The right sales tools can help relative beginners close the gap between themselves and naturally gifted, experienced reps. It's all about working smart, not hard, recognizing the potential of the best sales tools, and applying them correctly.
In this article, we're going to cover 11 of the most useful apps, with advantages spanning streamlined workflows, quicker response times, and a clearer understanding of customer behavior. So if you're on the lookout for ways to break free from a plateau and start making more deals, these could be the right sales tools for sales teams like yours.
1. Customer relationship management (CRM) software to centralize your sales strategy
A CRM is the most logical starting point for a list of tools for salespeople. In theory, it's a database where you store all your customer details, record each interaction, and send out mass communications. In practice, it's your central hub that everything else feeds back into, and a system you simply can't live without.
CRM sales tools allow you to create a customer journey, track your leads as they pass through it, and monitor your performance as you go. More organized sales agents use a customer relationship management system to segment their audience and design different pathways for each demographic.
Hosted on the cloud, a CRM for sales gives every rep access to the same information, up-to-date and in sync with their colleagues. This means anybody can pick up a lead at any stage of their sales pipeline management and be fully aware of the context to provide an excellent service.
2. Email and a full suite of other communication channels to streamline your outreach
Emails are perhaps the most commonly used sales rep tools for communication and you can get through far more deals if you use cutting-edge features to get ahead of the game.
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Email templates are great for sending quick, professional messages without the risk of leaving out important information.
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AutomationAutomations will help you elevate your message with data fields taken directly from your CRM and included in emails for a more personalized approach.
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Email sequences take care of a great deal of communication based on a series of time and action-based triggers with no human intervention.
However, it’s always best to contact leads where they’re most receptive. Modern sales tools usually provide a vast range of other communication tools alongside their email hub.
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Instant messenger is great for those who can’t or don’t want to speak to a sales rep over the phone.
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Phone calls allow you to connect on a more emotional level, which makes it easier to reassure and convince clients to go for high-ticket purchases.
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Video calls are the next best thing to in-person meetings for creating human-to-human bonds that are at the core of your most lucrative and long-lasting client relationships.
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3. Sales enablement platforms that provide the right materials when you need them
There are a lot ofbehind-the-scenes sales tools that set the stage for people to strike deals. Without marketing materials, presentations, brochures, and more, the chances of successful sales would be slim to none.
When we speak about sales enablement, we mean resources like:
Customizable playbooks that teach best practices and scripts, all in the tone of voice and reflecting the values of your team. Use the playbook to rehearse different sales scenarios to fully prepare your team as they go out into the field.
Dynamic pricing tools that enable sales teams to adjust pricing strategies in real-time based on market conditions, competitor pricing, or customer segments, maximizing revenue potential and competitiveness.
Digital product catalogs for showcasing products with updated information and aiding sales representatives during presentations or client meetings.
Interactive presentations to set out your stall in a consistent, uniform way. Of course, each individual can add their own flair, but your presentation should cover the who, what, why, and how of your product or service.
For teams on the cloud, you can update your materials and send out a notification for your agents to catch up on the changes.
4. Prospecting tools to nurture your leads from first contact to the deal and beyond
It’s easy to focus on the handshake moment when a deal is signed, but anyone who has been in the game for a long time knows that you’d never get to that point without excellent sales prospecting tools.
Sales tools aimed at prospecting are essential for lead generation. Sophisticated search filters allow you to identify the most promising prospects based on their industry, company size, geographic location, and job title to focus more heavily on high-return clients. Then, they scrape around to find accurate contact information so you can dive into your pitch, rather than spending your valuable time on data entry.
In the context of B2B sales tools, prospecting involves analyzing target companies to reveal their financial health, industry position, recent news, and organizational structure. Armed with this information, sales reps can tailor their outreach strategies to address specific pain points and present their solutions more effectively.
Whether you’re working with B2C or B2B sales tools, lead scoring is an essential method for sorting your database. Define what criteria are important to you, such as engagement level, how well they match your ideal customer profile, or their job title, and start focusing on leads that are most likely to result in successful sales.
5. Sales analytics to understand your position and improve upon it
Let’s face it, we live in a data-driven ageand there are of course a range of sales analytics tools to give you the edge over your competitors:
Sales performance tracking appears on your dashboard and gives you a real-time overview of how well you’re hitting your KPIs. This helps you quickly address parts of your sales approach that are holding you back.
Sales trend analysis looks at historical data to identify trends and patterns. Reports throw up valuable insights, allowing you to prepare in advance for surges in demand or drops in business.
Pipeline analysis monitors how well your sales pipelines are working. It pinpoints systemic weaknesses where you lose a lot of deals so you can work on constructive adjustments.
Conversion rates are ideal for explaining your strategy to superiors or investors. Set trackers across all the platforms you’re targeting and use the results to justify your strategy.
6. Proposal and quoting tools that take care of time-consuming admin
When you’re nearing an agreement, the last thing you want is an administrative delay slowing you down. Customizable proposals and quoting are essential sales tools for sales reps — and how you use them can mark the difference between sealing a deal and watching it slip through your fingers.
Pre-built templates allow you to automatically generate quotes in just a few clicks, using contact information from your CRM. They will apply all the relevant tax obligations for both parties and can even adapt to accommodate foreign currencies and tax norms.
The best sales tools will also take care of the often elusive e-signature capabilities. This way, neither you nor your client will have to sign up for a new app or go through the off-putting process of printing a document, signing it, and sending it back.
7. Calendar and scheduling tools for stress-free meetings
Want to set up meetings without all the excess fuss? Shareable calendars are the way to go. Instead of suggesting times and dates back and forth, these underrated sales tools let you share your weekly availabilityand clients can simply pick a slot that is best for them.
Sales software used to lead to a plethora of fails when arranging a time with someone in another time zone (“Is that 2 pm your time or my time?”) Thankfully, almost all sales rep tools now take care of the change in time zones, automatically aligning you and advising the administrative headache. As long as you're both available according to your schedules, you're good to go.
Make your calendar work for you by syncing it across all your devices and setting automated notifications to stay on top of your agenda without any effort. Integrations with meeting notes, a dedicated video chat link, and AI transcription cut out any confusion, setting the stage for you to jump right to the core of the matter.
8. Social selling tools to meet your leads where they are
Social media sales tools took the industry by storm when they first arrived but some teams still aren't getting the most out of them. They’re among the best sales prospecting tools and give you an unprecedented understanding of your customers’ behavior so you can tweak your approach accordingly.
Lead generation is simple through paid ads, access to exclusive content, or fun competitions, which begin the customer journey on the platform they're most comfortable with. However, this doesn't mean you need to be logged into five or six sites at the same time.
CRM tools for sales reps allow you to control all your social accounts from one central dashboard. This is yet another way to become more efficient and give multiple clients the impression that you are dedicating all your time and effort to their specific case.
9. Document management systems to find the right files fast
In a client-facing role, you can't waste time with non-productive activities like looking for files. Not only does it slow you down and affect your numbers, but it makes others think you lack professionalism which will compound the negative effect on your sales numbers.
You might not instinctively imagine cloud-based drives to be among the classic list of sales tools, but they support teams all over the world who need to quickly find a contract, a pricing page, or a quick explainer of your product. Just copy the link, send it to your client, and they get direct access.
Like with all sales tools for sales reps, it depends on how you use document management platforms. Clear hierarchies are a good place to start, but tags, categories, and search bars take them to the next level. To keep those sensitive documents secret, create an access policy and lock the most important files to everybody except your most trusted inner circle.
10. Training and development resources to stay at the top of your game
Adjacent to your document management system, you should store training and development resources, which also need to be carefully organized on a platform. A living ecosystem of FAQs, guides, and articles makes up an irreplaceable depository of sales tools that teams can refer to whenever they need initial training or a quick refresher.
When it comes to upskilling, the job is never done, so having on-demand training modules that your reps can complete in their own time sets the stage for everybody to reach their potential. Create a diverse range of content so people stay engaged, from multiple-choice pop quizzes and fill-in-the-blank exercises all the way up to guided webinars and in-person workshops.
11. Sales automation tools that accelerate your workflows
Automations have proliferated across sales software, from the early days of simple one-by-one lead assignments, sales automation tools now save time and reduce your workload from the first contact to client aftercare.
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Lead nurturing is easy to automate. Personalized campaigns and preset replies ensure consistent engagement while you spend more time on strategic thinking.
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Workflow automations take care of repetitive jobs like data entry, reminders, and appointment scheduling so you can focus on deep work.
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Productivity managementautomations assign tasks and reminders to you and your team based on triggers like lead status changes or key dates.
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Document generation works like a personal assistant who always has the right proposals, quotes, and contracts to hand, based on approved templates and filled with accurate details about your deal.
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Real-time reporting takes your sales performance tracking and automates the generation of reports, providing actionable insights without manual effort.
Bitrix24: All the top sales tools under one affordable roof
Sure, there are plenty of big-name tools for sales teams that specialize in a specific area.
But why pay to juggle a bunch of different apps when you can get all the high-quality tools you need in one account for your entire team?
Bitrix24 was founded to make life easier for businesses from their ambitious beginnings to the enterprise level. We cover all the tools for salespeople on this list and offer increasingly expansive features as your company grows.
If that sounds too good to be true, sign up for a free trial with Bitrix24 today and see for yourself.
Get over 35+ professional tools in one kit!
Bitrix24 is a place where your team can store contacts, manage deals, sell online and offline, and solve customer issues. Boost your sales now!
Get Started
FAQs
What are the benefits of using sales tools?
The benefits of using sales tools are:
These benefits help sales reps manage leads, track performance, and automate routine tasks, ultimately boosting sales productivity and effectiveness.
How much do sales tools typically cost?
Costs for sales tools typically vary widely, ranging from free versions to premium subscriptions costing hundreds of dollars per month. Always look for tools that offer good deals from the get-go and don’t save all the essential features for the top payment tiers.
How can I choose the right sales tools for my team?
To choose the right sales tools for your team:
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Identify your specific needs, budget, and desired features
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Evaluate tools based on user reviews and trial versions
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Verify how well they integrate together for a seamless workflow
