Sales Tech Evolution - 2024
We have used these cutting-edge sales tools for prospect discovery, outreach, nurturing, and demos. Let's explore tools for account insights, hyper-personalisation, and outreach timings.
Hey, Welcome to this week’s edition of “Future of Prospecting” Newsletter by “Evabot”.
We have been researching Generative AI Technology for the last 18 months and have been astounded by the use cases it brings in Prospecting through Hyper Targeting and Personalisation. For Sales leaders and Revenue leaders, the main challenge with AI-led Prospecting is “How and What not?”
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In 2024, sales technology isn't just advancing; it's transforming how we sell.
Why this shift? Is it because of AI? It boils down to efficiency and effectiveness with human trust. In a world where nearly 3 out of 4 salespeople leverage tech to seal more deals, the right tools are no longer optional—they're fundamental.
LinkedIn's findings reveal that 73% of sales professionals use technology to clinch more deals, with a staggering 97% considering it crucial to their sales process (Source).
Gartner's research indicates that nearly 90% of companies utilize at least two sources of contact data to meet sales development needs, demonstrating the diversified tech stack in modern sales operations (Source).
On average, high-growth sales development teams have five applications in their technology stack. Furthermore, the stack will continue to grow — 72.4% of companies have plans to make a sales development technology purchase (Source)
Let's explore building a sales stack from the perspective of the sales team…
Does it look simple?
Here is the expanded version of the problems that need to be solved through a tech stack to make the sales process efficient and outcome-oriented.
Prospect Discovery
Advancements in prospect discovery technologies are transforming the sales outreach process, making it more structured and targeted. Now, sales teams can pinpoint the right prospects, determine the best times for engagement, personalize initial contact, and detect key triggers and intent signals. These innovations also offer visibility into website visitors, ensuring a strategic approach to prospect engagement and significantly improving sales outcomes.
Following are the questions that sales leaders have to address in advance while planning the outreach process for 2024…
How do we identify who to reach out to?
Gaps in current solutions ( Apollo, Linkedin)
Weak Keyword Tracking: Inadequate signaling and lack of data-backed insights hinder precise targeting.
Generic Intent Analysis: Intent signals are too broad, failing to pinpoint genuine interest in your specific product.
Evabot has designed a solution that maps keywords to signals across more than 50 parameters. It also aligns products/services with intent signals based on needs and interests.
When is the optimal time to initiate contact?
Gaps in current solutions
Indiscriminate Outreach: Companies often reach out without determining whether there is an immediate need, leading to inefficient communication.
Lack of Intent Signals: Absence of clear intent signals makes it challenging to identify the right time for outreach.
Evabot has bridged this gap by scoring prospects on current needs and interests related to products/services through the analysis of intent signals across more than 50 parameters from 10K reports, news articles, social media posts, interviews, podcasts, etc.
How to break the ice?
Gaps in current solutions
Lack of Detailed Insights: Absence of relevant signals hinders the application of effective frameworks like PSA, OPPS etc
Time-Consuming Research: SDRs / AEs spend extensive hours on deep research to successfully break the ice.
Evabot has successfully enabled the implementation of prospecting frameworks through sales leaders' templates and intent signals derived from account research, which analyzes over 50 parameters.
What are the triggers and intent signals?
Gaps in current solutions (Apollo, Linkedin)
General Triggers: Sales triggers are based on broad parameters such as company size, funding, and job changes.
Lack of Detailed Insights: Absence of in-depth data on current needs or highlights by the company or stakeholders from sources like 10K reports, news, social media, podcasts, and interviews.
Evabot generates account research and intent signals across more than 50 parameters, drawing from 10K reports, earnings calls, news articles, social media posts, interviews, podcasts, etc.
How can we identify who is visiting our website?
Current Challenges
This approach was effective when people worked from company locations, making it easier to track IPs. Now, with the shift to remote work, this intent data is sometimes not relevant.
Solutions - Factors.ai, 6sense
Prospect Outreach
Innovative tech tools are transforming prospect outreach, enabling the efficient collection and verification of details through data analytics and AI. These tools support personalized communication across email, calls, and LinkedIn, with video outreach proving particularly effective. By analyzing engagement rates and conversion metrics, sales teams can refine their strategies, ensuring each interaction is impactful and drives better sales results.
How do we gather details about our prospects?
What methods ensure the verification of prospect details?
Solutions - Hunter.io, VoilaNorbert, Cognism
How can we effectively communicate with prospects across multiple channels such as email, calling, and LinkedIn?
Solutions - Outplay, SalesGear, Nooks (Power Dialer)
How can we implement video outreach as a prospecting strategy?
Solutions - Sendspark
How to monitor analytics to evaluate our outreach efforts?
Solutions - Outreach, Gong, Salesforce
Prospect Nurturing
It’s critical to focus on prospect nurturing by enabling thought leadership, managing webinars and events, and implementing strategic follow-ups. Some tools also offer advanced prospect scoring based on engagement, optimizing interactions.
How can we establish thought leadership with our prospects for nurturing?
Solutions - Substack, Linkedin, Twitter, Youtube
How to plan and manage webinars and events in prospect nurturing?
What are effective follow-up triggers and strategies for multithreading?
Solutions - Evabot
How do we score prospects based on their engagement?
Solutions - Salesforce, Gong
How can we analyze meetings and get insights?
Solutions - Avoma
Prospect Demo
How can we conduct effective demos?
Solutions - Walnut.io
How to share a pre-recorded demo video or microsites?
How can we tailor product demos to each prospect?
Deal Closure
Sales Management
How can we track the entire prospect cycle from discovery to closure?
Solutions - Salesforce, Hubspot, SugarCRM
Are there options for hiring pro SDRs on demand?
Solutions - Bravado
What are the best practices for automating sales processes?
Solutions - Zapier, Make, Salesforce
How can we improve internal communication and productivity?
Solutions - Slack
What tools to use for improving the performance of our sales team through training and coaching?
How can we effectively track our subscriptions on the go?
Solutions - Chartmogul
It becomes imperative for revenue leaders to stay ahead in the fast-evolving sales landscape by embracing the innovations detailed above.
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