What if the key to unlocking your sales team’s full potential wasn’t just better training or a shiny new tool, but mastering the art of ROI modeling?

When I first joined SpyCloud, I certainly didn’t think ROI would be my big challenge. I walked in excited, eager to take on my new role as the company’s first enablement hire, and then... bam – I was handed the responsibility of an ROI program I had never owned before. 

Suddenly, I was tasked with a complex, highly technical process that was critical to our CRO’s promise of accelerating sales growth.

But here’s what I’ve discovered: ROI modeling isn’t just about crunching numbers. It’s about giving your sales team the tools and strategies they need to create real value for the customer. And when you get it right, it becomes a game-changer for both your sales and enablement programs.

In this article, I’m going to share my journey of taking ownership of ROI, why it’s so vital for sales enablement, and how you can start (or improve) your own ROI modeling program. If I can do it – starting from scratch with no formal ROI background – so can you. 

Let’s dive in!

Where most teams start with ROI (and why it feels messy)

Let’s talk about where most sales enablement teams begin when it comes to ROI programs. In my experience, it typically falls into one of three categories:

  1. No formal ROI program. This is where what I call “napkin math” lives – maybe there’s a spreadsheet or some scattered notes about how ROI is calculated, but nothing formal.
  2. Someone else owns it. It might be in product, product marketing, or even finance. But when ROI doesn’t live within enablement, it can feel disconnected from the sales process. The results can be inconsistent, and it might be tough to align ROI with the way sales actually works.
  3. We have ROI, but reps resist it. It’s built into the process, but the reps aren’t engaged. It’s a lot of work, there’s math involved, and because it’s not seen as part of the sales process, engagement is low. The result? Inconsistent results and often, low adoption.

No matter which category you fall into, know this: you’re not alone, and it’s totally fixable. 

This Sales Enablement Team Structure Maximizes ROI
Chris Grebowiec, Global Head of Sales Productivity & Enablement at Square US, explains how to structure your enablement team for maximum impact and ROI
Sales Enablement CollectiveChris Grebowiec

My crash course in ROI ownership

I’ll be honest with you, when I walked into SpyCloud, I was handed a shiny new ROI program that had already been started by the CRO. They had picked a vendor, begun the process, and told the board that this was going to accelerate sales that year. As you can imagine, the pressure was on.

Now, I’ve worked with spreadsheets before, but nothing like this. This was next-level stuff. Fortunately, I had an incredible partner in the Xfactor.io team, who guided me through the process. I learned fast. We built out solution-specific models, developed assets that the sales team could use, and created everything from simple teasers to full-on board-level proposals. 

The result was that our sales reps were armed with a robust set of materials that helped them make compelling business cases to potential customers.

The key takeaway here? I didn’t do it alone. Collaboration is critical. You don’t need to be a spreadsheet wizard to lead ROI modeling – what you need is a good team that can help you build the infrastructure and assets. 

If you take nothing else from this, let it be this: partnership and teamwork make this process a whole lot easier.

Enablement charters as a stakeholder management and ROI demonstration tool
Tired of a seemingly unending list of to-dos for your stakeholders? Feeling like your programs aren’t getting the credit they deserve? Unsure of how to say “no” to requests, or make “strategic yes” agreements? Then boy howdy, let’s talk about charters, and how they impact your team’s
Sales Enablement CollectiveBrooke Bachesta