Sales enablement teams get asked to “prove impact” all the time, but vague dashboards and endless spreadsheets don’t cut it. If you’re tired of guessing at what’s working, this guide’s for you. We’ll walk through how to use Brainshark’s reporting tools—not just to show activity, but to actually measure if your sales enablement efforts are moving the needle. No fluff, just what you need to know.
Why Brainshark Reporting (and What to Ignore)
Brainshark is known for training and onboarding tools, but its reporting features are what can really tell you if your programs are making a difference. The platform lets you track content usage, learner progress, assessments, and more.
But here’s the thing: not all reports matter. Pageviews and “engagement scores” are easy to pull, but they don’t mean much on their own. What you want is a clear line between your enablement activities and actual sales results. That’s what we’ll focus on.
Step 1: Get Clear on What You’re Measuring
Before you even open Brainshark, ask yourself: What are you trying to improve? Be specific. Here are examples:
- New hire ramp-up time: How long does it take for new reps to hit quota?
- Product knowledge: Are reps actually absorbing training content?
- Content usage: Are sellers using the right materials at the right stages?
- Sales skills: Are reps applying what they learned in role-plays or call reviews?
Pro tip: If your metric doesn’t tie back to a sales outcome, rethink whether it’s worth tracking.
Step 2: Map Enablement Activities to Reports
Match the thing you want to measure to the right Brainshark report. Here’s a cheat sheet:
| Goal | Brainshark Report Type | What to Look For | |------------------------------- |---------------------------------|----------------------------------| | Ramp-up time | Learning Progress, Completion | Time to complete onboarding; assessment scores | | Product knowledge retention | Scorecards, Quiz Results | Quiz averages; pass/fail rates | | Content effectiveness | Content Usage, Presentation Analytics | Views by seller, at which deal stage | | Coaching impact | Video Coaching, Peer Review | Submission scores, reviewer comments |
Don’t get distracted by every chart. Focus on the reports that connect directly to your goals.
Step 3: Use the Right Reports (and Set Them Up Properly)
Here’s how to pull the most useful reports from Brainshark—and what to watch out for.
A. Learning Progress & Completion
Use for: Tracking onboarding, compliance, and ongoing training.
- Go to the “Learning” tab and pick “Enrolled Users” or “Course Progress.”
- Filter by team, region, or custom groups.
- Export completion data and compare it with sales performance (manually, unless you use integrations).
What works: Good for spotting bottlenecks (who’s stuck, who’s ahead).
What doesn’t: Completion ≠ competence. A rep can click through a course and learn nothing. Always pair with assessments.
B. Quiz & Assessment Results
Use for: Checking real knowledge, not just course completion.
- Under the “Reports” section, select “Quiz Summary” or “Assessment Results.”
- Look at both scores and question-level breakdowns.
- Identify trends: Which topics are consistently missed? Who’s struggling?
What works: Tells you if people are retaining info.
What doesn’t: Don’t put too much stock in a single quiz. Patterns over time are more meaningful.
C. Content Usage & Presentation Analytics
Use for: Finding out whether sellers are actually using the materials you create.
- Navigate to “Content” and select “Presentation Analytics.”
- Filter by team, individual, or timeframe.
- Check “Views by Opportunity” if your CRM is integrated.
What works: Helps you cut stuff nobody uses and double down on what gets traction.
What doesn’t: High views don’t guarantee deals. Look for usage patterns that match successful deals.
D. Video Coaching & Feedback
Use for: Measuring practical skills—pitching, objection handling, etc.
- Go to “Coaching,” then “Submissions.”
- Review scores and feedback from managers or peers.
- Track improvement over time, not just one-off scores.
What works: Gives a real sense of skills in action.
What doesn’t: Reviewer bias is real, and not everyone takes scoring seriously. Use comments and trends, not just the numbers.
Step 4: Connect Enablement Data to Sales Results
This is what actually matters. Don’t just report on “training completed”—look for links to actual sales outcomes.
- Compare groups: Did teams who finished training faster hit quota sooner?
- Look for trends: Does higher coaching participation track with higher win rates?
- Spot drop-offs: Are there points where learning stalls and so do deals?
Pro tip: If you can, pull in CRM data (like Salesforce) to match training activity to pipeline movement. If that’s not set up, even manual checks (e.g., comparing lists of reps) are better than nothing.
Step 5: Report Simply (and Honestly)
Nobody wants a 30-slide deck with every possible chart. Pick 2–3 metrics that matter, and tell the story plainly:
- “Reps who completed the new onboarding closed deals 20% faster.”
- “Quiz scores on product X went up, but deal win rates stayed flat—so we need to tweak our approach.”
- “Content Y was used in 75% of closed-won deals last quarter.”
If you see no impact, say so. Better to find out what’s not working than to pretend everything’s fine.
Step 6: Use Insights to Actually Improve Things
The real point of all this reporting? To get better, not just check boxes. Once you find patterns:
- Double down on training or content that clearly helps.
- Cut or fix what isn’t getting used or doesn’t drive results.
- Share findings with sales leaders, not just enablement.
And don’t be afraid to run experiments—try new formats, topics, or coaching methods, then measure again.
What to Ignore (and What to Watch Out For)
Ignore:
- Vanity metrics (“Total Logins,” “Average Time Spent”) unless they tie to real outcomes.
- Reports that look impressive but don’t influence sales behavior.
- One-off spikes—look for trends.
Watch out for:
- Data gaps (missing CRM connections, incomplete user data).
- Over-reliance on self-reported success (“I loved the training!”) versus hard numbers.
- Trying to track too many things at once.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
The best Brainshark reporting isn’t about showing off dashboards—it’s about finding what works, fixing what doesn’t, and getting sales results. Start with a couple of real metrics, connect them to actual sales outcomes, and ignore the noise. Review your process every quarter and adjust as you go. That’s how you make enablement measurable, useful, and worth the time.