How Sales Tech Is Narrowing the Gap between Enterprises and SMEs

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Language level: B2
Variant: British English

In 2018, I started working as an SDR in a company near the Champs-Élysées. That’s where I learned the basics of sales—making cold calls, following up with leads, and promoting marketing tools that helped big companies run cross-channel campaigns, attract customers, and keep them loyal. We offered both software and services, supported by a strong system that made us stand out.

That experience helped me understand how sales and marketing work. And now that I work independently, I see that the difference between what big companies and small businesses can use is not as big as it used to be.

The Tools Are Changing—and Becoming More Available

At the time, our clients were often big banks, hotel chains, or retailers with large budgets and full marketing teams. The tools we sold needed planning, technical setup, and long-term support. Today, smaller companies may not have the same resources, but many of the features—like automated emails, tracking customer journeys, or syncing contacts in a CRM—are now easier to access.

Many tools that used to be for big companies are now available to small businesses. Platforms like HubSpot, Brevo, or Pipedrive allow smaller teams to manage multi-touch outreach and monitor pipeline progression with increasing ease. Solutions like Lusha help access intent data, making it possible to focus efforts on prospects who are more likely to engage.

Of course, large companies still have stronger systems and more people to support them. But small businesses can now do more than before—especially when they combine the right tools with AI-powered lead scoring to prioritise the most promising opportunities.

More Control, More Responsibility

Sales work has changed. If you’re part of a big company, you probably use advanced software and tools. But for freelancers or small teams, sales is no longer just about calling people or sending emails—it’s about choosing the right tools and using them effectively. What used to require help from IT teams can now be done with easy-to-use platforms.

This gives more flexibility—but also means that salespeople need to know how to set up and manage these tools on their own, including basic sales automation and CRM integration.

Things are changing quickly. Meta recently announced new AI tools for ads that help small businesses create, manage, and improve their advertising. This shows that platforms are giving more power to smaller teams. In the future, having a strong brand and good strategy will matter more than just having a big advertising budget or a long contact list.

Learning from the Past, Looking to the Future

When I was an SDR, I saw how technology could support business growth. Now, as a sales trainer, I see that many of these tools are available to people working on their own or in small teams—as long as they take the time to learn how to use them.

Things aren’t the same as in big companies, but today, even small players can test new ideas, grow faster, and stay competitive.

This article is the first in a series about how sales tools are changing. We’ll look at new trends in data, outreach, reporting, and more.

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