If you’ve ever watched a salesperson fumble through folders or email threads trying to find the “right” deck, you know content chaos isn’t just annoying—it kills deals. If your team uses Clearslide but still wastes time hunting for collateral, it’s probably not their fault. The default setup just isn’t built for your team’s quirks and real-world needs.
This guide is for sales leaders, enablement folks, or admins who want to make Clearslide’s content libraries actually useful. No fluff, no magic-bullet promises—just practical steps to get your salespeople what they need, when they need it.
1. Know What (and Who) You’re Customizing For
Before you start dragging files around, get clear on what your team actually uses—and ignores.
- Talk to a few reps. Ask what content they use most, what’s missing, and what’s a pain to find.
- Check the analytics. Clearslide tracks usage. If a deck’s been opened twice in a year, it’s dead weight.
- Map the sales process. Think: what does a rep need for prospecting, demos, proposals, and follow-ups? Build your library around these real steps—not around marketing’s file taxonomy.
Pro tip: If you skip this and just upload everything, you’ll have a “content graveyard.” Reps will keep using whatever’s on their desktop, and your library will become another ignored tool.
2. Set Up Libraries with Your Sales Process in Mind
Clearslide calls them “Libraries,” but think of these as your team’s main content buckets. Don’t copy your company’s internal folder structure unless you love confusion.
Typical buckets that work: - Prospecting (cold emails, call scripts, intro decks) - Discovery (question lists, industry briefs) - Demo (product decks, videos, one-pagers) - Proposals (pricing sheets, SOW templates) - Customer Stories (case studies, testimonials) - Objection Handling (FAQ, battlecards)
How to Do It: 1. Go to the “Content” tab, then “Libraries.” 2. Create a new Library for each main sales stage or use-case. 3. Name them in plain English—“Demo Decks” beats “Q2 Enablement Material.”
What to skip: Don’t make a Library for every product feature or region unless you have tons of content and distinct teams. Over-nesting = nobody finds anything.
3. Organize Folders and Tags (But Don’t Go Overboard)
Inside each Library, use folders for big categories (e.g., “Case Studies” by industry). But don’t make folks click through 6 layers to find a PDF.
- Folders: 1–2 levels max. If you’re tempted to go deeper, consider tags.
- Tags: Use for things like vertical, product line, deal size, or persona. Tags are for searching; folders are for browsing.
- Keep naming obvious. “Retail Case Study” beats “CS_RTL_Q1.”
Setting up tags in Clearslide: - You can add tags to any content item from the upload or edit screen. - Make a list of standard tags and share it. Otherwise, you’ll end up with “healthcare,” “health-care,” and “HC” all meaning the same thing.
Pitfall to avoid: Don’t let everyone invent their own tags. Stick to a short, shared list and update it quarterly.
4. Upload and Curate Content (Don’t Dump Everything)
Here’s where most teams mess up: they upload every version of every deck, ever. Don’t do it.
- Start with what’s current and proven. If a piece hasn’t been used in 6 months and no one misses it, leave it out for now.
- Limit versions. Only upload the latest version unless there’s a real reason to keep old ones.
- Add a description. Use Clearslide’s description fields to explain when and how to use each piece. Saves a dozen “Is this the latest?” emails.
- Set permissions. Not every rep needs everything. Restrict access if there’s confidential or “work in progress” content.
Pro tip: Schedule a quarterly content clean-up. If you don’t, your fresh new library will look like your old shared drive by next summer.
5. Make It Searchable (and Train Your Team)
Even with perfect folders, most reps will just use search. Help them find stuff fast:
- Use keywords in titles and tags. Think like a rep: “pricing sheet” not “2024-Q2-Final-v2.”
- Highlight “must use” content. Pin or feature the best stuff at the top of each Library.
- Show how to search and filter. Run a 10-minute screen share at your next sales meeting. Realistically, most people won’t figure this out on their own.
What doesn’t work: Hoping people will “just explore.” They won’t. If it’s not front-and-center, it’s invisible.
6. Connect Content to Real Sales Activities
Clearslide lets you link content directly into email templates, meeting flows, and pitch rooms. Use this.
- Embed content in templates. Set up standard email templates or meeting flows that pull directly from your Libraries.
- Encourage sharing from Clearslide. When reps send a deck via Clearslide, you get tracking (who viewed, how long, etc.). If they download and email as an attachment, you lose this—and can’t see what works.
- Train on “why.” Show reps how sharing from Clearslide helps them see what prospects care about—so they can prioritize follow-up.
Honest take: Some reps will grumble. But once they see which prospects actually open their decks, most get on board.
7. Measure and Adjust (Don’t “Set and Forget”)
This is where you make all the work pay off. Clearslide gives you data—use it.
- Check usage reports monthly. Which content gets used, and by whom? Kill off anything collecting dust.
- Watch for workarounds. If reps are still asking marketing for files or using old decks, your setup isn’t working—ask why.
- Get feedback, not just data. Every quarter, ask a few reps what’s missing or hard to find.
- Iterate. Update tags, rename folders, archive outdated content. Don’t be precious about your structure—it’s there to serve the team, not the other way around.
Skip: Complicated dashboards that nobody reads. Focus on a couple of key metrics: what’s used, and what leads to deals.
8. What to Ignore (And What Not to Overthink)
- Don’t obsess over “perfect” folder structures. There’s no such thing. Good enough and easy to use beats “comprehensive.”
- Skip the fancy naming conventions. If a new rep can’t figure it out in 30 seconds, it’s too complicated.
- Don’t upload everything “just in case.” If it’s not useful today, leave it out. You can always add more later.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Review Often
You don’t need a consultant or a six-month project plan to make Clearslide content libraries work for your sales team. Instead, focus on:
- Building around how your team actually sells
- Keeping the structure dead simple
- Regularly culling and updating content
Remember, the best content library is the one reps actually use. Start small, keep it tidy, and don’t be afraid to tweak as you go. The goal isn’t to have “everything”—just what your team needs, when they need it. That’s how you turn Clearslide from just another tool into something that actually helps close deals.