August 13, 2015
Ten Sales Tools You’re Missing Out On
BY John Paul Narowski IN Sales and Marketing 0 Comment
We’re big fans of using the right tools at KarmaCRM. In a new digital era, that means embracing new digital tools in unforeseen ways to increase sales.
One of the best things about technology is the various uses to which it can be put, some of them beyond their creator’s thoughts. This is the case with each one of the tools we’re going to present to you now. All of them are very good at what they are intended to do, but they are surprisingly versatile once you apply the right (sales) mindset to them.
We’ve done all of the hard work of thinking how these great tools can help you close sales. Use them throughout your process and enjoy your results!
1) Canva
Have you ever wanted to give your clients something nice as a gift like a virtual thank-you card, or have you ever needed that extra boost to your signature? Maybe you don’t have Photoshop, but you’d love to present yourself the best way forward no matter where you are. Nothing beats an offline meeting, but when you’re online, the equivalent of wearing a nice tailored shirt is being associated with great design.
When you look good online, it becomes much easier to advance your goals. Have you ever gone to a poorly designed website and left right away? Make sure that doesn’t happen to you with Canva, your Photoshop in the cloud.
Go from design neophyte to having your email signature and everything you ever wanted designed looking right with an accessible tool that costs nothing and takes minutes to set up. Mock up product screenshots with great typography or make sure your social profiles on Linkedin and Twitter are sparkling with pixel-perfect pictures.
2) Pixabay
With your new-found design skills, you might want to pair your newly tailored digital shirt with the equivalent of a well made digital silk tie: great photography. Pixabay offers you free stock images you can use for commercial purposes in case you wanted to communicate visually in a pinch.
3) Boomerang
How much of your time is stuck in email? You don’t want to be there forever, yet there always seems to be a need to follow up with somebody in your inbox.
If you live in your email pursuing sales leads and closing them, you’ll love Boomerang. The tool will help you push old emails back up to the top of your inbox, and it will help you make sure you follow up on conversations that trailed off to nothing a long time ago.
4) Rapportive
Have you ever wondered who you were really talking with? Did you need a quick visual cue to make sure your online communications still feel human? Rapportive brings all of the information you have on a sales lead into an easily accessible format within your inbox.
It’ll give you a quick view into who you’re talking with, their name, the position they hold at the company, and any notes you or your company might have taken on that lead. Most importantly, you can easily access their social profiles so you get a deeper sense of the person you’re talking with.
5) Tweetdeck
Are you tracking leads through Twitter? Make sure you don’t miss any messages there with Tweetdeck, and stay on top of industry news and influencers in your space by grouping curated lists of your favorite people on Twitter.
You can make sure to engage leads when they’re posting on Twitter and you might even be able to find new ones with the simplified view of Twitter that Tweetdeck presents.
6) KarmaCRM
CRM is the bread and butter of sales teams, but you need to make sure you’ve chosen the right one for your business. We don’t want to toot our horn too much, but we think you’re going to find our reasonable pricing, customizability, and
7) LinkedIn Invites
We’re sure that you’re on LinkedIn (who isn’t these days?) but have you been using it the right way? LinkedIn is often viewed as a repository of exclusive contacts, but that’s not the only use to which it can be tailored to.
You can use LinkedIn as a search engine to see people who fit your lead profile. Target by company and position and don’t be shy to reach out to people when you can add value to their lives.
8) LinkedIn Publishing
Make sure you stay engaged and present with the leads you have on LinkedIn. LinkedIn Publishing offers you the option of writing content and sharing it with people in your network. Share the advice you have and show that you’re on top of the knowledge in your field, and re-engage with people who you connected with along the way.
Every time you publish something on LinkedIn, it pops a notification to each one of your LinkedIn connections, and they’ll be able to view, comment and upvote on your new piece of content. Nowadays, the best way to provide continued engagement and build strong relationships is to provide continual value to everybody that you interact with.
9) Trello
Sometimes sales can be broken down to a set of reminders and a list of tasks. You need to go heads down and get things done, while putting down exactly what you need to get done.
Trello is the task management system you’ve always wanted. Put through exactly what you need to do and get that extra feeling of satisfaction when you move things from “doing” to “done”. Consider it like a visual reminder and task list that will keep you sharp and focused on what needs to be done to close sales.
10) Evernote
Ever wanted to have a “virtual” brain to keep track of everything that was happening around you? Jot down any notes you might have from conversations and make sure that you can transfer any knowledge you’ve gained from in-depth conversations and meetings right to where you can refer back to it.
We hope you enjoyed our list of sales tools you’re missing out on. Sometimes, all it takes for innovation is to think of new ways of using old tools. This list should serve as both guide and inspiration for that. You can get started now.
