Supercharge Your Sales: Essential Tech Tools for Success!

Welcome to the third article in our Sales Management Building Blocks series! This time, we’re focusing on technology and the structures you need to drive consistent sales performance.

When managing creative salespeople, organization and structure are essential. To avoid the peaks and valleys of sales performance, it’s crucial to implement tools and systems that prompt and guide sales activities, while also tracking actions and outcomes. Let’s explore some key structures every sales manager should consider:

CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
Most trade showrooms already use a CRM, and more retail showrooms are adopting them as well. CRMs are powerful tools that prompt sales activity, track customer interactions, and create a sense of urgency through 'lead status' updates. They give both salespeople and managers visibility into the status of deals and overall showroom performance.

Account Management
Particularly important for trade showrooms and outside sales associates, classifying accounts helps salespeople prioritize their time and determine which accounts need the most attention. For retail showrooms, an organized customer database—whether it’s a CRM or an Excel sheet—is invaluable for staying in touch with previous customers and nurturing long-term relationships.

Traffic / Door Counter
While common in retail showrooms, a traffic counter can also be useful in high-traffic trade showrooms. It helps distinguish buying groups from individual visitors and ensures accurate counts, even when customers don’t request a quote. Understanding your traffic helps better align your sales strategy with customer flow.

Lead Generator
Tools like Podium can generate leads from web inquiries and manage communications with prospects and existing customers. These platforms can help streamline customer interactions and ensure follow-up is happening when it matters most.

Calendar
As basic as it seems, a well-maintained calendar is one of the most fundamental tools for sales management. It helps schedule appointments, create alerts, and block time for specific activities. If you’re still using a manual or paper system, it’s time to upgrade to a digital calendar, especially when used alongside a CRM.

Virtual Meetings
Platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams make it easy to schedule and host meetings online. Virtual meetings save time, can be recorded for later reference, and offer a convenient alternative when in-person meetings aren’t possible.

Take a moment to reflect—are you using these tools? Which ones could help streamline your team’s workflow, and which have you put off implementing? It’s time to get comfortable with technology and put structures in place that will help you succeed.

Now, go get cozy with technology!

oxo, Jody