Sales Tool Recommendations for 2024: How to choose the right tool and the benefits of implementing it!

What are ‍Sales Tools?

SALES TOOLS ARE IT TOOLS DEVELOPED AND PROVIDED FOR THE PURPOSE OF SUPPORTING BUSINESS PROCESSES IN CORPORATE SALES ACTIVITIES. THERE ARE SEVERAL TYPES, INCLUDING THOSE FOR FACILITATING COMMUNICATION WITH CUSTOMERS, IMPROVING THE EFFICIENCY OF INTERNAL COMMUNICATION, AND MANAGING CASE AND CUSTOMER INFORMATION. SOME COMPANIES HAVE INTRODUCED AND UTILIZE ORIGINALLY CREATED DATA SHEETS AS SALES TOOLS. ON THE OTHER HAND, SOME COMPANIES INTRODUCE AND UTILIZE HIGHLY SPECIALIZED SALES TOOLS TO IMPROVE THE EFFICIENCY OF MANAGEMENT AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT FOR INDIVIDUAL SALES MEMBERS AND THE ORGANIZATION AS A WHOLE. THE REALIZATION OF MORE EFFICIENT OPERATIONS BRINGS VARIOUS BENEFITS, SUCH AS INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY OF SALES MEMBERS, WHICH CAN CONTRIBUTE TO SALES EXPANSION.

16 recommended tools to improve sales efficiency

‍ Here are 16 recommended tools that can actually help improve sales efficiency. Please note that prices and plan information are current as of January 22, 2024.

1.[CRM/SFA] UPWARD

UPWARD is a mobile appthat maximizes the value of CRM and SFA for outside and in-home sales. It provides a variety of support functions by linking with CRMs such as Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics365 with a focus on "storing and utilizing" customer data.  

By utilizing "UPWARD," customer data such as customer profile information, business meeting history, and activity reports can be semi-automatically stored in CRM with a single smartphone. When the person in charge in the field creates a daily sales report or activity report, not only is a report format automatically created on "UPWARD," but also voice input is supported, allowing easy reporting in spare time.
The data entered daily is visualized on a map, allowing users to intuitively know which customers to visit next. Anyone can visit not only the usual "easy-to-reach places" but also the places that really "need to be visited" in a strategic manner.
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2. [CRM/SFA] Mazrica Sales (Mazrica Corporation)

Mazrica Sales is a CRM/SFA tool. It is an easy-to-use tool that allows for the integrated management of all information necessary for sales management, including customer information, business cards, and project progress management. It also features an automatic transcription function that reduces the burden of entering customer information and a case board function that facilitates remote work by allowing users to intuitively grasp the progress of each person in charge of a case.

3. [CRM/SFA] e-Sales Manager Remix Cloud (Softbrain Co., Ltd.)

e-Sales Manager Remix Cloud is a purely domestic CRM/SFA tool provided by Softbrain Co. It is equipped with many intuitive and convenient functions such as customer information management, case management, daily report management, and schedule management. The dashboard allows users to check items such as the number and size of business meetings, closing rate, and duration in real time to improve productivity.

4. [CRM/SFA] Sales Crowd (idema Holdings Co., Ltd.)

Sales Crowd" is a sales digital transformationtool with integrated CRM, SFA, and MA functions. Sales Crowd is particularly strong in new business development, utilizing data from one of Japan's largest corporate databases of over 9.9 million items to create and provide approach lists suitable for each user company. It also allows for easy multi-channel approach activities to obtain appointments, real-time analysis of results, and instantaneous data analysis from a variety of angles.

5.[CRM/SFA] Knowledge Suite (BlueTec Corporation)

Knowledge Suite" is a sales digital transformationtool that links all functions such as groupware, CRM, SFA, and smartphones app. It has functions designed to ensure that teleworking does not interfere with the productivity of sales activities. The business card management function allows users to quickly digitize business card information and manage it as a company asset through the CRM function, as well as an online business card exchange function.

6. [SFA] JUST.SFA (JUST SYSTEM INC.)

SFA" IS AN SFA TOOL PROVIDED BY JUSTSYSTEM. USERS CAN EASILY ADD THE NECESSARY FUNCTIONS AND CUSTOMIZE AND BUILD AN OPTIMAL SFA TO MEET THEIR COMPANY'S NEEDS WITHOUT PROGRAMMING KNOWLEDGE OR SKILLS. SINCE IT CAN BE FLEXIBLY BUILT AND MODIFIED TO SUIT VARIOUS SALES STYLES, SUCH AS NEW DEVELOPMENT AND DEEPENING OF EXISTING SALES, IT IS SUITABLE FOR SMALL STARTUPS AND CAN BE OPERATED AT THE SALES SITE.

7.[SFA] HOT PROFILE (HAMMOCK CORPORATION)

HOT PROFILE" IS A CLOUD-BASED BUSINESS CARD MANAGEMENT AND SFA TOOL. IT UNIFIES NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, BUSINESS CARD MANAGEMENT, AND SALES SUPPORT AS A BUSINESS PROCESS TO INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY OF SALES ACTIVITIES AND IMPROVE SALES. IT IS LOADED WITH USEFUL FUNCTIONS TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF SALES ACTIVITIES, SUCH AS BUSINESS CARD DATABASING, VISUALIZATION OF HUMAN CONNECTIONS, AND AUTOMATIC ASSIGNMENT OF CORPORATE ATTRIBUTE INFORMATION. SALES CAN BE VISUALIZED IN MULTIFACETED SEGMENTS, MAKING SALES FORECASTING EASIER. NECESSARY INFORMATION SUCH AS COMPANY INFORMATION, COMPANY NEWS, AND E-MAIL HISTORY CAN ALSO BE INSTANTLY GRASPED.

8. [SFA] VyNDEX (WingArc 1st Corporation)

VyNDEX is a convenient SFA tool that allows you to edit information in the system from Excel. Using familiar Excel, you can search, filter, and sort data in the SFA system, as well as easily perform batch maintenance and input of data. The advantage of this tool is that you can efficiently update large volumes of client information and negotiation data through batch maintenance, shortening your work time and allowing you to work even when you are offline.

9.[CRM] Zoho CRM（Zoho Japan K.K.)

Zoho CRM is an affordable CRM tool. It is suitable for sole proprietors and small and medium-sized businesses that want to start small and keep costs low, as it requires no initial costs and is easy to start using, simple to use, and highly scalable. The support system is also well-developed, including assistance at the time of introduction, skill training, and trouble-shooting by professional staff.

10. [CRM] HubSpot CRM (HubSpot Japan K.K.)

HubSpot CRM is a free CRM tool used by over 184,000 companies worldwide. It offers a full range of features, including customer management, performance reporting, email tracking, transaction tracking, and company insights. HubSpot CRM itself is free, which is useful for small businesses that want to keep costs down or just want to try it out for the time being.

11. [MA] SATORI (SATORI CORPORATION)

SATORI is an MA tool that has been used by more than 1,500 companies. SATORI has strong features for customer acquisition, and is excellent for approaching not only real-name customers but also anonymous prospects, utilizing behavioral history on the website to create business opportunities for anonymous leads and acquire more potential customers. The system can be started immediately and is easy to operate with a simple interface. Another attractive point is the excellent support system from pre-introduction to the operation phase.

12.[MA] Adobe Marketo Engage (Adobe Corporation)

Adobe Marketo Engage is a globally used MA tool. It allows you to quickly build and deploy campaigns, nurture prospects across channels, and create personalized content such as emails and landing pages. It can build optimal customer experiences by accumulating and utilizing a wide range of behavioral data and connecting it to appropriate and timely approaches. Through sending high quality prospects to customers, we can strengthen the linkage between sales and marketing.

13.[Mail management tool] Cybozu Mailwise (Cybozu, Inc.)

Cybozu Mailwise is an e-mail management tool that allows multiple staff members to centrally manage e-mails sent to a common e-mail address. By sharing and managing e-mails among multiple people, you can quickly respond to important e-mails received and reduce the risk of missing important sales opportunities. In addition to preventing the omission of correspondence, the tool is packed with features that prevent double correspondence and simplify the work of responding to e-mails.

14.[Business card management tool] Sansan (Sansan Corporation)

Sansan is a cloud-based business card management tool for corporations. With more than 1 million corporate information pre-registered, it is not only a business card management tool, but also has a wide range of functions as a CRM, such as an e-mail distribution function. It can centrally manage and utilize all customer information necessary for sales activities, and can also be integrated with Salesforce, a CRM.

15. [Groupware] Cybozu Office (Cybozu, Inc.)

Cybozu Office" is a groupware for small and medium-sized companies in Japan. Its schedule management function with simple operability and a highly listable UI is highly appreciated among users. Various convenient features of the schedule management function facilitate schedule management at the individual level and for the team as a whole, and promote more efficient sales activities.

16.[Online business meeting tool] RemoMee (Link Co., Ltd.)

RemoMee" is an online business negotiation tool. Combining Internet calls and customer management, RemoMee promotes higher productivity in sales activities and increases the number of business meetings and orders. Regardless of the business situation, such as new customer development or inside sales, you can reduce travel time and costs by using the online call function to reduce face-to-face sales.

Three Advantages of Implementing Sales Tools

The benefits gained through the implementation of sales tools are divided into three key areas. ‍

1. Efficiently improve sales performance.

The more efficient the use of sales tools, the more time you will have available. If these hours can be used for higher priority and cost-effective tasks, the efficiency of sales activities will improve and the speed of closing deals will accelerate, leading to better sales results. In addition, some sales tools are equipped with functions that automate schedule management and task management, which makes it possible to manage sales activities more smoothly.  

2. Easier customer management

Sales tools make customer management easier. Some tools can be used as customer databases by centrally managing not only basic information such as company addresses and phone numbers, but also information on business meeting history, e-mail history, and call history on the system. The database can be easily accessed from devices such as PCs and smartphones, and past loginformation can be easily referenced. Facilitated customer management allows you to approach customers at more appropriate times, which in turn contributes to improved customer service.

3. Ability to quantify sales activities.

Sales tools allow for the quantification of detailed information on actions and initiatives taken within the sales process. These data facilitate sales analysis by providing a visual representation of sales activities in the form of graphs and charts. Sales efficiency is further enhanced when the analysis highlights areas of focus in terms of issues and resources, making it easier to take action quickly and efficiently.
Related article>>What is sales behavior management? Explaining the Necessity, Benefits, and Methods

Types of Sales Tools

While there are many different types of sales tools that can improve operational efficiency, this section describes the features of three main tools.

CRM

CRM stands for "Customer Relationship Management" and is also called a customer relationship management system. CRM is a business system that centrally manages customer information in the cloud to promote stronger relationships, and allows more detailed and personalized approaches to each potential customer via e-mail, telephone, SNS, etc., based on the information stored in CRM and its built-in functions, thereby promoting good customer relationships. This promotes good customer relationships. This is an effective tool for nurturing more loyal customers, such as repeaters and fans.

SFA

SFA is an abbreviation for "Sales Force Automation. logSFA enables the sharing of various sales-related information, such as customer management, case management, and forecasting, across the entire organization. By centralizing data, more effective sales activities can be conducted. In addition, the functionality to visualize business processes prevents the division of tasks and improves the sales efficiency of the entire organization.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CRM AND SFA

CRM and SFA have many similar features and are often confused. However, there is a clear difference between the two: CRM is primarily a tool focused on managing external customer information, which encompasses and manages a wide range of customer-related activities, including marketing, customer service, and customer satisfaction improvement, not just sales. SFA, on the other hand, excels at optimizing the sales process, including tracking prospective customer information, planning sales activities, generating quotes, and processing orders. In recent years, systems that integrate both CRM and SFA functions have emerged.
Related Articles>>What is the difference between CRM and SFA? Explanation of which one to choose based on differences in functions and roles.

MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FISHERIES (FORMERLY MINISTRY OF ECONOMY, TRADE AND INDUSTRY)

MA stands for Marketing Automation, and is a tool for automating marketing activities to improve operational efficiency; if marketing activities can be made more efficient through the introduction of MA, it can be expected to increase revenue and reduce costs. Marketing activities that can be automated with MA include email marketing, lead nurturing, and lead scoring. All of these activities are important for smoothly acquiring leads and nurturing them into highly prospective customers.

How to Select Sales Tools

There is a wide variety of sales tools available. It can be extremely difficult to identify the right tool for your company. Below are some useful points to consider when selecting a sales tool.

1. Choose one that can solve your organization's problems.

The premise is that sales tools are implemented to address specific issues. Since the necessary tools differ depending on the nature of the issue, it is important to first identify the issue you are facing in your sales activities. For example, if the issue is "low conversion rate," it is important to select an SFA tool that can monitor the progress of sales representatives, and if the issue is "low number of leads," it is important to select an MA tool that specializes in lead acquisition, etc. Each of these tools should be appropriate for the specific problem. ‍

2. Select one that is easy to use.

IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO CHOOSE A SYSTEM THAT IS ACCESSIBLE TO ALL SALES MEMBERS IN THE ORGANIZATION. WHEN GATHERING AND ANALYZING INFORMATION IN SALES ACTIVITIES, IT IS NECESSARY TO HANDLE GRANULAR INFORMATION. IF A SALES TOOL IS NOT EASY TO USE, EACH SALES MEMBER IS LIKELY TO HAVE DIFFERENT USAGE AND UTILIZATION SKILLS, WHICH MAY LEAD TO VARIATIONS IN THE QUALITY OF THE INFORMATION AND REDUCE THE RELIABILITY OF THE ANALYSIS RESULTS. TO PREVENT THE UNRELIABILITY OF INFORMATION, CHOOSE A TOOL WITH A UI THAT CAN BE OPERATED INTUITIVELY.

3. Select one that can link data

Another point to consider is whether or not data integration with other systems already in use at the company is possible. If a tool does not have good data integration capabilities, it may increase the time and effort required to manage information for each individual system, which in turn may lead to inefficient business operations. The advantage of data integration is that business processes can be efficiently integrated and consistency of information can be ensured. When considering a tool, identify the tools you use on a daily basis, such as business card management, accounting, and groupware, and ask the provider if data integration with these tools is possible.

4. Choose a service with a generous support system.

The vendor's support system is another key point that greatly influences the usability of the tool. If a tool is introduced, but is not used properly because the vendor does not know how to use it or because it is difficult to operate, and if the behavior of the sales force does not change, the vendor will feel that there is no point in having introduced the tool. Make sure to check the level of support system before introducing the tool.

summary

Implementing a sales tool has many advantages, such as improving sales performance, facilitating customer management, and visualizing sales activities. By identifying the issues faced by your sales force and implementing tools that are easy for everyone to use, you will be able to smoothly improve the efficiency of your business operations. If you have any questions about how to start the digitalization of your sales process, please feel free to contact us.
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