Tech Tools to Ignite Your Sales
These days, it’s hard to imagine a time when landline calls, in-person meetings, handwritten day planners, and faxes fueled our sales and marketing efforts. The tools we use to grow our businesses have evolved exponentially in recent years, giving us exciting new frontiers to explore in creating and maintaining customer relationships. The technologies now available for lead generation present virtually endless possibilities for organizing goals and increasing profits. From Clicks to Clients Going through the list of followers on your company’s social media accounts may give you an idea of who’s casually interested in you, but decoding the secrets behind businesses that visit your company website is the key to identifying dependable leads who’ve directly investigated your services. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to receive word that the main purchaser at your most coveted new client company has already checked out your product page? You may be thrilled to know that visitor identification tools like Leedfeeder and Factors trace website visitors’ IP addresses to the source and identify their business, position, and contact information. This
technology enables sales and marketing pros to develop personalized campaigns to turn that warm lead into a lasting partnership. Enhancing Email Engagement Is your email outreach structure generating new accounts or functioning more as the virtual equivalent of hit-or-miss door-to-door sales? Thankfully, modern methods make generating sales from cold leads more than just a shot in the dark. As just one example, Instantly AI provides tools for mass email automation/ management, writing assistance, and analytical tracking. If you need help building a more substantial list of legitimate prospects, Instantly AI’s Lead Finder database — which, according to the company, has 160 million verified entries based on job positions, specific keywords, and other confirmed data — may be worth a look. Strategies for Streamlined Scheduling Gone are the days when we had to cover the borders of our computer monitors with Post-It notes to remind ourselves of important meetings and events. Today’s web-based scheduling software allows users to book appointments
without grabbing a pen or sending multiple emails. By sharing their calendars and availabilities virtually, sales reps and customers can slot times seamlessly in just a few clicks. Utilized by teachers and students, small businesses and major manufacturers, these technologies are especially helpful for sales forces that juggle meetings with multiple clients in various time zones. Well-known providers include Calendly, YouCanBookMe, and HubSpot. Mastering the Marketing Tool Maze Naturally, not all of today’s online business solutions are created equal. As even the simplest Google search will reveal, the marketplace is flooded with products of varying usability, capabilities, and pricing structures. Also, tech providers are prone to mergers and rebranding, so a platform known by a certain name today may change monikers overnight. Before selecting any software or service, dive into free demos/ tutorials, customer reviews, and what competing vendors offer. Above all, research with patience, as something that seems like a quick fix today could become a costly tech -ache in the long run.
Will the TCJA Be Extended? IF NOT, HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW While some people have benefited from lower tax payments due to recent legislation, much of that help may start decreasing soon. This upcoming year, many provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017, which included significant changes to our tax code, are due to expire. However, since the Republican party gained control of the House and Senate in November, it’s likely the Act will be extended. Since we don’t know yet, here is what you need to know about how potential changes may impact your income tax season. Deductions If the TCJA expires, it will lead to large differences in deductions for many. Married couples will be particularly impacted. For instance, the standard deduction for a married couple is set to be $16,525 in 2026, but if the TCJA stays in effect, that deduction will be $30,725. However, the personal exemption was eliminated through the TCJA and will be brought back if it
expires. That means the personal exemption will go from $0 in 2025 to $5,275 in 2026. The child tax credit was doubled under the TCJA from $1,000 to $2,000 and would decrease to pre-2017 levels. The TCJA also set a $10,000 cap on the maximum state and local taxes that could be deducted each year. If this expires, it will benefit high-income taxpayers in certain states. Marginal Tax Brackets For many taxpayers, their marginal tax bracket rate was heavily affected by the TCJA. Before 2017, the marginal tax bracket rates were 10%, 15%, 25%, 28%, 33%, 35%, and 39.6%. These were changed to 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35%, and 37%, respectively, when the TCJA went into effect. If the TCJA expires, depending on your tax bracket, you may be paying anywhere from 3%–6% more every year. It is important to understand the full breadth of changes possibly coming your way and budget accordingly. Depending on what happens, you may end up paying more (or, fingers crossed, less) in taxes.
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