Faced with limited resources and operating in competitive markets, sales teams are finding it increasingly difficult to close high-quality B2B deals. Yet despite the challenging climate, sales reps only spend about 28% of their week selling. In order to outperform competitors and drive high-quality pipeline, sales teams need to be more efficient with their most valuable resource—time. That’s where sales productivity tools come in.
This comprehensive guide explores how the right software and tools can boost your team’s sales productivity and promote effective dealmaking. Plus, we share 20 sales productivity tools that can help sellers expedite the sales process.
What are sales productivity tools?
Sales productivity tools are software or applications that sellers use in their workflow to save time and improve efficiency in the sales process, enabling them to source, manage, and close deals faster.
These tools support the sales cycle in more ways than one. From fast-tracking research to facilitating seamless agreement signatures, these tools harness the power of AI, technology, and automation so sellers can manage their day-to-day tasks more efficiently. Sales productivity tools give sales teams more time in their day to focus on what really makes an impact—building customer relationships and engaging in activities that drive revenue.
Why does your sales team need productivity tools?
When sellers are more productive, they can identify and secure substantial deals in a shorter amount of time. Here’s how sales productivity tools promote efficient deal sourcing and management.
Automate repetitive tasks to source and close deals faster
Pitches, proposals, and sales calls all move deals closer to the finish line. But there are many manual and administrative tasks that—while important—can pull sellers away from higher-value activities. Many productivity tools automate these tasks to shorten the sales cycle.
Consider record keeping and CRM data entry for example. A robust and complete dataset is critical for improving deal decisions. However, an Affinity survey found that 69% of sales managers say their teams spend over four hours a week updating their CRM. Automated productivity tools eliminate that manual contact management, so sellers can redirect those four hours to client outreach or engaging prospects.
Access data-driven insights in real-time to improve decision-making
Sellers need access to up-to-date information in order to make confident decisions throughout the sales process. Many productivity tools are designed to automatically funnel internal and enriched external data into your CRM in real time. That information can then be pushed into the tools sellers already use, so they have all the insights they need at their fingertips.
When information is readily available, sales reps can make deal decisions quicker. It also encourages CRM adoption and data-driven decision-making.
In addition, productivity tools can push the valuable insights and context that sellers gather during prospect engagement back into your CRM—without interrupting a seller’s workflow. When sales reps can effortlessly input that information, it ensures it doesn’t get lost and can save time when the insights are needed further down the deal pipeline.
Increase CRM adoption to identify sales opportunities
It’s no secret that CRM data is critical to managing customer relationships and uncovering the right opportunities. But despite the valuable insights, CRM adoption can be a challenge for busy sales teams.
According to an Affinity survey, 35% of sales managers said the top reason that their sales team doesn’t use their CRM is due to lack of time. When your CRM isn’t actively used in the sales process, sellers can’t get the full picture of an open deal. This leaves reps bogged down with research or drives them to make suboptimal deal decisions—wasting time and resources in the process.
Automated CRM data capture and improved access to data increase the rate of CRM adoption, which helps sellers save time while qualifying leads more effectively and maintains deal progression. Productivity tools can eliminate the burden of CRM adoption and make your existing tools work better for you.
Improve communication across the sales cycle
Sales productivity tools can facilitate collaboration and knowledge sharing. Through automations and organizational features, they help teams maintain a repository of shared information in real-time—whether it’s sales activity taken from sellers’ calendars and inboxes or deal status within the CRM.
Increased transparency gives sellers the context they need to engage and communicate with prospects more effectively. And when everyone is on the same page, teams benefit from seamless handoffs and superior communication that can accelerate pipeline progression and encourage sales teams to work together to win deals.
Build stronger customer relationships
In a competitive environment, relationships can make or break a deal. Sales productivity tools enable sellers to build better relationships by giving them time back in their workweek to thoughtfully engage with buyers—strengthening relationships and elevating the overall customer sales experience.
When using productivity tools, sellers can nurture relationships with access to:
- Customer insights to refine pitches, messaging, and marketing.
- Automated communications that ensure customers receive the right information at the right time so sellers stay top of mind.
- Relationship intelligence that uncovers warm introductions and paths to the best deals.
Learn more: See how relationship selling helps sales teams navigate the increasing complexities of B2B sales and drive pipeline.
How to evaluate sales productivity software and tools
Not all sales productivity tools are created equal. Here are a few questions you can ask to identify the best sales productivity software for your sales team.
Is it easy to use?
Adding additional tools to your workflow can feel like a burden. While there are many valuable productivity tools out there, not every tool will be a fit for your sales process. When a tool disrupts or adds challenges to your sales process it ends up being counterproductive. Ideally, the productivity benefits should outweigh any implementation costs or complex learning curves.
Does it integrate with your sales tech stack?
Context and task switching kills productivity. Having tools that augment and integrate into your workflow is key to improving your sales efficiency and productivity.
For example, browser extensions (like Affinity Pathfinder) and inbox integrations can provide additional sales insights without sellers needing to toggle between different programs or software.
Does it cater to your industry?
While many sales productivity tools can be used broadly across B2B sales, certain industries have more specific needs than others.
For example, highly regulated industries such as investment banking and financial services may benefit from additional functionality that supports compliance management. Meanwhile, professional and financial service firms may need their tools to have extensive data security features in order to protect client information.
Does it support automation?
Automation is key to improving productivity. By automating—and thus eliminating—tedious and time-consuming tasks in the sales process, sellers can focus more on selling. Having productivity tools that enable automation is important for moving deals forward more efficiently.
Does it support all members of your organization?
The best productivity tools can accommodate the workflow of multiple roles within your organization. For example, if a tool puts an additional burden on other revenue-supporting teams, it can hinder your overall ability to close quality deals—even if sellers enjoy a boost in productivity.
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The 20 best sales productivity tools
Here is a comprehensive list of top-rated productivity tools that are commonly used in B2B sales teams.
Time-tracking sales tools
Time-tracking tools improve productivity by giving sales teams better insight into how they’re spending their time. It not only keeps sellers on track but helps identify opportunities to automate or shake up the workflow in ways that streamline the sales process.
1. Clockify
Clockify’s time-tracking software is a popular choice for sales teams that need to better understand and manage their time spent on different projects.
Features:
- Scheduling and time-off features help sales managers manage PTO and other absences so deals keep moving through the pipeline—even when team members are away.
- Keep individual deals and projects moving by using Clockify’s Plaky platform to review progress and track pipeline.
2. Toggl
Toggl is a web-based time-tracking and time-management software that helps busy sales teams optimize time spent on different tasks, projects, and deals.
Features:
- Toggl Plan provides a visual overview of each team member’s capacity and workloads, making it easy to match sellers with the right prospects.
- Track time anywhere while minimizing workflow disruptions with browser extensions and integrations for other sales productivity tools, including Salesforce, Asana, and Slack.
3. Freedom
Freedom is an app and website blocker that helps sales teams stay focused by eliminating unnecessary distractions that can slow down sales cycles.
Features:
- Sync site and app blocks across multiple devices to stay on task no matter what device you’re working on.
- Schedule focus time in advance to make sure you commit to your sales productivity goals.
Collaboration and communication tools
While sellers may have individual targets, overall sales can be improved when teams work together—whether that’s accessing shared relationships and networks, or simply being communicative. Tools that support collaboration and communication can streamline teamwork to generate and accelerate opportunities.
4. Zoom
Zoom is a collaboration platform that keeps teams connected in remote or hybrid work environments. Most users are familiar with Zoom’s virtual meeting platform, but Zoom’s suite of tools goes beyond video conferencing to include a VoIP phone system, whiteboard software, and appointment scheduling.
Features:
- The conversation intelligence feature supports seller engagement by providing conversation analytics that can be used to elevate pitches and customer meetings.
- AI Companion improves meeting productivity by summarizing meetings, enhancing presentation skills, and even drafting follow-up conversations.
5. Slack
Slack’s team communication platform enables teams to stay connected—whether they’re in the same office or distributed around the world. Slack’s instant messaging feature makes it simple for sellers to get additional information from their colleagues in real time, eliminating the delays often experienced with email or other forms of communication.
Features:
- Keep communication organized with project or account-based channels within your Slack workspace.
- Integrate additional productivity tools to receive notifications and updates in Slack, so sellers never miss an update.
6. Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is a popular alternative to Slack that connects teams and helps them collaborate. Teams is an extension of the Microsoft suite of software, making it a great productivity tool for teams already using Microsoft 365.
Features:
- Microsoft Copilot uses large language models (LLM) and AI to improve productivity across all Microsoft tools. In Teams, Copilot can summarize meetings and highlight action items in real time.
- Work seamlessly across platforms with direct integrations into Outlook, One Drive, Calendar, and other Microsoft applications.
eSigning tools
Complex B2B deals often have a multitude of legal and contractual requirements throughout the sales process. Chasing signatures during these touchpoints can significantly delay the deals process. eSigning tools help sellers close deals faster by streamlining contract negotiations and final sign-off.
7. DocuSign
Save time sourcing signatures and get contracts completed faster with DocuSign. DocuSign’s agreement solution helps collect e-signatures quickly and securely. It also provides a collaborative solution for negotiating terms and updating contracts, so sales professionals can spend less time making manual contract changes and more time driving pipeline.
Features:
- Streamline the contract and signature process with 400+ integrations. For example, DocuSign’s CRM integrations push finalized contacts directly back to your CRM to keep deal agreements organized in just a few clicks.
- Create agreements directly within Salesforce using additional tools such as DocuSign Gen for Salesforce.
8. Dropbox Sign
Formerly known as HelloSign, Dropbox Sign is the latest addition to Dropbox’s secure cloud-based storage software. Claiming to close deals almost 33% faster, Dropbox Sign expedites signatures in the sales process.
Features:
- CRM integrations for Salesforce, Hubspot, and other CRM platforms so sellers can easily send, store, and track agreements without leaving your CRM.
- Automate agreements with Salesforce integrations that populate proposals and contract templates using existing CRM data.
Scheduling tools
Scheduling tools allow sellers to manage pipelines more efficiently by effortlessly arranging meetings and scheduling prospect follow-ups. When there are multiple busy decision-makers involved in the process, these tools prevent deals from getting held up due to scheduling conflicts.
9. Calendly
Calendly uses automations and calendar integrations to take the back and forth out of scheduling meetings. By pulling in the calendars of multiple salespeople and account representatives at once, prospects and customers can see availability at a glance and then book meetings at a time that’s convenient to them. It offers maximum flexibility and eliminates scheduling barriers in the sales process.
Features:
- Speed up initial outreach with calendar links so prospects can instantly book a call that works for their schedule.
- Assign deals based on team member calendar availability to improve deal routing and engage leads faster.
10. Google Workspace Calendar
Google Calendar is a scheduling tool within the Google Workspace suite of tools (previously known as G Suite). It improves internal and external scheduling, as well as meeting management by creating calendar events complete with agendas, attendee information, meeting links, and location details.
Features:
- Foster collaboration and transparency within teams. Shared calendars and availability on Google Calendar make coordinating schedules simpler so teams can spend less time booking meetings and more time putting deals together.
- Streamline scheduling with customers and prospects by creating appointment slots right within your existing Google Calendar.
Project management sales tools
From research to contract negotiations, there are many steps in a full sales cycle. At any given time, sales teams are managing multiple accounts, customers, and leads. Project management tools improve pipeline management to keep sellers on track and ensure the right deals move forward.
11. Notion
Notion is a cloud-based workspace that sales teams can use to build repositories of information and manage projects. From creating custom sales trackers and automating workflows to creating a centralized knowledge base, Notion’s flexible space is convenient for teams that need to configure custom solutions based on their sales goals, KPIs, and existing workflows.
Features:
- Improves productivity with Notion AI’s smart assistant that can surface insights quickly. For example, Notion AI can easily summarize active deals in your sales pipeline so sellers can stay up to date without having to navigate through pages of documentation.
- Comprehensive Notion templates help Sales teams quickly create dashboards or lightweight CRM solutions.
12. Asana
Asana is a project management platform that helps sales teams improve efficiency and prospect smarter by automating tasks and tracking pipeline progress. With interactive Asana boards, sales teams can quickly visualize upcoming tasks and deals in the pipeline.
Features:
- Close deals faster with custom fields and automated workflows that make staying on top of opportunities a breeze.
- Integrations with other productivity tools and CRM platforms, like Salesforce, pull in data to centralize insights and activity progress.
13. Trello
Keep deals on track by managing pipelines and tasks within Trello’s project management solution. Use Trello to keep deals moving forward and visualize your pipeline with custom boards, lists, and automated workflows.
Features:
- Power-ups for Trello enhance productivity with browser extensions and add-ons for your existing sales tools, such as Salesforce or Gmail.
- 10+ pre-built sales templates to start managing leads and deals without the hassle.
CRM sales tools
A customer relationship management (CRM) sales tool collects and stores customer information in one place—ranging from contact information to sales activity. CRM data can then be analyzed and used for deal management and lead qualification purposes.
14. Salesforce
Salesforce is the number one B2B CRM that helps sales teams collect and uncover customer insights in a centralized location while efficiently managing their sales process. Salesforce works seamlessly with your internal and external data to create complete datasets that allow sellers to close high-quality deals faster.
Features:
- Reduce software fatigue and support sellers through every step of the sales cycle—all within Salesforce CRM—with functionality ranging from buyer engagement to sales analytics.
- Augment Salesforce CRM further and improve productivity with additional tools, such as Affinity for Salesforce’s automated activity capture and browser extensions to help sellers access CRM data in their everyday tools.
15. Hubspot
Hubspot is a CRM and customer platform with multiple products that support marketing, operations, and sales teams with managing and generating customer insights. Hubspot’s Sales Hub is an advanced CRM designed for sales teams to help sellers track, find, and close deals in one place.
Features:
- Speed up response time and improve sales efficiency by using Hubspot’s AI to write email outreach and prospect follow-ups
- Improve sales conversations with conversation intelligence to coach sellers throughout the selling cycle.
16. Zoho CRM
Zoho is a self-proclaimed customer experience platform with CRM solutions that connect sales, marketing, and customer service teams.
Features:
- Spend less time switching between apps with 800+ CRM integrations.
- Update customer records faster through AI by chatting with Zia, Zoho’s AI-powered assistant, instead of manually inputting data.
Data enrichment sales tools
CRM data enrichment takes basic customer data, then supplements and cleans it to create a more complete and actionable dataset. Sellers can take advantage of the additional features like relationship intelligence to make data-driven decisions and improve the customer experience.
17. Affinity for Salesforce
Affinity for Salesforce is a data enrichment and automated data capture tool that enables sellers to make relationship-driven decisions that close deals faster. By integrating relationship intelligence into the Salesforce CRM, sellers can take advantage of relationships across their company’s entire network to uncover warm leads that close deals 25% faster.
Features:
- Build better customer relationships and make the most of your team’s shared network using a complete history of engagement with every company and contact.
- Prioritize the right deals and source warm introductions that speed up the sales cycle through Affinity for Salesforce’s relationship intelligence.
- Access relationship insights and enriched Salesforce data when you need it, right within your browser or email inbox.
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18. Clearbit
Clearbit speeds up the sales cycle by providing B2B companies with more complete data records. Through trusted third-party and proprietary data, Clearbit provides real-time data enrichment and data sourcing services to encourage faster and smarter decision-making.
Features:
- Access over 250 public and private data sources to generate comprehensive CRM records.
- Identify and prioritize high-quality leads quicker with intent data.
19. Zoominfo
Save time researching and collecting data with access to ZoomInfo’s comprehensive database, connecting sales teams with the sales intelligence they need to accelerate deal closure.
Features:
- Improve sales performance and efficiency with additional productivity tools, such as conversation intelligence, sales engagement, and data orchestration.
- Reach the right stakeholders faster with enriched data, such as job titles and direct contact information.
20. LinkedIn Sales Navigator
LinkedIn Sales Navigator harnesses the power of social media to enrich existing pipeline data with relationship insights that help sales teams make informed deal decisions.
Features:
- Recommendations for faster lead generation and qualification.
- Get InMail credits to contact leads directly within LinkedIn, instead of defaulting to email or phone.
Ready to amplify your sales productivity?
Affinity for Salesforce is your partner in sales productivity. With automated data capture and relationship insights, sales teams can hit pipeline goals and source likely-to-close opportunities faster.
Affinity for Salesforce boosts sales productivity by enabling sellers to:
- Close more deals from within the tools you use every day. Save time and skip switching between Salesforce and other platforms. Affinity for Salesforce provides access to actionable insights right within your inbox or browser, so you can close more deals efficiently.
- Drive pipeline through relationship intelligence. Make smarter decisions, faster with Salesforce data layered with Affinity’s AI-driven relationship intelligence insights.
- Reduce manual data entry with automated record creation. Affinity analyzes your inbox and meetings to automatically keep contact records and sales activity up to date. Get access to real-time complete data without the manual lift, saving each user over 200 hours every year.
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Sales productivity tools FAQs
Why is sales productivity important?
Productivity plays a critical role in enabling sales teams to hit pipeline targets and close high-quality deals. When salespeople are more productive, they can spend more time building relationships and focusing on selling activities that drive revenue.
In a dynamic sales process, productivity tools allow sales teams to take advantage of automations and integrations that improve their workflow and set them apart from the competition.
Should you use more than one sales productivity tool at once?
Yes, in most situations, sales teams can benefit from using more than one sales productivity tool. There are many types of user-friendly tools that help automate and elevate different parts of the sales process. By taking advantage of sales tools in multiple parts of your sales workflow, you can make sure sellers have more time to source and close better deals.
However, it’s important to evaluate potential productivity solutions based on your existing workflow and industry to make sure you’re layering on tools that actually improve productivity. When sellers are bogged down with too many tools that offer minimal benefits, they could waste valuable time that could be better used selling.
Which members of your sales team should be using tools to increase sales productivity?
All members of a sales team, from sellers to account managers, should be using tools in their sales process to improve productivity. For example, outbound sales professionals may benefit from additional scheduling tools. Meanwhile, sales managers may benefit from time-tracking apps that identify areas of opportunity.
Remember: If a tool creates a burden on one role, it can quickly offset the productivity gains elsewhere.
