We all spend a lot of time in our browsers. For nearly 60 percent of us, that means Chrome. But for all the claims of productivity, web browsers can quickly become counterproductive — especially for business development reps, salespeople and account managers. Tabs mount. Caches grow and grow (and grow some more). Endless trackers track.
While the following list is by no means comprehensive, here are some of our favorite Chrome plugins that make life a little easier for B2B sales pros…
The Great Suspender
How many Chrome tabs do you have open right now? The answer is probably “Ummmm… too many?” The more tabs you keep open, the harder Chrome (and your computer) have to work. That slows things down. The Great Suspender “is a lightweight chrome extension to help reduce Chrome’s memory footprint for users that like to have too many tabs open at the same time.” When you’re away from a tab for more than a certain amount of pre-defined time, it unloads, reducing the number of elements on a page. Need to pull it back up? Just click anyone on the page.
Black Menu for Google
For companies that run on G Suite, Black Menu for Google is super handy. The plugin “gives you quick access to your favorite Google services with a convenient drop-down menu that lets you use Search, Gmail, Drive, Calendar YouTube and many others without leaving the page you’re on.”
Eye Dropper
Most sales people aren’t designers yet we spend a lot of time “designing.” (Air quotes used heavily, designers! We know we’re not designers!) Slide decks, fact sheets, one-pagers, reports, data presentations… these are all things sales reps and account folks have to churn out on a regular basis. And in a world where personalization and customization are mission critical to a well-orchestrated customer experience, something as simple as getting the client’s brand colors right matters — a lot.
Eye Dropper makes that dead simple. No more “eh, that red looks close enough” or “they won’t notice* it’s not a perfect match.” Simply click on the color you need to know and Eye Dropper will crank back the info you need like HEX and RGB codes.
Related: WhatFont does the same thing but for fonts.
*Yes, they will.
skim.it
We preach the value of presenting your clients with relevant, thought-provoking content that is genuinely designed to inform first and sell second. That said, sourcing third party content takes time. Vetting (aka reading) it takes even more. Skim.it is a super-handy Chrome plugin that pulls the most important pieces of information from an article (think headline, intro, key supporting points, conclusion).
Grammarly
Whether you’re cranking out emails all day or are a highly evolved B2B salesperson whipping up Smart Rooms for your prospects and clients, grammar is important. To the extreme, they can cost millions. Just ask Alitalia Airlines. But they can also impact first impressions, trust, perception… you know they things that matter to a client. And let’s be honest, sales people aren’t the most diligent editors. Anywhere you’re writing on the web, Grammarly will help make sure that you’re content is mistake free. (Obviously I wasn’t using Grammarly for this post.)
The Chrome plugin universe is vast. What other plugins do you use? Tweet ‘em at us.
POPULAR
Launching a Dynamic Digital-First Customer Experience
Growth will always be a top priority for B2B companies. If not, customers will inevitably outgrow your offering, and your company will become obsolete.
RELATED
Finding Success With Virtual Selling
Virtual selling is here to stay. In fact, 92% of customers prefer virtual interactions and 79% of sellers view virtual selling as effective. The benefits are significant and include: Personalized and differentiated customer experience Customers’...
