Sometimes navigating a sales process can feel like you're lost in the middle of the wilderness. Lost, lonely, and no idea where to go next. It is pure survival mode.
Just like having the right tools makes all the difference in a survival situation, leveraging the right sales tools at the right time can bring clear direction to your approach and help you prioritize prospect communication.
These tools can be the difference between meeting or missing quotas and getting your business off the ground. Here is a list of 5 awesome tools that will help you become a more efficient salesperson, without breaking the bank.
1) Network like a Star with CardMunch
For those who have a massive stack of business cards at the bottom of your briefcase, CardMunch is a lifesaver. Powered by LinkedIn, CardMunch is a free app for your iPhone that automatically converts business cards into contacts in your phone.
All you need to do is snap a picture of a business card and upload it to CardMunch. Check back in a little while and you will find the contact has been added to your CardMunch library, as well as added as a contact in your phone.
With one click you can invite your contact to connect on LinkedIn. This simple step can help you quickly and easily take your offline leads online.
2) Build Rapport with Rapportive
Reaching out to someone for the first time through email? Looking for a creative conversation starter? Rapportive is the answer.
Rapportive is a free Gmail extension that brings rich contact profiles right into your Gmail interface. These contact profiles make it easy to see what your prospect has recently shared on their social channels. You can also easily connect with the prospect on social media, right inside Gmail.
This information can give you the context to kick off a meaningful conversation from the get-go.
3) Schedule Meetings with HubSpot Meetings
Playing the email tag game sucks every time you're trying to schedule a meeting. Scheduling meetings should be as simple as 1, 2, 3. Meet your new booking assistant, HubSpot Meetings.
To start, sync HubSpot Meetings with your primary Google Calendar (or Office 365). HubSpot Meetings will communicate both ways to see when you're booked and will automatically push scheduled appointments to your Google calendar.
Setting up different meeting types allows you to more effectively manage your time. Offer a 30-minute consultation in your sales process? Add that consultation as an event inside HubSpot Meetings. Now visitors can easily navigate through a customized link and book the appointment that is right for them. This saves you tons of time avoiding email back-and-forth and ultimately lets you book calls with greater efficiency.
4) Track Leads with HubSpot Email Tracking
Sitting around and playing the waiting game is no fun. You’re thinking to yourself, "I sent over the proposal, but did they open it yet? I don't want to bug them. But what if it went to their spam folder. What should I do?!?" Stop fretting and start paying attention to the signals that your prospects are sending.
HubSpot Email Tracking, formerly Sidekick, is a slick tool that brings you real-time updates when prospects open and click on your emails. These instant notifications can give you the edge you need to focus your time and effort on the most engaged leads. With integrations with Outlook and Gmail, you can easily plug and play right inside your current workflow.
Email Tracking also offers premium integrations with the rest of the HubSpot Sales suite so you can use email templates, automated sequences, and track everything through the CRM. Basically, everything is in one place so you get a complete view of your customer relationship and interactions, starting from their first touchpoint with your brand. This gives you greater clarity around the context of your interaction so you can better communicate and close the deal.
Check out HubSpot Email Tracking
5) Meet Deadlines with Any.do
With apps for iPhone and Android, Any.do is a crisp and clean way to stay on top of your to-do list. It prompts you to plan your day from the beginning, helping you become more efficient as you use the app. It includes voice transcription and also syncs through a Chrome extension, seamlessly bringing your to-do items into your browser and Gmail interface.
Need to follow up with someone in two days? Easily set a reminder for yourself from right inside Gmail.
Originally published Jan 23, 2014 2:00:00 PM, updated January 18 2023