Revolutionizing Commercial Services: The Power of Revenue Acceleration Platforms

Introduction

The whole world feels like it’s speeding up and there’s no stopping it. This can be both good and bad. It’s great that we’re now more connected to our friends, family, community, and customers, than ever – no matter where they are! However, the same “connectivity” means we’re also accessible to the point overload.

Ads, social media posts, emails, calls, news, and more; the constant binging and buzzing of our phones, tablets, and laptops begging for our attention.

But this feeling of overwhelm also creates your greatest opportunity to sell since there’s a good chance your customers feel the same way.

Think about it: They search online for solutions to their problems, only to be overwhelmed by a relentless barrage of ads, a flood of generic “spammy” emails, and those incessant sales calls that just won’t quit.

This is your opportunity.

This is your chance to be different. To speak to their needs and preferences. To offer a consultative approach and solutions rather than beating them with sales messages until they ask politely (or not so politely) to “take me off your list!!!…”

Revenue acceleration platforms are sales intelligence solutions that allow you to create this personalized approach- and they’re a game changer for sales.

In this article, we’ll explore the world of revenue acceleration platforms, their benefits and features, and how they can supercharge your commercial services business.

Whether you’re a sales rep just beginning your career or a seasoned sales manager or entrepreneur, you’ll discover valuable insights to help you make informed decisions and drive growth.

What we’re going to cover:

1. What are revenue acceleration platforms?
2. Key features and benefits
3. Top revenue acceleration platforms for commercial services
4. How to choose the right platform for your business
5. Implementing and maximizing your revenue acceleration strategy

So, buckle up and get ready to transform your sales and marketing efforts. Let’s dive in!

What Are Revenue Acceleration Platforms?

The term revenue acceleration has little history. According to Google Trends, it only dates back to around 2016. But it’s really taken off in the past decade!

Stemming from the idea of a combined solution for “lead generation” and “sales intelligence,” revenue acceleration platforms (RAPs) now encompass the entire customer lifecycle, from prospecting to sales and customer service.

Today, we’re only going to focus on the first part: lead generation and sales, but these platforms combine various features and tools, such as a sales intelligence platform, marketing automation, and customer relationship management (CRM), to help marketing, sales, and customer success teams achieve consistent growth.

These sales intelligence platforms offer a unique advantage for commercial services companies by providing industry-specific data and insights. This allows sales teams to target the right prospects, personalize their outreach, and close deals faster.

Key components of revenue acceleration platforms include:

• Lead generation and qualification
• Sales intelligence and data enrichment
• Marketing automation
• Sales engagement tools
• Analytics and Reporting

By bringing these features together on one platform, businesses can forge a seamless workflow that synchronizes sales and marketing efforts, turbocharging revenue growth.

Before we discuss the top revenue acceleration tools, let’s examine some of their unique features and benefits for streamlining sales operations.

Key Features and Benefits of RAPs

Now that we know what revenue acceleration platforms are, let’s get into the fun part – the features and benefits that truly make these tools game-changers for your commercial services business.

Sales Intelligence, Real-time Insights, Lead Scoring, and “Signal”

Gone are the days of taking “shots in the dark” or blindly chasing every lead that comes your way. Revenue acceleration platforms use sophisticated algorithms to score leads based on their conversion likelihood.

In fact, many of these prospecting tools are so “smart” (i.e., high-tech) that they can alert you when a potential customer does something that shows increased interest- like visiting your pricing page or downloading a whitepaper.

It’s like having a sixth sense for the best sales prospecting opportunities.

Imagine knowing the perfect moment to reach out to a prospect. Intent data, buying signals, and artificial intelligence (AI) allow you to do this. Generally referred to as “signals,” these tools track who’s in the market for what, so your messaging is relevant, personalized, and timely.

This means you can focus your energy on the prospects most likely to become customers without wasting time on those who aren’t ready to buy.

Personalized Outreach at Scale

Remember when we talked about cutting through the noise? This is where that magic happens. These platforms analyze vast data to help you craft personalized messages directly to each prospect’s needs and pain points. It’s like having a crystal ball that tells you exactly what to say to win over each potential customer.

Marketing Automation and Automated Workflow Optimization

Many of these platforms do more than just provide data—they use Generative AI tools to help you act on it. Marketing automation is super important for commercial services businesses since many companies run small, lean teams.

By automating repetitive tasks like email drip campaigns, social media posts, ads, and lead scoring, you can save time and focus on what really matters.

Plus, most of the very best sales intelligence and revenue acceleration tools will seamlessly integrate with CRMs and other platforms. This means you can easily enrich your data, nurture leads, and manage opportunities and pipelines, among other things.

Comprehensive Analytics and Reporting

Finally, knowledge is power, and these tools will give you the knowledge to make data-driven decisions. In fact, that’s what this entire list is about- harnessing data and insights to power sales.

With detailed analytics on your sales process, pipeline, and team performance, you can continually refine your strategy for maximum impact.

Top Revenue Acceleration Platforms for Commercial Services

Now that we’ve covered the benefits in detail, let’s examine seven of the top players in the revenue acceleration game. Each platform offers something special, so as we discuss each one, pay close attention to the options that best suit your team’s needs.

Convex: The Outbound Sales Specialist 

Convex should be at the top of your list if you’re in commercial services. This intelligence platform was built from the ground up with field sales teams in mind, and it shows. Rated 4.7/ 5 on Capterra, Convex offers a powerful combination of sales and property intelligence, buying signals, and AI-powered outreach that can transform your sales process.

In fact, it’s so easy to use, lead-generation only takes four steps:

1. Log in to Convex. Then, check the Signals (our proprietary buyer intent data) category to see who is ready to buy in your market.
2. Then, search for a property type (e.g., hospital, restaurant, multi-family, manufacturing, etc.), contact name, job title, account name, property address, or tenants to identify who to contact.
3. With just two clicks, you can use Generative AI trained on their buying signals, as well as your own company and contact data, to send them an email or draft a script for a phone call.
4. Set up an automated follow-up or reminder, or add to your pipeline.

Built for outside salespeople in HVAC, generators, roofing, elevators, waste management, commercial cleaning and janitorial, and more, Convex offers a suite of sales prospecting tools that find leads, enrich data, map sales routes, and offer integrations with the best follow-up tools on the market.

Convex users report a median 9x ROI after 12 months – now that’s revenue acceleration!

Cognism: The GDPR-Compliant Data Wizard

In an era where data privacy is paramount, Cognism stands out for its commitment to GDPR compliance. This platform uses AI to generate intent data, helping you reach out to prospects at just the right moment.

Key Features:

• Large-volume contact databases with firmographic and technographic data
• AI-powered intent data generation
• GDPR-compliant data collection and usage

LinkedIn Sales Navigator: The Networking Powerhouse

When it comes to B2B sales networking, LinkedIn is the place to be. LinkedIn Sales Navigator takes the power of the world’s largest professional network (over 830M people) and turns it into a full b2b sales intelligence and acceleration machine with tools like InMail messaging, targeted advertising, and advanced filtering.

Key Features:

• Advanced search and filtering of LinkedIn’s vast user base
• Real-time updates on prospects and accounts
• InMail for direct outreach to potential customers

Apollo: The All-in-One Email Solution

Apollo is a comprehensive sales intelligence tool and engagement platform that excels at email outreach. With a vast contact database and powerful automation features, it’s a great choice for teams looking to supercharge their email game.

Key Features:

• Large, searchable contact database
• Email sequencing and automation
• Integration with popular CRM systems

Hunter: The Email Discovery Expert

Sometimes, finding the right email address is half the battle. That’s where Hunter comes in. This tool specializes in email verification and discovery, helping you connect with the right people at your target companies.

Key Features:

• Email verification and validation
• Domain search for finding company email addresses
• Integration with CRM and marketing automation tools

Datanyze: The Technographic Data Master

Understanding a prospect’s tech stack can give you a significant edge in your sales approach. Datanyze specializes in providing detailed technographic data, helping you tailor your pitch to each prospect’s specific technology environment.

Key Features:

• Comprehensive technographic data
• Real-time alerts on technology changes
• Chrome extension for easy access to data while browsing

6sense: The AI-Powered Pipeline Manager

As you may have guessed from the name, 6sense is all about using AI to make sales intelligence software power your sales process. It offers predictive analytics and insights based on intent data to help you prioritize leads and close deals faster.

Key Features:

• AI-powered lead scoring and prioritization
• Intent data for timely outreach
• Integration with popular CRM systems like Salesforce and HubSpot

How to Choose the Right Platform for Your Business

With so many great options out there, how do you choose the right revenue acceleration platform for your commercial services business? Here are some key factors to consider:

1. Understand Your Specific Needs

Before you start evaluating tools, take a step back and think about your specific needs. Are you looking to improve lead generation? Streamline your outreach process? Get better insights into your sales pipeline? Understanding your priorities will help you focus on the features that matter most.

For example, Convex will be best for those who sell into properties, while Cognism will be best for those who sell into Europe- this also leads to our next point.

2. Consider Your Target Market

Different platforms excel at different types of data. If you’re primarily targeting large enterprises, you might need a platform with robust firmographic data like LinkedIn Sales Navigator. Technographic data might be more important if you’re focused on tech companies. Make sure the platforms you choose align with your target market so that you reach out to the right people at the right time.

3. Evaluate Integration Capabilities

Your revenue acceleration platform should “play nice” with your existing tech stack- unless you’re looking to make a change. Look for platforms that integrate seamlessly with your CRM, marketing automation tools, and other key systems so you build an efficient sales workflow.

4. Assess the User Experience

The best platform in the world won’t do you any good if your team doesn’t use it. Look for platforms with intuitive interfaces and good user reviews (e.g., ease of use). Take advantage of demos or free trials (where available) to get a feel for the user experience, data quality, workflows, etc., that matter to your team.

5. Consider Your Budget

Revenue acceleration platforms can vary widely in price. While investing in tools that can drive growth is important, make sure you choose a platform that fits your budget.

One thing people often forget when choosing a platform is to consider the potential return on investment (ROI). In other words, a more expensive platform might easily pay for itself if it significantly boosts your sales and decreases driving time, overtime, and other factors that can affect the bottom line.

6. Check for Customer Support and Training

Rolling out a new platform can be tough, especially when you’re trying to maximize a team’s utilization. This is because people don’t like change until they know it’ll truly improve things.

Convex provides ongoing training and support because we know that revenue acceleration comes after team adoption. We know this is “mission critical” to our success and yours.

To get the most bang for your buck, choose vendors that provide excellent customer support and training resources.

Implementing and Maximizing Your Revenue Acceleration Strategy

Alright, you’ve chosen your platform. Now what? Here’s how to implement and maximize your revenue acceleration strategy:

Start with a Solid Foundation

Before you begin, ensure your basic sales processes are in order. Define your ideal customer profile (ICP), map out your sales funnel, and establish clear metrics for success.

Your revenue acceleration platform will be far more effective if it’s built on a strong foundation.

Invest in Training

Don’t just throw your team into the deep end. Invest time in thorough training on your new platform. The more comfortable your team is with the tool, the more they’ll use it – and the more value you’ll get from your investment.

Integrate with Your Existing Workflow

Your revenue acceleration platform should enhance your existing processes, only partially replacing them—unless your current processes need to be fixed.

Work on integrating the platform into your sales team’s daily workflow in a way that feels natural, adds value, and accelerates sales.

Use Data to Refine Your Approach

One of the biggest benefits of revenue acceleration platforms is the wealth of data they provide. But this data is useless if it’s not used—regularly check your metrics to refine your sales approach continually.

Ask yourself questions like these to ensure you’re “always improving your fighting position” (a motto among Tier 1 Special Operations Units).

• Can we make this workflow simpler?
• Can we make our sales cycle more efficient?
• How do we decrease our team’s unproductive time (e.g., driving, research, etc.)?
• Are certain types of prospects more likely to convert?
• Certain types (or titles) that rarely convert?
• Are some channels and outreach methods more effective than others?

There are literally thousands of ways to improve things, but it only takes 1- 2% increases in efficiency at each step to make a huge difference. Either way, ask the right questions and let the data guide your strategy.

Personalize, Personalize, Personalize

Have I said “personalize” yet?

Remember, the goal is to cut through the noise and personally connect with your prospects. Use your platform’s insights to craft highly personalized outreach that speaks directly to each prospect’s needs and pain points.

If you use Convex, this is done for you. Our Generative AI is trained on the potential customer’s buying signals and your data. That way, you can send a personalized email or draft a script for a phone call in seconds.

Monitor and Optimize

Getting a revenue acceleration platform up and running isn’t just a “set it and forget it” deal. You’ve got to keep an eye on your results, ask your team for their thoughts, and tweak things as needed. Remember, continuous optimization is how you generate increasingly positive results – and the reason the category is called acceleration (a state of continually increasing speed).

Conclusion: Accelerate Your Way to Success

In today’s hyper-competitive business landscape, standing still is the same as falling behind. Revenue acceleration platforms offer a powerful way to supercharge your sales process, connect more effectively with prospects, and drive sustainable growth for your commercial services business.

Whether you’re a seasoned sales pro or just starting out, implementing a revenue acceleration platform can be a game-changer for your business. So don’t get left behind – it’s time to accelerate your way to success!

Remember, the key to success with these platforms is not just choosing the right one but also implementing and using it. Take the time to understand your needs, train your team, and integrate the platform into your workflow. Use the data and insights it provides to continually refine your approach.

In the end, revenue acceleration platforms are tools – powerful ones, but tools nonetheless. The real magic happens when you combine these tools with your expertise, your understanding of your customers, and your commitment to providing value.

Ready to accelerate sales?

Convex can reduce your sales prospecting time from 1.5-2 hours (the average time spent by sales reps, according to Salesforce) to just 3-5 minutes! If you’d like to see how we do it, schedule a demo today!