When economic pressure hits, enablement programs are often the first on the chopping block. Leadership views them as cost centers rather than profit drivers, nice-to-haves rather than need-to-haves. But what if you could flip that narrative entirely? What if you could prove that enablement isn't just valuable—it's essential to driving revenue growth?
In this article, we'll break down a proven system for demonstrating enablement's true value, featuring insights from Vanessa Metcalf, VP of Global Revenue Enablement at Showpad. As a former quota-carrying seller turned enablement leader, Vanessa has built a framework that goes beyond simple metrics to show real business impact. We'll explore how you can measure what matters, communicate strategically, and position enablement as the revenue driver it truly is.
When companies face budget scrutiny, sales enablement programs frequently end up on the cutting room floor. Leadership often perceives enablement through a limited lens. They see it as a cost center that doesn't directly generate profit, a nice-to-have luxury rather than a business necessity, and most critically, something with hard-to-measure real impact.
This perception problem isn't about the actual value of enablement but rather how that value is communicated. If you can't clearly articulate how your programs drive revenue, you're vulnerable when economic headwinds blow through your organization.
But there's a better way to position enablement, and it starts with understanding what your executive team actually cares about.
Vanessa Metcalf has developed a comprehensive measurement framework called the Revenue Impact Pyramid. This three-level system helps enablement leaders track and demonstrate value from initial engagement all the way to bottom-line business results.
Let's break down each level and how you can implement it in your organization.
The foundation of your measurement pyramid focuses on whether people are actually showing up and engaging with your enablement programs. This level answers the basic question: Are sellers participating?
What to track at this level:
This level proves that your programs are resonating with your audience. If sellers aren't engaging, you won't see behavior change or business impact down the line. However, engagement alone isn't enough.
This is where many enablement programs fail to measure effectively. It's one thing for sellers to attend training; it's another for them to actually apply what they've learned in real selling situations.
As Vanessa puts it: "We're not here just to train. We need sustainable behavior change that sticks."
How to track behavior application:
This level requires enablement leaders to get out from behind their desks and into the field. You need to verify that the behavior change is happening consistently in real selling situations, not just in controlled training environments.
Many enablement teams skip this crucial step, jumping straight from training completion to business results. But without validating behavior change, you can't draw accurate conclusions about what's working and what's not.
This is the level your executive team cares about most. After sellers have engaged with your programs and applied new behaviors, what happens to the business metrics that matter?
What to track at this level:
As Vanessa explains:
"Eventually you want to show how enablement programs influence measurable business KPIs."
These metrics directly tie enablement efforts to revenue outcomes. When you can show that reps who completed your objection handling program increased their win rates by 15%, you're speaking the language of executive leadership.
However, tracking these numbers is only half the battle. What you do with that data determines whether enablement maintains its budget or gets cut.
Different audiences care about different aspects of enablement's value. Your communication strategy should reflect these varying priorities.
Your executives want to see the big picture and strategic impact. Share:
Keep these communications high-level but data-rich. Executives don't need to know every detail of your programs, show them how enablement drives business results.
Your sales leadership wants tactical insights they can use to improve team performance. Provide:
Sales VPs are your closest partners in enablement. They need frequent, actionable updates that help them coach their teams more effectively.
Your sellers need inspiration and practical examples they can relate to. Share:
Sellers respond to stories about people like them who've achieved great results. This builds buy-in and encourages ongoing engagement with your programs.
Numbers tell you what happened. Stories tell you why it matters.
Vanessa emphasizes the importance of collecting before-and-after testimonials from sales reps who've gone through your programs. These testimonials should capture:
Before the program:"What problems were sales reps encountering before this program?"
After the program:"How do they feel about their day-to-day challenges after?""What's different about their confidence and results?"
As Vanessa explains: "You want to personify and humanize your ROI with direct verbatim anecdotes from reps."
These champion stories make your data real. When a VP of Sales reads that win rates increased by 12%, that's impressive. But when they also read a testimonial from a struggling rep who says, "This program completely changed how I handle objections—I closed three deals this month that I would have lost before," that's powerful.
Create a system for collecting and sharing these stories regularly. Video testimonials work particularly well, as they capture emotion and authenticity in ways that written quotes cannot.
Not everything valuable has a direct revenue number attached to it. Some of enablement's biggest wins show up in process improvements and cross-functional collaboration.
Track and communicate efficiency improvements like:
These improvements might not directly increase revenue, but they free up seller time to focus on what matters: having conversations with potential clients.
Enablement often serves as a bridge between departments. Highlight wins like:
These collaborative wins demonstrate enablement's value beyond the sales team, making your programs more valuable to the entire organization.
Let's bring this all together into a practical framework you can implement:
Build your measurement system:Create the three-level pyramid tracking user adoption, behavior application, and business impact. Don't skip the middle level—behavior validation is where most programs fail to measure.
Develop cadenced communication:Set up regular reporting rhythms for each audience. Executives get quarterly reviews, sales leadership gets monthly updates, and individual contributors get ongoing success stories.
Collect champion testimonials:Build a system for capturing and sharing before-and-after stories from sellers who've benefited from your programs. Make these testimonials specific and results-focused.
Document process improvements:Track and communicate the unquantifiable wins that make sellers' lives easier and the organization more efficient.
Show both numbers and human impact:Combine hard data with compelling stories. Your CFO needs the numbers; your VP of Sales needs the stories. Give them both.
Make every stakeholder feel the value:Ensure that everyone from the C-suite to individual sellers understands how enablement contributes to their success. When people see the value, they become advocates for your programs.
In this episode of SellMeThisPen Podcast, Michael and Vanessa dive deep into how to prove enablement's value beyond surface-level metrics. They discuss the Revenue Impact Pyramid framework, why behavior change validation matters more than training completion rates, and how to communicate enablement's ROI to different stakeholders across your organization.
Vanessa Metcalf is the VP of Global Revenue Enablement at Showpad, bringing a unique perspective as a former quota-carrying seller turned enablement leader. She drives revenue-linked enablement programs with a clear ROI model and strong partnerships with data and RevOps teams. Her practical, results-focused approach has helped organizations prove enablement's value even during challenging economic times.
