Your VP Sales asks: "Is the enablement program working?"
You say: "We trained 100 reps!"
VP Sales: "But did it improve win rates?"
You don't know.
This happens because most PMM teams track activity metrics (trainings delivered, materials created) instead of outcome metrics (win rate, sales cycle, quota attainment).
Good sales enablement isn't counting training sessions. It's measuring impact on revenue.
Here's the framework for sales metrics dashboards that prove enablement ROI.
The Sales Metrics Framework for PMM
PMM should track:
- Enablement usage: Are sales using our materials?
- Sales effectiveness: Are we improving win rates?
- Sales efficiency: Are we shortening sales cycles?
- Revenue impact: Does enablement drive revenue?
NOT just: # of trainings, # of decks created, # of battlecards
The Sales Metrics Dashboard
Metric Category 1: Enablement Usage Metrics
Goal: Track if sales is using materials
Metrics to track:
Content usage:
- % of reps using battlecards (target: 80%+)
- % of reps using sales deck (target: 90%+)
- % of reps using demo script (target: 70%+)
- Average # of materials used per rep per month
Training completion:
- % of reps completed onboarding (target: 100%)
- % of reps certified on new product (target: 90%+)
- Average time to certification (target: <2 weeks)
Campaign participation:
- % of reps attended launch training (target: 85%+)
- % of reps joined launch kickoff call (target: 75%+)
Example dashboard:
| Material | Created | Used Last Month | Usage Rate | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battlecard: Competitor A | Jan 2025 | 45/50 reps | 90% | ↗ |
| Sales deck | Dec 2024 | 48/50 reps | 96% | → |
| Demo script | Jan 2025 | 30/50 reps | 60% | ↘ |
| ROI calculator | Feb 2025 | 15/50 reps | 30% | ↗ |
Insights:
- Battlecards highly used (90% adoption)
- Demo script underused (60%, need to promote)
- ROI calculator new, gaining traction
Action: Training session on demo script usage
Metric Category 2: Sales Effectiveness Metrics
Goal: Measure if enablement improves sales results
Metrics to track:
Win rate:
- Overall win rate (target: 30-40% for B2B SaaS)
- Win rate with vs. without enablement materials
- Win rate by rep (certified vs. not certified)
- Win rate by competitor
Example:
| Segment | Win Rate (Using Battlecards) | Win Rate (Not Using) | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| vs. Competitor A | 45% | 28% | +17% |
| vs. Competitor B | 38% | 32% | +6% |
| Overall | 42% | 30% | +12% |
Insight: Reps using battlecards win 12% more deals
Conversion rates:
- Demo → Trial conversion (target: 40-60%)
- Trial → Paid conversion (target: 20-40%)
- MQL → SQL conversion (target: 30-50%)
Sales cycle:
- Average days from opp creation to close (target: 60-90 days for mid-market)
- Sales cycle with vs. without enablement
- Time to first deal (new rep ramp)
Example:
| Rep Segment | Avg Sales Cycle |
|---|---|
| Certified reps | 55 days |
| Non-certified reps | 78 days |
| Difference | -23 days (42% faster) |
Insight: Certified reps close 42% faster
Deal size:
- Average contract value (ACV)
- ACV with vs. without ROI calculator
- Discount rate (how much reps discount)
Example:
| Using ROI Calculator | Average ACV | Discount Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | $52K | 8% |
| No | $38K | 18% |
| Delta | +$14K (+37%) | -10% |
Insight: ROI calculator drives larger deals with less discounting
Metric Category 3: Sales Ramp Time
Goal: Measure how fast new reps become productive
Metrics:
Time to first deal:
- Days from hire to first closed-won deal
- Target: <90 days
Ramp to quota:
- Months to achieve 100% of quota
- Target: 3-6 months
Certification completion:
- Days to complete onboarding
- Days to product certification
Example:
| Cohort | Avg Time to First Deal | Avg Ramp to Quota | Onboarding Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-enablement (2023) | 120 days | 5 months | 45 days |
| Post-enablement (2024) | 75 days | 3.5 months | 21 days |
| Improvement | -45 days (37%) | -1.5 months (30%) | -24 days (53%) |
Insight: New enablement program cut ramp time by 37%
ROI: Faster ramp = faster revenue contribution
Metric Category 4: Revenue Impact
Goal: Connect enablement to actual revenue
Metrics:
Revenue with vs. without enablement:
- Revenue from deals using battlecards
- Revenue from certified vs. non-certified reps
- Revenue from deals using specific materials
Example:
| Q1 2025 | Revenue | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Deals using battlecards | $2.5M | 65% |
| Deals not using battlecards | $1.3M | 35% |
| Total | $3.8M | 100% |
Insight: 65% of revenue influenced by battlecards
Quota attainment:
- % of reps hitting quota (target: 60-75%)
- Quota attainment: certified vs. non-certified
Example:
| Rep Type | % Hitting Quota | Avg Attainment |
|---|---|---|
| Certified (product training) | 78% | 112% |
| Non-certified | 52% | 87% |
| Delta | +26% | +25% |
Insight: Certified reps 26% more likely to hit quota
Pipeline generation:
- Pipeline influenced by product launches
- Pipeline from launch campaigns
- Pipeline per rep
Metric Category 5: Product Launch Impact
Goal: Measure launch success
Metrics:
Launch awareness:
- % of sales team aware of launch (target: 95%+)
- % completed launch training (target: 85%+)
Launch readiness:
- % of reps can demo new feature (target: 80%+)
- % of reps have battlecard for new product (target: 90%+)
Launch impact:
- Deals mentioning new product (# and $)
- Win rate on deals featuring new product
- Average deal size with vs. without new product
Example (AI Product Launch):
| Metric | Goal | Actual | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sales awareness | 95% | 92% | ⚠️ Almost |
| Completed training | 85% | 88% | |
| Can demo AI feature | 80% | 76% | ⚠️ Need coaching |
| Deals using AI in pitch | 20 | 32 | Exceeding |
| Pipeline influenced | $3M | $4.2M | +40% |
| Win rate (AI deals) | 35% | 42% | +7% |
Insight: Launch successful but need more demo coaching
The Enablement ROI Calculation
Show ROI of enablement program:
Investment:
- PMM headcount: $200K/year (2 people)
- Tools/platforms: $50K/year
- Training/events: $30K/year
- Total: $280K/year
Impact:
Faster ramp:
- Ramp time reduced: 120 days → 75 days (-45 days)
- Revenue contribution per rep: $500K/year
- Value of 45 days faster: $62K per new rep
- New reps per year: 10
- Value: $620K/year
Higher win rate:
- Win rate lift (using battlecards): +12%
- Pipeline per rep: $2M/year
- Win rate: 30% → 42%
- Incremental deals won: 12% of $2M = $240K
- Reps using battlecards: 45
- Value: $10.8M additional pipeline = $3.2M revenue (30% close rate)
Shorter sales cycle:
- Sales cycle reduction: 78 days → 55 days (-23 days)
- Faster close = faster revenue recognition
- Value: Approx $500K in accelerated revenue
Total impact: $4.32M revenue impact
ROI: $4.32M / $280K = 15.4x ROI
Present this annually to justify enablement investment.
The Monthly Enablement Report
Share monthly with Sales leadership:
SALES ENABLEMENT REPORT: March 2025
Executive Summary: Enablement program driving strong results: +12% win rate, 42% faster ramp, $3.2M additional revenue.
Key Metrics:
Usage:
- Battlecard usage: 90% of reps (target: 80%)
- Sales deck usage: 96% of reps
- Training completion: 88% of reps certified on AI product
Effectiveness:
- Win rate (using battlecards): 42% vs. 30% baseline (+12%)
- Sales cycle (certified reps): 55 days vs. 78 days (-42%)
- ACV (using ROI calc): $52K vs. $38K (+37%)
Ramp Time:
- New rep time to first deal: 75 days (vs. 120 pre-program)
- Ramp to quota: 3.5 months (vs. 5 months)
Revenue Impact:
- Revenue from deals using battlecards: $2.5M (65% of total)
- Pipeline influenced by AI launch: $4.2M (+40% vs. goal)
- Quota attainment (certified): 78% vs. 52% (non-certified)
Top Performing Materials:
- Battlecard (Competitor A): 90% usage, +17% win rate
- Sales deck: 96% usage, universal adoption
- ROI calculator: 30% usage, +37% ACV
Underperforming Materials:
- Demo script: 60% usage (need promotion)
- Pricing calculator: 25% usage (complexity issue)
Action Items for April:
- Training: Demo script bootcamp (improve usage)
- New material: Updated competitive positioning vs. Competitor B
- Launch support: Product X launch enablement (April 15)
Wins This Month:
- Sarah (AE): Used battlecard to win $75K enterprise deal vs. Competitor A
- Tom (AE): Certified in 18 days, closed first deal in 62 days (record)
Share with CRO, VP Sales monthly.
Tools for Tracking Sales Metrics
CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot):
- Track campaign influence on opps
- Log which materials used per deal
- Calculate win rates by segment
Sales enablement platforms:
- Highspot, Seismic, Gong
- Track content usage
- See which decks/battlecards used
Custom dashboards:
- Google Data Studio, Tableau
- Pull from CRM + enablement platform
- Visualize trends
Simple version:
- Monthly report in Google Sheets
- Pull data from CRM exports
- Calculate metrics manually
Common Metrics Mistakes
Mistake 1: Tracking activities, not outcomes
You report "Delivered 10 trainings, created 5 battlecards"
Problem: Doesn't show impact on revenue
Fix: Track win rate, sales cycle, quota attainment
Mistake 2: No comparison
You say "Win rate is 35%" but don't show vs. what
Problem: No context, can't prove enablement impact
Fix: Compare certified vs. non-certified, using materials vs. not
Mistake 3: Not tracking usage
You create battlecards but don't know if sales uses them
Problem: Can't connect materials to outcomes
Fix: Track usage in CRM or enablement platform
Mistake 4: Lagging indicators only
You only track closed-won deals (months later)
Problem: Can't course-correct in real-time
Fix: Track leading indicators (training completion, usage rates)
Mistake 5: Not calculating ROI
You show metrics but don't connect to dollar impact
Problem: Can't justify enablement investment
Fix: Calculate ROI (faster ramp value + win rate lift + larger deals)
Quick Start: Build Sales Metrics Dashboard in 2 Weeks
Week 1: Data Collection
- Day 1-2: Identify data sources (CRM, enablement platform)
- Day 3-4: Pull baseline data (win rates, sales cycles, ramp time)
- Day 5: Set targets for each metric
Week 2: Dashboard Creation
- Day 1-2: Build dashboard (Google Sheets, Tableau, etc.)
- Day 3: Calculate ROI (enablement investment vs. impact)
- Day 4: Create monthly report template
- Day 5: Present to Sales leadership
Deliverable: Monthly sales enablement metrics dashboard
Impact: Prove enablement ROI vs. guessing
The Uncomfortable Truth
Here's what actually happens: Most PMM teams can't prove enablement works because they track the wrong metrics. They count trainings delivered, materials created, reps trained—all activity metrics that feel productive but prove nothing. Meanwhile, they don't track win rate lift, sales cycle reduction, or revenue influenced by enablement. The result is predictable: Sales leadership sees enablement as "nice to have" overhead, not a revenue driver worth investing in.
This happens because activity metrics are easy to collect and make good slides for quarterly reviews. "We trained 100 reps!" sounds impressive until someone asks whether those 100 reps are actually winning more deals. That's when the room gets quiet.
What actually works is measuring outcomes that sales leadership cares about. Win rates, sales cycle length, quota attainment—these are the metrics that prove enablement drives revenue. Before/after comparisons show impact: certified reps versus not certified, reps using materials versus those who don't. Usage tracking reveals which materials sales actually finds valuable versus which sit ignored in the content library. ROI calculation connects enablement investment to revenue impact in dollars, not feel-good stories. And monthly reporting shares wins with sales leadership before they have to ask.
The best enablement programs I've seen track usage relentlessly—90% or more of reps using core materials. They prove effectiveness with hard numbers: 10-20% win rate lift with enablement. They shorten ramp by 30-50%, getting new reps productive faster. They calculate clear ROI, typically 10-20x return on enablement investment. And they report monthly, sharing metrics with sales leadership proactively instead of scrambling when asked.
If you can't show enablement ROI, you can't justify headcount or budget when times get tough. You're the first team cut when revenue misses targets. You're seen as overhead, not strategic investment.
Track outcomes that matter. Prove ROI in dollars. Drive measurable revenue impact. That's how enablement earns its seat at the table.