I’ve resisted writing this post for a while for a couple reasons:
1. It’s easy to use software and other shiny objects as distractions from answering hard questions.
The technology distracts us with how when we should be focusing on the what and the who ie. your ideal client profile, the problems you’re solving for them, and who on your team is responsible for securing new accounts.
2. Technology changes and having to update articles all the time is a pain!
Also, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it: this article is ideal for those starting fresh or correcting a broken system. If your process is generally working, leave it be, even if it’s a bit old or rough around the edges.
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The technology does matter, but not always its specific functionality, but rather for how it helps us experience the task at hand.
The tools are often advantageous for all the things they do NOT do.
This is all the more true in our land of big-ticket B2B service sales, where data, leads, and deals are a babbling brook compared to the raging river of small-ticket software sales, which tends to dominate the technology conversation. If you’re an agency owner and you have one or two salespeople, you do not need the same system that a tech sales boiler room requires.
Too often we interact with agencies doing the equivalent of buying an eighteen-wheeler to move their one-bedroom apartments: they invest way too much time and energy on complex systems and expensive technology.
So keep it simple, and take the below as good ideas, but not the only the options.
Without further adieu, here’s the tech stack we’ve used to run over 7,000 campaigns, generate over 3,000 agency/brand meetings, and win millions in lifetime revenue for our clients.
Note: as of now, we have no affiliate arrangements with these companies.
1. CRM
My frustration with CRMs historically is that many lend themselves to getting junked up, and before long, no one can rely on the system.
Just like when a chef walks into a kitchen and sees lasagne caked to the floor from the previous evening, he knows he’s looking at the tip of the iceberg, I know that if I pop open the CRM to see that a salesperson posted an email exchange to the wrong account, there are bigger problems below the surface.
In sales CRM land, the biggest chunk of the data pie, by FAR, is email, and Streak lends itself to cleanliness by living inside the Gmail inbox. Also, it’s structured as a spreadsheet, which I find much more intuitive than other CRM structures.
Our CRM 80/20.
To avoid wasting tons of time over-optimizing your CRM, it helps to understand the small handful of tasks you need to accomplish upfront. For us, the following represent 80-90% of everything we need to do:
-Daily management and tracking of leads.
-See which prospects have not been touched in >30 days so we can re-engage them.
-Run small batch email campaigns to particular prospect groups.
-Understand close rates and sales cycles.
2. Outbound email campaigns
First off, it’s important to note that you’ll need a different platform for outbound than you use for inbound, since newsletter programs like Mailchimp are not designed for outreach campaigns. Right now, we like Reply for its filtering capabilities, and we’re always experimenting with new platforms.
3. Market intelligence
Sales Navigator is the most powerful b2b market intelligence platform, and at around $80 per month, it’s your chef’s knife (“Dan, enough with the culinary analogies!”). Once you get comfortable with the advanced search functionality, you can find just about any white collar/b2b market segment worth finding.
A newer tool in our toolbox, this helps us identify ideal thought leadership influencers and media placements for ourselves and our clients.
4. Newsletters
We’ve been on ConvertKit since day-one for inbound marketing overall, beyond just newsletters, although that’s a big part of the equation. CK covers a lot of the same ground as weightier marketing automation platforms, but it’s significantly simpler and cheaper.
5. Follow-up tools
Living in Gmail, this is a simple tool for one-to-one email follow-up. It’s nice for casual and non-customized check backs, although you can tailor sequences if you wish.
If you’re like me, by the time 3 PM hits, you’d rather eat a bar of soap than write another email – that’s where one-to-one video messages are lovely (where appropriate). Beyond that, the human connection can be powerful, plus you an record your screen for proposal walkthroughs and the like.
6. Proposals
It’s 3 AM – do you know where your proposal is?
Creating word docs and PDFs, and managing changes is a pain, and a proposal creation system minimizes that by keeping everything on the cloud.
But more powerfully, you get to experience your proposal’s secret life, kind of like strapping a GoPro to your cat’s head before her evening prowl.
Wouldn’t it be nice to know about it when that CMO opens and forwards your $100k media pitch from last April to her leadership team?
