2017 Sales Technology Stack. Selecting The Right Combination of Tools

I've been writing a lot about the importance of having the right combinations to be successful. This man has all the ingredients to execute his Tequila strategy but, like many salespeople, manages to mangle what should be a very simple process. He even finishes by doing the same thing on the table that most sellers do when prospecting.

But seriously, the array of sales tools out there can be bewildering. The image below links to the latest report courtesy of Bowery capital and they catalog sales tools into twenty different classifications.

As you can see from the slide below, the choices are bewildering so what is the minimum you need to be successful in business-to-business (B2B) selling?

To be successful in B2B sales you must have courage (to get out of your comfort zone and face rejection), discipline (to do the right things and at the right time whether you feel like it or not), positive intent (where you are seeking to help your customers achieve a better state of affairs), the right 'value narrative' and technique for delivery (where you focus on the outcomes you help clients achieve and why it matters), and a great attitude with positive values.

With this as your foundation, you then need the right tools with which to execute. As a minimum, and in order of importance, you need:

• A smartphone
• Internet access
• LinkedIn Sales Navigator
• Sales Intelligence Tools (RainKing, DiscoverOrg, ZoomInfo, Inside View, Avention, Data.com, and Lusha are examples that provide direct dial phone numbers and email addresses)
• eMail
• CRM with integrated marketing automation for lead nurture

Intelligent phone activity is the most powerful form of engagement today because so many salespeople have stopped dialing while they instead become screen jockeys. It's not a good state of affairs in many sales organizations... 'spreadsheet jockey' sales managers and 'screen jockey' social sellers doing way too much researching and 'connecting but way too little of actually engaging in a human-to-human (H2H) format. If you want to set yourself apart today and drive the best results; combine social for research and the phone for outreach.

If you valued this article, please hit the ‘like' button and also share via your Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and Facebook social media platforms. I encourage you to join the conversation or ask questions so feel free to add a comment on this post. Please follow my LinkedIn post page for all my articles and visit me at www.tonyhughes.com.au if you are looking for a keynote speaker. Go to www.RSVPselling.com for sales methodologies that generate pipeline and manage complex opportunities. Main Image from Flickr: ant - stacked. Phone image: Brandon Baunach.