This post originally appeared on HubSpot’s Insiders Blog
Sometimes navigating a sales process can feel like you’re lost in the middle of the wilderness. Lost, lonely, and no idea where to go next. It is pure survival mode.
Just like having the right tools make all the difference in a survival situation, leveraging the right sales tools at the right time can turn a bring clear direction to your approach and help you prioritize prospect communication.
These 5 free sales apps can be the difference between meeting or missing quota and getting your business off the ground. Here is a list of 5 awesome tools that will help you become a more efficient salesperson, without breaking the bank.
Network like a Star with CardMunch
For those who have a massive stack of business cards at the bottom of your briefcase, CardMunch is a lifesaver. Powered by LinkedIn, CardMunch is a free app for your iPhone that automatically converts business cards into contacts in your phone. All you need to do is snap a picture of a business card and upload it to CardMunch. Check back in a little while and you will find the contact has been added to your CardMunch library and as a contact in your phone.
With one click you can invite the contact to connect on LinkedIn. This simple step can help you take your offline leads online.
Build Rapport with Rapportive
Reaching out to someone for the first time through email? Looking for a creative conversation starter? Rapportive is the answer.
Rapportive is a free Gmail extension that brings rich contact profiles right into your Gmail interface. These contact profiles make it easy to see what your prospect has recently shared on their social channels. You can also easily connect with the prospect on social media, right inside Gmail.
This information can give you the context to kickoff a meaningful conversation from the get-go.
Schedule Meetings with Calendly
Playing the email tag game sucks every time you’re trying to schedule a meeting. Scheduling meetings should be as simple as 1,2,3. Meet your new booking assistant, Calendly.
To start, sync Calendly with your primary Google Calendar. Calendly will communicate both ways to see when you’re booked and will automatically push scheduled appointments to your Google calendar.
Setting up different meeting types allows you to more effectively manage your time. Offer a 30 minute consultation in your sales process? Add that consultation as an event inside Calendly. Now visitors to easily navigate through a customized link and book the appointment that is right for them.
Track Leads with Signals
Sitting around and playing the waiting game sucks. You say to yourself “I sent over the proposal, but did they open it yet? I don’t want to bug them. But what if it went to their spam folder. What should I do?!” Stop fretting and start paying attention to the signals that your prospects are sending.
Signals is a slick tool that brings you real-time updates when prospects open and click on your emails. These instant notifications can give you the edge you need to focus your time and effort on the most engaged leads. With integrations with Outlook and Gmail, you can easily plug and play right inside your current workflow.
Signals also offers premium integrations with HubSpot and Salesforce. This allows you to track what pages your prospects are viewing, in real time. This information helps you narrow in on the pain that your prospects are trying to solve. Their Salesforce integration allows you to get notifications when new leads are assigned to you and pipeline notifications help keep you on top of your team’s performance.
Meet Deadlines with Any.do
With apps for iPhone and Android, Any.do is a crisp and clean way to stay on top of your to do list. It prompts you to plan your day from the beginning, helping you become more efficient as you use the app. It also syncs through a Chrome extension, seamlessly bringing your to-do items into your browser and Gmail interface.
Need to follow up with someone in two day? Easily set a reminder for yourself from right inside Gmail.