Allego Challenges Brainshark and CallidusCloud in Sales Training

By Jim Lundy

(Aragon Research) – Allego, based in Needham, Massachusetts, focuses on developing a mobile-first video sales learning platform. It had a strong first half of 2017, displaying a growing demand for video-based sales training. As pressure for faster results continues to mount, enterprises are turning to a more focused approach when it comes to training their sales professionals, and often shunning the traditional Learning Management System (LMS).

This blog focuses on Allego and the growing demand for sales training outside of traditional Learning and Development.

Allego’s Story of Innovation and Growth

Allego’s total video-based approach to just-in-time sales training and on-boarding is the biggest reason for its growth. Its application is modern, easy to use, and intuitive – and it mimics the classic approach to sales training: the role play. Allego has also been building out its ecosystem with recent partnerships, such as with Wilson Learning and Wholesaler Masterminds. Allego now has over 50,000 global users across 8 industries and were named to the Inc. 500.

Earlier this year, Allego released its Allego 4.3, which has new offerings that create a more interactive and collaborative experience. Allego now allows content to be shared through the LMS, and has enhanced content search capabilities, leaderboards, and just-in-time learning. Its mobile video creation and sharing, along with its new partnerships, are giving users access to more sales-focused learning content.

Allego Challenges Brainshark and CallidusCloud 

Allego’s growth puts it on a collision course with others such as Brainshark and CallidusCloud. Brainshark has been competing in Sales Engagement but appears to have pivoted back to its roots of sales training. Its recent partnership with Highspot, an emerging Sales Engagement Platform, is evidence of this pivot.

CallidusCloud, a cloud-based Sales Enablement provider, is also a major player in sales training. It had a 30% SaaS growth for the second quarter and had two acquisitions: RevSym and Learning Heroes, which focuses on best-in-class Sales Training Content.

This market is ripe for competition, with many others competing in Sales Training and Knowledge Delivery, including Boston-based QStream.

Sales Operations vs. Learning and Development

The trend we are seeing at Aragon is that sales departments are not waiting for Learning and Development. Today, they are buying their own sales training platforms and Allego’s growth is evidence of this demand. This means there will be more than one training application in an enterprise. The demand for business results in just-in-time knowledge delivery is one of the reasons sales training is taking off and becoming a market that is focused specifically on the needs of sales teams.

Bottom Line: Winning in Sales Training

The race is on to offer a compelling sales training platform and Allego is one of the providers to watch. Aragon has been seeing significant demand from sales organizations for a more outcome-focused training approach. Allego and others are helping to carve out what we see is a growing market. Enterprises should look at their current learning efforts and look to use more video-based learning for Sales.