There has been an explosion of tech-enabled sales tools over the last 10 years, and they have become an increasingly important part of sales reps’ success.
The overall mission of sales tools is to help sales teams by driving efficiency and productivity (like prospecting platforms and workflow platforms), increasing conversion rates, and helping reps increase their earnings! Using these tools can reduce rep ramp time, reduce turnover, increase team morale, and much more.
During the interview process, many companies want to know which tools a rep is familiar with. Equally, interviewees should ask what tools will be available to them to help them in their role. A company’s investment in sales tools shows that leadership teams are invested in the sales teams’ success and willing to support them.
Here are the core sales verticals and tools all reps should be familiar with:
Client Relationship Management (CRM):
A CRM tool allows you and your sales team to store customer and prospect contact information. You can also manage opportunities and track revenue.
Marketing Automation:
This software enables companies to automate, measure and improve marketing tasks. This includes lead generation, cross-sell and upsell, return on investment (ROI) measurement, and account-based marketing.
Rep-based Engagement Management Systems:
These sales tools help reps scale their prospecting and optimize sales performance by creating a measurable series of touch points for engagement.
Tools: Outreach, SalesLoft, Groove
Sales data:
These sales tools help keep client and prospect data up to date. That means reps aren’t wasting time on inaccurate contact information or company firmographics.
Tools: ZoomInfo, SalesIntel, LinkedIn, Seamless
Rep training/coaching:
These tools deliver data and insights to help leaders coach reps, and more.
Tools: Gong.io, Chorus.ai, ExecVision
There are also several sources that can help a company evaluate which sales tools are the right fit for their business, notably G2 Crowd, Capterra, Forrester and Gartner.
In Conclusion
Having access to these tools and understanding how to use them are critical to your success as a rep. As you interview for new positions, make sure training is provided for any of the tools you are not familiar with. Sales leaders should make sure all reps on the team understand the business case for why the tool is being used and how it can impact their business. A company’s investment in these tools will help both individual reps and the entire sales team achieve their goals. This boosts company profits and improves employee morale.
Hey Sales Pros! Our TitanHouse Insights page is also a great resource for career advice and proven best practices
