There are hundreds of remote sales tools your team can use. Here are the 9 that will help them stay focused.
One of the keys to success in sales is focus. You have to stay motivated to call on clients and prospects, keep yourself organized with notes about the progress of a potential deal, and listen attentively in each conversation for clues and hints. And with so much virtual work, salespeople don’t always have a home office as a place to go for concentration at work. That’s why remote sales tools are so essential in helping sales agents do what they need to do.
There are hundreds of remote sales tools out there. Anything from a CRM to an online to-do list can help agents. While many of these are helpful, and there are some excellent options out there, when it comes specifically to helping agents stay focused, you want a tool that you know will get the job done.
With that in mind, we put together a list of some of our favorite focus-oriented remote sales tools. Take a look and see what you find. There may even be a few surprises in the list.
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9 Remote sales tools that will improve your focus starting right now
We’ll start with a two-for-one deal here and get into timers. Don’t laugh! A timer can work wonders for your productivity. Specifically, Pomodoro timers can help you move through your day with focus and drive. If you aren’t familiar with the technique, it’s a way to manage your focus time and your “distracted” time.
In most cases, you work for 25 minutes, then take a five-minute break. Then, every fourth break, you take a more extended 15-minute break. Of course, you can do this with any timer, but there are some free online tools you can also use. Here are two we like.
1. Tomato Timers: Tomato Timers is a simple, user-friendly site where you can run your work, break, and long break timers with a click. You can add a to-do list or create custom timers if you like, but the default version works great.
2. Animedoro: Animedoro comes from flocus.io and accomplishes the same goals as other Pomodoro timers. The difference here is that the software is anime themed and has a built-in link to a “lo-fi and study” playlist on Spotify. Adjust your timers, hit play on the playlist, and you’re off!
3. SimplyNoise: Of all the remote sales tools, this one can really help you tune out all the other stuff going on around you. Whether there’s construction going on outside your home office or you’re sitting near the loudest person in the coffee shop, a good set of earbuds and a good noise app are essential for blocking out distractions. Incidentally, there are different types of “noise:” white noise, pink noise, and brown noise. SimplyNoise has a website and a free app for iOS and Android that includes multiple options, so you can decide which works best for you.
4. LeechBlock: Spending too much time looking at social media sites or the news? LeechBlock is your answer. LeechBlock is a browser extension that allows you to specify up to 30 sites to block. In addition, you can block sites for specific time periods, or for time limits (such as 5 minutes every hour to work with your Pomodoro app!). So whether you’re looking for remote sales tools to help you focus or just something to cut down on doomscrolling, this extension has your back.
5. RescueTime: RescueTime is similar to LeechBlock, but rather than blocking sites, RescueTime tracks your activities to give you an accurate accounting of your online day. More than that, however, the app integrates with your calendar, so you can determine what your day looks like and when you can have what they refer to as “Focus Time.” Any potential distractions that arise during this time (email, Slack messages, etc.), and you’ll get a little pop-up asking if you really want to lose your focus and answer those messages.
6. Call Logic: Not to toot our own horn, but well… okay, we are going to toot our own horn here. While Call Logic is primarily a power dialing software, aspects of this software can help even the most distracted sales agents keep their focus. For example, the automatic dialing feature will dial the following number on your list as soon as you disconnect from the previous call, making it unlikely that you’ll get distracted and move on to online shopping or a “quick” game of solitaire. Of course, you can switch the software to only dial when you click, giving you control of the pace. That’s especially helpful when you need to write down call notes or prep for the next call. But if you want to keep yourself moving, there’s no better way than having software that dials your next sales call for you.
7. Exercise. This might be one of the more effective remote sales tools on the list. Exercise is free, adaptable to many physical realities, and can be as simple as walking around the block or as involved as going to the gym. The best part is that as little as 20 minutes of exercise will help you focus on work, and you get lifelong benefits.
8. Meditation. Here’s another that’s potentially free, and you can do it in as little as 5 or 10 minutes. Now, before you tab away from this post, thinking meditation is about the last darn thing salespeople need, hear me out. Meditation isn’t just about being calm. It’s about being in the moment and focusing. In other words, ideal for sales. And in case you have doubts, fear not. The Ten Percent Happier app has meditation for skeptics, meditation for busy people, walking meditation, numerous on-the-go meditations that are only five minutes, and meditation to help you stress better. Plus, there are a variety of teachers, so you’re bound to find at least a few that you resonate with.
9. Post-It notes. There’s nothing fancy about Post-It notes. They’ve been around forever, and the physical act of writing down your tasks, crossing them off with a pen, and crumpling and throwing away your note lends itself to keeping you on task. After all, it’s right in front of you; you can’t ignore it!
There are plenty of remote sales tools that can help you focus. The trick is to find the one or two that work best for you and take advantage of them.
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