A sales plan is a document used to establish objectives and to develop the strategies that will be used to achieve them. This document establishes a path for revenue growth and other measurements for success. Sales plans consist of sections outlining goals, identifying key customer attributes, and listing strategies, tools, metrics, and estimated expenses. A…
About the Author
Allison Potts
Allison is an editor and technology geek for Fit Small Business, specializing in sales tips and related productivity tools with over 15 years of experience in the B2B sales and marketing industry. Allison enjoys spending time with her family, the outdoors, and strong coffee or wine, but not necessarily in that order.
How to Write a Business Proposal in 6 Steps [+ Free Template]
A business proposal is a document used to offer specific goods or services to a prospect at a defined cost. They are typically used by B2B companies to win new business and can be either solicited or unsolicited. Effective business proposals have an executive summary and key project details, as well as require a client…
6 Best Automotive CRMs for 2018
An automotive customer relationship management (CRM) tool helps organize daily work plans, internet leads and follow-up tasks. We reviewed 20 different automotive-specific and general use CRMs, comparing price and how each managed leads, reminders and inventory as well as if they included mobile access and system integrations order to determine the top six for small dealerships….
6 Best Insurance CRM Software for 2018
An insurance customer relationship management (CRM) tool helps agents and brokers manage policies and renewables, prioritize leads and connect to prospects. We examined 20 general and insurance-specific programs, comparing price and functionality and identified the top six. We also compared document handling and phone integration to determine the best overall and who each one was…
6 Best Business Email Providers for 2018
Email providers are service providers who host email addresses for businesses or individuals. We looked at more than a dozen business email providers and narrowed the list down to the top six, comparing each on price, attachments and data storage, security, accessibility, spam and virus protection and available integrations, finding the best overall. Top 6…
6 Best Open Source CRMs for 2018
Open source CRM is customizable software that manages contacts and deals. It is often free to download but typically requires technical savvy to implement and utilize. We compared twenty programs for basic functionality, installation difficulty, technical support, and overall ease of use to arrive at the best six for small business. While an open source…
9 Introduction Email Templates That Really Work
An introduction email is typically an email you send to a someone that introduces yourself and serves a specific purpose, such as opening communications with a cold prospect or warm contact. There are typically nine business situations in which to introduce yourself or your company, each with its own nuance, making introduction email templates important….
How to Format a Business Letter [+ 11 Free Templates]
A business letter is a written piece of formal business communication that is often templated. A business letter should follow a standard business letter format and include a header, recipient information, short greeting, concise body and formal closing. Common reasons to send a business letter include formal introductions, sales promotions, thank yous and more. One…
Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL): Definition & How SQLs Differ
A marketing qualified lead (MQL) is a potential customer that matches specific minimum requirements based on your ideal customer profile. These potential customers are typically sourced from marketing efforts like ad campaigns and email marketing campaigns. MQLs are typically one of the first stages in a multi-stage sales pipeline process, often tracked using a CRM….
6 Best Email Finders for 2018
An email finder is a tool that finds and identifies email addresses based on known addresses with a similar domain or by scraping it from websites. We took a look at more than twenty email finders designed with sales prospecting in mind and narrowed the list down to the top six for small businesses. We…
6 Best CRM for Small Business 2018
CRM software helps your sales team stay organized so they can better focus their efforts and close more deals. CRMs can be sales-focused or offer management tools for every department. We compared more than twenty programs offering a range of options to determine the best for small businesses in terms of price, features, and integrations….
Top 25 Tips on How to Close a Sale from the Pros
After several back-to-back emails and phone calls, presentations, demonstrations and detailed proposals, a salesperson must eventually come up with a strategy for how to close a sale. We reached out to experts in multiple industries and asked them to share some of their favorite techniques for converting a prospect into a client or customer. Here…
