Creating powerful, data-rich content is critical for go-to-market teams like sales, customer success, and marketing. However, even the best decks or dashboards won’t move the needle unless the people using them feel confident working with the data. Effective data enablement ensures your teams understand, trust, and confidently present the data, leading to better outcomes and higher adoption rates.

Start Data Enablement Early

Data enablement shouldn’t begin after content is finalized; it needs to start as soon as you decide to create it. This ensures the end users are considered throughout the process. Work closely with GTM team members to understand their skill sets and challenges with data. Remember, most GTM teams are not data analysts their strengths lie elsewhere, and they need content tailored to their level of data fluency.

Be sure to schedule research sessions with your audience. Regularly check in with the people who will be using the content to understand their needs and how they perceive what you’re building. Tools like call recordings can also provide valuable insights into how data might be used in the field.

Key Training Elements

Training is at the heart of data enablement. It’s not about turning GTM team members into data analysts but empowering them to present and discuss data confidently. Key training components include:

• Understanding Key Metrics: Provide a session on what the metrics mean and how they are pulled.
• Talking Through Content: Train teams on how to explain the data clearly and relate it to customer needs.
• Practice and Certification: Conduct practice sessions and offer a certification quiz to solidify their understanding.

Provide Resources

Equip your teams with resources they can refer to as needed:

• Video Walkthroughs: Step-by-step guides for using dashboards or updating slides.
• Talk Tracks: Notes that align visuals with storytelling.
• Glossary and FAQs: Clear definitions of key terms, metrics, and answers to common questions.
• Office Hours: Biweekly sessions for live support and clarification.

Sharing examples of successful presentations and maintaining open communication channels helps reinforce confidence and build excitement.

Mistakes to Avoid

When creating data-rich content, it’s essential to consider these potential pitfalls:

• Overcomplicated Slides: Follow the Rule of 20: Can someone understand the slide in 20 seconds or less without your explanation? If not, simplify it.
• Data Integrity Issues: Ensure internal metrics align with external-facing ones. Discrepancies can undermine your GTM team’s confidence and damage credibility with customers.‍
• Intimidating Dashboards: Too many filters or unclear visuals can overwhelm users. Provide clear guidance on how to use dashboards effectively.

When to Focus on Data Enablement

While ongoing data enablement is ideal, focus on these key milestones:

• Creation: Build resources and gather feedback during the content creation process.
• Launch: Train teams and distribute resources when the content is released.
• Iteration: Update training and resources whenever changes are made to existing content.

By addressing data enablement early and continuously, you can empower your teams to feel confident, informed, and effective when presenting data. This leads to higher adoption rates, better customer interactions, and more impactful outcomes for your organization.

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