Building a useful sales assets library sounds simple, right? Just dump your decks, PDFs, and case studies somewhere and call it a day. But if you’ve ever wasted twenty minutes hunting for the "latest" one-pager, you know it’s not that easy.
If your team uses Journey to manage sales content, this guide is for you. Whether you’re setting up from scratch or cleaning up a mess, I’ll walk you through what actually works—minus the buzzwords.
1. Start with a Clean Slate (or as Clean as Possible)
Before you get fancy with folders and categories, take a hard look at what you’ve already got. Old, duplicate, or mystery files are dead weight.
- Delete what you don’t need. If no one’s opened that 2017 product demo in a year, it’s probably safe to let it go.
- Ask the team. Sales folks know which assets actually get used. Do a quick poll or just ask in Slack: “What files do you use, and what’s missing?”
- Don’t try to save everything. It’s tempting, but a smaller, focused library is way easier to keep organized.
Pro Tip: If you’re nervous about deleting, move old files to a clearly labeled “Archive” folder for a month. If no one screams, delete them for good.
2. Get Clear on Who Your Library Is For
You’re not building this for yourself—you’re building it so others can find what they need fast. Think about your end users:
- Who uses your sales assets? New reps? Veterans? Channel partners?
- Do they expect things by product, industry, or sales stage?
- How do they search? Do they know the exact file name, or just what it’s for?
Understanding your audience helps you organize in a way that actually makes sense to the people who use it daily.
3. Map Out a Simple, Logical Structure
This is where most teams overthink things. You don’t need a million nested folders; you need a system that’s easy to scan and search.
The Basics
- Limit depth. Stick to 1–2 levels deep. If you’re more than three clicks from the home screen, you’ve gone too far.
- Group by how people work. Usually, that’s by product, use case, industry, or sales stage. Pick the one that fits your team.
Example structures:
- By Product
- Product A
- Product B
-
Product C
-
By Sales Stage
- Awareness
- Consideration
-
Decision
-
By Asset Type
- Decks
- Case Studies
- One-Pagers
- Pricing
Pick a main structure, and stick to it. Don’t mix and match for the sake of “flexibility”—that just leads to confusion.
4. Use Naming Conventions (and Stick to Them)
This is where a little discipline pays off. If every file is “Product Overview_Final_v2,” you’ll go nuts.
- Be descriptive and consistent. Use the same order and terms every time.
- Include date or version if it matters. For example:
ProductA_OnePager_2024-06.pdf - Ban “final” from file names. It’s never actually final. Use dates or version numbers instead.
Example Naming Format
[Product/Industry]_[AssetType]_[OptionalDetails]_YYYY-MM
Good:
Retail_CaseStudy_EnterpriseCustomer_2024-03.pdf
Bad:
final presentation deck use this one.pptx
Print out your naming rules or pin them in your team chat. It’s not glamorous, but it works.
5. Tagging: Use It, But Don’t Go Overboard
Journey has tagging. It’s handy, but don’t treat it like Instagram hashtags.
- Choose a handful of useful tags. Products, industries, asset types, regions.
- Be consistent. “Enterprise” and “enterprise” are not the same tag.
- Don’t tag everything with everything. If you add 10 tags per asset, search gets messy.
Tagging is for surfacing cross-cutting content, not for replacing folders. Use it to help people find stuff their own way.
6. Set Clear Ownership (and Actual Upkeep)
Someone has to own your library. Otherwise, it’ll rot.
- Assign a point person. Make it someone who’ll actually keep things tidy—not just the new intern.
- Set a review schedule. Once a quarter is enough for most teams.
- Make it easy to flag outdated stuff. Add a “request update” button or a Slack channel.
This isn’t glamorous work, but if you skip it, your library turns into a junk drawer. No one wants that.
7. Make It Dead Simple to Find Stuff
The best structure in the world means nothing if people can’t find what they need.
- Test with real users. Ask a few reps to find files. If they struggle, fix it.
- Use Journey’s search features. Make sure your naming and tags play nice with search.
- Keep the homepage uncluttered. Pin the most-used assets up top.
Pro Tip: If you’re getting a lot of “where’s that file?” questions, your setup isn’t working. Adjust.
8. Don’t Over-Engineer Permissions
It’s tempting to lock everything down, but that just slows people down.
- Default to openness. Only restrict files when you genuinely need to (e.g., pricing, contracts).
- Keep permissions simple. One or two groups max—like “Sales” and “Exec.”
- Review access now and then. Especially if your company grows or roles change.
If you spend more time managing permissions than uploading content, something’s gone wrong.
9. Document Your System (Briefly)
You don’t need a novel, but you do need a one-pager that explains:
- Folder structure basics
- Naming conventions
- Tagging rules
- Who to contact for help
Stick this doc in the library itself, and send it to new hires. Most people won’t read it, but those who do will thank you.
10. Keep It Lean, and Iterate
No system is perfect out of the gate. The key is to start simple and tweak as you go.
- Review usage every few months. What’s working? What’s gathering dust?
- Remove or archive unloved assets.
- Ask for feedback. The best ideas come from the folks using your library every day.
Don’t get stuck in “organizing mode” forever. The goal is to make sales easier, not win a filing contest.
The Bottom Line
A good sales assets library in Journey is simple, searchable, and stays out of your team’s way. Don’t let it become a digital landfill. Start lean, clean it up now and then, and make sure it serves the people who actually use it. If you do, you’ll never waste another lunch break hunting for the latest case study—and your sales team will thank you.