Sales Intelligence & Automation Blog

Sales Enablement Tools You Need in 2024 for Success | Cirrus Insight

Written by Ryan O'Connor | May 6, 2024 2:03:49 PM

John is a Sales Operation Manager on a quest to find the best sales enablement tool for his sales team. As he scrolls through the endless list of options online, he becomes overwhelmed. Each tool promises to be the best thing to exist since sliced bread, but which one is right for his team’s unique challenges?

The right sales enablement software makes your sales team more efficient in engaging prospects and closing deals—driving the long-term success of your sales enablement strategy. 

But right is relative. One sales enablement tool could tick all but the most important boxes but have a steep learning curve, even if it’s dirt cheap. Another could be easy to navigate but unable to scale as your team, needs and business expands.

Apart from the risk of losing data when using new tools, 76% of companies report their sales reps missing quotas due to poor tool adoption, costing over $300,000 in investments. And if you’re like John, you know there's nothing worse than migrating your team and systems to a new sales enablement platform, only to realize you're still missing important features relevant to your sales process.

Don’t waste your time and resources on trying out new tools. In this guide, we’ve done the heavy lifting and evaluated the top 10 best sales enablement software complete with the most essential features for sales success.

A Deep Dive into Modern Sales Enablement

Sales enablement in 2024 is different from what it was a decade ago, as traditional sales skills alone are no longer sufficient for revenue generation. A report from Forrester’s 2021 B2B Buying Study further reveals all the selling challenges the pandemic notably made complex. 

But between decision friction and longer deal cycles, one thing is clear: Buyers are still looking to buy, albeit in new ways. To keep up, sales teams have moved beyond the traditional way of doing sales enablement to leveraging technologies that adapt to fluctuating demands.

Today, sales enablement tools maximize the impact of sales skills and strategies. Sales teams are using them to engage potential customers and move more deals forward. However, over-exposure to technology may be the reason your sales team is struggling. On top of the time and resource suck, sales reps are often having to juggle multiple tools and 66% of them are drowning in the overwhelm.

The solution: picking the tools that let them spend more time selling without having to worry about learning to use the tools that are supposed to make their jobs easier. 

Your Guide to Choosing the Perfect Sales Enablement Tool

The perfect sales enablement tool consolidates your sales tech stack for content management, sales training, lead management and sales intelligence into a unified platform with little to no learning curves.

Here are features to look out for when choosing a sales enablement tool for your company.

Integration Capabilities

On average, a sales rep uses up to 10 tools to close a single deal. Your sales team shouldn't have to navigate through multiple tools every day. Find one that can bridge your important data on existing platforms, consolidating customer and sales information all in one place.

By integrating seamlessly with existing sales solutions, sales reps can send personalized emails, manage leads, schedule appointments, track customer interactions and forecast sales directly from sales enablement platforms. This feature improves sales team productivity and makes sales approaches more efficient.

Analytics and Reporting

In sales enablement, having access to sales performance and customer behavioral data is a game changer. Measuring this data gauges the effectiveness of your sales strategy and the corresponding impact on revenue growth.

With analytics and reporting, sales reps can track sales performance and optimize their sales enablement strategy based on hard data and real-time buyer feedback.

Some valuable metrics to track:

  1. Email Open and Response Rates: Tracks the effectiveness of email campaigns and templates provided to the sales team.
  2. Sales Call/Meeting Metrics: Analyzes the volume, and outcomes of sales calls to understand productivity and effectiveness.
  3. Meetings Booked: Counts the number of meetings or demos scheduled, offering insight into the sales funnel's effectiveness.
  4. Lead Response Time: Measures how quickly sales reps respond to leads, which can significantly impact conversion rates.
  5. Tool Utilization Rate: Tracks how frequently sales reps use the provided sales enablement tools.

Cirrus Insight offers real-time visibility into sales correspondence, combined team meeting schedules and overall tool usage metrics for sales performance monitoring. You can also track who clicked links and attachments (and who didn’t), which pages they read, when they read them and whether they forwarded the documents to others—without breaking your workflow. This information helps you focus your energy on engaged prospects, personalize interactions and move closer to closing deals. 

Content Management and Accessibility

Sales content management is the creation and organization of sales enablement resources that assist your sales reps in closing deals faster.

Case studies, e-books, sales scripts, email templates, product demos, battlecards and pitch decks are a few examples of resources sales teams depend on to accelerate deal cycles. These resources are centralized in a sales enablement tool and are built based on gaps identified in the sales process by sales and marketing teams.

Sellers without sales enablement tools spend up to ten hours weekly searching for sales enablement content. That’s ten hours not spent on their most important task: selling. This means access to your business’ sales content is as important as creating it—as it’s only useful when it can be found and used.

Mobile Accessibility

On-the-go access to sales enablement tools adds a layer of flexibility to how and where sellers respond to customer inquiries and follow up on leads, regardless of location. 

They can also use downtime—between meetings or during transit— for productive activities like prospecting and learning, ensuring all opportunities are maximized.

Top Sales Enablement Tools for 2024

Cirrus Insight 

Cirrus Insight’s sales enablement solutions  pioneered the Gmail-Salesforce / Outlook-Salesforce integration experience over a decade ago. Today, it offers a robust range of features to streamline your sales process—sync emails and events, send personalized emails at scale, schedule meetings, log and sync Salesforce information and more—without leaving your Outlook or Gmail inbox.

Trusted by thousands of teams globally, the Cirrus Insight user-friendly sidebar provides convenient access to prospect and customer data making it easy to close deals quickly.Price: starting at $14 per month

Cirrus Insight Integrations:

  • Google Workspace
  • Microsoft 365
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Salesforce

Cirrus Insight Features:

  • Salesforce Sidebar: Cirrus Insight lets you create and manage contacts/leads & standard and custom objects from your inbox.
  • Salesforce Sync: Sync 100% of your meetings, tasks, and emails — no manual data entry.
  • Sales Activity Tracking & Reporting: Collect sales activity and turn it into actionable insights to increase sales.
  • Attachment Tracking: Know what happens to your attachments after you hit send.
  • Buyer Signals: See who opens your emails, replies, & clicks your links for timely, focused follow-up.
  • Personal Scheduling: No more back-and-forth emails - share your calendar, automate scheduling, and book more meetings.
  • Team Scheduling: Share the combined availability of your team with customers and prospects, book more meetings, and automatically sync with Salesforce.
  • Email Blast: Communicate with prospects and customers at scale.
  • NEW! Smart Scheduler  Instantly connect prospects and customers with the right person’s calendar using customizable workflow logic.

Website and Accolades:

Cirrus Insight Website

1400+ Reviews on G2

4.8 Stars on Salesforce AppExchange

Outreach

Outreach is a sales enablement platform designed to drive seller productivity and deliver more revenue through personalized outreach and automation. 

With features such as sequence building, sales coaching, and analytics, Outreach enables sales professionals to create and close deals. 

Price: Per user pricing not disclosed 

Outreach Integrations:

  • AWS Marketplace
  • Demandbase
  • Gmail
  • Highspot
  • Hubspot
  • Microsoft 365
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Postal
  • Salesforce
  • 6sense
  • Sendoso
  • Seismic
  • Showpad
  • Snowflake
  • Zapier

Outreach Features:

  • Activity Dashboard
  • Activity Tracking
  • Audio/Video Recording
  • Calendar Management
  • Call Monitoring
  • Call Recording
  • Collaboration Tools
  • Contact Management
  • Deal Management
  • Email Management
  • Email Tracking
  • Engagement Tracking
  • Forecasting
  • Lead Management
  • Meeting Management
  • Opportunity Management
  • Performance Management
  • Pipeline Management
  • Predictive Analytics
  • Prospecting Tools
  • Sales Forecasting
  • Sales Onboarding/Training
  • Task Management

4.4 Stars on GetApp

Outreach Website

Gong

With a focus on customer conversation intelligence, Gong offers an at-scale view of market trends, customer dynamics and team performance for sales professionals to personalize interactions, upskill and meet revenue targets.

Key features include deal execution, sales coaching and forecasting and various strategic initiatives to maximize productivity, sales efficiency and effectiveness. 

Price: Per user pricing not disclosed

Gong Integrations:

  • Calendly
  • Clari
  • Conquer
  • Gainsight
  • Google Workspace
  • Highspot
  • HubSpot CRM
  • Lessonly
  • LinkedIn Sales Navigator
  • Microsoft Office 365
  • Microsoft Teams
  • Outreach
  • Salesforce
  • Slack
  • Snowflake
  • Tonkean
  • Vidyard
  • Zoom
  • Zoominfo

Gong Features:

  • Archiving & Retention
  • Automatic Call Distribution
  • Automatic Outbound Dialer
  • Call Monitoring
  • Call Recording
  • Call Scripting
  • Call Tagging
  • Call Tracking
  • Chat Transcript
  • Competitive Analysis
  • Contextual Guidance
  • Conversation Intelligence
  • Correlation Analysis
  • Feedback Management
  • Labor Forecasting
  • Meeting Management
  • Natural Language Search
  • On-Demand Recording
  • Onboarding
  • Performance Management
  • Performance Metrics
  • Recording
  • Reporting & Statistics
  • Reporting/Analytics
  • Sales Activity Management
  • Sales Trend Analysis
  • Scheduled Recording
  • Sentiment Analysis
  • Speech Recognition
  • Statistical Analysis
  • Training Management
  • Video Conferencing

4.7 Stars on GetApp

Gong Website

Salesforce Sales Cloud

Salesforce Sales Cloud is a cloud-based CRM solution that covers all organizational needs—from sales and marketing to customer care.

Price: $25 per month

Salesforce Sales Cloud Integrations:

  • Constant Contact
  • Gmail
  • Mailchimp
  • Slack
  • WordPress
  • Zapier
  • Zendesk Suite

Salesforce Sales Cloud Features:

  • CRM
  • AI/Machine Learning
  • Ad hoc Reporting
  • Alerts/Notifications
  • Appointment Management
  • CRM
  • Calendar Sync
  • Call Center Management
  • Campaign Management
  • Chat/Messaging
  • Client Management
  • Collaboration Tools
  • Commission Management
  • Competitive Analysis
  • Configurable Workflow
  • Contact Management
  • Customer Engagement
  • Customizable Reports & Dashboards
  • Data Import/Export
  • Data Visualization
  • Deal Management
  • Document Management
  • Drag & Drop
  • Electronic Signature
  • Employee Management
  • Engagement Tracking
  • Forecast Management
  • Goal Management
  • Knowledge Management
  • Lead Management
  • Live Chat
  • Marketing Automation
  • Mobile Access
  • Opportunity Management
  • Pipeline Management
  • Project Management
  • Predictive & Generative AI
  • Territory Management & Planning
  • Workflow & Approvals Automation
  • Quoting & Contracting
  • Lead, Account, Contact & Opportunity Management
  • Email Integration & Automated Activity Capture

4.4 Stars on GetApp

Salesforce Sales Cloud Website

Slack

From file sharing to seamless integration with a wide range of sales tools, Slack is a practical tool for messaging and collaboration. 

With Slack Channels, sales teams can easily organize documents, jump on calls and build automated workflows without having to rely on siloed and clunky email chains. 

Price: $8.75 per month

Slack Integrations:

  • Zoom
  • Google Sheets
  • Jira Cloud
  • Salesforce
  • Asana
  • Amazon Web Services
  • Miro
  • OneDrive
  • Dropbox
  • Notion
  • Github
  • Outlook
  • OneDrive
  • Trello
  • Loom
  • Zapier
  • Simple Poll
  • Lucid
  • Evernote
  • Canva
  • Figma
  • HubSpot
  • Qualified
  • Basin
  • Mailchimp

Slack Features:

  • Chat and Messaging
  • Software Integrations
  • Whiteboard (Canvas)
  • Workflow Builder
  • Slack AI
  • Collaboration Channels
  • Slack Connect for external partners
  • Privatization of Channels 
  • File Sharing and Transfer
  • Data Encryption
  • File and Message Search
  • Two-Way Video and Audio Calls
  • Archiving & Retention
  • Screen Capture
  • Screen Recording
  • Screen Sharing
  • Search/Filter
  • Single Sign On
  • Support Ticket Management
  • Surveys & Feedback
  • Tagging
  • Task Management
  • Workflow Management

4.7 Stars on GetApp

Slack Website

Dock

Dock is a client-facing workspace that helps revenue teams close deals, onboard customers, and manage renewals. With Dock, companies organize everything that gets shared at each stage of the customer journey — from sales content to order forms to project plans. Along the way, leadership gets valuable analytics to calculate the sales forecast, coach front-line managers, fix broken implementations, and understand what content actually resonates. 

Price: Starting at $49 per user per month

Dock integrations:

  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot
  • Slack
  • Gong
  • Google Drive
  • Zoom
  • Loom
  • Airtable
  • Typeform
  • And more

Dock features:

  • Digital sales rooms
  • Customer onboarding hubs
  • Client portals
  • Content management system
  • Mutual action plans
  • Sales order forms
  • Survey forms
  • Security profiles
  • E-signature
  • Client project management
  • Analytics and insights
  • CRM integrations
  • Embeds

Dock Website

4.9 Stars on G2

Zoho One

Zoho One provides a suite of business intelligence features such as lead management, sales automation, analytics and reporting to help sales teams close deals and effectively monitor customer interaction.

Price: $30 per user per month

Zoho One Integrations:

  • People HR
  • Dropbox
  • LiveChat
  • G Suite
  • RingCentral
  • Box
  • Salesforce
  • Lucidchart
  • Bonusly
  • Asana
  • GoToMeeting
  • Cisco Umbrella
  • Atlassian
  • SugarCRM
  • BambooHR
  • Marketo
  • AppDynamics
  • 15Five
  • Assembla
  • Smartsheet

Zoho One Features:

  • Deal Management 
  • CRM Analytics
  • Social Media Management 
  • Email Campaigns
  • Surveys and Responses Analytics
  • Event Organization
  • Virtual Events
  • Collaboration in Meetings and Webinars
  • Customer Support Ticketing
  • Accounting & Process Tracking 
  • Invoices
  • Expenses Automation
  • Subscription Management 
  • Payroll Management 
  • Expense Reporting and Analytics
  • Learning Management System
  • Advanced AI

4.2 Stars on GetApp

Zoho One Website

Pipedrive

Pipedrive is a cloud-based platform primarily known as a CRM rather than a sales enablement tool. However, it does offer features—such as visual sales pipelines, deal tracking, sales automation, customizable pipeline stages, team collaboration, activity reminders, comprehensive contact history and reporting—that support sales enablement efforts.

Price: $11 per month

Pipedrive Integrations:

  • Constant Contact
  • Gmail
  • Google Calendar
  • Zapier
  • Surfe
  • HubSpot CRM
  • Mailchimp
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Slack
  • Xero
  • LinkPort
  • Lemlist
  • Linkatch for Pipedrive
  • Outfunnel
  • Snov.io
  • Klenty
  • Leadinfo
  • Dux-Soup Connector
  • Dealfront
  • Zendesk Suite

Pipedrive Features:

  • Manage Leads and Deals
  • Track Communications
  • Automate and Grow
  • Insights and Reports
  • Privacy and Security
  • Sales Software
  • Email Marketing Software
  • Project Management Software
  • Marketplace Integrations
  • Lead Generation Software
  • Web Visitor Tracking
  • Documents and Templates
  • Task Automation
  • CRM
  • Customized Pipelines
  • Data Security
  • Email Builder
  • Email Segmentation
  • Accounting and Invoicing 
  • Chatbots
  • Phone Solutions 
  • Proposal Contracts
  • Remote Work
  • Resource Management 

4.5 Stars on GetApp

Pipedrive Website

HubSpot CRM

HubSpot provides marketing and sales enablement. Instead of piecing numerous SaaS tools together, HubSpot provides an all-in-one solution for Marketing, Sales, Customer Service and Operations, facilitating end-to-end customer management and sales intelligence on a central dashboard. It also automates low-value activities like email logging and call recording, freeing up valuable selling time. 

Price: Free; $50 per month

HubSpot Integrations:

  • Gmail
  • Google Calendar
  • HubSpot Marketing Hub
  • FreshBooks
  • Asana
  • Survey Monkey
  • Mailchimp
  • Marketo Engage
  • Microsoft 365
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Pipedrive
  • Shopify
  • Slack
  • Stripe
  • SugarCRM
  • WooCommerce
  • WordPress
  • Xero
  • Zapier
  • Zoom
  • Zendesk Suite
  • Zoho CRM

HubSpot Features:

  • CRM
  • Lead Forensics
  • Conversion Tracking
  • Granular Customization
  • Contact Management
  • Sales Pipeline Management
  • Lead Scoring
  • Marketing Automation
  • Campaign Management
  • Live Chat
  • AI Content Writer
  • Website Builder
  • Ads Software
  • Google Ads
  • Exit Intent Forms
  • Blog Software
  • Marketing Analytics & Dashboard Software
  • Dedicated IP Address
  • Calls-to-Action
  • Lead Capture Software
  • Social Media Management Software
  • Behavioral Targeting
  • Ad ROI
  • Campaigns
  • Drag and Drop Email Builder
  • Newsletter Builder
  • Ad Management
  • Transactional Email Software
  • SEO Marketing Software
  • Pop-Up Forms
  • Marketing Automation Software
  • Chatbot Builder Software
  • Lead Management & Tracking Software
  • Team Email
  • Video Hosting
  • List Segmentation
  • WordPress Plugin
  • ABM Software
  • Conversation Intelligence
  • Business Insights
  • Email Integration
  • Call Logging App
  • Payments
  • Task Management Software
  • Scheduling Software
  • Forecasting Software
  • Deal Pipeline
  • CPQ Software
  • VoIP Software
  • KPI Software
  • User Permissions for Your Sales & Marketing Teams
  • Salesforce CRM Integration
  • Sales Reports & Performance Management
  • Sales Automation Tools Sequences
  • Quote Software
  • Sales Management Software
  • Email and Document Tracking
  • Customer Profile Software
  • Dashboard & Reporting Software
  • Mobile CRM App
  • Predictive Lead Scoring Software
  • Custom Objects
  • Business Card Scanner App

4.4 Stars on GetApp

HubSpot CRM Website

Salesloft

Salesloft helps sales with pipeline monitoring, prospecting and lead prioritization solutions.

Key features include automated customer lifecycle workflows, conversation intelligence, pipeline diagnostics, sales forecasting and sales team management tools.

Price: Per user pricing undisclosed

Salesloft Integrations:

  • Slack
  • Gmail
  • Zoom
  • Salesforce Sales Cloud
  • GoTo Meeting
  • Webex
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • LinkedIn for Business
  • Okta
  • Duo Security
  • Ringover
  • Operations Hub
  • Clari Copilot
  • Apollo
  • Aircall
  • Seismic
  • Cooleaf
  • Spinify
  • Drift
  • Paperflite
  • Terminus
  • Lusha

Salesloft Features:

  • AI-Powered Workflows
  • Bi-Directional CRM Sync
  • Call Recording
  • Business Process Automation
  • Calendar Management
  • Call Tracking
  • Campaign Management
  • Conversation Intelligence
  • Contact Management
  • Lead Generation
  • Deal Management
  • Email Tracking
  • Pipeline Management
  • Reporting/Analytics
  • Sales Activity Management
  • Sales Coaching

4.2 Stars on GetApp

Salesloft Website

Highspot

Highspot is a sales enablement platform designed for sales teams to drive consistent execution, reduce ramp time and grow revenue. 

It features sales content management, sales playbooks, buyer engagement, sales rep training, coaching and onboarding, Highspot ensures sales teams have the right skills and content to engage and convert buyers effectively.

Price: Per user pricing undisclosed

Highspot Integrations:

  • Salesforce
  • Microsoft (Dynamics 365, Teams, Outlook, Sharepoint)
  • Google (Workspace, Drive, Chrome)
  • Slack
  • Salesloft
  • Adobe (Experience Manager, Marketo Engage)
  • Box
  • Brainshark
  • Dropbox
  • Eloqua
  • Gmail
  • LinkedIn Sales Navigator
  • Marketo Sales Connect
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • OneDrive
  • Quip
  • Twitter
  • Vimeo
  • Zoom

Highspot Features:

  • Audio File Management
  • CRM
  • Collaboration Tools
  • Content Delivery
  • Content Management
  • Document Management
  • Document Storage
  • Email Management
  • Email Tracking
  • File Management
  • Knowledge Management
  • Meeting Management
  • Microsoft Outlook Integration
  • Mobile Access
  • Performance Management
  • Presentation Tools
  • Proposal Management
  • Reporting/Analytics
  • Sales Reports
  • Sales Trend Analysis
  • Self-Service Portal
  • Single Sign On
  • Text Editing
  • Version Control
  • Video Support
  • Workflow Management

4.5 Stars on GetApp

Highspot Website

The Power of Sales Enablement Tools

While individual tools may address specific needs, your business's long-term vision should lie in consolidating them into a unified system—using tools like Cirrus Insight—where every component works harmoniously to drive sales success.