How Dun & Bradstreet boosted course completion by 132%

For over 180 years, Dun & Bradstreet has empowered businesses around the world to make smarter decisions. Through rich insights and comprehensive data, it helps companies reduce risk, uncover opportunity, and drive growth. That same strategic lens shapes how it enables its own teams. When Dun & Bradstreet noticed that reps were struggling to acquire and retain essential knowledge, it knew it was time to modernize its programs. By implementing Highspot’s training capabilities, training engagement has improved—as has the impact of net-new and existing training programs. 

Modernizing a traditional training strategy

Most global organizations will agree: Scale creates enormous opportunity—and an equal amount of complexity. At Dun & Bradstreet, this holds true. With 21 international markets, over 700 reps, and numerous lines of business, the organization is built for growth. But to fully seize this opportunity, it needed a consistent way to build and reinforce essential product knowledge. “The key go-to-market initiatives we’re looking at are to launch new products and to reinforce learning for existing products,” began Ben Keen, UK & Ireland sales enablement at Dun & Bradstreet.

Previously, training followed a traditional format. Classroom sessions were common. Lengthy presentations were the primary means of communicating information. Reinforcement was limited. Over time, inconsistencies began to appear, most notably during efforts to roll out a standardized onboarding program for European reps. “We were trying to implement a Europe-wide sales induction program,” explained Keen. “We had it in pockets, but it hadn’t been consistent.” It wasn’t just reps that struggled. Without a designated training tool, the enablement team lost velocity to time-consuming administrative work. “We’ve had organizational changes in our sales team, and we’ve had to cross-train teams,” added Keen. “In the past, it took weeks or months to even be prepared to do that.”

If Dun & Bradstreet wanted to boost knowledge retention and ensure its teams were ready to sell every product, old and new, it needed to take a new approach. “We’re trying to move away from the traditional ‘get people into a room and bore them to death’ approach and toward tailored training at the time of need,” added Keen. To deliver modern training experiences on sales performance, Dun & Bradstreet partnered with Highspot. 

Scaling and standardizing skill development

Highspot gave Dun & Bradstreet’s enablement team the ability to act with agility. During high-stakes moments, the team could launch new programs in days, not months, and know exactly who was ready to sell. “Within a week, we’ve been able to set up online training for teams and get them certified in new topics, all as a quick reaction to organizational change,” enthused Keen. This new approach has been effective, especially when applied to the European sales induction program. Now, new reps must complete a standardized onboarding program in Highspot. “Being able to put assessments and Learning Paths for our induction into Highspot has made a real difference,” explained Keen. “We’ve managed to create a consistent induction program across Europe. The initial results are really good.” 

The impact has been impressive: Since implementing Highspot’s training capabilities, Dun & Bradstreet has seen an 83% increase in rep participation in training and a 35% improvement in time spent in training. Beyond engagement, the team is now measuring the impact of training on time to effectiveness—something they previously couldn’t. “In the past, we didn’t understand how long it took for a seller to become effective in their role,” shared Keen. “Now, we’re able to measure that and are seeing sellers able to sell within two or three weeks and hitting quota in their first couple of months.” 

This new approach is creating momentum—and the enablement team is only just getting started. Now, they’re making plans to embed personalized, AI-powered skill coaching into training workflows. “We’re most interested in using AI in regards to coaching and feedback for skills,” added Keen. “Being able to assess online training is important. We can’t just feed that all out to sales managers—they don’t have the time, and I can’t do it all myself.” From classroom-only to AI-powered, Dun & Bradstreet has reimagined sales training and, through it, sales performance.

Achieving new growth, scale, and success

At Dun & Bradstreet, Highspot has become a performance partner. With training embedded in reps’ workflows and, soon, AI-powered skill feedback available at every turn, reps have the support they need, the moment they need it. “Highspot gives us the tools to be agile and train when people need it,” shared Keen. “It helps us to be efficient and effective.” Modern training, delivered at the point of need, has changed how reps engage with learning: Rather than an obligation, reps see training as a tool for growth, with course completion increasing by 132%. 

The enablement team’s early successes, particularly the European sales induction program, have laid the foundation for improvements globally. While the organization still faces the challenges of scale, it has the right partner by its side to overcome complexity and seize every opportunity that lies ahead. “If I had to describe Highspot in one word, I would say opportunity,” concluded Keen. “It gives us an opportunity to drive growth, scale what we do, and ultimately, help our sales team be more successful.”