The document discusses the evolution of sales tools over time, from the megaphone in the 1600s to help salespeople amplify their voice, to the invention of the doorbell in 1831 making it easier for door-to-door sales, to the development of email in the 1970s and CRM software in 1986 to help salespeople track customers. It concludes by highlighting the rise of modern 1:1 messaging software, which has now become people's preferred way of communicating and a key tool sales teams need to adopt to connect with customers.

1. The Evolution
of Sales Tools

2. At Drift, we're constantly thinking
about the future of sales.

3. But in order to prepare for the
future, we need to understand
the past.

4. We need to understand how the
salesperson's tool set has been
evolving over the years.

5. So let’s travel back in time and
take a look at some of the major
milestones in sales technology.

6. The Megaphone
1600
1650
1700
1750

7. Back in the day, “sales & marketing” meant
announcing what goods you had for sale.
With the invention of the megaphone in the
1600s, salespeople gained a louder voice.

8. Advertising
1650
1700
1750
1800

9. With the arrival of the first newspaper
advertisement in 1704, salespeople no
longer needed to rely solely on shouting in
order to get their messages across.

10. The Doorbell
1750
1800
1850
1900

11. Ding-dong! (door opens) “Hello there, have
you heard about this amazing new product ...”
The invention of the electric doorbell in 1831
made it easier for door-to-door salespeople
to get our attention.

12. The Telegraph
1750
1800
1850
1900

13. Patented in 1837 by Samuel Morse, the
telegraph revolutionized long-distance
communication. In 1864, a dentist used it to
send unsolicited, promotional telegrams—
history’s first spam.

14. Direct Mail
1800
1850
1900
1950

15. Today, the direct mail industry brings in
around $12 billion in revenue each year. But
it all started with Aaron Montgomery Ward,
who produced the world’s first mail-order
catalog in 1872.

16. The Telephone
1800
1850
1900
1950

17. For more than a century, the telephone has
been a salesperson’s best friend. It was
patented in 1876 by Alexander Graham Bell.
(The hands-free headsets came later.)

18. Content
1800
1850
1900
1950

19. In 1895, John Deere launched the first-ever
brand magazine, The Furrow. Today,
salespeople the world over use branded
content as a way to educate and win over
customers.

20. The Rolodex
1850
1900
1950
2000

21. Invented by Danish engineer Hildaur Neilsen
in 1956, the Rolodex was instrumental in
helping salespeople stay organized in the
pre-CRM days.

22. Email
1900
1950
2000
2050

23. The first email was sent in 1971. The first
spam email was sent just 7 years later. Today,
email is an important tool in a salesperson’s
tool belt. However, a new technology—1:1
messaging—is beginning to replace it ...

24. 1900
1950
2000
2050
CRM Software

25. In 1986, the first customer relationship
management software application, ACT!, was
released, forever changing how salespeople
keep track of customer data.

26. 1900
1950
2000
2050
1:1 Messaging

27. Meet the modern salesperson’s best friend:
1:1 messaging software. Originally developed
in the 1990s, a new wave of 1:1 messaging
software is now sweeping the globe.

28. For billions of people around the world, 1:1
messaging is now their preferred mode of
communication. And 9 out of 10 consumers
want to be able to use messaging to talk to
businesses today.

29. Has your sales team adapted?

30. Visit Drift.com to learn about our
messaging app for sales and
customer success.