Technology is transforming business every day and sales intelligence tools are types of software that support sales and marketing teams by collecting, analysing, and presenting data that will be useful for sales.
Sales intelligence tools are used most by business-to-business (B2B) companies that want to know more about their current and potential clients or partners. This short guide to sales intelligence tools will tell you everything you need to know about sales intelligence tools and how to choose the right one for your business.
What are the benefits of sales intelligence tools?
Businesses use sales intelligence tools for a variety of purposes, but there are three main benefits of them that most companies can expect.
- Better data
Sales intelligence tools crawl websites every day and gather data from them. This means the data that they can present to your business is up-to-date and extensive. High-quality data is essential if you are relying on it for your product, sales, and marketing decisions.
- Identify clients and their needs
Sales intelligence tools make it easier to identify customers or clients who would be interested in your product. A classic way that sales intelligence tools are used in this way is to alert you when companies you wish to sell to make ‘buying signals’, such as visiting websites offering services similar to your own. This means your sales team can prioritise them as they know they are more likely to make a purchase.
- Identify decision-makers
Another benefit of sales intelligence tools is that they can be used to find decision-makers at the companies you want to work with. Contacting the person who will decide whether or not to buy your product is essential and sales intelligence tools use online data to find out who is working for a company, what level they are at, and what their responsibilities are.
What to look for when buying sales intelligence tools
If you want to purchase sales intelligence software for your company, it’s important that you figure out what you need from it. Here are some things to consider:
- Segmenting customer data for ideal customer profiles
If you already have a lot of data about your customers, you may wish to create ideal customer profiles (ICPs). If so, you need a sales intelligence tool that can manage, organise, and effectively segment and present your data so that it is readable by you and your employees.
- Direct contacts
Other sales intelligence tools crawl the web to send you customer profiles that include direct contact phone numbers or emails. If you want to improve your lead generation, this is an important tool for your business.
- Easy integration
If you already have a customer management system then finding sales intelligence tools that can be easily integrated with it is essential. Most sales intelligence providers will be able to tell you what CMS platforms they are compatible with.
Sales intelligence isn’t straightforward. But if you want to boost leads, sales, and perfect your ICPs, a great sales intelligence tool can give you all the data you need within seconds. Assess your needs and chat with potential providers to find out how sales intelligence tools could work for your business.
