What's up, it's Zayd.

Last week, we talked about why most sales tools fail to deliver ROI and how teams waste thousands on solutions that create more problems than they solve.

Today, I'm breaking down the essential sales stack you actually need in 2025, and sharing a framework to evaluate any new tool before you buy.

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Zayd’s Picks

My favorite finds of the week.

• Why your cold emails are landing in spam (link)

• Your cold emails should make people feel good (link)

• Don’t sell through users to get buyers (link)

• Habits that lead to PMF with founder-led sales (link)

• The traditional outbound playbook is dead (link)

• Growth survey insights from 100+ companies (link)

The Essential Sales Stack

Must-Haves (80% of Impact):

1. CRM ($0-75/month)

• HubSpot free tier works fine for most teams

• Focus on contact management and pipeline tracking

• Skip the fancy add-ons until you hit $1M ARR

2. Sales Engagement Platform ($150-200/month)

• Handles outreach sequences and follow-ups

• Tracks engagement and responses

• Manages your calendar

3. Data/Intent Tool ($100-300/month)

• Provides verified contact information

• Shows buying signals

• Helps with account prioritization

4. Call Recording/Analysis ($50-100/month)

• Captures customer conversations

• Provides coaching insights

• Helps refine pitch and messaging

Nice-to-Haves (20% of Impact):

1. Fancy sales analytics

2. Advanced forecasting

3. Social selling tools

4. Contract management

5. Proposal software

The Real Impact Test

Before investing in any tool, run these critical assessments:

1. The Removal Test

• If we removed this tool tomorrow, would revenue drop?

• Would customers notice a difference in our service?

• Would sales velocity actually decrease?

2. The Adoption Score

• Can reps learn this in under 30 minutes?

• Will they use it without being forced?

• Does it make their core job easier?

3. The Revenue Impact

• Does it directly influence pipeline or revenue?

• Can we measure its impact in dollars?

• Will it pay for itself in 90 days?

If a tool doesn't get three solid "yes" answers in each category, it's probably not worth adding to your stack.

For Example…

Last month, a customer was deciding between two tools—

Tool A:

• Beautiful dashboards

• AI-powered insights

• Advanced analytics

• $2,000/month

• Required 2 weeks of training

Tool B:

• Basic interface

• Three core features

• Simple reporting

• $400/month

• 15-minute setup

They chose Tool A because it looked better in demos. Three months later, their reps barely use it, and their pipeline hasn't grown.

The lesson? Complexity kills adoption. And features don't matter if they don't drive revenue.

How I Can Help?

Let me book sales calls for you while you’re getting ready for the new year! Seriously.

I built Valley to be your automated SDR and empower AEs. Get started today and watch your calendar fill up with qualified leads.