The advantages of free prospecting software
Field prospecting software is a software tool used to gather information on prospects, existing customers and markets.
However, to be fully effective, field prospecting software must meet the needs of field sales representatives, independent sales representatives or sales agents.
Very specific needs, such asprospect research, sales round planning, appointment scheduling, management of contacts, leads, tasks and appointments,data analysis, and so on.
Currently, there are a large number of free prospecting software and applications available on the market, and although quality isn’t always guaranteed, it can be worth testing them out. In this article, we’ll look at the pros and cons of free solutions, as well as the other options available if they don’t suit your needs.
- No advance payment is required.
If you’re part of a small organization, work alone, or are just starting out, a free prospecting software can be a very good solution for you. Free software can offer flexibility for businesses that need basic prospecting functionality, without the advanced options.
- You can try out the application at your leisure.
If you’d like to track your sales or increase your sales revenue with a new tool, you’ll have the opportunity to test the functionality of a given software package, and why not switch to another one at no extra cost.
- You can contribute to software development.
Sometimes, free field prospecting software is offered to users for feedback on functionality, with a view to improving the tool. In particular, you’ll be invited to report bugs, share your ideas, needs or suggestions via tickets, etc.
Generally speaking, this is a way of having a given version of an application tested by a large number of users to perfect it, before making it available for a fee.
This can be useful for some, but it can also be uncomfortable to have an unfinished professional tool in your hands…
The disadvantages of free field prospecting software
- There are few (if any) complete AND free field prospecting software packages.
It’s true that there are fewfield prospecting tools on the market. These software programs are generally specialized in a certain task: prospect research, or appointment scheduling, or contact management, or data analysis, and so on.
As a result, a traveling sales representative may need to combine different tools to cover all prospecting-related tasks. These include Google Calendar, Calendly, Hubspot CRM and LinkedIn. Ahuge waste of time!
These physical prospecting tools can also be dedicated to professionals in a specific sector. For example, the real estate sector is awash with professional tools, all of which offer solutions to the very specific problems of real estate sales. However, these tools generally have to be paid for, as they are highly specialized.
- Functionality may be limited.
It may be tempting to turn to a freemium field prospecting software (i.e. a tool with free features, but which can be upgraded to a paid version). However, you may find yourself frustrated by not having access to all the features you need to develop your business.
Let’s imagine you’ve already importednumerous contacts and deals into the tool, but THE feature you need (e.g. keeping an eye on your statistics or sales revenue) isn’t available… As well as being disappointed and frustrated, you’ll have wasted a lot of time!
Read also: Telephone prospecting: 5 essential steps to save time
- You're not immune to bugs and errors.
That’s right, it’s possible for free field prospecting software to contain bugs or errors. The developers of such free software may not have the means to fully test their product or to correct bugs quickly.
This can lead to problems for users, such as data entry errors, calculation errors, or layout errors. If the bugs are recurrent and unresolved, it’s best to consider other options that may be more reliable.
- The tool may not be customizable or updatable.
In addition, there may be limitations in functionality and customization options for users. Updates and patches may be rare or non-existent, leading to bugs and errors that go uncorrected.
- Technical support and customer service may be absent.
With no money coming in, technical support (or customer service) for a free field prospecting application may be limited or non-existent. The developers of these free sales tools may not have the resources to offer quality technical support. There may be long response times, or no response at all, to user problems and questions.
- There's no guarantee that your data is secure.
When using free field prospecting software, there is often no guarantee that your data will be secure. It’s difficult for the developers of these free tools to put in place robust security measures to protect user data against confidentiality breaches or cyber-attacks, which are on the increase.
- You may be inundated with ads.
Sales representatives or traveling salespeople who use free tools for their sales prospecting may be distracted or confused by the paid ads on the mobile or web application.
The advantages of paid prospecting software
When it comes to paid software or applications, it’s worth remembering that there are different types of monetization. These include freemium, subscription, in-app purchases, ad-supported or sponsored software, etc.
- It's a complete tool, often packed with ingenious features.
Paid field prospecting software generally offers advanced features not available in the free versions, such as customization options, data analysis tools or, for example, synchronization with other tools(CRM, calendar, e-mail tool, etc.).
- You'll have a more stable, up-to-date version, with a very limited number of bugs and errors.
Paid software usually has regular updates to correct bugs and add new features, so you always have the latest version of the software. While it’s idyllic to think that paid-for software will never have bugs, the likelihood decreases dramatically when working with a paid-for tool.
It also ensures that sales reps always have a tool that’s compatible with their device (smartphone, computer, tablet, etc.).
- A tool with good scalability.
- Responsive technical support included in the subscription
Paid field prospecting software generally offers better technical support than free software, with rapid response times and solutions to any problems encountered.
Support is generally included in the subscription at no extra cost. This enables users to benefit from assistance in solving any problems they may encounter, and from advice on how to optimize the use of the field prospecting software.
- Secure data.
Paid software generally has more robust security protocols to protect user data from privacy breaches and cyber-attacks. If the security of your data is a major concern, it’s best to consider paid options that have more robust security measures.
How to choose the right field prospecting software?
As you can see, there’sno simple answer to the question of whether to use free or paid field prospecting software. The advantages and disadvantages of each type of software need to be weighed up against the specific needs of your business activity.
It’s important to important to choose the right field prospecting software to meet your company’s needs. Take into account the needs of the different users of the application (yourself, your sales reps, a principal, etc.).
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Visualize all your prospects at a glance on a map, optimize your sales round plans, manage your tasks and follow-ups, your appointments, track your sales revenue statistics, etc...
An entire team at your service
Need advice? One of our advisors will answer you. Need more features? Moovago does its utmost to stay ahead of the needs of traveling salespeople.
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