• by Peter Mollins , November 26, 2013

Sales tools are available for every pain point. However, it's not always easy to pair the need with the solution. Sales pros are often challenged to find the right tools to eliminate the problems. Here, I will provide an in-depth look at the challenges of Sales Management, Lead to Revenue and General Effectiveness, and explore which tools will remedy the challenges.

Each task has unique challenges, and selecting the right solution for the job is critical. Sales managers, for example, need specific tools to help manage their teams efficiently and effectively. Let's take a deep dive into each category.

Sales management

There are many tools to help salespeople, but what about the managers? Here are some common questions and solutions that help manage a sales organization and develop it into a finely tuned machine.

• My sales model is built on sending proposals to prospects, and that is time-consuming. How can I make the process faster and more efficient?  You need a Proposal Management solution to help your team simplify the construction and delivery of RFPs and sales proposals. 

• I have large sales organization.How can I make sure it's not duplicating efforts or poaching?  Look for a Territory Alignment tool to better construct equitable territories. This will ensure that salespeople share efforts and reward, and that all prospects are covered.

• I need to keep my salespeople motivated and focused on the most fruitful activities. How can I get some friendly, productive competition going?  Invest in an Incentives and Gamification system to encourage the right kind of sales activities and collaborative teamwork.

• I have large volumes of subscribers, contracts and other elements that must be managed. What help is available?  A Revenue Management tool is the answer. It will simplify the management of the buy-side execution.

Lead to revenue

It's an ongoing challenge to manage the entire sales process of a go-to-market strategy and generate more sales. Here are the challenges and solutions.

• How can I organize the methods in which my sales team interacts with prospects?  Shop for a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. It will help you manage the entire customer process, including sales, service and marketing.

• How do I increase prospect quality and reduce noise in the funnel?  Invest in a Marketing Automation tool. With it, you will be able to effectively nurture prospects into ready-to-buy prospects.

• How can I keep prospects engaged so they stay committed and keep buying? You need a Prospect Engagement solution. These tools keep prospects absorbed in the sales process and helps avoid them from “going dark.”

General effectiveness

Some challenges don't fit into a particular bucket, but need to be solved nonetheless. I call these General Effectiveness issues, and each has a tool to help.

• How does my team compare to others in the industry? Start exploring Implementation & Benchmarks tools. They will enable you to compare your results to competitors to determine where improvements need to be made.

• How can I make my sales team get more effective over time? You need Training & Coaching solutions. These tools will help you put best practices into place so salespeople are even more effective. 

• How can I gain insight into where my process and my team need work?  You need Insight and Sales Analytics solutions. They generate reports and provide quantitative analysis that will help plan and adjust resources.

• How can I help my sales team become more effective while on the road?  Mobile Sales Tools will turn any coffee shop or rented car into an office.

For sales managers and sales teams,  the right tools can be the difference between hitting quotas and missing them. Apply the right solution to the appropriate challenge, and you will find that new doors open up. In the future, I will take a closer look at some of these categories of solutions, including Market Intelligence Tools, Lead Quality Tools, Prospecting Tools and more.