews)
Not Published
PaperfliteCompanies using Microsoft Dynamics or Hubspot for CRM4.8/5.0
(112 Reviews)
A solid all-around contender. It does everything well.If you are looking for solutions deep in a specific vertical, they lack that knowledge.$50/user/month
Details
Try This Solid Content Solution
PitcherLife Sciences companies — Especially Pharmaceutical Sales4.4/5.0
(27 Reviews)
The deepest solution we have seen to date in life sciences.Not as well suited to other verticals.Not PublishedTry This Amazing Solution for Life Sciences
ShowellManufacturing and Channel Sales4.5/5.0
(139 Reviews)
Free version! Most small and mid-sized businesses will never need deeper tracking and sales content capabilities than Showell provides.

And they understand manufacturing and the channel well
The user interface is not as clean as other solutions.Free
– Up to 25 documents
– Up to 5 users
– Basic theme
– Self-service onboarding
– Help Center and tutorial videos
– Virtual product training
– Community Slack support

Essential
$18/user/month
– Up to 50 documents
– Up to 20 users
– Basic theme
– 1-to-1 virtual onboarding session
– Help Center and tutorial videos
– Customer support
– Community Slack support

Professional
No pricing published
– Unlimited volume & storage
– Unlimited users & admins
– Custom themes
– Onboarding program
– Dedicated customer success manager
– Premium support
– Showell community

Details
Try Now for Well-priced and Solid Solution
Showpad ContentManufacturing and Heavy Machinery4.6/5.0 (1422 Reviews)Not Published
Details

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