The 10 Favorite Software Tools for Salespeople in 2017
Salespeople pride ourselves on our independence, ability to think on the fly, and shockingly high tolerance for caffeine and energy drinks. But while we’d like to believe that all it takes to close a deal is a pen and paper, today’s salesperson is leaving money on the table, and not taking advantage of technological advancement if he or she isn’t using sales software.
We asked thousands of salespeople to name their favorite sales software, and then combed through the responses for products that came up over and over again. Here is the list of the best software sales tools of 2017:
1. PersistIQ
For salespeople who want to reach their prospects through email (and this should be almost everyone these days), PersistIQ lets you manage your campaigns effectively. Send out campaigns to your prospects, track who opens them, and optimize your sales funnel using this software. And if you’re ever feeling down, just look at the company name and remember what you need to do.
2. Evernote
Salespeople aren’t always known for their ability to stay organized, but Evernote offers a great solution to that problem. You can use the software to take notes, share them with the right people (sales managers), save audio recordings, charts, and links, and then easily search for them when you need to.
3. Salesforce
The king of the jungle, Salesforce is a (pardon the pun) force to be reckoned with. The CRM behemoth is used by tens of thousands of companies, and has been a pioneer in the sales space. It was one of the most common responses when salespeople were asked for their favorite sales tools, and its’ impact on the business world can’t be understated.
4. Nudge
If you’ve ever wondered how to start a conversation with a prospect about what’s going on in their world, Nudge is a great solution. The software scans the web for actionable insights about your contacts and gives you a proactive daily update on anything relevant. It’s like having an investigative reporter on your payroll, but without the binoculars or the tinted windows.
5. Yesware
Yesware is great for salespeople, but might be too much for those of us who are a bit obsessive-compulsive. It’s a tool that allows you to find out what happens after you’ve sent an email. More specifically, it lets you track when, and how often, your prospect has opened your email. It’s a great way not to be left in the dark after you’ve hit the “send” button.
6. DocuSign
Without DocuSign, we’d be back to the days of waiting for a prospect to fax back a signed contract. And anyone who’s battled with a fax machine knows how much fun that can be! DocuSign allows you to email over contracts and lets the prospect securely sign from any device, without having to run to Staples for overpriced ink cartridges.
7. SMS
Anyone born after 1980 overwhelmingly prefers texting to speaking on the phone, and anyone born before that probably feels the same when it comes to salespeople. While texting isn’t always the best way to do business, it can be incredibly effective if used correctly. Here is a link to a great guide on how to use SMS to close more deals.
8. LinkedIn
There’s a very good chance that you stumbled onto this article through LinkedIn, and the business social network is only going to grow over the next decade. Recently acquired by Microsoft, LinkedIn is investing in social features, and moving away from dry, Ambien-like content to a more dynamic place for businesspeople to connect with each other, and salespeople to connect to more prospects.
9. ClearSlide
ClearSlide helps you manage your company’s customer facing content and access and present it as needed. For salespeople whose products have a longer and more interactive sales cycle, this tool allows you to get to the right content quickly, and get it to your prospect without having to message your head of marketing, who is too busy watching an episode of Mad Men to respond anyway.
10. Spiro
We saved the best for last. Spiro is a Proactive CRM, which is designed to let you spend your time selling, and not working on data entry or trying to get organized. Spiro also recommends which actions you can take with a prospect to increase the likelihood of closing the deal, and much, much more. Oh, and we also have the best sales blog on the internet. Sign up for a free demo today!
