Business intelligence.
Demand intelligence.
Data intelligence.
These days, business-to-business (B2B) interactions are all about having the right information at the right time — and to make it happen, you need intuitive insights at your fingertips.
Naturally, the sales department is no exception. In fact, sales intelligence tools are a great way to increase revenue and give your teams the information they need to thrive.
But what do sales data tools look like? How do you leverage them in B2B interactions?
Here’s everything you need to know.
What is sales intelligence?
“Sales intelligence” is a term that broadly refers to the tools, processes, and systems used to gather information about sales — including potential customers, pipeline health, sales rep best practices, and more.
All B2B sales intelligence solutions are designed to help you make better use of key data. Their benefits can be summarized in two ways:
Sales effectiveness
This is the overall success of each interaction — not measured by dollars or minutes, but by real human connections. If a sale is effective, it’s hitting all the right emotional and logical notes.
A sales intelligence platform helps boost sales effectiveness by helping reps make more informed decisions. With the right data at the right times, your teams always know just what to say to build rapport and develop trust with potential customers.
Sales efficiency
This is the more quantitative measurement of sales. It’s based on speed and accuracy.
Fortunately, sales intelligence solutions help boost efficiency, too. These tools make it easier for reps to boost sales performance by learning from their own habits and comparing them to best practices across the business.
Sales intelligence vs. business intelligence
Although sales data tools might sound a lot like business intelligence, there are actually some key differences. Check it out:
Sales intelligence
Business intelligence
- Focuses on “why did this happen” data
- Helps inform sales-related decisions
- Often looks outward
- May be built around immediate action
- Focuses on “what happened” data
- Helps inform decisions across the business
- Often looks inward
- May be built on slower, longer-term growth and planning
Keep in mind that both kinds of intelligence are about gathering and using data in smarter ways — the main differences are:
- The type of data gathered.
- The way that data is analyzed and used.
- The teams that gather insight from that data.
Key components of sales intelligence
Want to jump into the world of data intelligence solutions for sales? You’ll need to take these important steps:
Use real-time data to learn what your potential customers want, why they want it, and when.
Keep a close eye on ups and downs in your industry and maneuver your sales team accordingly.
Use analytics software and other sales enablement tools to get the information you need about the future.
Gather the right statistics from the right sources. (Hint: Automated data entry helps eliminate redundancy, minimize human error, and save valuable time for your teams.)
Review the nuts and bolts of your sales cycle to see where you can make improvements based on evolving customer and employee needs.
Learn from other businesses’ successes and mistakes — and recognize that they’ll do the same to you, particularly if you leverage sales intelligence in all the smartest ways.
Best sales intelligence tools
If you want sales intelligence data, you need sales intelligence software. Here are a few of the best options on the market in 2023:
Mindtickle helps you rethink revenue productivity.
Our conversation intelligence solutions help highlight best practices in real interactions, while our revenue intelligence tools help put that data to work by empowering you with insights about deal health, buyer sentiment, and more.
Zoominfo provides a platform for recruiting and operations, prospecting, data management, and more. It also helps analyze conversation data for rich sales intelligence insights.
If you want lead generation, Apollo is a great option. Enriched with decision-maker data and automatic alerts when a change occurs, this platform keeps you ready for anything.
Clearbit is all about timing. It helps your teams tailor individual decisions and entire campaigns based on lead scoring, a huge range of data points, and more.
How to increase revenue with sales intelligence
How can sales intelligence help you boost revenue, increase sales, and empower your team? Here are just a few ways to leverage this approach:
#1: Improve your sales forecasting
Don’t rely on guesswork. The best sales intelligence tools give you data and insights that inform decisions in the immediate future and help you build more effective long-term strategies.
#2: Personalize messaging
No B2B sales intelligence solution is complete without a little personalization. Use the data you uncover to make messages more meaningful, powerful, and memorable to different audiences.
#3: Foster a culture of data-driven sales decision-making
Build your sales decisions around real-time insights and data that provide an in-depth, comprehensive view of your market, your customers, and even your sales reps.
#4: Track performance with the right KPIs
Key performance indicators (KPIs) tell a lot of different stories when they’re on their own. Use sales intelligence software to track these KPIs and combine them into a clear, cohesive view of your entire sales department.
Looking for B2B sales intelligence tools that can help you do all this and more? Mindtickle is here to help. From sales coaching and enablement to forecasting, intelligence, and everything in between, this is the all-in-one platform your sales teams have been waiting for.
Sales intelligence at your fingertips
Ready to see how Mindtickle's revenue productivity platform gives you actionable intelligence to make sure every seller is productive?
Get a Demo
By Poornima Mohandas
By Vivian Batman