Sales Software for Skilled Trades: Get More Efficient and Close More Contracts

If you’re a business owner, sales manager, or sales rep in a skilled trade—HVAC, electrical, lighting, roofing, solar, landscaping, etc.—you already know what it’s like to be in high demand.

However, many trade-based businesses still use outdated sales systems and strategies that are time-consuming, inefficient, and expensive.

Growing sales and revenue isn’t about putting in more hours; it’s about using the right tools to find the right prospects, get more productive, and close more deals. In the realm of b2b sales, having the right tools can significantly enhance sales productivity and streamline the sales process.

Today, having the right sales software for your trade is not optional. It’s required if you want to stay ahead of the competition.

In this article, we are going to discuss how sales software can help your team become more efficient, win more contracts, and close more revenue.

Let’s dive in.

Introduction to Sales Software for the Skilled Trades

If you’re currently in “growth mode,” you know how important it is to be able to focus on the task at hand. Successfully placing the right individuals in marketing, sales, operations, recruiting, and accounting can be the defining factor between enjoying a restful night’s sleep and working around the clock.

Your sales and marketing teams are the lifeblood of your business. From finding prospects and generating leads to closing deals they are the revenue growth engine that keeps the rest of the business moving forward.

But, in the high-pressure world of skilled trades, managing the entire sales process can get out of control without the right tools. That’s where technology comes in.

With the right sales systems your team can work smarter not harder. Tools like property intelligence software, a CRM, sales automation and sales enablement platforms are designed to speed up your sales cycle, track performance and have your team focus on what they do best—close deals.

The Role of Efficient Tools in the Sales Process

Sales productivity tools make all the difference. Finding the right deals in this industry can be a time-consuming grind. Many sales reps spend 2-4 hours each day manually researching leads, hoping to identify decision-makers at commercial properties (According to Salesforce).

Take John, for example. His typical day starts with scanning emails, browsing LinkedIn, checking county permit updates, and searching for any clue that someone might need his company’s services. His steps include:

1. Researching leads manually: John spends hours looking for property managers or facilities staff, combing through websites, directories, and databases.
2. Cold calling/ Cold Emailing: Without knowing if the prospect is even interested, he takes a shot in the dark by cold contacting them in the hopes that they’re “in the market.”
3. Networking and referrals: He reaches out to connections, hoping for a lead through word-of-mouth, which can be slow and unpredictable.
4. Following up: After the initial contact, John juggles reminders and follow-ups, manually managing each prospect and trying to stay organized.

Meanwhile, Jessica uses Convex and wraps up her prospecting and outreach in 3-5 minutes:

1. Log in: Jessica checks Signals, Convex’s proprietary buyer intent data, which shows her exactly who is ready to buy in her market.
2. Search and target: She uses property intelligence to quickly search by property name, job title, or account to pinpoint the right decision-makers to contact.
3. Outreach with AI: In two clicks, she uses Convex’s Generative AI to generate an email or create a phone call script based on the buying signals, contact, and company data of a target customer.
4. Set it and forget it: Jessica schedules reminders for follow-ups or adds the lead to her sales pipeline/CRM, ensuring nothing slips through the cracks.

While traditional prospecting may eventually yield results, it’s an inefficient process full of manual tasks with no guarantees. Convex, on the other hand, delivers targeted leads in minutes, automates many time-consuming tasks related to research and outreach, and maximizes your sales team’s potential to close new contracts.

It’s not that the traditional way is bad- it’s just based on guesswork, and tends to be slow and inefficient.

Top Sales Tools for Skilled Trades

You need the right tools for your team. There’s no way around that. Sales engagement tools are essential resources that facilitate every interaction between sales representatives and prospects across multiple communication channels like email, voice, and video calls. But with so many available, which ones will have the most impact on the bottom line? Here are some of the most important tools every skilled trade business should have:

Property Intelligence Software

Historically property intelligence software was a tool used by real estate professionals – lenders, agents, property owners, managers and tenants. They would use this software to search commercial properties for sale or lease, rely on it for property values, ownership records and market trends.

But those days are long gone…

Now, with tools like Convex, this kind of software isn’t just for real estate anymore. It’s now an essential tool for trades-based sales teams, whether you’re in Landscaping, HVAC, roofing, or electrical contracting.

Convex has detailed, up-to-date commercial property data that shows you who manages or owns the property and who is actively looking for products and services like the ones you offer.

What really sets Convex apart is the ability to combine buyer intent data with sales intelligence and property intelligence. So you’re not working off a database of emails or a list of cold prospects – you’re seeing decision-makers who are already looking for solutions you offer.

This turns prospecting from a time-consuming guessing game into a strategic and efficient process. By focusing on warm leads and integrating customer data, sales teams can craft highly personalized outreach that closes deals faster. Convex is an essential tool for anyone in the trades.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software

A CRM is the backbone of any sales team. Whether you’re tracking HVAC leads or managing roofing clients, a CRM will organize all your customer interactions in one place, streamlining various sales processes to enhance efficiency and organization. You can see the entire sales pipeline, manage follow-ups, and keep customer details up to date.

We also call platforms like Salesforce, Hubspot, Zoho, and Pipedrive “pipeline managers” because they offer tools to manage the sales cycle at each step.

Sales Automation

Sales professionals know that automation is the key to getting your team efficient. Automating tasks like lead qualification or follow up emails means your sales team can focus on relationship building and closing deals not administrative tasks.

Tools like Zapier, Marketo or Hubspot can automate manual tasks and integrate with your CRM. This means you not only save time, but also have a clear view of all interactions with prospects and customers.

Sales Enablement Platforms

These tools provide sales teams with everything they need to close deals faster. They come packed with features like content management/sharing, email tracking/management, meeting scheduling/integration, contract management, and more. Additionally, they enhance sales calls by offering call analytics, recording capabilities, and automatic scheduling, which help sales professionals improve their communication and effectiveness during these key interactions.

Some top-rated sales enablement platforms are Outreach.io and Showpad.

It’s no secret that the right tools can make all the difference in a skilled trade business’s success. Whether it’s sending proposals or product information sales enablement platforms, make sure your team has everything they need at their fingertips.

How to Get the Most Out of Sales Team Software

Skilled Trade Sales Software is useless if your team isn’t using it fully. Once you have the right sales team software, you need to implement it properly. Proper training and support will ensure your team gets the most out of the software. Here’s how:

• Train Your Sales Team: Make sure every member of your sales and marketing team, including sales managers, is comfortable with the software. Do hands-on training and continue to support your team as they learn to use the platform in an efficient and effective way.
• Performance Monitoring: Track how the new software is improving your sales process. Are you closing more deals? Are leads being followed up on more efficiently?
• Scalability: Make sure your sales tech stack is simple and scalable. As your business grows your sales software should be able to handle more leads, more data and more users.

For example a landscaping company may start with just a few users in their CRM but scale up as the business grows. Being able to adapt the tech stack as the company grows is key to long term success.

Scaling Your Sales Tech Stack for Success

As your business grows, so should your tech stack. This means evaluating if your sales tools are still meeting your evolving needs. A small landscaping company might start with basic CRM software, but as it grows, it often needs more powerful tools for prospecting, lead tracking, customer management, and even first-touch proposals.

North by Northwest Landscaping experienced this firsthand when they were introduced to Convex- their VP of Operations, Tiffany Peters, had this to say:

“Convex has transformed the way we approach sales. With Convex and its ability to integrate with PropertyIntel, we now target decision-makers more efficiently, increasing conversions from 2% to 15% in a year. We’ve also been able to book $1.8M in revenue for the next three quarters.”

Conclusion

As you can see, in industries like HVAC, landscaping, electrical, and roofing having the right sales software is key to keeping your team efficient and competitive.

Using platforms that give you access to the right data at the right time helps you achieve sales and growth goals more efficiently.

Picking the right sales team software and using it effectively can really give your business the edge it needs to succeed. In industries where competition is tough, those with the best sales tools are the ones that will rise to the top!

If you’re ready to see how tools like Convex can revolutionize your customer acquisition process, Schedule a demo today!