9 Best Tools for Sales Prospecting to Find New Leads

‍What are sales prospecting tools

Sales prospecting tools are dedicated software or platforms designed to assist your sales team in identifying and reaching out to potential clients. Their primary function is to alleviate the often time-consuming task of finding, analyzing, and engaging with sales prospects.

One significant reason for using these dedicated tools is their ability to streamline the prospecting process. Plus, they also provide valuable insights about potential clients, their needs, preferences, and behaviors.

Some benefits of these tools are that they enhance the productivity and efficiency for sales teams. By automating mundane tasks, these tools free-up valuable time for sales teams so they can focus on what they do best - selling. 

They help in identifying qualified leads faster, leading to more deals, quicker conversion rates and increased sales figures. And the data-driven insights that they provide allow for more accurate predictive sales forecasting, ensuring long-term sales success.

There's no denying the growing importance of automation and AI in sales prospecting. 

Consumers today are increasingly getting more tech-savvy and expect personalized experiences. AI-powered prospecting tools help meet these expectations by providing a more personalized approach to sales. 

Automation, in turn, helps accelerate the sales cycle by automating repetitive tasks and promoting more efficient sales practices.

How to choose the right sales prospecting tools

Making an informed choice about sales prospecting tools is a crucial decision that can significantly impact your business's success. 

Here are some key factors to consider for a choice that aligns with your specific needs:

Scalability

Your chosen tool should accommodate your growth. As your business expands, the number of prospects you manage will likely increase, leading to more data for analysis and management. 

A scalable tool can adapt to this growth and continue to deliver top-notch performance.

Integration capabilities

Tools that can seamlessly integrate with the existing software or Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform in your company are beneficial. This integration allows for smooth data flow across different platforms, maintaining consistency and reducing duplicity of efforts.

User-friendliness

The user interface matters. A tool packed with features will be of little use if it isn’t easy to navigate and understand. 

Prioritize user-friendly tools to foster quicker learning, improved adoption, and higher productivity.

Data analysis capabilities

A good sales prospecting tool should be capable of using prospect lists and gathering and analyzing data effectively. Look for tools that provide comprehensive analyses of prospect behavior and engagement. These insights can guide your sales strategy and improve decision-making.

Finally, remember that the best tool for your business is one that fits both your immediate needs and long-term goals. Different industries and businesses have unique requirements, and there's no one-size-fits-all.

Always align the chosen tool to your specific business needs for maximum efficiency and productivity.

Choosing the ideal sales prospecting tool can be an involved process, but taking these factors into account will guide your way to an informed and beneficial decision.

9 best tools for sales prospecting 

1. Copy.ai 

Copy.ai is a generative productivity platform that specializes in automating and enhancing the content creation aspects of sales prospecting. 

Unlike traditional chatbot interfaces, Copy.ai brings a suite of robust features designed for scaling personalized outreach efforts, making it a crucial asset for sales teams aiming for efficiency and effectiveness.

Through functions like Workflows, the platform allows users to manage the simultaneous creation of diverse types of content, whether it be follow-up emails, product descriptions, or sales pitches.

The platform stands out for its ability to scrape the web, particularly LinkedIn profiles, to craft hyper-targeted messages for sales prospecting. While the tool won't identify prospects for you, it significantly streamlines the messaging component once you've established a list of potential clients. 

And with a dedicated API endpoint for every workflow, you can send bulk messages that are highly personalized, thereby increasing the likelihood of engagement and conversion.

Key features for sales prospecting

• Web scraping: Uses advanced scraping algorithms to pull specific data from LinkedIn profiles, allowing for the creation of highly personalized outreach messages that resonate with the target audience.
• Workflows: A multitasking feature that dramatically speeds up the process of content creation, allowing you to manage different forms of content seamlessly and simultaneously.
• Infobase: Acts as a centralized information repository, enabling quick recall and insertion of standardized information, making the personalization of messages more efficient.
• Brand Voice: Ensures that all messaging maintains a consistent tone and style, important for conveying a unified brand identity across different members of a sales team.
• 5 User Seats (with a Pro account): Ideal for small to medium-sized teams, this feature allows for collaborative content generation, streamlining the sales prospecting process.
• Improve: An intelligent tool that refines and enhances prompts over time, continually improving the quality of generated content.

For sales teams that already have a lead sourcing mechanism in place, Copy.ai can substantially optimize the whole prospecting and lead generation process by automating the creation of personalized, engaging outreach messages.

Its limitations are minor when viewed in the context of its specialized capabilities for content creation and personalized messaging in the sales prospecting journey.

Pricing

Copy.ai starts at $36/mo (billed annually) which gives you unlimited words, Brand Voices, Infobase entries, and more. It also comes with 5 user seats and access to the entire template library. 

Each account gets you started with 200 Workflow credits to try immediately, and more credits can be purchased as needed. 

Get started with Copy.ai today! 

2. Salesforce

Salesforce is a popular customer relationship management (CRM) tool that helps companies manage key sales and marketing processes. The Salesforce Platform allows users to build custom apps to connect teams, engage customers, track performance, and integrate systems.

Salesforce can be used by companies of all sizes in any industry. 

It has a multi-tenant cloud model so each customer has a private framework within a shared infrastructure. The platform provides tools for business users to build complex apps without developers, though more advanced features do require developers to build using Apex, Visualforce, and Lightning. 

That said, there are free resources to help build expertise, as well as an active community for support.

While powerful, the Salesforce Platform has a steep learning curve and can be expensive, especially if custom development is needed. 

Key Features

• Integrated development environment (IDE) for building enterprise apps
• Multi-tenant cloud platform
• Customizable and scalable
• Mobile app development capabilities (Android and iOS)
• Large app ecosystem and partner network

Limitations

• Steep learning curve to adopt
• Can involve costly and complex implementation without in-house admin expertise, depending on your needs 

Pricing

Salesforce starts at US$25 per user per month. Pricing can vary depending on the number of users and specific modules/features.

Try Salesforce today! 

3. LinkedIn Sales Navigator

LinkedIn Sales Navigator is a specialized tool focused on enhancing sales prospecting activities. As an extension of LinkedIn’s vast professional network, Sales Navigator provides a platform that allows sales professionals to identify, target, and engage with potential clients more effectively.

When it comes to sales prospecting, Sales Navigator excels in offering unique insights and targeted searches to identify the most promising leads. 

With LinkedIn's rich database, you can filter leads by industry, company size, job roles, and more. The platform's algorithms also offer lead recommendations based on your search behavior, making the prospecting process more intelligent.

The real strength in sales prospecting comes from the tool’s deep integration with LinkedIn’s network. You can view up-to-date information on leads, receive alerts on job changes, and use InMail to directly connect with potential clients. 

This streamlines the prospecting process, making it easier to find the right people and engage them in a meaningful way.

Key features

• Targeted lead lists: Create and save lists of prospects based on detailed criteria like geography, industry, and job role.
• InMail messaging: Send personalized messages directly to LinkedIn users who are not in your network, enhancing your outreach efforts.
• Smart lead recommendations: Algorithmically suggested leads based on your activity and search criteria.
• Sales insights: Gain actionable insights on your prospects, allowing for more personalized and effective communications.
• Real-time updates: Receive alerts about changes in job roles, company news, or shared connections, providing natural touch-points for outreach.

Limitations in Sales Prospecting

• Learning curve: Although robust, the tool may require some time to understand and make the most of its features.
• Pricing: It can be considered expensive for smaller sales teams or individual professionals.
• Focus: This is primarily a B2B sales prospecting tool, and it may not be as effective for B2C prospecting or other sales models.

Pricing

LinkedIn Sales Navigator offers various pricing plans, with the Core plan starting at US$99.99 per user per month. Pricing can vary depending on the specific features and number of licenses needed.

Try LinkedIn Sales Navigator today! 

4. Salesloft 

Salesloft is a sales engagement platform used for sales prospecting. It helps sales teams drive more revenue by providing tools for executing digital selling tasks, communicating with buyers, understanding next steps, and receiving coaching.

The platform is designed for the entire revenue organization, including SDRs, AEs, account managers, and managers.  

Reviews on sites like G2 and Capterra praise Salesloft for increasing efficiency and productivity. Users mention that it helps them organize outreach, track cadences, log calls and emails, gain data-driven insights, and onboard new reps quickly. But some reviews note issues with system crashes, delayed notifications, and problems tracking custom metrics. 

Overall though, many reviewers say they "couldn't imagine" working without the platform and that it has "drastically increased" their revenue and success.

Key Features

• Lead generation and prospecting tools  
• Contact management and tracking   
• Automated email cadence and sequence builder
• Call logging and recording  
• Analytics and reporting  
• Coaching and insights  
• Integrations with major CRMs like Salesforce
• Mobile access
• Real-time notifications and alerts

Limitations

• Importing data into the tool can be time-consuming. If a crash occurs during an import, it can take a while to resume.
  
• May not log or record all calls and activities which impacts data accuracy and analytics.  
• Can be slow or unresponsive at times which reduces efficiency.  
• May not provide in-depth analytics and reporting for non-opportunity creating teams. More focus on high-value activities and lead conversion for those teams would be useful.  
• Has issues with tracking the performance of custom dispositions and call sentiments. The default dispositions may not meet all needs.

Pricing: No pricing information found. According to reviews, Salesloft does not publicly disclose their pricing details.

Try Salesloft today! 

5. Zoominfo

ZoomInfo is a sales prospecting tool that provides a database of over 200 million business contacts and companies. It helps sales teams identify and reach new prospects by providing accurate contact information, intent data, and buying signals. 

Sales teams can use ZoomInfo to find new accounts that match their ideal customer profile and are demonstrating interest in their products.

ZoomInfo integrates with major CRM systems like Salesforce to help streamline the sales process. Sales reps can use ZoomInfo within their existing workflows to enrich leads, identify key prospects at target accounts, and personalize outreach. It also provides insights into how prospects are engaging with a company's website and digital marketing campaigns so sales teams know the best time to reach out.  

Key Features

• Database of 200 million+ business contacts and companies
• Ideal Customer Profile matching  
• Buying signals and intent data
• CRM integration
• Conversation intelligence
• Data enrichment (helps avoid manual data entry)
• Deduplication and cleansing
• Lead routing
• Recruiting tools

Limitations

• Information can sometimes be outdated.
• Not all features may be fully utilized if not properly understood.
• Large amounts of data can be overwhelming and lead to "quantity over quality". 
• Enrichment features can fail at times.  
• Support response times can be slow.  

Pricing

Based on reviews, ZoomInfo does not publicly disclose their pricing. You’ll need to contact their sales team for a custom quote. 

Try out ZoomInfo today!

6. HubSpot 

HubSpot Sales Hub includes a sales prospecting tool that helps sales teams identify and track potential customers. It provides real-time data on which companies are visiting your website and logs their actions so you can see how engaged they are. 

This allows reps to prioritize following up with the most interested leads in their sales pipeline, instead of cold prospects.  

HubSpot Sales Hub also allows you to filter prospects based on location, company size, number of visits and more to create custom views for your team. This helps them spend less time sorting through irrelevant leads and more time closing deals. 

The tool can also send daily email digests and reminders to your team about the prospects that matter most to them so they never miss an opportunity.

Overall, HubSpot Sales Hub is an easy to use sales tool that provides automation and scalability for growing sales teams. It integrates with the HubSpot CRM platform to give you a complete view of your prospects and customers in one place. 

Key features

• Identify and track prospects in real time  
• Filter prospects by geography, company size, number of visits, etc.   
• Daily email digests and reminders for your team
• Email sequences and automation to prevent leads from slipping through cracks
• Calling, email, meetings, and document tracking 
• Reporting and analytics
• Predictive lead scoring
• Integration with Salesforce

Limitations

• Limited reporting and forecasting capabilities  
• Limited workflow automation  
• Can become pricey for small businesses and startups
• Some users report poor onboarding experience and support

Pricing

The paid version of HubSpot Sales Hub starts at $500/month for 5 users. You can contact sales for a custom quote depending on your team’s needs. 

Try HubSpot today! 

7. Outreach.io

Outreach is a sales engagement platform that helps sales teams with prospecting and pipeline management. It allows users to schedule and automate emails, calls, and social media outreach to prospects. 

The tool also provides analytics on prospect engagement and sales performance. 

Outreach is used by sales leadership, managers, reps, and operations teams. It aims to increase sales productivity and win rates across the entire sales cycle. The platform offers capabilities for sales engagement, deal management, conversation intelligence, forecasting, and coaching. 

Reviews of Outreach highlight that it is easy to use and provides a lot of value for the money. Users mention that Outreach saves them a lot of time with prospecting and scheduling outreach, while also keeping them accountable. The reporting and analytics features provide useful insights into sales performance and prospect engagement. 

Key Features

• AI-powered sales engagement platform  
• Deal management
• Forecasting
• Conversation intelligence
• Rep coaching
• Pipeline management
• Integrates with CRM and marketing automation tools
• Offers analytics and reporting to optimize sales processes
• Enables collaboration across sales teams

Limitations

• Pricey: Outreach may be expensive for some companies, especially smaller businesses. The cost can range from $3,000 to $6,000 per month depending on the plan.‍
• Steep learning curve: Outreach has a lot of features and capabilities which can make the platform overwhelming to learn and use. The interface is not the most intuitive and it can take time to become proficient.  ‍
• Issues with email rendering: Some users report problems with Outreach not properly rendering email signatures, images and formatting. This can reflect poorly on a company's brand and professionalism.

Pricing

You’ll need to contact their sales team for a customer quote. 

Try Outreach.io today! 

8. Hunter.io

Hunter is an email verification and outreach tool. It allows users to find professional email addresses from company domains or individuals on the web. Hunter crawls the public web and indexes publicly available email addresses. It also includes a free cold email platform to send email campaigns directly from the tool. 

Hunter makes it easy for sales, recruiting, and marketing teams to reach out to prospects.

Reviewers highlight several key benefits of Hunter. It has an extensive and accurate database of email addresses, saving users time. The tool is easy to use with a simple, user-friendly interface. 

The bulk domain search provides many relevant email results and the Leads and Campaigns features allow users to manage the entire cold outreach workflow in one place. However, some reviewers note limitations like lack of lead filtering and inability to bulk edit leads. 

Overall though, Hunter is regarded as a reliable, impressive, and valuable prospecting tool.

Key Features

• Find email addresses in seconds
• Copy logo as SVG  
• Find the email addresses of a company
• Find the email address of a professional
• Verify any email address
• Send cold emails
• Connect to your favorite application
• Integrate Hunter to your workflow
• Browser extension
• Google Sheets add-on  
• Bulk tasks
• TechLookup

Limitations

• Limited number of emails per month without a paid subscription  
• Requires manual entry of domain names or company names to search for emails
• Limited filtering and sorting options for lead lists
• Inability to bulk edit leads can be inefficient for large lead lists
• Custom fields for leads have limited functionality and cannot be used as filters

Pricing

Paid plans begin at $49/month.

Try Hunter.io today! 

9. Calendly 

Calendly is a free online appointment scheduling software that eliminates the hassle of coordinating meetings via email. Users can share their availability with a link, allowing recipients to book meetings directly on the user's calendar. 

For sales teams, Calendly can be useful for scheduling meetings with prospects and moving deals forward. Sales reps can share their Calendly link in outreach, enabling prospects to book meetings with them instantly. 

Calendly then automatically sends appointment reminders and follow-ups to keep momentum going. It integrates with Salesforce, logging new meetings and contacts automatically so reps can focus on selling.  

Key features

• Connect up to six calendars so you never double book. 
• Schedule meetings instantly.
• Customize how and when you're booked.
• Integrate with your tech stack.
• Coordinate interviews and distribute evenly across teams.
• Brand and embed the tool.
• Instantly route and book your best leads.
• One centralized, secure account with user access controls.
• Monitor account insights and trends.

Limitations

• Limited customization and basic interface.  
• Depends on external calendar integrations.  
• Some users report lack of support.
• Risk of double bookings without diligent calendar use.

Pricing

Calendly offers a free trial plan for individuals and paid plans starting at $8/month. Paid plans offer additional features for teams and businesses.

Try Calendly today! 

Which is the best choice for sales teams? 

After evaluating a variety of sales tools, it’s clear that Copy.ai offers a distinct advantage, especially in the realm of personalized outreach. 

While platforms like Salesloft, ZoomInfo, Hubspot, and others offer impressive features, none match the specialized capabilities of Copy.ai when it comes to creating personalized messages that actually sell your product.

Here are a few ways Copy.ai stands out: 

1. Bulk personalization 

One of the standout features of Copy.ai is its ability to seamlessly combine bulk outreach with a high level of personalization. While many platforms allow you to reach out to potential leads en masse, few offer the ability to tailor each message to the recipient in a meaningful way. 

By importing a list of LinkedIn URLs into the Copy.ai workflow, you're not just streamlining your lead generation process; you're also increasing the quality of your interactions from the get-go, which can make all the difference in conversion rates.

2. Unique integration of AI

Another compelling reason to opt for Copy.ai is its innovative use of artificial intelligence. While many tools incorporate AI for rudimentary tasks like data sorting and analysis, Copy.ai leverages machine learning algorithms to help you draft targeted and personalized messages. 

This application of AI goes beyond mere analytics and taps into the creative and human aspects of sales, thereby setting Copy.ai apart from its competitors. 

3. Versatility

Often, sales prospecting tools are tailored for either small businesses or large enterprises, with feature sets that are not universally applicable. 

Copy.ai's broad appeal lies in its versatility. 

Its feature set and pricing structure are designed to be flexible, serving the needs of both large corporations and small startups. This scalability means that as your business grows, Copy.ai can continue to be your go-to tool without causing any disruption or requiring a steep learning curve for new features.

4. Advanced personalization

Prospects are bombarded with countless messages daily, and generic outreach is quickly dismissed. What sets Copy.ai apart is its exceptional ability to make each interaction feel personal and genuine. 

Its AI-driven algorithms create tailored messages that resonate with individual prospects, thus increasing the likelihood of a response and, ultimately, a successful sale. 

When you consider these particular attributes, it's clear that Copy.ai offers functionalities that are both unique and crucial for any sales team aiming for efficiency and effectiveness in their prospecting efforts.

Get started with Copy.ai today!