Sales Intelligence - Beyond Contacts to Analytics and Marketing
Jinfo Blog

By Sophie Alexander

Abstract

Sales intelligence services are becoming increasingly sophisticated, now encompassing areas such as mobile apps and predictive analytics. We asked expert analyst and author Michael Levy for his views on key vendors and the importance of commodity information in identifying sales triggers. 

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Sales intelligence services are becoming increasingly sophisticated. The software has moved into marketing, data hygiene, cloud connectors, mobile apps, and predictive analytics.

To understand the implications for information professionals and their clients, we asked Jan Knight, an independent market research consultant, to interview market research and competitive intelligence expert Michael Levy, who has over 15 years of experience working in the sales intelligence industry. 

Detecting Company Changes

"Sales triggers are events which indicate that a company is more likely to be open to change. This could be a funding event, M&A transaction or executive change," explains Michael. 

His new book on sales intelligence vendors is designed to assist purchasing committees in evaluating vendors and implementing sales intelligence services. Michael's book and accompanying FreePint interview will be of particular interest to sales operations, sales managers, purchasing, IT and marketing.

Vendors discussed include:

•  Avention
•  Data.com
•  DiscoverOrg
•  Dun & Bradstreet and Hoover's
•  Infofree
•  InsideView
•  LinkedIn Sales Navigator
•  Owler
•  RainKing
•  Salesgenie
•  Zoominfo. 

Commodity Information vs Specialist Trigger Tools

Subscription information services along with social media and other information sets help sales reps identify companies with emerging demand. Michael elaborates further on "sales triggers" in an article he wrote for FreePint, "Detecting Latent Sales Opportunities via Sales Triggers". 

As part of FreePint's Topic Series, "News, and Other Commodities", Michael explains how company information vendors such as Avention, BvD Mint, Hoover's, InsideView and Owler could help you identify emerging opportunities and prospects and how these providers contribute to the process of identifying triggers.

As Michael explains, the "internet has seriously disrupted B2B negotiations... now buyers drive the purchasing process". This makes sales triggers ever more important to "help identify emerging opportunities and prospects".

Find Out More 

FreePint Subscribers can log in now to read Michael's article and the interview with Jan Knight and to find out how you can purchase information to target firms in flux. 

You can find out more about Michael Levy's book "Field Guide to Sales Intelligence Vendors" via his blog. 

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