How CROs Harness Sales Enablement to Drive Consistent, Scalable Wins

Imagine you’re a Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) staring down a daunting reality: you need to deliver more growth with fewer resources in a market that feels like it’s throwing curveballs daily. Your sales team is leaner than ever, your tech stack is bursting at the seams, and buyer behavior is harder to predict than the weather. Sound familiar? You’re not alone. The pressure is real, but so is the opportunity to turn sales enablement into your secret weapon for repeatable, scalable success.

In today’s B2B landscape, enablement isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a strategic lever that can transform your revenue engine. According to Deloitte Digital, 72% of B2B CROs are doubling down on learning and enablement investments this year, but many admit their programs feel too rigid, disconnected from business goals, or tough to scale. The good news? The organizations crushing it aren’t just running more training sessions—they’re building systems that turn learning into action, driving consistent wins across teams and regions.

In this article, we’ll dive into how forward-thinking CROs are using sales enablement to bridge the gap between strategy and execution, overcome common challenges, and create a performance-driven culture that delivers results. Whether you’re managing a global salesforce or a lean startup team, these insights will help you unlock the full potential of enablement.

Why Sales Enablement is a CRO’s Ultimate Growth Lever

As a CRO, you’re tasked with steering the ship through choppy waters. Shrinking budgets, unpredictable buyer journeys, and misaligned teams can make growth feel like an uphill battle. But here’s the truth: enablement isn’t just about training—it’s about empowering your team to execute with precision and confidence.

At OSConf 2023, revenue leaders echoed a powerful message: enablement is no longer a back-office function. It’s a core driver of growth. The best teams aren’t wasting time on generic training programs or endless certifications. Instead, they’re building adaptive, data-driven systems that align enablement with real-world execution. These systems don’t just teach—they transform how reps sell, how managers coach, and how teams hit their numbers.

The payoff? Shorter ramp times, better forecast accuracy, and consistent performance across regions. But getting there requires a mindset shift: enablement must be practical, embedded in daily workflows, and laser-focused on measurable outcomes.

The Disconnect: Sellers Think They’re Winning, But Managers Disagree

Let’s talk about a challenge that keeps CROs up at night: the gap between how sellers think they’re performing and what’s actually happening. According to Salesloft’s 2025 Skill Gaps Survey, the numbers tell a stark story:

• 85% of reps believe they’re crushing it at prospecting.
• 83% of reps say they’re pros at engaging executives.
• But only 48% of managers trust their reps to run deals independently.
• 56% of managers report that reps routinely miss deal risks that cause stalls.

This misalignment is more than a confidence problem—it’s a performance problem. Add to that:

• 40% of sellers regularly deviate from the defined sales process.
• Only 20% of managers believe deals follow a repeatable framework.
• Just 6% of sellers use AI to prioritize tasks, with most relying on gut instinct instead of data-driven buying signals.

These gaps point to a deeper issue: reps are unsure what to focus on, managers struggle to coach at scale, and teams lack the tools to operationalize best practices. The result? Missed opportunities, stalled deals, and a revenue engine that’s running at half-speed.

“The biggest barrier to repeatable revenue is misalignment. Reps don’t know what to prioritize, managers can’t coach effectively, and best practices stay stuck in slide decks.”
— Joel Fleet, Director of Field Readiness at Salesloft

From Training Tracker to Performance Engine: Redefining Enablement

Too many enablement programs focus on the wrong things: course completions, quiz scores, or certifications. But as a CRO, you don’t care about how many modules your team checked off—you care about progress. Are reps applying what they’ve learned? Are deals moving faster? Is your pipeline healthier?

Here’s how top-performing organizations rethink enablement:

• Focus on behavior, not participation. Training is only valuable if it changes how reps sell. Track adoption rates, pipeline velocity, and rep confidence instead of completion metrics.
• Embed enablement in workflows. Enablement shouldn’t live in a learning management system (LMS)—it should be part of your reps’ daily tools, like CRM or conversation platforms.
• Measure what matters. Ask: What behaviors are we trying to drive? Are reps applying new skills? How is this impacting revenue?

“We think of enablement like a pit crew. We’re on the track with the team, tuning the machine in real time to help them win. No spectators.”
— Joel Fleet, Director of Field Readiness at Salesloft

This approach turns enablement into a performance engine, not a checkbox exercise. It’s about delivering practical, actionable support that helps reps close deals faster and managers coach smarter.

Three Proven Strategies CROs Use to Scale Enablement Success

Ready to make enablement your growth superpower? Here are three moves top CROs are making to drive repeatable wins:

1. Measure What Matters: Behavior, Not Just Participation

You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Too many enablement programs lean on vanity metrics like attendance or quiz scores, but those don’t tell you if your team is actually performing better. Instead, focus on metrics that tie directly to business outcomes.

For example, after launching a new sales narrative or onboarding program, track:

• Adoption in conversations: Are reps using the new messaging in their calls and emails?
• Pipeline velocity: Are deals moving faster through the funnel?
• Rep confidence: Do reps and managers feel more equipped to handle objections or complex deals?

One innovative approach is incorporating product readiness into your metrics. For instance, when rolling out a new product roadmap, have reps practice delivering the pitch, then use AI to evaluate their performance against key criteria. This ensures training translates into real-world execution.

Pro Tip: Watch the Sales Leaders: Find the Patterns to Success webinar to learn how top teams measure enablement impact beyond activity metrics.

Here’s a framework to get you started:

• Ramp attainment: Aim for reps to close their first deal within 90 days—what we call the “4-minute mile.”
• Confidence scores: Ask reps and managers to “show, not tell” their readiness.
• Behavioral adoption: Use tools like Salesloft Conversations to track how reps apply training in real interactions.
• Funnel conversion improvements: Focus on proactive deal management that guides buyers forward.
• Feedback loops: Create a “radio” between reps and enablement, using qualitative feedback to refine programs.

2. Balance Global Consistency with Local Flexibility

Scaling enablement across regions is tricky. Rigid, one-size-fits-all programs often fail to account for local buyer preferences, while a free-for-all approach creates chaos. The solution? A “think global, act local” model.

Consider creating Cadence Centers of Excellence that:

• Define global standards for cadences, messaging, and processes.
• Empower regional teams to adapt for local buyer maturity, language, and competitive landscapes.

This approach drives faster onboarding, consistent benchmarks, and regional autonomy—critical for multiregional sales orgs. To bring it to life, consider enablement roadshows: in-person sessions where reps apply training to real pipeline opportunities. These aren’t lecture halls—they’re action-oriented workshops where reps generate leads and move deals forward in real time.

“Our roadshows aren’t about sitting through slides. Reps work side by side, applying what they’ve learned to real deals. It’s enablement in action.”
— Salesloft Enablement Team

3. Embed Enablement Where the Work Happens

Enablement isn’t a standalone function—it needs to live where your team does their work. That means integrating it into your CRM, conversation platforms, and daily workflows. Here’s how:

• Embed qualification frameworks into opportunity management to guide reps through every stage.
• Leverage AI to prioritize tasks, personalize outreach, and surface deal risks from live calls and funnel data.
• Partner with frontline sales and RevOps to adjust enablement in real time based on pipeline needs.

This integrated approach aligns enablement with the Growth Trifecta: the CRO, CFO, and RevOps team. Together, they ensure enablement drives forecast accuracy, pipeline health, and revenue goals. By embedding enablement in your tech stack, you eliminate the gap between learning and doing.

Overcoming Resistance Without Sacrificing Selling Time

Let’s be real: getting buy-in for enablement isn’t always easy. Managers worry about pulling reps away from selling, especially when pipeline targets are looming. To overcome this, enablement must be low-friction and high-impact. Here’s how to make it happen:

• Minimize classroom time: Deliver most training asynchronously, reserving live sessions for hands-on practice and collaboration.
• Break content into bite-sized chunks: Roll out initiatives in phases to avoid overwhelming reps and improve retention.
• Ruthlessly prioritize: Only pursue initiatives tied to revenue goals or critical performance gaps.

To keep everyone aligned, close the loop with:

• Regular business metric reviews: Show reps how their work impacts the bottom line.
• A mix of digital and in-person enablement: Balance learning with real-world application.
• Presence in forecast calls and segment meetings: Ensure enablement stays tied to active revenue priorities.
• Post-rollout feedback surveys: Gather insights from the field to refine programs.

This creates a flywheel effect: the more reps adopt new behaviors, the faster you can refine your approach, and the greater the ROI.

Final Thought: Enablement is Your Revenue Infrastructure

If you’re a CRO, sales enablement isn’t a support function—it’s the backbone of your revenue strategy. When done right, it:

• Shortens ramp time for new hires.
• Improves forecast accuracy by aligning teams on best practices.
• Scales winning behaviors across regions and segments.
• Drives consistent revenue performance even in tough markets.

To make this a reality, invest in:

• Flexible, role-based programs that adapt to your team’s needs.
• Embedded workflows with real-time coaching and AI-driven insights.
• Measurement systems that track behavior and business outcomes, not just activity.

Ready to turn enablement into your growth engine? Explore Salesloft’s enablement solutions to see how we help CROs build scalable, repeatable success. Or, dive deeper with our Sales Leaders: Find the Patterns to Success webinar to learn from top revenue leaders driving real results.

Don’t let misaligned teams or outdated training hold you back. Schedule a demo today to see how Salesloft can transform your enablement strategy into a revenue powerhouse.