Everything You Need to Know about Sales Asset Management Technology

Sales Asset Management (SAM) technology has been around for a while now, but if you’re just now coming across the term, you’re not alone. Many enterprise-level organizations find themselves saying “there has to be a better way!” when it comes to managing content for B2B sales, which inevitably leads them down the path toward an SAM solution.

If after reading this a quick dip into the pool of SAM you’d like to jump into the deep end, we recommend this research brief by SiriusDecisions.

Definition of Sales Asset Management Technology

SiriusDecisions defines Sales Asset Management solutions as facilitating “the development, organization, delivery and tracking of content used by sales, often through multiple access points (e.g. dedicated sales portals, mobile applications) and integrations.”

In simpler terms, SAM takes a convoluted, inefficient, and time-consuming approach to managing content and makes it better.

Benefits of SAM

Once you shift to an SAM, you’ll never go back. It’s the type of technology that makes you think “I can’t believe I used to spend so much time doing this the old way!” Beyond time savings, here are a few of the other advantages to implementing a Sales Asset Management platform:

1. More Efficiency for Sales Reps. According to SiriusDecisions, sales reps at high-performing organizations spend 11 percent less time searching for and managing content. That 11 percent of time can be reallocated toward doing what sales reps do best: selling.

2. More Effective Content. What presentations are most likely to lead to fast wins? Which videos get the most views by potential buyers? What documents turn hot deals cold faster than a refrigerator? The tracking and reporting that comes with SAM technology can answer those questions for you, allowing your team to promote the most effective content and get rid of what’s not working.

3. Easier Updates/Management. When all of your sales content is jumbled across network drive folders, Sharepoint, sales rep desktops, etc., there’s no way to keep it all updated with the latest information and branding. It’s beyond your control. But a centralized SAM solution can solve that problem!

4. More Productive Marketing Efforts. SiriusDecisions reports that 65 percent of content that marketing creates for sales reps isn’t used at all. The SAM will not only make it easier for reps to find and use content, but it will also give marketers visibility into what the sales team wants and needs. That allows the marketing team to be more productive in what they produce.

Capabilities Your SAM Should Have

Okay, you know you want to implement an SAM, but how do you choose one? Step one in evaluating all of the different options is to make sure it has the features and capabilities of a true Sales Asset Management solution. According to SiriusDecisions, here’s the must-haves:

• Content Creation: The ability for sales and marketing to both craft beautiful, branded, and engaging content across different formats.
• Content Modification: Sales reps shouldn’t be reinventing the wheel for every opportunity. Instead, the SAM should make it easy to modify and personalize existing assets.
• Content Management: At its core, an SAM is a content repository. It should function as a centralized library with built-in tracking, version control, storage, user permissions, tagging, etc.
• Contextual Content Surfacing: Look for an SAM that makes it easy to find, assemble, and deliver content in just minutes based on characteristics specific to that opportunity, such as buying stage, challenges, buyer persona, etc.
• Activity-based Sales Enablement: The best SAM platforms are also sales enablement platforms, and the best sales enablement platforms seamlessly integrate into each rep’s daily workflow. As the sales enablement platform guides reps in the best actions to move deals forward, the SAM should play an integral role.
• Content Delivery to Buyers: The SAM isn’t just for sales reps. It’s also a way to deliver content to buyers in a branded, streamlined way. Look for a solution that offers private buyer portals, and also offers multiple avenues for reps to access and send content, such as a mobile app.
• Reporting and Analytics: One of the best things about an SAM is that everything is tracked, from which presentations are being sent by sales reps to which documents are being viewed most by buyers. Look for a solution that offers in-depth analytics so that you can put that tracking data to good use.

A Sales Asset Management solution can be an incredible return on investment. But don’t just take our word for it. You can read SiriusDecisions’ full report, “Sales Asset Management Technology, a Sirius Perspective,” for free by clicking the button below.

And if you’re interested in exploring Accent Technologies’ suite of sales enablement solutions, we’d love to show you firsthand. Request a live demo, today!