Explore Sales for Small Business

Learning Objectives

After completing this module, you’ll be able to:

Understand the role of sales in small business growth.
Use Starter Suite for sales management.
Explore lead, pipeline, and forecast management to improve sales performance.
Discover AI-powered insights and workflows to boost efficiency.

What Is Sales for Small Businesses?

Sales for small businesses is the process of finding, qualifying, and converting customers to grow and scale. It’s a bit different than sales for, say, enterprise companies. To be successful as a small business owner, you need to understand the entire sales process from start to finish. And you may need to build from the ground up, using a combination of techniques, which can be a mix of building your foundational strategy as a business and growing your online presence.

So how do you get the sales process started for your smaller company? Whether you’re an individual owner, a startup, or a side-business owner, you must gain the knowledge and tools it takes to get started from anywhere. And explore sales tools, tips, and techniques to get you going. Keep in mind that the sales process can vary depending on the size and industry you’re in. In this module, you learn what sales for smaller businesses entails, how to get it right, and the strategies and tools you need to overcome common challenges.

Common Sales Challenges for Small Businesses

As a small or medium business (SMB) owner, sales comes with a special set of challenges. You don’t have the big budgets or large teams that bigger companies do, which means every sale counts. One of the biggest struggles is finding new customers. Without a large sales team, generating leads and keeping a steady flow of opportunities can feel overwhelming.

Illustration showing an Opportunity in Salesforce CRM for small business, with a chat window showing account information and an update from a customer.

Even when you do find potential customers, staying organized is important because you’re growing and scaling. Remembering to follow-up and keeping track of customer conversations can quickly become messy. Without a clear system in place, sales take longer than they should.

Time is another big challenge. You’re not just selling. You’re also managing operations. Handling SMB customer service and making sure everything runs smoothly can be challenging when you have a small team. Sales often get pushed to the side because there just aren’t enough hours in the day. Without automation or tools to simplify tasks, it’s easy to fall behind.

And then there’s the unpredictability. Some months are great, and others are slow, making it hard to plan ahead. Without a tool to give you insights into forecast revenue, you’re left guessing about what’s coming next. To grow consistently, you need the right tools and insights to make better decisions and stay ahead of the game.

Sales Tools SMBs Need

Having the right sales tools can make all the difference in how efficiently you sell—and they don’t have to be expensive. As a small business, you don’t have time to track leads on spreadsheets or manually follow up with every prospect. The right tools help you automate repetitive tasks and close deals faster. Here are the key sales tools every small business needs.

Customer relationship management (CRM) system: A CRM keeps all your customer information in one place. It helps you track interactions, follow up on leads, and manage relationships without losing important details.
Sales engagement tools: Sending follow-up emails manually is time-consuming. Email automation helps you send personalized messages at the right time. It keeps prospects engaged without any extra effort.
Sales pipeline tracking: Knowing where each deal stands helps you stay in control of your sales process. A pipeline tool shows you the status of your deals and helps you forecast revenue more accurately.
AI-powered sales insights: Artificial intelligence (AI) can analyze customer behavior and suggest the best actions to take next. It helps you identify high-value leads and predict deal outcomes.
Task and workflow automation: Automating routine tasks like data entry and follow-ups saves time and reduces human errors. You can focus more on selling instead of managing administrative work.
Reporting and analytics: Understanding what’s working (and what’s not) is key to improving sales. Reporting tools give you insights into your sales performance so you can make data-driven decisions.

Introduction to Sales Tools for Small Business: Starter Suite CRM

Starter Suite is a complete CRM solution built for small businesses. It gives you the essential tools to manage sales, customer service, marketing, commerce, and team collaboration—all in one place. If you need more advanced features and automation, Pro Suite offers the next level of capabilities to help you scale.

Key Sales Features for Small Businesses

Starter Suite simplifies the sales process by giving you everything you need to stay organized, automate tasks, and focus on growing your business. Here’s a quick overview of its sales features.

Account, Contact, Lead, and Opportunity Management

Store all your customer and prospect details in one place, so you never lose track of important conversations. View every interaction, from the first inquiry to the final sale, and stay on top of follow-ups. Whether you’re tracking new leads or nurturing existing ones, you can manage the entire sales cycle from a single dashboard.

Email Integration with Gmail or Outlook

Send and receive emails directly within Starter Suite. Every email thread stays connected to the associated lead or deal, making it easy to track conversations. No more searching through inboxes. You always have the context you need to respond quickly.

Task Management and Activity Feed

Set reminders for important tasks so you never miss a follow-up. The activity feed gives you a complete history of every customer interaction (including emails, calls, and meetings) in one place. You can easily see what’s been done and what needs attention next.

Customizable Reports and Dashboards

Track your sales pipeline, identify trends, and measure performance with dashboards that adapt to your needs. Identify bottlenecks in your sales process and adjust your strategy instantly. Instead of guessing, you have the numbers to back every decision.

Salesforce Meetings

Be fully prepared for every sales call. Salesforce Meetings gives you a complete view of meeting attendees, including account history, open service cases, and even LinkedIn bios. You know exactly who you’re talking to and what matters to them. Once the meeting ends, you get suggested next steps to keep the deal moving forward.

Direct Payment Links

Make payments easy by sending secure links through email or text. Customers can pay instantly, reducing friction in the buying process. No need for lengthy checkout processes or extra logins. Provide a smooth, hassle-free experience that gets you paid faster.

Payment Portal for Payments

Create a secure gateway where customers can pay directly through a simple online interface. There’s no technical setup required. You just need to share the link and let customers handle the rest. This makes it easy to accept payments while guaranteeing security and convenience.

Products and Price Books

Store your entire product catalog in one place and set different prices for different customers, promotions, or sales scenarios. If you’re offering discounts or adjusting prices for specific deals, you can manage everything with just a few clicks.

In the next unit, you learn more about specific sales features. Also be sure to connect with other SMB owners in the Trailhead Community to share insights and best practices.

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