As commercial organisations navigate the remainder of 2026, a central question is dominating boardroom discussions: is sales enablement actually equipping sellers to harness artificial intelligence, or is enablement itself falling behind?
Recent industry benchmarks reveal a widening divide between technology capability and operational readiness. Gartner research highlights that while 89% of revenue organisations have introduced sales technology and AI tools into their workflows, a staggering 80% of enterprise AI initiatives still fall short of delivering their intended business value.
The problem is rarely the technology itself. Instead, it is the pace at which sales enablement functions are updating training, content structures, and cross-functional workflows to support an AI-driven sales environment.
This operational friction echoes a number of the core benchmarks established in the 2026 State of Sales Report, published by The Growth Hub and sponsored by the National Sales Conference:
- The Expansion of Enablement: A formal enablement department was operated by 59% of organisations in 2026, up from 45% the previous year. However, expanding dedicated teams has not automatically resolved execution challenges.
- The Training Disconnect: Whilst 55% of leaders view enablement as “extremely important”, traditional training and onboarding received low reliance scores (1.9 out of 3) and high friction ratings (2.9 out of 5) from front-line reps.
- The Automation vs. Value Reality: AI adoption reached 63% in 2026. Yet, where enablement functions simply layered AI tools on top of outdated processes, performance suffered. AI delivered high value for customer intelligence (6.6 out of 10), but performed poorly when tasked with replacing core human roles like SDRs (2.7 out of 10).
What Will 2027 Bring?
Heading into 2027, sales enablement must evolve from a static repository of training decks and content assets into an active, AI-orchestrated revenue engine. Buyers now conduct extensive independent research online long before engaging with a seller. Consequently, the role of enablement must shift toward helping sellers deliver high-value, tailored commercial conversations at the exact moment of buyer intent.
How are top-performing commercial teams restructuring enablement budgets for next year? Are managers successfully coaching sellers on AI-driven insights? And how are organisations closing the persistent gap between sales execution and marketing alignment?
We Want Your Insight
Whether you manage an enablement team, direct revenue strategy, or rely on sales tools on the commercial front line, your perspective is critical.
By taking part in the 2027 State of Sales Survey, you will help build the UK’s most comprehensive benchmark for sales leadership and commercial execution.
The survey takes under five minutes to complete, and all contributors will receive exclusive early access to the complete 2027 report prior to publication.
