Sales Enablement Statistics: 20 Unbelievable Stats for 2026

Some people swear by sales enablement, others have no clue what to do with it, and a shocking number are just throwing money at it without seeing results.

If sales enablement is done right, it is a game-changer. It streamlines your sales process, makes sure your reps actually sell, and helps businesses close more deals with fewer headaches. The problem? Most companies are doing sales enablement horribly.

So, let’s shine a light on what’s really happening in sales enablement right now with these 20 sales enablement statistics. Buckle up - some of these are wild.

1. Sales Enablement Is Now the Standard

Over 90% of businesses now have a dedicated team or program for sales enablement. This first sales enablement stat is a positive one. Over 90% means everyone and their mother now has a team or program dedicated to streamlining the sales process. THAT'S A GOOD THING.

It also means if you’re not utilizing some kind of sales enablement, you’re behind the times.

2. Buyers Do Their Own Research First

Only about 17% of the buyer's time is spent meeting with a potential supplier (including your competitors), the rest is research and discussions.

By the time your reps get involved, the buyer has already formed an opinion. They’ve read the reviews, checked your pricing, maybe even stalked your company on LinkedIn. If your sales process isn’t set up to handle already-informed buyers, you’re losing deals before they even start.

3. Most Companies Underuse Their Tools

79% of B2B businesses don’t fully utilize their customer success enablement tools.

Translation: companies are spending a ton on fancy software, only to let it collect digital dust. And only 65% of companies are even currently using sales enablement tools. #1 on this list got us hyped up about Enablement programs becoming the norm. But it sounds like tools need to keep up.

Get the tools, the right tools, and use them.

4. Social Media Influences B2B Decisions

More than 70% of decision-makers think that social media is influential in their purchasing decision.  

We've been saying it for years… B2B marketing doesn't need to be boring. Tons of GTM teams are making waves across LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and even Tik Tok.

It’s a good time to look into not only what content you’re creating but also how you’re engaging on your socials. You might think of social media as only influencing B2C customers, but no, your B2B buyers are on socials, too. And they’re watching what you’re doing.

5. Data Is Replacing Intuition

By 2026, 65% of B2B companies will shift to data-driven decision-making, away from “intuition.”

That makes sense, right? Consumers have accepted the fact that we’ve got all their data. We’re listening to their conversations and monitoring their interactions online. We live in a world of Big Data. However, in accepting that, they also expect that data to work for them. Basically, “You know everything about me, so start acting like it.” Build relationships with your customers based on data, not based on your intuition.  

6. Marketing Content Goes to Waste

On average, $2.3 million is lost in unused marketing content each year (per company).

That’s not just money down the drain it’s golden sales material collecting dust. Your marketing team is literally sitting on content that could be closing deals. If only it could be automated.

There's probably tons of blog posts, case studies, product one-pagers, videos, infographics, and more that are just buried in a Google Drive somewhere that is never used. If you want to maximize the value of your content, make it instantly searchable and usable to all of your sales reps with an AI tool like 1up.

7.  Customers Hate Repeating Themselves

A whopping 56% of customers say they spend time repeating and re-explaining information to different representatives.

That means half of consumers are frustrated and annoyed by companies that make them repeat themselves. How bad does the discovery process need to be for that number to be so high?

If ks in the kitchen. A BDR, Account Executive, Solutions Engineer, and Customer Success Manager might not need to be in the account from day 1. It's essential to keep a streamlined sales experience that involves a single representative who builds a relationship with a customer.

8. Experience Matters as Much as the Product

88% of customers say the buying experience is as important as the product.

It’s not just about what you’re selling - it’s about how you sell it. If your sales process is clunky, annoying, or just plain boring, customers will bounce. Period. Your customers want to feel good, they want to believe in your company. They want to feel like they’re part of something when they invest in you. Help them feel that.

9. Reps Struggle to Add Value

More than 58% of stalled deals occur because reps can’t add value.

It may surprise you, but reps don't always understand the problem their product is solving. They don't know why people are buying it, so how are they supposed to sell it?

The bulk of your sales enablement priorities needs to be focused on adding value through the deal cycle. Get your sales reps the knowledge they need with knowledge automation tools and remove the perception that your reps "can't add value."

10. Meetings Still Align Teams

Meetings are still a thing. 77% of companies say regular meetings between marketing and sales teams is their primary strategy for aligning the two. So, if your sales and marketing teams only interact when someone accidentally emails the wrong person, it’s time to schedule a meeting. Like, yesterday.

And the meetings should be aimed at planning how each team could help each other instead of sales complaining about bad leads and marketing throwing slide decks at sales. For example, marketing should be creating content to help sales close deals and sales should be providing feedback on what type of messaging marketing should use.

Siloed teams is almost always worse off then collaborative teams.

11. Email Marketing Pays Off

Email marketing has an ROI of $36 for every $1 spent.

That’s incredible. Like, mind-blowing incredible. If your email game is not on point, it’s time to get it there. An email list feels more intimate, more personal, more like a conversation than social media selling. This is your chance to speak directly to your customer, literally. Get your email marketing game on point.  

12. Most Companies Miss Their Quotas

A remarkable 91% of B2B companies failed to hit their sales quota expectations in 2023. Did you miss your sales quota? You’re not alone.

And remember, failure is a natural part of success. Just make sure you’re failing forward. The great thing about sales enablement tools, when you’re using the right ones in the right way, is they can provide you with insights into where you went wrong.

13. Customers Say No Before They Say Yes

More than 60% of customers refuse the sale four times before they agree to it. Third time's the charm? Try four.

You should always ask yourself: Does your marketing content address pain points? Customer concerns? Do your sales proposals drive home exactly how your products and services meet the needs of your potential customers? These are good questions to ask if you’re part of that 91%.

14. Persistence Closes Deals

It takes five. 80% of closed deals require at least 5 follow-up calls.

Yep. It’s the fifth call that does it (on average). And each of those four calls leaving up to the fifth has to present your product or service in a new way. Address the pain points in different ways. Sell the benefits in new ways. Ask yourself if your sales reps are doing that.

15. AI Helps Reps Focus

78% of sales reps say AI helps them focus on the important parts of their jobs. Less time doing mind-numbing work like filling out RFPs and more time closing deals. It’s not about replacing sales reps - it’s about letting them focus on what actually matters.

The best GTM teams are leveraging AI to automate repetitive tasks in sales enablement, freeing up their sales team to do their best work.

16. Reps Barely Have Time to Sell

Only 33% of a sales reps’ time is spent actually selling.So what’s happening the other 67% of the time? Meetings, manual work like responding to customers, filling out questionnaires, updating CRMs, and probably crying in the corner. Stop asking for CRM updates. Get your team some productivity tooling and let them SELL.

17. Buyers Are Asking More Questions

Consumers ask 18 questions during sales calls on average. That’s up from 13 questions just a few years ago. Your salespeople need to be interfacing with customers and ready to answer all those questions. Time to brush up on sales knowledge. How? Build an automated sales knowledge base your team can use to answer customer questions in seconds.

Think 18 questions is bad? Try filling out a 300-row RFP questionnaire.

18. Marketers Forget They're Selling

A staggering 76% of content marketers forget they’re selling.

YES, there's misalignment between sales and marketing. This stat is a clear indication of it. Look around you, and you’ll see all kinds of missed marks. Business execs, get your marketing teams and sales teams in the same room, so they can inform each other’s actions.

19. Customers Expect Reps to Know Everything

Unsurprisingly, 70% of customers expect their sales rep to have all the context they need to make the sales.

Your customers want their sales reps to be knowledgeable not just about the products and services they’re selling but also about their pain points. Your sales reps need to know how to sell, and who to sell to, and why.

In fact, 66% of consumers expect companies to understand their needs and expectations before they even have to explain them. That means sales reps can’t afford to be guessing. They need the right information at their fingertips - whether that’s past interactions, industry trends, or the exact challenges their potential buyers are facing.

Customers do not want you to "check back with your team" and they absolutely don't want vague responses. They expect you to know everything about your company, their needs, their industry, and their past interactions with your company.

20. The Right Tools Drive Revenue

YES, 65% of sales teams who use sales enablement tools exceed their revenue goals. For the final sales enablement statistic, we’re going to leave you off with something to be optimistic about.

When you use the right tools, you’ll see more revenue come pouring in. Tools like 1up can automate all of your company’s knowledge so your sales reps can answer your customers’ questions with complete accuracy and at record speed.