We live in a world populated by digital tools, promising to help a business work faster and become more successful. Among these, some of the first-hand helpers are sales tools.
According to a HubSpot report, 35% of sales leaders track the use of tools for sales as a productivity metric. For them, the best sales tools to have in their arsenal are those that automate the sales pipeline and increase the odds of success without costing a lot of money or time.
If you’re wondering how not to get lost in all the market has to offer and choose the right option for your company, we’ll walk you through the seven types of tools for sales you must know in 2024, so you can determine which ones would be the most beneficial to your company’s long-term goals and growth.
Navigate:
- What are sales tools?
- Importance of sales tools
- How to choose sales tools
- Sales tools you should know
- Integration strategies: a simplified guide
- Get the best sales tools for your business now
What are sales tools?
Sales tools are applications and digital tools built for and used by sales professionals to optimize their work and help them succeed with their goals.
It’s an umbrella term for different categories of tools in sales, such as sales acceleration, CRM (customer relationship management), sales intelligence, lead handling and prospecting, sales automation, and more.
Importance of sales tools
Sales is a fast-paced and high-pressure industry.
Salespeople are constantly pushed for more leads, more conversions and more revenues.
But with the right tools, this process could be streamlined. That’s why they are so beneficial for businesses.
- Understand which prospects are most likely to convert. Focus on prospects who you’re more likely to be successful with rather than chasing prospects that are unlikely to purchase from you. This way, you won’t be wasting the time and effort that you could allot on the right prospects. Plus, you can ensure to engage in a relevant manner./li>
- Determine when to reach out to prospects. Timing is key. You should know the right frequency and time when to reach out to prospects. You don’t want to keep touching base again and again to be annoying, but you also don’t want to barely keep in touch so that you’d be forgotten. Also, analyze which times or days your messages are likely to be opened or engaged with.
- Save time on tedious and time-consuming admin tasks. Opening emails, keeping records, preparing reports and documents, and data entry are only some of the most time-consuming admin tasks. These non-essential tasks are important, but they don’t directly relate to or impact your business’s core functions. Still, they have to be done. Sales tools can save time and automate some of these admin tasks, so you can focus more on what’s important.
- Automate the sales process. The sales process is a multi-step procedure of brining a lead to the status of a customer and supporting the customer throughout the sales journey. Tools for sales automate this procedure by pre-qualifying leads, automating email marketing, invoices, sales orders, and overall making the sales pipeline more efficient.
- Demand for modern tools from employees. In a modern world, employees are also demanding for modern solutions. Using traditional methods could push your employees away because of processes that aren’t optimized, which wastes time and resources. Hence, implementing modern sales tools not only helps with your sales goals, but also in employee satisfaction.
How to choose sales tools
When you get a sales tool, you’re getting an entire system. But—it’s not as intimidating as it sounds.
Still, you should know what each tool does—what it’s for, which problems it solves, and whatnot. Then, all your tools should work seamlessly together.
There’s no one-size-fits all solution. Company needs can vary from business to business. The set of sales tools that work for one company doesn’t mean the same set of tools would work for you.
With that, here are some tips on choosing your sales tools to consider:
- Make a list of your core business needs.
- Check if your core business needs align with your customers’ needs.
- Figure out what the process looks like from the customer’s perspective.
- Double-check integrations between tools.
- Evaluate your potential solutions.
Sales tools you should know
1. Communication
While there’s a lot of wonderful sales software you can use, no sale is ever made without communication. A study from SHRM showed that at least a third of sales go down because of poor communication. So, it’s essential to master your craft and avoid making mistakes along the way.
To improve business communication, you should first look at ways to enhance your writing skills and hone your conversational style. From there, you can take a look at some sales tools that will help simplify processes while also keeping track of all communications between you and your potential client.
2. Information
Marketing is no longer about beating your chest and making outrageous claims. Nowadays, it’s more about being useful, relevant, and specific than any other time in history. That’s why tools that focus on information are so critical in sales.
These sales tools not only help you identify pain points for your prospects. They also help you figure out how your product or service can address those pain points and then make it incredibly easy for your prospects to buy from you.
For example, sales automation tools help salespeople remain organized with opportunities and manage leads with email outreach templates and notifications on deals that are about to close. B2B sales tools that focus on information also help you get answers about your connections, networking strategies, and competition in your industry.
3. Data
To effectively tackle sales challenges in 2024, you must first have a solid understanding of your target audience and what they need. This means having an abundance of accurate data. With big data being so readily available these days, it can be tempting to use as much as possible when crafting strategies for individuals and small businesses alike.
However, just because you can doesn’t mean you should. It’s essential that sales teams remain conscious about how personal data is used and how public data might still be potentially useful for B2B purposes.
So when compiling a list of best sales tools in 2024, make sure to consider only those that are legally permitted in your country. Ensure also that the tool you purchase allows users to limit specific datasets and view their information privately before deciding which ones are most suitable for your needs.
4. Customer feedback
The internet is your biggest tool when it comes to sales. With social media, blogging, and email marketing all at your fingertips, you can easily find out exactly what kind of sales tools are working and what aren’t.
To succeed, you must be able to take an honest look at your strengths and weaknesses. By connecting with customers via different sales tools, you’ll learn valuable information about who they are and how they interact with your brand. This information can also help you reach more potential clients while providing them with better service than before.
When implemented correctly, sales tools software allows you to gather important data about customer so you can make improvements based on real numbers and information rather than gut feelings or opinions.
5. Coaching
Sales tools that focus on coaching and productivity (like HubSpot’s CRM) will be a top consideration for B2B sales teams. Companies like these need tools that give their employees all they need to close deals, manage leads, and understand their customers’ needs.
These are all things that require specific knowledge and practice. So, it makes sense that one of your top considerations when choosing a sales tool is its ability to coach you in sales tactics and strategy. Good coaching creates engaged workers who can execute at high levels—and that’s exactly what you want from your team members on your sales team.
For example, a specific sales tool combines data analytics with an AI-powered sales assistant that coaches users through each stage of sales. It also leverages machine learning to identify patterns in customer interactions and coach reps accordingly. A platform as such will ensure every member of your team has access to information, helping them do their job more effectively.
6. Objectives
If you want to achieve your sales objectives, you’ll need tools that focus on them. In other words, sales tools that are specifically designed for your current and future sales tactics will give you a competitive advantage and ensure that you stay top-of-mind with prospects.
For example, lead qualification software helps businesses close more deals by identifying high-quality leads. Meanwhile, other sales tools allow marketers and salespeople to send personalized emails (that increase conversion) without actually having to write them.
Both functionalities are essential B2B sales tools because they were built around specific objectives—lead generation and lead qualification—and therefore deliver results by focusing on them.
7. Tracking
Lead tracking is a critical part of creating a successful sales funnel. In fact, a survey by CMO Council revealed that poorly managed leads cost businesses at least $1 trillion per year. By collecting leads with opt-in forms on your website, you can start tracking which content attracts which prospects—and then feed those preferences into future email marketing campaigns.
This kind of customer data management is essential for modern sales reps who want to be able to close deals by using tailored pitches that cater directly to their buyers’ interests. Fortunately, lead management systems will give you one important weapon for reaching out and closing deals with some clarity about what prospects need from you at every step in their journey.
Integration strategies: a simplified guide
Integrating sales tools into your business systems can significantly improve operations. Here’s a brief guide for effective integration:
- Evaluate current systems: Assess the functions and limitations of your existing software. This is essential for understanding how new sales tools can fit into and improve your operations.
- Define objectives for integration: Clearly outline your goals for this integration, focusing on areas such as data management improvements, process automation, or communication enhancements.
- Select compatible tools: Opt for sales tools that work well with your existing systems, focusing on those with flexible integration options.
- Plan the integration: Develop a clear plan with a timeline and the resources needed, aiming to minimize disruption during implementation.
- Conduct data migration: Carefully move relevant data to the new tools, ensuring accuracy. IT support may be required for a smooth transition.
- Test the system: Before fully implementing, test the integrated system for any issues, particularly focusing on data accuracy and workflow processes.
- Train team members: Ensure your team is well-equipped with the knowledge to use the new system.
- Monitor and refine: Continually assess the system’s performance, making refinements based on feedback and performance metrics.
Get the best sales tools for your business now
Successful entrepreneurs understand that their success depends on more than just their hard work. They’re also aware that tools play a huge role in their business’ success. As shown in the statistics by SugarCRM, 80% of businesses spend at least $1000 on technology every year to acquire the right tools to do their regular operations effectively.
A lot has changed over time and an updated list of sales tools and techniques should be one of your priorities. If you’re a sales professional looking to grow your business in 2024 and the coming years, you need to keep up with the trends by learning about and implementing new sales tools as they become available.
