The purpose of a business is to earn revenue, and the sale of products and services is how it earns that revenue.
But if you’re reading this, you already know that; you also know that the number and variety of sales tools is constantly expanding. It’s an exciting field of work because there is always something new to explore, and new ways to apply for optimal business success.
G2 is here to help you stay on top of the sales technology (SalesTech) options. With our verified user reviews and segmented Grid® approach, G2 provides a comprehensive view of every category and subcategory of SalesTech.
That’s not to say there aren’t other perspectives. Customer engagement expert Nicolas de Kouchkovsky offers a highly valuable approach which arranges all the disparate apps into a logical framework based on interaction and roles. His SalesTech landscape complements the way we view the space, and it seemed natural for us to work together to provide an alternate way of looking at the habitat of sales technologies.
The SalesTech landscape blueprint is an approximation of where each specific technology fits into the sales organization as a whole. The operative word here is approximation: Every business is different, and sometimes the ownership of a function or tool resides at one level of the sales agency, or is shared. Furthermore, some vendors provide solutions to multiple problems in one package, so there is overlap. In general, though, the interactions on the left will map to the roles on the right, with the relevant tech lined up between them.
This refers to the kinds of entities and activities the technology is intended to support. Broadly speaking, these are:
This is where a company's tech stack meets its organizational chart. Role refers to whom a particular piece of software will deliver the most benefit, or at least who is most likely to be found using it. The three basic roles are:
The basic SalesTech landscape presented here works fine as-is to represent most business models. However, it is worth considering the differences that might be necessary for certain verticals. For example, manufacturing software might replace proposal software and CPQ software with RFP software and catalog management software, respectively. More examples can be found in this industry-specific sales tech blueprint for manufacturers.
So, welcome to the G2 SalesTech Landscape Blueprint! Use it as another tool in your kit for evaluating your business software needs and understanding how products fit together to form a cohesive application environment.
Marshall is G2’s former research principal for sales and customer service applications. This role follows a career as a journalist and analyst covering CRM, customer experience, and social engagement. Marshall's background has led to a deep familiarity with the demands of those markets, as well as the ways other technologies can have a positive effect upon them. His coverage areas include sales, customer service, and contact center.
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