Diary of an IT Services Seller: Sales Tools or Sales Traps?

I’ve got a proposal to finalise.
A complex, multi-site support quote to scope.
A pricing exception to negotiate.
Three key accounts waiting on a callback.

One seller.
Real work to do.

But first?

• I have to update the CRM.
• Then fill out the intent tracker.
• Then flag the deal stage in the forecast hub.
• Then check the AI-generated engagement score.
• Then log my latest call and make sure the transcript’s been tagged with “decision maker,” “timeline,” and “next steps.”
• Then complete pages and pages of account planning using not one, but two separate AI-driven insights tools.
• Then cross-check what I just planned against Sales Navigator and LinkedIn.
• Then check the Gong forecast before I check the CRM forecast (yes, we now have two).
• Then back to one of the AI tools, because my account plan wasn’t in the right format.
• Then spend a weekly call explaining and justifying all of this to people who’ve never spoken to my customer.
• And to top it all off?
  Join the mandatory Account Management training.

It’s designed for junior reps just learning the ropes not someone who’s been managing strategic accounts for 20 years.

Sales Tools or Sales Traps?

There’s never been more tech in the sales stack.

Call recording software that picks out “important” keywords.
Platforms that score deal health based on email traffic.
Tools that surface “intent data” (translation: recycled MQLs).
Apps that promise productivity and deliver paralysis.

And every single one?

Its own login. Its own admin. Its own reporting requirements.

We used to get a phone, a laptop, and a target.
Now I need a project plan just to manage the tools that are supposedly there to help me sell.

The Illusion of Insight

It’s called enablement.
“More data! More visibility! Smarter decisions!”

But who is it actually for?

Not me, I’m buried in busywork.
Not the customer, they’re barely involved.
It’s for leadership. For sales ops. For the CRO.
To keep the board happy with charts and heatmaps and dashboards.

But let’s be honest: insight doesn’t close deals.
Trust does. Timing does. Relevance does.

And no tool in the world replaces a proper customer conversation.

This isn’t data-driven. This is data-drowning.

Death by Dashboard

Here’s the reality:

• Sellers are buried under process
• Experienced professionals are reduced to admin clerks
• New hires are trained to manage systems, not relationships
• Deals get delayed because we’re too busy documenting progress to make any

Selling has become performance theatre, not for the customer, but for the stack.

If You’re a Sales Leader, Ask Yourself:

• How much time does your team really spend selling?
• How many of your tools actually help a deal move forward?
• Do your best sellers love your stack or work around it?
• And just be honest: are your tools helping people sell, or making them prove they’re trying?

Want to Cut Through the Noise?

At Baby Blue, Chris Smith and Lee Bailey help sales leaders cut the clutter.
They rebuild sales operations around the people doing the selling not just the people reading the dashboards.

They’ve led, coached, and scaled real teams in the real world, where tech supports the seller, not the other way round.

If your sales stack feels more like a straitjacket than a support system, it’s time to talk.

Or Maybe You’ve Just Had Enough?

If you’re a seller who’s tired of juggling platforms, justifying busywork, and feeding dashboards instead of winning deals Baby Blue Recruitment can help.

We work with businesses who still believe in selling - not spreadsheet theatre.
Let Baby Blue find you a role where selling comes first again.

📧 info@babyblueitconsulting.com