Sales Tech Stack: Everything Your SDR Team Needs

Author:

Aoife Daly

Sales Tech Stack: Everything Your SDR Team Needs

Author:

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Sales Tech Stack: Everything Your SDR Team Needs

aoife

Aoife Daly

Content Marketing Manager, Operatix

The need to invest in technology and tools is not optional – rather, building a sales tech stack is critical to staying competitive and enabling your team to be successful in their roles. 


There are several options on the market and the need for each of them depends on several factors:


  • The stage of your company
  • The size of your budget
  • The size of the team 
  • The capacity the team has to implement and utilize the tools


Investing in tech will help automate parts of the process and maximize the productivity of the sales reps, but be careful not to let your reps ‘hide’ behind a fancy sales tech stack and blame the techology if they are underperforming. 


In a study into the State of Sales Tech Stacks, GetAccept found that 97% of respondents in the sales and marketing industry use at least one digital selling tool, with the average falling between four and ten tools per sales tech stack. By investing in specialist software, your team will compete on a level playing field with other sales organizations. 


However, it’s important to ensure you’re investing in the right areas. When prioritizing which tools to invest in first, weigh up your pain points and priorities. What does your team do well and, on the other hand, what do they need to improve on? The tech stack you choose should ease pain points within your team and shorten the sales cycle rather than make things more complicated. Don’t just add processes for the sake of it. Of course, if you’re yet to start a team, go with the basics to give them the best start possible.


Below, we’ve listed the top tools that’ll help enable your team to succeed and glide prospects through the sales cycle as efficiently as possible.


This article about sales tech stacks is from our latest eBook, the SDR Handbook. This comprehensive guide contains all of the information and tools you need to manage, grow and develop a high-performing sales development team.




Customer Relationship Management



Also known as a CRM system, Customer Relationship Management is often thought of as the most important tool for any sales team. While these systems vary per platform, they’re designed to keep track of your team’s communication with prospective and current customers as well as allow them to automate touchpoints and easily store contact information – you can also achieve that in a sales engagement platform, but they often are fully integrated and need to work in sync. 


You and your team will be able to access real-time updates and the history of communication with each prospective client, making it much easier to keep track of the sales cycle. 


By consolidating all the information into one area and automating areas of communication, you can expect increased productivity, organisation, and customer satisfaction. Simply put, it simplifies yet optimises the way sales development representatives manage client relationships and get the best out of each touchpoint. 


If you’re going to prioritise investing in any piece of technology for your sales tech stack, it should be a quality CRM system. In fact, a study found that CRM systems were found to increase conversion rates by up to 300%.


Examples of CRM systems: Salesforce, HubSpot CRM, Zoho CRM



Data Vendors



Equipping your sales team with the correct data is essential in getting the most out of connections, allowing them to target the right people at the right time. Utilising data vendors will allow them to discover new connections, ensure contact information is correct, capture lead information and enhance conversation rates. This will save time both in terms of prospecting and calling the wrong number. 


Examples of data vendors: Zoominfo, Lusha, Seamless


Sales tech stack



Sales Engagement Tools



Sales engagement tools ensure your sales representatives communicate effectively with prospects by streamlining processes and optimizing workflows with automation. Beneficial for both account-based sales and marketing teams, these platforms offer an array of tools to drive communication, track results and generate reports to help ensure you’re interacting with the right people at the right time using their preferred means of communication. 


Helping you create multi-touch campaigns, sales engagement tools are an essential part of any sales tech stack. They’ll automate actions such as sending emails, keeping track of tasks, phone calls and connections requests, as well as generate reports to oversee your team’s productivity and performance. 


Examples of sales engagement tools: Salesloft, Outreach, Apollo, Cognism



LinkedIn Sales Navigator



LinkedIn Sales Navigator is an incredibly helpful tool, and deserves a section of it’s own. It’s designed to give sales reps everything they need to identify and build relationships with target accounts, using a host of data to do so. You can track key developments, such as key decision makers changing their jobs and indicators of buyer intent, prompting conversations when it matters most.



Telephony System/Dialer



Calling prospects by hand becomes a thing of the past with a sales dialer. These tools automatically dial phone numbers for sales representatives, minimising errors and giving them back some of their valuable time. 


Often, they have other features such as conversation recording, tracking, call analysis and transcribing, as well as integration with your CRM.


A telephony system, on the other hand, involves using a phone network that is hosted in the cloud. This means that sales representatives can call from anywhere at any time, as they can use their work mobile number on their personal phone or computer. 


Examples of dialer systems: 8X8, Aircall, 3CX, Twilio, Ring Central 



Conversational Intelligence



Conversational intelligence tools refer to technology that use AI to record and analyze sales calls, saving the time it would take for a manager to trawl through hours of conversation themselves. They allow for a better understanding of what works in a pitch and what may need to be improved on, understand team performance and identify areas that your team may need to develop, making them a key part of a sales tech stack.


Examples of conversational intelligence tools: Gong, Chorus.ai, Jiminny, Allego



Scheduling



Imagine this: your SDR has piqued a lead’s interest via email and needs to follow up with a phone call. Excellent, right? That is until they waste precious time going back and forth trying to decide on a time that works well for the prospect. 


Avoid this by investing in a scheduling tool; this will allow SDRs to send a link that allows prospects to see your availability and book a meeting that works for you both. According to research by Yocale, online booking software reduces an average of seven hours of administrative tasks per week.


Examples of scheduling and email optimization tools: Chili Piper, Calendly, HubSpot Meetings Tools



Direct Mail/Gifting Platforms



Direct mailing and gifting platforms aren’t a necessity but can be beneficial for some sales teams to make a buyer’s experience more special. As the name suggests, direct mail marketing is where you send physical mail, gifts or merchandise to a prospect’s address. 


There are a number of platforms that are designed to streamline this process, with common features including gift selection, shipping, tracking and metrics to measure ROI. Not only will this make the strategy more efficient, but also help you decide if it’s worth investing in. 


Example of direct mail platforms: Alyce, Sendoso, Postal, Reachdesk 


Sales tech stack



Intent Data Platforms



Intent data platforms collect metrics regarding your target audience’s purchasing behaviour and intent. This data will enable your SDRs in determining if a prospect is ready to purchase your solution, or are in the consideration stage. In turn, this will help them alter their messaging depending on the prospect’s needs, as well as nurturing leads in the consideration stage. 


Examples of data platforms: Bombora, 6Sense, TechTarget, Demandbase



Sales Tech Stack Summary Points:


  • In this chapter, we covered the types of technology available in the market to make SDR teams more productive. 
  • Deciding what solutions should be part of your sales tech stack depends on the size of your team and your budget. 
  • If you are just getting started with your Sales Development team, we suggest the starter combo: CRM + Sales Navigator + Data Provider + Telephony system + Sales Engagement Tool. 
  • A more advanced tech stack for larger teams and bigger budgets would typically include: CRM + Sales Navigator + Data Provider + Telephony system + Sales Engagement Tool + Scheduling Tool + Conversational Intelligence + Intent Data + Gifting Platform.


Want to read more about building, enabling and managing a successful sales development team? Download the free SDR Handbook here – no sign-ups required.

About Operatix

Operatix is a Sales Acceleration company specialized in supporting B2B Software vendors to identify new revenue streams, increase qualified sales pipeline, and accelerate channel development across Europe and North America. Operatix has a wealth of experience in working with the biggest tech players worldwide as well as a multitude of emerging software vendors.

A Guide to SDR Compensation and Commission Plans

Aoife Daly

Best Practices for Effective SDR Management

Aoife Daly

The 30/60/90-Day Plan of a New Marketing Leader

Pete Lorenco

Ready to get started?

Learn more about how we can get work as an extension of your Sales & Marketing teams to drive more revenue.

Channel Transformation

Digital transformation is changing how companies buy and use business solutions, making vendors re-assess the capabilities of their channel ecosystem. With channel dynamics in constant flux, vendors need to be ready to cut ties with partners that don’t share their vision or have connections with the right B2B buyers.

 

Operatix has supported numerous vendors in their path to Channel transformation by assessing current partners and recruiting new partners that are more aligned with their new channel strategy. Once the right partners have been identified, Operatix built scalable outbound sales development programs that accelerated their routes to market.

Inbound Response Management

In a competitive industry like technology every lead counts. Operatix can help you maximize conversion from MQL to SQL and from lead to pipeline, increasing both your revenue and ROI on marketing activities.

Account Identification

Identifying the accounts that are more likely to buy from you is part of our expertise. We will research the market, identify verticals and industries that can benefit from your solution and set up qualified sales engagements for your teams to kick-off the sales process. 

Cold Prospecting

Our team will identify new sales opportunities within the strategic accounts that you haven’t been successful in penetrating through your sales & marketing efforts. By applying the ‘Challenger Sale’ methodology we use a tailored, multitouch approach to connect with prospects, generating qualified sales engagements for your team and ultimately increasing your pipeline.

Outbound Sales Development

Using a proactive outbound sales approach has been proven to be one of the most effective methods to engage with prospective customers. By applying the ‘Challenger Sale’ methodology we use a tailored, human approach to getting in touch with prospects to increase your qualified sales engagements and ultimately generate more pipeline.

Outbound Sales Development

Using a proactive outbound sales approach has been proven to be one of the most effective methods to engage with prospective customers. By applying the ‘Challenger Sale’ methodology we use a tailored, human approach to getting in touch with prospects to increase your qualified sales engagements and ultimately generate more pipeline.

Partner Concierge Service

Our Partner Concierge Service helps vendors accelerate their channel programs, by engaging and nurturing channel partners and supporting them to get to revenue quicker.

Demand Generation

Whether you need to implement a demand generation strategy or get more results out of your existing demand gen engine, Operatix can work alongside your marketing team to yield better results out of your demand generation programs.

Account-based Marketing

An Account-based Marketing strategy is only as successful as the revenue it generates. At Operatix we will support your 1:1, 1:few or 1:many approach to get your team in front of decision makers in the accounts that matter the most to you. 

Lead Qualification

If your marketing leads aren’t converting, it might be a lead qualification issue. Operatix can help sieve through leads that need further qualification, so they are ready for an AE or sales team member to engage with.

Account-based Selling

At Operatix we will support your 1:1, 1:few or 1:many approach to get your team in front of decision makers in the accounts that matter the most to you. 

Pipeline Generation

Generating Pipeline for our clients is our key-objective. And we do that by using a multi-touch, multi-channel approach to generate qualified sales engagements for our customers’ sales teams.   

Account Intelligence / Deep Dive

Understanding buying centres, hierarchies and relevant personas in strategic accounts is a fundamental step to increase conversion rates. By leveraging account intelligence in a sales conversation your team can tailor their message and provide value to their prospective customer. But sales & marketing teams often struggle to dedicate time and resources to do the deep research and this is where Operatix can help.

DMID – Decision Maker Identification

Finding quality data is an on-going challenge for B2B Tech vendors. The accuracy of data platforms is questionable and that is why Operatix developed a manual process to identify & verify contact details for decision makers within strategic target accounts.

Playbook design

Operatix can develop Sales Playbooks that enable teams to sell more effectively. Your Playbook will be fundamental to get your messaging right, accurately position your solution against competitors, and adapt the communication of your value proposition to different buyer personas.

Recorded Testimonial: RXVantage

Fill in the form below and receive the recorded testimonial of Jeremy Gilman. 

Recorded Testimonial: Qualys

Fill in the form below and receive our recorded testimonial from Joerg Vollmer, the General Manager at Qualys.

Recorded Testimonial: Incorta

Fill in the form below and receive the recorded testimonial of Emily Lewis. 

Sales Playbook Development

Operatix can develop Sales Playbooks that enable teams to sell more effectively. Your Playbook will be fundamental to implementing the correct messaging, accurately position your solution against competitors, and adapting the communication of your value proposition to different buyer personas.

Lead Qualification

If your leads aren’t converting, it might be a lead qualification issue. Operatix can help filter through leads that need further qualification, ensuring that they’re ready for an AE or sales team member to engage with and progress through the funnel. 

Partner Portal / Marketing Concierge Service

Vendors often spend thousands of dollars building multifunctional Partner Portals to help channel partners educate their teams, manage opportunities, and create marketing programs. Still, these portals are often underutilized due to lack of bandwidth and capacity from vendors to offer support in enabling their partner community. Operatix, through their Partner Development team, can support your partners to make the best use out of your partner portal, managing the relationship with your partners and helping them set up co-marketing campaigns to drive more revenue for both businesses. 

Marketing & Sales Alignment

The sales development function is often seen as the “glue” that brings sales & marketing teams together. By working as an extension of your teams, Operatix will be your predictable source of pipeline, sales & revenue.

Optimization of MDF

Market Development Funds are an important component of any channel ecosystem, though vendors believe they are not maximizing the return on investment they should be getting from their MDF programs. At Operatix, we build scalable outbound sales development programs that will give you the visibility of return over the invested spend and will provide clear value for your channel partners.

Increase Partner Productivity

The 80/20 rule is still very applicable to the channel, which means that investing in partner productivity should be a priority for vendors looking to grow their businesses. Operatix can increase partner productivity and shorten sales cycles, by identifying ready to engage sales opportunities for your most valued channel partners.

Virtual Channel Account managers

Our VCAM team is responsible for building, maintaining, and managing sound relationships with current and prospective channel partners. They can get involved in opening up new sales conversations as well as closing small businesses up to $ 10k.

Tier 1 & Tier 2 Activation

Whether your business decided for a Tier 1 or Tier 2 distribution model, Operatix can help your channel partners get to revenue quicker. By providing qualified sales engagements to your channel partners we can accelerate your route to market with tangible and easily measurable results.

Solution Selling Training

Far too often vendors insist on enabling their channel partners to talk about features and technical details of their solutions. Customers don’t buy features; they buy the benefits your solution can bring. Operatix will work with your partner community to train them in articulating your message from a high-level business perspective, enabling them to talk to prospects about the value your solution can bring to their company from a board-level perspective.

Channel Enablement

Enabling your channel partners have measurable wins for your business when done right. Operatix has a proven track record in enabling channel partners from a sales & marketing perspective, providing them the knowledge and tools to successfully pitch your solution and sell the value & benefits of it. 

Partner Recruitment

Recruiting the right Channel Partners is the first step for a successful channel program. Operatix has helped over 350 B2B Software vendors recruit suitable channel partners across EMEA and North America, supporting them to scale and expand their presence in different geographies and verticals. 

Risk/Reward Business Model

To truly work as an extension of our client’s sales & marketing teams, we have also adapted our business models to show how our clients operate, and how their success is measured. With our risk/reward business model your investment is proportional to the results our team delivers.

Sales Qualified Leads

On average, 52.5% of the sales engagements set up by our team progress into a next step in the sale process. That means that 5 out of 10 meetings will progress either into a POC, a Demo or a pipeline opportunity.

Geographical Scale

Trading in different geographical markets not only requires a knowledge of the native language, local rules & policies, but a deeper understanding of the local culture and habits. We have the ability to deliver campaigns in multiple countries with flexible resource allocation. This is through our team of international speakers, who have the ability to sell in 17 different languages across the globe.

Increase Revenue & Decrease Cost

Building an internal sales development team comes with many additional costs and challenges that aren’t always taken into account: recruiting resources, training and enabling them etc. You also need to take into account the need for having the data and tools to make them successful, which in turn requires time, capital and effort. By outsourcing your sales development to Operatix you will see your revenue increasing, while decreasing costs and business risk.

Predictable Pipeline Generation

On average, our clients see a 26X ROI on the programs we deliver. By understanding your revenue targets and sales pipeline gap, we will work on a sales & marketing plan that will deliver tangible results.

Vertical Growth

Entering new industries or launching new product lines? Operatix can accelerate your growth by supporting your go-to-market strategy, and getting your sales teams in front of decision makers in key target accounts.

Reduce Headcount

By outsourcing your sales development and partner programs to Operatix; we reduce headcount and the challenges that come with managing people, technologies, and processes. We take care of your sales development, so you can focus on what matters the most: growing your business.

Revenue Acceleration

Operatix helps your business get to revenue quicker. By providing qualified sales engagements for your direct sales team (to kick-off new sales cycles), or by accelerating the growth of your channel partners, our focus remains on delivering tangible results for your business. 

Persona-based Selling

Operatix team will design specifically tailored messages to influence the different levels of decision makers in the sales process, tailoring the communication according to each job function. Our focus is to sell the value of your solution from a business perspective, not its features.    

Recorded Testimonial: Bitglass

Fill in the form below and receive our recorded testimonial from Aya Fawzy, the former director of Bitglass.