Small Business Operations: 4 Ways Your Company Can Improve Sales

 
Small businesses are launching at an unprecedented rate, but the success stories are not quite as prolific. If you are one of those entrepreneurs who has entered the fray, take some time and consider how to keep your new business in the black by enlisting the help of these four sales tools.
 

 
Keeping track

Many small businesses would be lost without the ability to track their email. Both HubSpot Sales and Boomerang do the trick, allowing you the ability to schedule certain sales-oriented emails at pertinent times, as well as show the user when emails have been opened by their intended recipients. Another great use for these apps is to automatically receive reminders when it's time to follow-up on emails. These reminders can be programmed to let you know if you need to get back to certain interested parties who haven't corresponded with you within a reasonable amount time, but with whom you are still wanting to do business.

 
Staying in touch

Indeed, customer communication is a big part of enjoying success with your small business. Besides email, Intercom is an app that keeps two parties thoroughly engaged through live chats and other useful methods. By using Intercom, a success-oriented customer messaging platform, you are able to easily stay on top of any issues or problems while also educating your sales leads and giving your customers a user-friendly experience.

 
Signing up

Shortcuts are available and often necessary for small businesses with small staffs aspiring to make a sale a simple transaction. By employing an app such as eSignatures, you can avoid having to print out a document that requires your real John Hancock, and the need for a fax machine or even an actual trip to the post office. Talk about a time saver.

 
Getting answers

Who doesn't have questions about, well just about everything? Small business players on all levels can simply go online to get answers about all kinds of topics from a variety of sources that have already been wrangled by Quora. A mighty sales tool in what is essentially a question and answer forum widely used by everyone from industry experts to top professionals, this platform makes specific engagement on all levels possible and very probable. Those who use Quora must verify their identities and are asked to share their background, establishing a way to swap ideas with the right people. It is a winning proposition.
 

 
This article was written by Jane Lasky for CBS Small Business Pulse