How Direct Travel Accelerated Sales Execution with Highspot

Common obstacles stall sales success

Selling travel solutions demands agility. But Direct Travel’s reps were slowed by familiar challenges: scattered content, limited engagement data, and inconsistent coaching. “In any company, there’s always challenges: Reps using old, outdated collateral and struggling to find where those assets are stored because they could be stored in multiple different areas,” began Robin Handley, SVP of sales enablement at Direct Travel. 

Content wasn’t the only challenge reps faced. By sending collateral out via email, reps lacked clear engagement data and were left guessing about when to follow up. “A lot of times, you don’t get full visibility into buyer engagement,” added Handley. “Without that data, reps are using their gut. There’s only a few data points that they have.” Reps struggled to know when to strike, which delayed crucial actions and slowed deal progression. 

But reps weren’t alone in feeling the absence of an enablement tool: The enablement team spent much of their time on coaching, which had become a time-consuming process. “We had really manual ways to coach the sales reps,” continued Handley. “Doing a pitch session without Highspot was so cumbersome. We had to build out the talk track, share that recorded pitch video through email, and then come up with a rubric and try to do all the scoring. It was very labor-intensive.” 

These challenges stalled critical workflows. Soon, the enablement team recognized that they had a problem on their hands. “When you’re leading in enablement, it’s vitally important to ensure that the right content, collateral, training, and coaching is available to enable reps to advance through the sales cycle and win that business,” explained Handley. To move faster and win more, Direct Travel partnered with Highspot. 

New capabilities streamline common GTM workflows

Direct Travel quickly made Highspot a single source of truth. “Having one central hub for sales content is so critical,” explained Handley. “That’s a huge efficiency gain.” Easier access has led to increased content usage by reps, with Direct Travel seeing a 38% increase in content usability. In addition to finding and viewing content, reps can also send it directly to prospects with external sharing capabilities like Digital Rooms. Using Highspot’s native analytics, they can then see how each external share performed with a prospect. “We’re able to see what content is viewed, which is helping us tailor our follow-up and close deals faster,” continued Handley.

But Highspot isn’t just a home for buyer engagement. It’s also the foundation for a new coaching motion. “We’re really excited about the AI features and Meeting Intelligence,” enthused Handley. “Coaching was a very manual process historically. Being able to leverage AI to provide feedback instantly is incredible.” After every sales call, reps and managers can self-serve performance insights. “It shows key competencies,” began Handley. “It’s really helpful for a rep to say: ‘Okay, this was an area where I should have been focusing on objection handling.’” Instant, AI-powered feedback is fueling a new culture of self-led development, rooted in real-world insights. “The other thing I really love is Delivery Insights—there’s pitch variation, pace, and filler words, which is really helpful and gives reps intel on how to improve,” shared Handley.

Beyond coaching, Meeting Intelligence is enabling reps to be more present in their customer calls and efficient in their follow-ups. “We’ve started using the follow-up feature, so you can get a transcript that shows next steps and actions,” added Handley. “It’s a time saver, so reps can focus on the conversation and be active listeners.” With AI-powered insights shaping their workflows, Direct Travel’s reps are newly equipped to take strategic action and drive deals forward.

Unified, AI-powered platform accelerates execution

Direct Travel’s new coaching and buyer engagement initiatives have changed the game. AI-powered coaching, for instance, is equipping reps to show up smarter in every conversation. “Developing individuals through coaching, feedback, and recognition is so critical,” explained Handley. “It’s how we see reps become more confident and collaborative.” And with Digital Rooms, reps can take that confidence to the field. “We’re starting to see Digital Rooms that, in the early stages, are winning business,” enthused Handley. “We’re showing up differently.” 

From the first touch to the last mile of the deal, reps execute more strategically. And with 100% adoption of external sharing capabilities, Direct Travel is starting to see the impact. “Reps have used Digital Rooms for the entire sales process,” added Handley. “It has shortened the sales cycle. They started at discovery using an intro video, then used it all the way to proposal and pricing. And then here we are—we won the business right after.” Direct Travel set out to close workflow gaps and shorten sales cycle time. With 88% recurring usage of Highspot, its enablement team is poised to achieve that and more. “Using Highspot is a dream come true, to be honest,” concluded Handley.