Arrow left
Back to Blog Overview
Digital Sales Rooms

Digital Sales Room Best Practices: The emlen Guide to Driving Sales Success

Has your second, third, or even twentieth deal slipped through your fingers? Your team’s scrambling to move prospects through the pipeline, but nothing’s sticking.

Chances are, your buyer engagement is suffering. They’re either drowning in information overload or left guessing because you’ve given them too little. It's time to refine your strategy with emlen’s digital sales room best practices.

In less than 12 minutes, you’ll learn what works and what doesn’t so you can close deals faster. We’ve done all the hard work so you can tackle setup headaches, personalize your buyer’s journey, and make sure your team—and your customers—actually use the DSR.

We'll start by talking about the blockers that many businesses have when introducing and setting up a DSR solution.

Head of Customer Success
12
min read
Oct 23, 2024

Common challenges when setting up a digital sales room

You may have looked at some of the top digital sales room software options, but something’s still holding you back. Setting up a DSR isn’t as simple as flipping a switch—it comes with real challenges.

The good news? Once you know what to watch out for, those challenges become opportunities to get ahead of your competition. Here are some of the most common mistakes we’ve seen teams make…

Not providing enough support or targeted onboarding

No business wants to dive into a new tool without a roadmap. When there’s no clear onboarding process or support, things can quickly go off the rails. A structured onboarding makes all the difference. Your teams need step-by-step guidance, not just for setup but for long-term success.

💡Our pro tip: Always choose a digital sales room solution that offers in-depth onboarding. You’ll thank yourself later when everyone’s on the same page from day one.

Random acts of content

You’ve got the content, but are your buyers even paying attention? Without the proper setup, buyers might tune out before they even get started. Your DSR needs to be more than just a content dump—it should guide prospects through their journey in a way that pulls them in and keeps them hooked.

Failing to get internal buy-in

You’ve implemented your shiny new digital sales room tool, but your sales professionals and marketers don’t see the point. And now, it’s sitting around gathering dust. The “just another tool” syndrome is real, and it’s up to you to involve your teams early and show how the DSR benefits everyone. 

Overloading buyers with content

More isn’t always better. When your DSR is overloaded with too much content, or if it’s poorly organized, it’s like handing your buyer a messy briefcase. Instead of impressing them, you’ll end up overwhelming them.

The fix? Streamlined, relevant content that’s easy to navigate and supports a structured sales process for both your sales reps and buyers.

Not measuring success

How do you know if your DSR is doing its job throughout the deal cycle? Without the right metrics, it’s hard to prove value. From tracking engagement to understanding content performance, having a way to measure success is critical to justifying the investment and refining your approach.

Best practices to ensure success and adoption of your digital sales room

Taking on digital sales room software for your company is an investment. To make sure you see a return on that investment, you have to get both your teams and customers using it regularly. Here are our best practices to ensure the seamless adoption and success of your DSR.

Best practices overview

Before we get more specific, let’s go over the core best practices to ensure DSR success. These foundational strategies will guide everything your sales team does within your digital sales room:

1. Personalize at every stage

Tailor content to where your buyer is in their journey. The more relevant the content, the stronger the engagement.

2. Keep your calls-to-action clear

Each piece of content or sales collateral should lead your buyer to the next step—whether it’s booking a demo or sharing with other stakeholders.

3. Stay organized and focused

A cluttered DSR overwhelms buyers. Deliver only what’s necessary and easy to navigate for each contact.

4. Leverage data for optimization

Use engagement metrics like visit rate and view duration to continuously refine your content strategy.

Now, let’s dig much deeper. We’ve split up these best practices into the buyer journey stages so you know exactly when to use the strategies.

Early-stage digital sales rooms

At this stage, you’re just starting to build the relationship. Prospects have shown interest, but they’re still figuring out their problem and potential solutions. Your goal here is to keep things simple, pique their interest, and lay the groundwork for the next steps.

Example of an emlen early stage digital sales room
Example of an emlen early-stage digital sales room

Content to include

Keep it light but relevant. Consider adding a welcome video and a one-pager summarizing the problem and how you can solve it. Don’t overdo it! At this point, you only need 3-5 pieces of content max. Be sure to guide them toward the next action or step, like booking a demo.

Stakeholder expectation management

You’re probably only working with one or two people at this stage–your initial contacts. Your messaging should be clear and focused on what’s most important to them. 

💡 Our pro tip: You’re trying to create curiosity at this stage. Use teaser content to highlight the problem and hint at the solution. Your prospects should be excited to learn more without being overwhelmed by details.

Mid-stage digital sales rooms

Now that your prospect is (hopefully) engaged, it’s time to give them more personalized, relevant content that helps build their business case. You’re moving from general marketing content to more specific sales assets.

Example of an emlen mid-stage digital sales room

Your digital sales rooms are part of your sales tools and can make a significant difference in building a solid business case.

Content to include

Focus on:

  • Personal videos
  • Your breakdown of the discovery call findings
  • Use case/persona-specific content

You’re helping them build their business case internally by giving them the tools they need to justify their decision. 

DSR structure

At this point, you can include 7-12 content assets, but keep each piece short and to the point. Transition smoothly from marketing content to sales materials that push the buyer closer to decision-making. 

💡 Our pro tip: Use strong CTAs like starting a chat or booking a follow-up meeting. Prospects at this stage are looking for actionable steps, so don’t make it difficult for them.

Late-stage digital sales rooms

Your buyers should now be deep into the decision-making process. It’s your time to address any remaining concerns and seal the deal. 

Example of an emlen late-stage digital sales room

Content to include

This is where you need to start sharing the following:

  • Commercial documents
  • Contracts
  • Business cases
  • Legal information

Address any final roadblocks, like implementation concerns or terms negotiations. Each stakeholder–whether the decision maker, legal, or end user–should have content specifically tailored to their needs.

Go big on content personalization

The more tailored and relevant the content, the better. Buyer-centric messaging will show your understanding of their specific requirements. 

💡Our pro tip: Late-stage buyers are close to making a decision. Your job is to give them the right information at the right time to help you get there faster with a positive outcome. 

Indicators of a successful digital sales room

Setting up a DSR is just the beginning–you need to measure its performance so you’ll know if it’s actually driving results. 

Successful sales teams track these metrics to gauge effectiveness:

1. Visit rate

One of the clearest indicators of success is the number of times your prospects visit the DSR. A high visit rate shows that buyers are engaged and interested in the content you’re providing. 

☑️ Good to know: If this number is low, it could mean that your initial outreach isn’t compelling enough or that the content within the DSR isn’t resonating with your audience.

2. Total view duration

How much time are buyers spending in the DSR? This metric gives you an overall picture of how engaged your prospects are with the content. The longer they spend interacting with your content, the more invested they’re likely to be.

☑️ Good to know: If the total view duration is low, it’s time to reassess whether the content is relevant or engaging enough to hold their attention.

3. View duration per content asset

Not all content is created equal. By tracking the view duration per content asset, you can see which pieces are making the biggest impact. Are prospects fully reviewing your case studies, or are they skipping over them? 

☑️ Good to know: This metric helps you refine your content strategy by showing you what’s working—and what’s not—on a granular level.

4. Total visits per contact

Another important metric is how many times each individual contact visits the DSR. This gives you insight into how deeply engaged a prospect is. 

☑️ Good to know: A higher number of visits per contact often indicates that they’re revisiting vital pieces of content, showing ongoing interest, and moving closer to a decision.

5. Number of buyer-sent invitations

When prospects start inviting other stakeholders to the DSR, you know they’re serious. This metric reflects how much internal sharing is happening within the buying center. 

☑️ Good to know: If a buyer invites colleagues from different departments—legal, InfoSec, finance—it’s a strong signal that they’re moving toward a final decision and need input from the wider team.

Let’s recap:

What’s next for you? These metrics help you understand the DSR’s performance, so use the insights to adjust your approach to improve engagement.

Be sure to continuously monitor and fine-tune until everything falls into place. 

But what happens if the data indicates that the impact you were hoping for is going in a totally different direction? Here are our fixes for when everything around your digital sales rooms goes silent.

How to improve your digital sales room performance

You’ve been faithfully monitoring and adjusting, but you’re still not getting the engagement, and your sales cycle is dragging. Here are our tips on fine-tuning your digital sales rooms for peak performance and wins.

Improving the visit rate

To boost the visit rate, focus on your outreach and the way you introduce your DSR. Your messaging should make it clear that the DSR is a valuable resource, not just another link to click on.

--> Compelling CTA

Use strong calls to action that clearly communicate the next step. Prospects should feel motivated to visit the DSR, knowing they’ll find valuable content inside.

--> Time commitment

Some buyers may hesitate because they think exploring the DSR will take too long. Keep your messaging concise and frame the DSR as a quick and easy resource.

--> Create incentives

Provide a compelling reason to visit, such as offering exclusive content (like ROI calculators or personalized business cases) they can’t get elsewhere.

Increasing total view duration

Once prospects enter the DSR, your goal should be to keep them there to engage with the content. 

Here’s how to make sure they’re spending more time in your DSR:

--> Build relevancy

Add new content based on recent conversations or touchpoints, ensuring that what they see is directly related to their priorities.

--> Avoid content overload

More content doesn’t equal longer view time. Make sure the content you include is focused, targeted, and relevant to the buyer’s specific needs.

Boosting view duration per content asset

This metric is all about making sure each piece of content resonates and holds the buyer’s attention:

--> Attention-grabbing openings

Ensure that every content asset, whether it’s a video or document, starts strong. Buyers decide quickly whether to keep reading or watching.

--> Break content into digestible sections

Use bullet points, short paragraphs, and visual elements to make it easy for buyers to consume content without feeling overwhelmed.

Increasing total visits per contact

To encourage buyers to return to the DSR multiple times, focus on maintaining engagement throughout the sales cycle:

--> Regular updates

Keep your DSR fresh by adding new content after important touchpoints, such as meetings or follow-ups.

--> Deep dives for key stakeholders

Provide specialized content for your most important contacts, giving them a reason to revisit the DSR for more in-depth insights tailored to their role.

Encouraging invitations by the buyer

A key indicator of serious interest is when buyers start inviting other stakeholders to the DSR. Here’s how to encourage this internal collaboration:

--> Promote early collaboration

Use the DSR to proactively involve decision-makers from the beginning. Include role-specific content for different stakeholders, like legal, finance, or InfoSec, to make it easy for your initial contact to share.

--> Personal touches

A personalized welcome video or message can help build rapport and encourage your contact to bring other stakeholders into the process.

When you focus on these strategies, you’ll ensure your digital sales room isn’t just gathering dust but an active tool that drives engagement and moves buyers through their journey. 

Over to you: Time for you to level up your digital sales room!

In less than 12 minutes, you’ve gone through the information you need to set up your DSR for success. We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: It’s all about keeping things simple, focused, and tailored to your prospects

Now, you’re ready to dust off that digital sales room tool and turn it into a success machine that works for both your team and buyers. But we won’t leave you hanging. If you’re still unsure about how to execute your strategy, be sure to reach out! We’d love to help you on your DSR journey. 

If you’re ready, chat with us today so emlen can help prevent your 3rd, 4th, or 21st lost deal.

As emlen's Head of Customer Success, Johannes is dedicated to helping our customers (and theirs) get the best out of our solution.

Subscribe to our blog!

Stay up-to-date with the latest and greatest on buyer enablement.
Subscribe illustration
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Table of contents
Enjoying this article? Share it with the world!

Articles like this