The pace of B2B dealmaking has changed. The onset of sales acceleration tools has enabled sellers to turn leads into signed contracts faster than ever before.
Sales acceleration tools reduce friction in the sales process and drive deals forward faster, shortening the sales process. But with sales teams facing fierce competition, finding the right tools for your tech stack is the key to coming out ahead.
In this guide, you’ll learn why sales acceleration should be a priority for B2B organizations, plus get a comprehensive list of tools you can use to increase deal velocity in your sales pipeline.
What is sales acceleration?
Sales acceleration is the process of increasing the speed at which deals move through the sales pipeline. By shortening the sales cycle, prospects turn into closed deals faster—giving teams time to source more opportunities and maximize revenue.
There are many ways B2B organizations can accelerate sales, including optimizing sales strategies and streamlining processes to increase sales productivity. However, in today’s modern sales environment, one of the top sales acceleration strategies is implementing sales acceleration tools.
What are sales acceleration tools?
Sales acceleration tools are software that are designed to help sales teams close deals faster. These tools use automations and technology to improve the availability of information, reduce the need for time-consuming administrative tasks, and optimize sales workflows.
When asked about the biggest improvement they could make in 2024, the most popular response among sales managers (41%) was improving the use of existing technology.* By implementing the right sales acceleration tools, sellers can focus on what they do best—building relationships and engaging customers.
The sales acceleration tools your sales team needs
There are multiple stages in every sales pipeline before a deal is closed.
In each phase of the sales cycle—from research to final paperwork and signatures—there are opportunities to optimize the sales workflow and accelerate dealmaking. This means there isn’t just one tool that teams can use to increase deal velocity. Sales teams can choose from several types of sales acceleration software to address the barriers and areas of opportunity within their specific sales pipeline.
Whether you’re looking to improve pipeline management or improve access to sales relationship intelligence, we’ve rounded up some of the most popular B2B sales acceleration tools to help your team win deals, faster.
Customer Relationship Management (CRMs)
Successful deals are built on relationships. CRM databases create a unified database of relevant insights and deal data so that every prospect interacting with your company feels like their relationship matters.
When sellers are balancing multiple accounts at once, it’s nearly impossible for them to effectively manage pipelines and deals on their own. CRM tools streamline the sales process by organizing valuable deal insights and customer information, so sellers have access to the data they need when they need it.
With the support of CRM automation tools, sellers can eliminate the manual or administrative tasks that can hinder productivity and sales efficiency.
1. Affinity
Affinity is a CRM platform and sales acceleration tool that uses AI-driven relationship intelligence to drive quality deal flow. Affinity brings together relationship intelligence, deal sourcing, deal flow management, and more into one platform, so teams can seamlessly source their next quality deal.
Key sales acceleration features:
- Automated CRM record creation to reduce manual data entry and maintenance. Affinity automatically creates and enriches data after every interaction to keep contact and company data updated in real time.
- Data enrichment to surface better deals, faster. Affinity enriches CRM data with unique and hard-to-find data points from industry leaders to help sellers improve deal sourcing efforts.
- Extensions that move deals forward from anywhere. Access and update CRM deal insights right from your browser and inbox, so you can spend less time switching tabs and more time selling.
Pros:
- Access to portfolio support, fundraising, and analytics features that are specifically geared toward accelerating private capital dealmaking.
- Extend Affinity’s sales acceleration features and relationship intelligence into other industry-leading CRM platforms with Affinity for Salesforce.
Cons:
- Maximizing the extensive benefits of relationship intelligence can be challenging for sales teams that are new to relationship selling.
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2. Salesforce
Salesforce’s leading CRM software enables B2B sales teams to manage deal data and close more deals all in one place. Salesforce accelerates dealmaking by providing sellers with easy access to sales insights, as well as access to native and third-party Salesforce tools that boost productivity and drive quality deals.
Key sales acceleration features:
- Native Salesforce automation tools, including Salesforce Flow and Apex, facilitate custom triggers and workflow automations that speed up the sales process.
- Cloud-based contact management unifies all contact information, sales activity, and deal insights in one database for quick and easy access.
- Lead management automatically captures and routes leads, converting them into prospects faster.
Pros:
- Access to world-class CRM functionality that sellers need to source, manage, and close deals, including workflow automations, data management, and sales forecasting.
- Simple integrations with leading third-party sales acceleration tools, including Affinity for Salesforce, right within the Salesforce AppExchange.
Cons:
- Salesforce pricing can be costly, particularly for larger teams.
3. HubSpot Sales Hub
Another popular CRM tool for B2B sales organizations is HubSpot Sales Hub. HubSpot’s all-in-one CRM and sales software suite is designed to improve productivity through every stage of the sales process, so sellers can manage, track, and engage with customers more efficiently.
Key sales acceleration features:
- Transparent deal pipelines keep sales teams on the same page and ensure that prospects move through the pipeline at the right pace.
- Sales workflow automations trigger follow-up tasks and automatic customer engagement to drive deals forward.
- AI tools help sellers draft effective emails and customer communications in just a few clicks.
Pros:
- A free plan is available to help sales teams test many of the features that Hubspot Sales Hub has to offer.
- Additional email tracking features that elevate and expedite customer communication.
Cons:
- Many key features are locked into higher-tiered plans.
- Limited contracts available in lower-tiered plans.
Relationship intelligence
When asked in an Affinity survey, the majority of sales managers (51%) say that relationships are a huge part of their sales process.* Having the right contact can go a long way in putting together a successful deal. Relationship intelligence tools uncover insights into the relationship between an organization and its customers—both existing and potential. They also help sellers quickly identify the best person to reach out to, so they can prioritize high-value deals and accelerate deal velocity.
1. Affinity for Salesforce
Affinity for Salesforce is an AI-driven relationship intelligence software that provides Salesforce teams with up-to-date insights about their entire company’s network and relationships.
Affinity layers relationship intelligence right on top of your existing Salesforce CRM data so your team can source, manage, and close deals faster.
Key sales acceleration features:
- AI-driven relationship intelligence that closes deals up to 25% faster. Get insights around the strength of every relationship within your company’s network, so you can prioritize the right deals and surface warm introductions that improve win rates.
- Enhanced Salesforce data that empowers sellers to fast-track deal decisions. Affinity enriches existing CRM data with relationship intelligence and other proprietary insights so sellers have access to richer customer profiles and clear context when engaging with prospects.
- Automated activity tracking and capture eliminates CRM data drudgery. Affinity automatically creates and updates contact records with contact, account, and activity data by analyzing sellers’ emails and meetings, saving over 200 hours of manual data entry per employee per year.
- Browser extensions to push CRM insights into the tools you use every day. With access to Salesforce data right in your inbox or browser, sales reps can spend less time switching back and forth between your CRM and other tools and more time doing deals.
Pros:
- Get access to advanced relationship intelligence and reporting right within Salesforce—without the need to add any additional external platforms to your tech stack.
- Affinity doubles as an email tracking tool to create a history of customer interactions across your organization.
Cons:
- Affinity’s relationship intelligence tools are currently only available to Affinity CRM or Salesforce CRM users.
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2. LinkedIn Sales Navigator
LinkedIn uses the power of social media networks to help virtual sales teams build relationships and find the right leads. LinkedIn Sales Navigator enriches pipeline data with relationship insights so sellers can make informed deal decisions, faster.
Key sales acceleration features:
- Lead recommendations and advanced search filters help sellers identify and discover potential prospects based on their ideal customer profiles (ICPs).
- CRM integrations push LinkedIn sales activity and insights directly into your CRM database.
Pros:
- Sales Navigator is an extension of LinkedIn’s social media platform which most sellers are likely already using in their workflows.
Cons:
- Once the right contacts are identified, the ability for sellers to reach out quickly can be limited by monthly InMail quotas.
- Some users have reported that it can take a long time to receive and filter through lead lists.
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Conversation intelligence
Sales conversations, from pitches to follow-up calls, are key to closing deals. How effectively a seller is able to communicate with a prospect impacts how quickly a deal moves forward—if at all.
Conversation intelligence tools accelerate sales by analyzing sales conversations that sellers have with customers. They surface insights to help sellers have more impactful and personalized conversations that guide customers closer to a closed deal.
1. Gong
Gong uses AI and machine learning to help sales organizations drive revenue intelligently. By recording and analyzing sales calls, Gong highlights customer priorities and coaching opportunities so sellers can have more meaningful conversations throughout the sales process.
Key sales acceleration features:
- Sales recordings and transcriptions capture every sales conversation, offering data-driven feedback and analytics. Gong helps sellers better understand and improve their conversations, as well as identify pain points and risks that can impact deals.
- AI-generated call briefs and follow-ups enable salespeople to stay on top of prospect engagement.
- Sales forecasting and predictive analytics provide revenue estimates based on customer conversations and sentiment.
Pros:
- Extensive integrations enable almost any team to seamlessly add Gong’s features to their workflow.
Cons:
- New users may find the software confusing and overwhelming to use.
- Some users have reported inaccurate transcriptions and delayed search functionality.
2. Chorus by ZoomInfo
Chorus is a conversation intelligence platform powered by the popular sales platform ZoomInfo. Chorus captures and records phone calls, emails, and meetings to provide data-driven customer insights that sellers can use to improve their customer engagement and conversion rates.
Key sales acceleration features:
- Automated transcriptions and sales insights minimize the need for note-taking, so sellers can focus on building relationships.
- Conversation benchmarks and coaching opportunities help teams improve engagement metrics such as talk-to-listen ratios, use of filler words, and other deal-driving conversation behaviors.
- Market intelligence provides valuable context on current market dynamics and your company’s competitive advantage by surfacing trends from customer conversations.
Pros:
- Access to Chorus’ proprietary machine-learning and technology.
- Integrations with ZoomInfo’s suite of sales and data enrichment tools offer a streamlined sales technology stack.
Cons:
- Several users have reported that the user interface (UI) can be difficult to navigate.
3. Fathom
Positioned as an AI meeting assistant, Fathom is a sales acceleration tool that records, transcribes, and summarizes sales meetings, so sellers can focus on having impactful customer interactions that boost sales performance.
Key sales acceleration features:
- Automated call summaries eliminate the need for note-taking and ensure sellers never miss an important customer highlight.
- Instant access to transcriptions and recordings, so sellers can quickly review and share any insights with relevant stakeholders.
- CRM integrations that generate and sync call insights into popular tools, including Salesforce.
Pros:
- Fathom’s conversation intelligence features are free to use.
- Supports 7 different languages, including English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, and Portuguese for global teams.
Cons:
- Limited sales tools and functionality outside of meeting recordings and summaries.
Digital sales room (DSRs)
In recent years, the number of buying interactions before a closed deal has grown as high as 27, according to Forrester.
With multiple stakeholders involved on both ends of the deal, collaboration is key to a streamlined sales process. Digital sales rooms improve communication between buyers and sellers, allowing deals to move forward while minimizing unnecessary sales touchpoints. Sales teams can use DSRs to provide personalized content and information, and to encourage buyers to make informed decisions faster. By enhancing collaboration, digital sales rooms help put everyone on the same page and move deals through the pipeline more efficiently.
1. JourneyDXP
Journey’s Smart Rooms help B2B sales teams deliver a personalized digital-first buying experience. Sales teams can invite buyers and stakeholders to personalized digital sales rooms to improve deal alignment and encourage buyer decision-making.
Key sales acceleration features:
- A personalized content management system (CMS) allows sellers to load relevant content in just a few clicks while enabling customers to make decisions independently.
- Collaboration tools consolidate communication between buyers and sellers right within JourneyDXP.
- Automations and custom workflows increase buyer engagement at the right time by unlocking additional content and providing internal sales activity reminders.
Pros:
- JourneyDXP is native to Salesforce CRM but offers integrations with dozens of other sales acceleration tools.
Cons:
- Users have reported that Smart Rooms can be slow to load.
2. Trumpet
A relatively new player in the market, Trumpet was launched in 2021 with the goal of modernizing sales processes. Trumpet’s digital sales room and customer success tools support a personalized buying experience and expedite the entire sales cycle—from lead generation to customer onboarding.
Key sales acceleration features:
- Centralized workspaces to keep resources and conversations with each account organized in one place.
- Mutual Action Plans keep buyers and sellers aligned on the next steps and due dates to avoid miscommunications that prevent deals from moving forward.
- Buyer signals keep sellers up-to-date on buyer activity, intent, and actions—so they can keep deals moving effectively.
Pros:
- A free starter plan is available to help sales teams test many of the features that Trumpet has to offer.
Cons:
- Lack of third-party integrations and workflow automations outside of major sales platforms.
Email tracking
Despite overflowing inboxes, emails are still one of the most effective ways to stay in touch with prospects in your sales pipeline. However, successful email campaigns require a clear understanding of the performance of your email outreach.
Are prospects opening your emails? When was the last time they engaged with a sales rep? Which sales rep sent the last email? Email tracking tools accelerate deal velocity by providing insights into your email communications with every prospect and customer, so sales reps can make deal decisions quickly and with confidence.
1. Outreach
As a self-described sales execution platform, Outreach empowers sales teams to create pipelines and close more deals by engaging better with customers, through email and beyond.
Key sales acceleration features:
- Templates, snippets, tasks, and workflows improve response rates by engaging sales leads at the right time during the sales cycle.
- AI analysis and insights optimize customer engagement and emails to make the most of every customer touchpoint.
- Out-of-office detection pauses automated email communications until a buyer returns to the office to keep the sales conversation going without missing a beat.
Pros:
- Access to Outreach’s full suite of sales enablement features, such as conversation intelligence and deal forecasting.
Cons:
- Some users have expressed concerns about the limited availability of customer service for small and medium businesses.
2. Affinity for Salesforce
Affinity for Salesforce understands relationships are built from the conversations that happen during meetings and via email. Affinity collects and analyzes data from email communications and sales team calendars to provide sellers with real-time relationship insights, so they can make informed deal decisions that propel the pipeline forward.
Key sales acceleration features:
- Smart triggers and reminders that keep relationships warm. Avoid missed emails and stay top-of-mind by receiving notifications when company insights change or a relationship score drops below a specific threshold.
- Comprehensive relationship mapping to generate network insights that drive deals. Affinity analyzes every customer interaction to establish the strength and nature of the relationships across your company, then pushes actionable insights directly into Salesforce.
- Improved engagement visibility for faster decision-making. Generate a complete record of every engagement across your team, to improve collaboration and provide sellers with the necessary context to pursue the right opportunities and have more meaningful conversations with customers.
Pros:
- Relationship intelligence features go beyond basic email tracking and insights to manage and close higher-quality deals.
- Access to additional CRM automations and deal insights that improve sales productivity and accelerate deal velocity.
Cons:
- Currently only integrates with Salesforce as the database of record. Non-Salesforce teams can enjoy the benefits of Affinity for Salesforce through Affinity CRM.
3. Groove
Groove’s email tracking and sales engagement platform enables sales reps to effortlessly engage and follow up with prospects. Improve seller productivity and encourage collaboration throughout the sales process with Groove’s sales automations features and activity tracking.
Key sales acceleration features:
- Email and calendar integrations allow sales reps to execute campaigns and trigger automations right from their inbox.
- Groove Flows automates personalized email campaigns so sellers can engage with buyers at the right moments throughout the sales process and remain top-of-mind.
- Conversation intelligence functionality provides AI-powered insights that sales and marketing teams can use to optimize email communications and messaging.
Pros:
- Native Salesforce integration ensures low latency and minimizes the risk of sync errors.
Cons:
- Users have reported a complex implementation process and a steep learning for new users.
Tap into high-growth sales acceleration with Affinity for Salesforce
Close quality deals faster with Affinity for Salesforce. With Affinity, B2B sales teams can unlock valuable relationship insights and CRM automation to accelerate deal velocity and drive more revenue.
Discover how Affinity for Salesforce can help your organization close more deals.
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Sales acceleration tools FAQs
What is sales acceleration software?
Sales acceleration software includes technology and tools that shorten the sales cycle and speed up how quickly prospects move through the sales funnel. Sales acceleration software can be used at any point in the sales cycle, from qualifying leads to negotiating final deal details.
Sales acceleration software is one of the best ways for sales teams to increase deal velocity and reach revenue targets.
What are the benefits of sales acceleration tools?
Sales acceleration tools are popular with B2B sales teams as they unlock a streamlined sales process and help sellers secure deals faster. The benefits of sales acceleration tools include:
- Efficient lead management and improved lead scoring.
- Enhanced customer and prospect engagement.
- In-depth analytics and insights that help sellers make deal decisions quicker.
- Automations that reduce and eliminate manual and time-consuming sales tasks.
How can automation improve the sales acceleration process?
Every modern sales acceleration strategy should include automation. Automating repetitive and administrative tasks gives sellers time back to focus on building relationships and revenue-driving activities.
Affinity for Salesforce accelerates the sales process by automating record creation and updates. By analyzing inboxes and calendars, Affinity not only automatically creates and updates CRM records, but enriches them with sales activity and relationship insights to promote better decision-making throughout the sales process.
What is the best sales acceleration solution?
One of the best sales acceleration solutions is Affinity for Salesforce.
Affinity accelerates deal velocity with automated record creation and updates, so sales teams can access enriched CRM data—wherever they’re working. Affinity also speeds up deal decision-making by providing sellers with access to their entire company’s network. With a complete history of a customer’s interactions at hand, sellers can quickly prioritize high likelihood-to-close opportunities.
Once sellers are ready to connect with their prospects, Affinity for Salesforce surfaces warm introductions that help deals close up to 25% faster.
* Data from Affinity’s 2024 survey of 250+ business leaders across investment banking, media and communications, real estate, professional services, healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, and enterprise technology.
