How Sales Operations Managers Can Build The Best Sales Tech Stack For Their SDRsThe global sales intelligence market – which is concerned with tech solutions for salespeople to understand consumer behavior – is expected to grow from $2.72 billion in 2021 to $3.05 billion by the end of this year.1 Moreover, the market is expected to increase to $4.8 billion by 2026, along with the demand for products to help sales teams maximize data.
Of course, it’s not enough to buy these high-end tools. Sales operations managers need to create a strong business strategy to utilize these solutions. This is why contemporary business administration training takes an interdisciplinary approach to build skills in analytics, technology, and interpersonal interactions.2 The demand for strategic insights has grown so much that job openings for well-equipped managers are expected to grow by 5% from 2019 to 2029.
Part of creating an effective sales operation strategy is to select and manage the right sales technology for the job, ensuring these are in sync with the rest of the stack and improve productivity for sales development representatives (SDRs). You’re likely not starting from scratch with this endeavor, but you should take time to re-evaluate your existing std badges, which can also help shape company culture. By leveraging human psychology for motivation, you can acknowledge great employees and prevent the sales process from getting stale.
- What works?
- What doesn’t work?
- What is missing?
- What is scalable?
- Are we meeting sales KPIs?
- Is there a way to further improve prospecting?
Here are three aspects of a sales tech stack you may want to consider:
Focus on sales enablement with automation
In sales, time is money. The less time your SDRs spend performing secondary tasks, the better. Sales enablement software is designed to help sellers do their work effectively, equipping them with the tools, technology, training, and content they need to excel. In fact, 61% of firms employing B2B sales teams engage in sales enablement initiatives.3 Modern sales enablement platforms free up a lot of time; SDRs won’t have to expend as much effort on lead and company research.
Instead, they can utilize sales enablement to automate the customer experience, such as email marketing, social media posting, file delivery, and ad campaigns. Automation also supports SDRs so they can do higher-level tasks like nurturing prospects and reminding them to follow-up on hot leads. Look for the three Ps: people, process, and performance in sales enablement solutions to drive value for both your firm and your potential clients.
Invest in quality CRM platform
Customer relationship management (CRM) is the cornerstone of sales tools — and really, for the rest of your company — as it is the single source of customer and lead information. A great CRM keeps SDRs organized and on track to engage customers down the pipeline in meaningful ways, as it records the relationships at every stage. Through a CRM, SDRs can manage communications, analyze customer data, and look for opportunities to upsell. There are hundreds of CRM platforms on the market, most of which are excellent tools, but this doesn’t necessarily mean they’re the right fit for your business. Some questions to ask yourself before buying or upgrading your CRM include:
- Your budget or any cost constraints
- How many people are expected to use the CRM
- How much customer information you have
- Other software you wish to integrate into a CRM platform
Look into sales gamification tools
As we mentioned in our post on sales team productivity, one of the effects of remote work is isolation and it can be hard for SDRs to feel involved or engaged in their roles. To add a little something extra, it could be good to use sales gamification software; these help teams turn daily tasks into the competition by using a leaderboard recognition system. For SDRs who book meetings with leads and hope to move them down the sales pipeline, gamified sales platforms help boost their morale through the ups and downs of every sales cycle. Top performers earn rewards and badges, which can also help shape company culture. By leveraging human psychology for motivation, you can acknowledge great employees and prevent the sales process from getting stale.
