
Sales Enablement Tools: Top 5 Picks + How To Choose
Too many sales tools. Too little impact.
Sales leaders juggle dozens of platforms, dashboards, and reports every week. Some are genuinely helpful. Many just add noise.
One category consistently proves its worth: sales enablement tools. The right tool at the right time can mean the difference between closing a deal in two weeks or watching it stall and disappear from your pipeline.
Enablement tools don’t just sit quietly in your tech stack. They:
- Streamline workflows so reps spend less time hunting for resources and more time selling
- Surface insights that matter such as what prospects are looking at, saying, and doing
- Deliver ROI that most point solutions can’t match
- Boost morale by removing daily sales friction
- Create consistency in how reps pitch, follow up, and win deals
Bottom line: they’re one of the rare categories of sales software that consistently pay for themselves.
Key Takeaways (in case you want to skim)
- Sales enablement tools deliver measurable ROI: faster growth, higher win rates, better efficiency
- Choosing the right platform comes down to usability, intelligence, integration, security, and analytics
- Match tools to your needs: Bombora for enterprise intelligence, Lemlist for SMBs, HubSpot for all-in-one simplicity
- The bottom line: it’s not about adding more software, it’s about smarter selling
What Is Sales Enablement?
At its simplest, sales enablement is giving your team the resources, training, and insights they need to sell more effectively. Think of it as the invisible support system that powers every customer conversation, from the first cold email to the signed contract.
A rep without enablement is like running a marathon without shoes. You might finish, but it will be slow, painful, and inefficient. A rep with enablement has the shoes, hydration plan, pacing strategy, and even a coach who knows the course.
And the data is clear: companies using structured enablement strategies lead to an 8% increase in quarterly revenue and 49% win rate on forecasted deals. These platforms don’t just keep content organized. They actively shape how reps engage with prospects, what insights they act on, and how quickly they can turn interest into revenue.
Learn more about The Digital Ring's sales enablement best practices here
Why Sales Enablement Tools Drive Business Results
Efficiency is helpful, but enablement tools go further. They directly impact revenue, win rates, and team performance.
- Revenue growth: Over 75% of companies using enablement tools reported higher sales in the past 12 months
- Higher win rates: Teams are 19% more likely to improve win rates year-over-year
- Improved efficiency: 81% of sales orgs say enablement improves team performance across the board
- Competitive edge: With 65% of companies already using enablement tools, the question isn’t if you need them, but how quickly you will catch up
Taken together, these numbers show why enablement tools are more than a nice-to-have. They’re a measurable revenue lever.
The Human Impact
Here’s the part that doesn’t make it into dashboards or quarterly reports: morale. Few things drain a sales rep faster than chasing leads without insights or wasting half their day searching for a case study that should be one click away.
Enablement tools change that by:
- Serving the right content at the right moment in the buyer journey
- Giving managers visibility into rep performance so they can coach more effectively
- Equipping reps to personalize outreach instead of blasting templates
It’s the difference between fishing blindfolded with a stick versus fishing with sonar, GPS, and a sturdy rod. Same lake, same fish, but far better odds of catching dinner.
So how do you put this into practice? Let’s walk through the tools sales teams trust most.
6 Sales Enablement Tools Worth Your Attention
These aren’t random picks. They’re the platforms that consistently come up in conversations with top-performing sales orgs. Each plays a different role in the enablement ecosystem, and together they cover the spectrum from lightweight outreach to enterprise-scale intelligence.
Don’t worry about choosing your favorite yet. After the list, we’ll share a 5-point checklist to help you zero in on the best fit for your team.
Enterprise Intelligence Platforms
Think of these as the radar systems for your sales organization. They’re designed for very large, complex ecosystems where the biggest challenge isn’t sending emails, but knowing which accounts are worth your time in the first place.
These platforms deliver data-rich insights like market intent signals, predictive analytics, and account-based marketing visibility at scale. They give sales ops and leadership the clarity to point reps toward the accounts with the highest chance of converting.
Best for Enterprise Intelligence: Bombora
- Pricing: ~$50,000/year
- Ideal for: Large organizations with layered sales ecosystems
- Key strength: Deep market and intent data insights
- Why it matters: Identifies companies actively researching solutions like yours, eliminating wasted prospecting time
- Other options: 6sense, Demandbase
Example use case: An enterprise software company discovers through Bombora that mid-market healthcare providers are suddenly researching compliance automation. Instead of blanketing the entire industry, reps can target a specific niche right when interest spikes.
Sales Engagement & CRM Platforms
If enterprise intelligence tools are your radar, this category is the ship itself—the everyday operating system for sales teams. It includes CRMs (like HubSpot) that manage customer data, and sales engagement platforms (like Outreach and SalesLoft) that sit on top of CRMs to orchestrate daily outreach, manage pipelines, and ensure nothing slips through the cracks.
These platforms are where most sales teams spend their day-to-day time. They help manage customer relationships, coordinate outreach, and keep the revenue process moving.
Best for All-in-One Simplicity: HubSpot
- Pricing: Free starter tier; paid plans from ~$50/month to enterprise-level
- Ideal for: Teams that want a unified CRM, marketing, and sales platform
- Key strength: Seamless integration across marketing, sales, and service
- Why it matters: Replaces multiple tools with one ecosystem that’s easy to use and scale
- Other options: Zoho CRM, Pipedrive
Best for Prospecting at Scale: Apollo
- Pricing: Free plan available; paid plans from ~$39/user/month
- Ideal for: Outbound-heavy teams building large pipelines
- Key strength: Extensive contact and company database with advanced filters
- Why it matters: Provides millions of verified leads with built-in engagement tools in one place
- Other options: ZoomInfo, Lusha
Best for Scalable Outreach: Outreach.io
- Pricing: Custom pricing, typically from ~$100/user/month
- Ideal for: Mid-market and enterprise teams running structured outreach
- Key strength: Workflow automation with AI-driven timing and channel recommendations
- Why it matters: Saves hours on follow-up while guiding reps on the next best action
- Other options: Salesloft, Groove
Best for Advanced Engagement: SalesLoft
- Pricing: Custom pricing, usually ~$75–$125/user/month
- Ideal for: Mid-market and enterprise teams with enablement or sales ops support
- Key strength: Multichannel engagement plus analytics and coaching tools
- Why it matters: Equips leaders to coach on engagement quality, not just activity volume
- Other options: Outreach.io, Groove
Example use case: A mid-market SaaS company uses Outreach.io to automate follow-ups after demos. Instead of manually setting reminders, reps get nudged with AI-driven suggestions on when to re-engage and in which channel.
Entry-Level Outreach Tools
Not every team needs enterprise-scale radar or a full operating system. For startups and small businesses, entry-level tools are like speedboats: lightweight, fast, and easy to maneuver.
They focus on simple automation and personalization so lean teams can scale outreach without losing the human touch. These tools are ideal for companies dipping their toes into structured sales for the first time.
Best for Small Business: Lemlist
- Pricing: $99/month
- Ideal for: Startups and small teams ready to scale outreach
- Key strength: Personalized email sequencing with images and video
- Why it matters: Helps lean teams automate outreach without sounding robotic
- Other options: Mailshake, Woodpecker
Example use case: A five-person startup uses Lemlist to send cold emails with personalized images. Instead of blending into inbox clutter, their messages land with a human touch that earns higher reply rates.
How to Choose: A 5-Point Checklist
Picking a sales enablement platform can feel like walking through a crowded expo hall—flashy booths everywhere, each promising to be “the one.” The reality is that not every platform will be a fit for your team. Here’s how to cut through the noise:
1. Usability: If reps won’t use it, nothing else matters
Adoption depends on intuitive design and low barriers to entry.
What to look for:
- Smooth onboarding processes with clear, step-by-step guidance
- Interfaces that feel intuitive to first-time users
- Mobile-friendly design so reps can work on the go
- Training cycles measured in hours, not weeks
2. Intelligent Functionality: More co-pilot, less filing cabinet
Good platforms don’t just store content, they help reps sell smarter.
What to look for:
- AI-driven coaching that flags objection handling or deal risks
- Content recommendations based on buyer stage or industry
- Automated workflows that handle repetitive tasks
- Conversation intelligence that identifies patterns beyond transcripts
3. Integration: Your stack should play like an orchestra, not a garage band
Disconnected tools create friction. A strong enablement platform plugs seamlessly into the systems you already use.
What to look for:
- Native integrations with CRMs like Salesforce, HubSpot, or Dynamics
- Compatibility with marketing automation platforms
- APIs or open architecture for custom connections
- Bi-directional syncing so data flows both ways
4. Security & Compliance: Protect your revenue data like the crown jewels
Sales data contains buying intent, deal sizes, and strategic insights. A single breach can erode trust overnight.
What to look for:
- Compliance with key regulations (GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, industry-specific)
- Secure data transfer and storage (encryption, SOC 2 certification)
- Role-based access controls so users only see what they should
- Scalability as your data volume grows
5. Analytics: You can’t improve what you don’t measure
The ability to see what’s working—and what isn’t—turns a tool from nice-to-have into mission-critical.
What to look for:
- Real-time dashboards that track engagement, win rates, and pipeline velocity
- Customizable reports tied to your KPIs
- Benchmarking against industry averages
- Predictive analytics that forecast deal health or rep performance
Putting It All Together
Sales enablement tools aren’t just shiny add-ons. They’re the maps, compasses, and gear your sales crew needs to navigate today’s market. They help you reel in qualified leads, coach smarter, and grow revenue faster, all while keeping morale high.
Your competitors are already investing. The smart move is to find the right fit for your team and start reaping the benefits. If you’d rather shortcut the process and have us help you get it up and running, let’s talk.
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