Sales Acceleration Solutions: Tools & Strategies to Close Faster
Time kills deals.
62% of B2B sellers say indecisive buyers are a major threat to closing deals. And the longer the process takes, the higher the risk becomes.Â
Sales acceleration is about keeping deals moving. And there are two essential pillars: the right tech and a solid strategy.
Why Sales Teams Need Acceleration Solutions Today
44% of millennials (now key decision-makers) prefer to avoid sales reps altogether in B2B purchases. They’re skeptical of sales claims and place less value on interactions with sellers.Â
Not exactly great news for sales-led teams, huh?
Add longer sales cycles and a saturated market to the mix, and closing deals gets even harder.
Buyers aren’t anti-sales. They just want a smoother customer experience. They want to do their own research first, and when they finally talk to a rep, they expect it to be relevant and efficient—no needless communication or missed deadlines.
From a business standpoint, manual processes get in the way of this tailored experience. Juggling dozens of prospects, tailoring outreach to each one, and keeping everything moving without dropping the ball is nearly impossible without the right tech stack.
Types of Sales Acceleration Solutions
If you’re still handling a large chunk of sales tasks manually, it’s time to build a smarter automation stack.
That said, having tools in place isn’t always enough. Maybe you’ve got something already but aren’t really using it because it’s clunky, limited, or just doesn’t fit your workflow. Don't worry, that’s totally normal.
Here is a breakdown of the types of sales acceleration apps worth having in your sales toolkit, plus the features to look for if you’re evaluating new ones.
Email Automation and Outreach Tools
Sure, we all know you don’t need to send every follow-up email by hand (again, hopefully). But not every tool actually speeds up deals. Most just slap a first name into a template and call it a day.
What you need is outreach software that’s smart about timing, context, and personalization at scale. Tools that help you stay consistent and relevant so that no lead slips through the cracks and your emails actually land when it matters.
Look for the following features in email automation tools:
Automated email sequences based on lead behavior
Conditional logic to customize messaging flows
Built-in A/B and multivariate testing to improve deliverability and engagement
Email tracking with automated alerts
LinkedIn/email task automation in one flow
Easy integration with your customer relationship management (CRM) system or contact database
Artisan’s enrichment feature, for instance, scrapes the web and builds detailed lead profiles with an array of data points—from job titles to LinkedIn activity.
It then uses that data to create automated messages that feel personal. No more “Dear Sir/Madam” vibes. Just the right message, at the right time.
CRM and Pipeline Management Software
Your CRM is the hub of your sales workflow—or it should be.
If it’s a pain to use (which is often the case), even the most feature-packed tool is probably doing more harm than good. The best CRMs are intuitive, centralized, and actually make selling feel smoother.
Here’s what to look for in a CRM that’s built to accelerate sales:
Real-time sales pipeline visibility with clear deal stages and activity logs
Integrated communication tracking (email, calls, meetings) in one timeline
Task and follow-up reminders to keep reps on track without manual juggling
Customizable pipelines and workflows that match your sales process
Seamless integrations with your outreach, marketing, and scheduling tools
Mobile access so your team can stay updated on the go
Sales Engagement Platforms
Sales engagement functionality often comes bundled with your CRM or email outreach tool, so you might not need a standalone platform.
These tools focus on making sales interactions more effective by tracking key buying signals (like on-site behavior or email engagement) and acting on them.Â
They also often include playbooks and AI-powered recommendations, helping salespeople take the right actions at the right time based on the data.
Look for the following must-have features in sales engagement platforms:
Behavior tracking that monitors buyer actions, like email opens, clicks, website visits, and social media interactions
AI sales insights and data-backed recommendations
Playbooks that guide sales representatives through proven strategies
Task automation tools for routine activities like follow-ups and reminders
Analytics and reporting features that give you insight into engagement metrics, pipeline health, and conversion rates
Artisan, for example, has all of these sales engagement features. AI BDR Ava automates the early and middle stages of the outbound sales cycle, from prospecting to email follow-up.Â
Lead Scoring and Prioritization Tools
Lead scoring and prioritization tools help you focus on the most promising leads based on their likelihood to convert. Again, these tools are usually part of a broader sales solution or CRM system, but it’s best to know what you’re looking for either way.
Pay attention to the following features in lead scoring tools:Â
Customizable lead scoring that ranks potential customers based on your criteria, such as engagement, company size, and job title
Behavior tracking to adjust lead scores based on actions like website visits, email opens, or product interactions
Automated lead qualification and prioritization that pinpoints leads that are most likely to close
Integrations with CRM and outreach toolsÂ
The Best Sales Acceleration Tools to Keep You Ahead
So, which tools actually do all this? Let’s look at five of the best tools currently on offer.Â
1. Artisan
Artisan is a full-cycle sales automation platform that puts AI assistants to work as your team’s SDRs and BDRs. Instead of juggling tools for research, enrichment, and outreach, Artisan handles it all—so your reps can skip the grunt work and focus on closing faster.
These AI-powered assistants take over your entire outbound workflow, from finding and enriching leads to sending personalized messages across channels. By the time an account manager steps in, the lead’s already warm and ready.
Key Features
Lead discovery and profile enrichment
Behavior tracking and high-intent account identification
AI-driven outreach personalization based on the most relevant lead details
Automated multichannel sequences (email and LinkedIn)
AI-generated insights and sales playbooks
Background A/B testing and campaign optimization
Integration with major CRM systems (including Salesforce and HubSpot)
PricingÂ
Get in touch for a custom pricing plan.
2. HubSpot
HubSpot is the Swiss Army knife of CRM tools. It works just as well for small teams looking for a free, easy-to-use CRM as it does for large enterprises that need a fully integrated system across sales, marketing, and customer service.
Most importantly, it’s easy to get up and running with HubSpot CRM. Between the clean interface, tons of built-in integrations, and a massive library of help resources, HubSpot makes adoption feel smooth, which is exactly what you want in a CRM.
Key Features
Email sequences and automated follow-ups
Deal pipeline and activity tracking
Meeting scheduling and task automation
Lead scoring and contact enrichment
Reporting dashboards
Pricing
Free foundation CRM tools are available
Starter: $20/month/seat
Sales Hub Professional: $100/month/seat
Sales Hub Enterprise: $150/month/seat
3. Salesforce
Salesforce is just as powerful and widely used as HubSpot, but it’s better suited to large companies with complex workflows.
It can do nearly everything, but it comes with a learning curve. It’s ideal for teams with dedicated RevOps support or more structured sales processes. Customization is the big draw here, though you’ll likely need help setting things up.
Key Features
Customizable CRM and pipeline management
Advanced automation with Flow Builder
AI-powered insights through Einstein (add-on)
Sales engagement and task automation
Detailed reporting and forecasting tools
Access to a wide ecosystem of native tools and add-ons
Pricing
Salesforce Sales Cloud (core CRM suite) packages for small businesses start at $25/user/month
Sales Cloud solutions for enterprises start at $165/user/month
4. ZoomInfo
ZoomInfo is best known for its large contact database, but it also has sales engagement and workflow automation features.
The system is built around one of the largest collections of company and contact data out there, and it lets you put together entire workflows on top of that intel.
It’s a very powerful sales intelligence platform, but with that comes a steep learning curve and a high price tag to match.
Key Features
Access to over 600 million professional profiles and 100 million company records
Real-time lead intent tracking
WebSights feature to uncover anonymous website traffic
Chrome extension for on-the-fly contact capture from LinkedIn and company websites
CRM and sales tool integrations for easy data syncing
Built-in phone dialer and email tools for multi-touch outreach
Automated workflows for lead enrichment, routing, and outreach
Rep conversation analysis with Conversation Intelligence
Pricing
Customized pricing plans are provided upon request.
5. Apollo
Apollo blends a rich contact database with built-in sales engagement features. But unlike ZoomInfo, it’s popular with startups and small teams thanks to more affordable paid tiers.
Apollo is one of the most popular outreach tools on the market. But it has drawn criticism, with users citing low quality data as a big concern.Â
Key Features
B2B database with verified emails and phone numbers
Email sequencing, LinkedIn task automation, and dialing from one platform
Buyer intent signals and lead scoringÂ
CRM integration and enrichmentÂ
Email and call analyticsÂ
Pricing
A long-term free plan is available
Basic: $59/user/month, up to 5,000 credits per user
Professional: $99/user/month, up to 10,000 credits per user
Organization: $149/user/month, up to 15,000 credits per user
Designing a Sales Acceleration Strategy That Actually Works
You won’t rebuild your process and boost your pipeline overnight, but you can start taking steps toward implementing sales acceleration right now.
1. Start with Micro-Wins to Build Momentum
Don’t over-engineer your sales acceleration strategy. Begin by streamlining the small stuff, especially the manual tasks slowing your team down and the outdated email sequences that never get replies.
2. Align Sales and Marketing Teams
True sales acceleration happens when marketing and sales work as one team. In fact, sales reps convert up to 65% more prospects into pipeline when marketing actively contributes, compared to going in cold.
But misalignment between the two is still one of the biggest blockers to growth, especially when it comes to lead quality.
What marketers consider marketing-qualified leads (MQLs) often aren’t anywhere near ready to talk to sales. Reps end up chasing leads that were never a good fit to begin with.
Fixing this starts with agreeing on what MQLs and sales-qualified leads (SQLs) actually look like. Define shared criteria like job title, company size, buying signals (e.g., demo requests, pricing page visits), and overall fit. Then, build lead scoring workflows that reflect this vision.
You can also set shared KPIs to encourage tighter collaboration. When marketing focuses on quality leads and sales gives regular feedback, you get better leads, faster handoffs, and more closed deals.
3. Map the Buyer Journey, Not Just Your Pipeline
It’s easy to build your sales process around internal stages—demo booked, contract sent, deal closed. But your buyer really doesn’t care about your sales funnel.Â
To drive sales velocity, you need to map the journey from their point of view:Â
What triggers their search?
What information are they looking for at each stage?Â
What objections do they have before committing?
Once you understand how buyers move through their decision-making process, you can match your content, messaging, and outreach accordingly—and remove friction before it slows things down.
4. Turn Feedback Loops into Strategic Advantage
Your sales team talks to prospects every day. They hear real objections, missing features, and reasons deals stall. But these insights hardly ever get back to marketing, product, and leadership.
Set up tight feedback loops. Make it easy for reps to share what they’re hearing, and just as easy for other teams to act on it.
Here are three “low-lift” ways to capture sales insights:
Create a shared doc or Slack channel where reps can drop common objections or questions they’re hearing in real time.
Add a quick “deal lost” note field in your CRM to log reasons deals haven’t worked out.
Run monthly syncs between sales, marketing, and product to review patterns and prioritize responses.
Here’s how to “close the loop” between sales and other departments:
Marketing can use input from sales to improve messaging and build better nurture campaigns.
Product can spot gaps in the roadmap and prioritize UX fixes that remove buying friction.
Sales leaders can realign strategy based on actual buyer behavior during the marketing and product stages.
It can take time to bring sales on board. Reps are busy. But a little perseverance will pay dividends in the long run.Â
Follow-Ups That Build Relationships, Not Frustration
Sales acceleration shouldn’t feel like rushing someone through a decision. The goal is to make the buying process feel easy and like the next step is obvious.
To do that, reps need to focus on real conversations with warm leads instead of getting buried in cold outreach.
Artisan takes the manual work off your plate and improves your sales cycle with personalized messages, well-timed follow-up, and ongoing campaign optimization.
