Broadly speaking, sales management tools save time, support consistent sales processes, and surface critical insights with the potential to unlock serious revenue growth.
While the benefits of sales software are obvious, finding a solution that aligns with your organizational goals, process, and target buyer is no easy task.
Sales management software is an expansive, crowded category with a ton of variation in terms of features, functionality, quality, and price.
Some platforms focus on a specific part of the sales process like call analytics or coaching & training while others attempt to do it all–tracking sales activities, pipeline health and buyer interaction data from one central hub.
Other platforms are designed for business leaders and focus on enhancing forecasting accuracy, identifying emerging trends & looming threats, and aligning sales with big-picture goals.
Below, I’ll look at some of the best sales management tools available, along with pros, cons, and who benefits most.
1. Revenue Grid: AI-driven sales tracking software
Pricing: Contact Revenue Grid for a quote
Overview: Revenue Grid is an all-in-one sales acceleration platform that brings complete visibility to the sales process by syncing data across communication channels, CRM, and other connected sources. The platform’s built-in AI automates engagement sequences and
provides data-driven recommendations to help sellers predictably achieve quick wins and grow revenue.
Best for: Revenue Grid is designed to support enterprise sales teams drive predictable wins in key deals by making it easy for reps to consistently follow playbooks and engage buyers with the right message, at the right time. It also provides insight into what strategies are working–or not–allowing teams to adjust their approach as needed.
Key features:
- Automated data capture. Automatically capture sales data from all connected sources including the CRM, support desk, and the full spectrum of communication channels. Revenue Grid also automatically captures complete sales data from email, calendar, and other communication mediums analyze it and provides a complete picture of where each deal stands.
- Guided selling. Revenue Grid guides sellers through the sales process using
proactive Revenue Signals, based on AI analysis of historical sales data, communications records, and the playbooks that define the strategy. - Intelligent sequences. Users can build nurturing sequences from inside Salesforce to automate follow-up emails, send call reminders and post to social media, using real-time data to ensure messaging feels both personal and timely.
- Pipeline visibility. Revenue Grid helps sales leaders identify relationships between sales activities and success rates, which they can then use to improve sales plays, coaching, and training for even better results.
Pros
- A complete view of prospect/customer interaction history, deal status & engagement data enables better conversations with buyers
- Seamless Salesforce integration allows organizations to bring all sales data into one central location
- Automatic syncing with Outlook or Gmail
- Responsive support team
Cons
- Smaller organizations might not have the resources to invest in both Revenue Grid and a CRM
- Some users reported having issues implementing customizations and configurations
2. Pipedrive CRM: user-friendly pipeline management tool & CRM
Pricing: Plans range from $12 per user per month to $99 per user per month
Overview: Pipedrive is a comprehensive CRM known for its intuitive pipeline management tools, interactive visual reports and countless integrations. The platform automatically tracks emails and calls and syncs conversational data across devices and connected apps.
Best for: Pipedrive is ideal for small to midsize organizations looking for a modern, intuitive CRM that helps sellers stay focused on the right activities. While some users weren’t impressed with the platform’s automation capabilities, its visual reporting and organizational tools are perfect for small teams short on time.
Key features:
- Visual sales pipeline. Pipedrive’s visual sales pipeline management features help sales managers and reps manage leads, and deals and track progress toward key milestones. The platform includes an activity & goal tracking feature that
- Lead capture & management tools. Pipedrive offers several features that center on managing leads including web forms, lead qualification & routing, chatbots/live chat, booking, and a lead’s inbox designed for follow-ups and qualification.
- AI sales assistant. Pipedrive’s AI assistant provides behavior-based recommendations to help improve rep performance. This feature also helps sellers focus on the most valuable deals and surfaces features and shortcuts that can save them time.
- Detailed visual reporting tools. Pipedrive’s reporting tools track sales activities, revenue, deals and leads and can be customized based on your sales process. Additionally, interactive dashboards provide a real-time view of team progress toward critical KPIs.
Pros
- Easy set-up and intuitive interface
- Allows users to visualize the entire pipeline
- Cross-device syncing helps reps stay organized
- Customizable pipelines
- Supports a long list of third-party integrations
Cons
- No distinction between leads and contacts
- The email marketing feature has a 1000-name limit
- Automation features could be better
3. OnContact CRM: a sales management tool that aligns around the entire business
Pricing: Plans start at $60 per month per user
Overview: OnContact is a CRM that combines sales management, marketing automation, and customer service features into a single, intuitive platform and integrates with ERP software, Quickbooks, and the full range of Microsoft products.
Best for OnContact CRM is best suited for companies that deal with a lot of parts, raw materials, or product lines–think manufacturing or healthcare companies. Support for ERP software and Quickbooks link sales data to inventory counts and company financials, enabling business leaders to make more informed decisions about where the organization is headed.
Key features:
- Sales automation suite. OnContact’s sales automation suite includes contact, opportunity & quote management tools that streamline sales tasks, sync sales data across platforms, and guide reps through the entire sales cycle.
- A unified view of the organization. OnContact provides a 360-degree view of all contact records and pipelines, while integrations with QuickBooks and ERP systems offer business leaders a better understanding of the big picture–improving forecasting, inventory management, and growth strategy.
- QuickBooks & ERP integration. Users can view real-time financial and product data from the CRM, allowing sellers to provide accurate pricing and inventory information, as well as generate invoices & estimates from OnContact CRM.
- Email marketing. OnContact CRM includes a built-in email marketing tool that allows users to design emails with a drag-and-drop editor and send them to contacts directly from the platform.
Pros
- Easy-to-use
- Responsive, helpful support team
- Connects sales data to inventory & financials
Cons
- Few automation capabilities
- No mobile app
- Doesn’t integrate with social media channels
- No lead gen tools
- Requires manual updates
4. People.ai
Pricing: Contact People.ai for a quote
People.ai is a revenue intelligence tool that helps sales, marketing, and customer support teams by capturing, syncing, and managing customer activity data and surfacing AI-driven insights that reveal how reps spend their time.
Best for: People.ai is ideal for enterprise organizations with large sales and support teams. The platform provides deep insights into sales activities and customer interactions–offering granular analytics that managers and mentors can use to improve coaching & onboarding strategies, 1:1s, and the tactics used to engage consumers.
Key features:
- CRM automation. People.ai automatically captures and syncs leads to your CRM, creates contacts & opportunities and continuously verifies & updates records so that users are working with the most recent insights.
- Activity intelligence. This tool provides granular insights into sales team performance and activity metrics–how many calls were made, emails sent, etc., and even track how much time reps spend on each activity.
- PeopleGraph. People.ai’s PeopleGraph is an AI-enabled map of the “professional world” (their words) that tracks relationships between people and organizations and works behind the scenes to enrich CRM records.
- Revenue analytics. This sales management tool uses AI-driven intelligence to optimize revenue-generating activities and assemble playbooks based on the actions most likely to deliver the best possible results.
Pros
- Automatically captures, records & organizes data pulled from a variety of data points
- Provides detailed engagement & activity analytics
- Visibility into rep activity is great for sales managers & coaches
Cons
- Doesn’t support full Salesforce integration, requiring users to work from multiple windows
- No mobile app
- Some users report occasional data syncing delays
5. Zoho CRM: most features at the lowest price
Pricing: Free version available, paid plans start at $12 per year, per user
Overview: Zoho CRM is a user-friendly CRM that provides a massive feature suite to small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs). Zoho CRM integrates with a ton of third-party applications, though it’s worth noting that users stand to get more out of the platform if they’re also using other tools from the Zoho ecosystem like Zoho Desk, Zoho Books or Zoho Docs.
Best for: Organizations looking for an all-in-one sales tool at a reasonable price.
That said, for those working with more resources, it might be worth focusing on choosing a few dedicated tools that provide specialized insights that support specific business goals.
Key features:
- Sales force automation. Zoho CRM offers several features that streamline the sales process: workflow automation, plus lead, contact and deal management tools that offer real-time insights into your audience, activities and progress.
- Journey orchestration. Zoho CRM also includes a Command Center for tracking customer journeys across multiple channels and orchestrating personalized experiences via rules-based workflows. There’s also the option to build self-service portals where customers can find information or complete a purchase.
- Built-in presentation hosting. Users can host meetings, webinars and presentations from inside the CRM.
- Omnichannel insights. Zoho CRM collects conversational insights from calls & emails, chat logs, social media channels and more. Additionally, the platform offers journey analytics that can help you improve journeys—with the option to focus on specific touchpoints or channels.
Pros
- An affordable, all-in-one option for SMBs
- Long feature list that extends beyond what’s offered in a typical CRM
- Integrates easily with other tools
Cons
- Customer support isn’t always responsive
- Voice assistant isn’t quite there yet
- Requires a ton of customization during the initial setup process
- Workflow automation is limited to the Professional plan
- Some users report having difficulties locating features in the app
6. Boxxstep: sales tracking tool for accounts with multiple decision-makers
Pricing: Plans start at $78 per year, per user.
Overview: Boxxstep represents a newer category of sales tracking software called “BRMs” or buyer relationship managers, that focus on helping developers understand and manage people, not opportunities.
This platform is part buyer intelligence platform, part project management tool–ideal for
helping sales teams align around the buying process by helping them understand the decision-maker dynamics of each account, collaborate on an action plan and enhance the sales strategy by incorporating buyer feedback.
Best for: Boxxstep is an affordable solution for any organization working long, complex sales cycles with multiple decision-makers. Boxxstep integrates with your existing sales stack and helps reps quantify and improve the “intangibles” of selling and stay focused on the buyer.
Key features:
- Relationship & account mapping. Boxxstep gives users a tool for understanding what matters to each member of the buying team. The platform allows users to create visual org chart maps for each target account which can be used to track reporting lines, roles, responsibilities, and even the internal political climate.
- Collaborative action planning. Boxxstep makes it easy to schedule the next steps with each contact, assign tasks, and sync follow-up plans to your calendar. Users can create mutual action plans that include target outcomes, milestones, and responsibilities and map needs, insights, and org charts.
- Feedback collection & review. This platform also allows you to create automated questionnaires to collect feedback from buyers and gauge the impact of your sales engagement strategy. Users can analyze win-loss data in context and use buyer comments to improve.
Pros
- Easy-to-use
- Fills gaps in CRM data
- Built-in feedback capture
- Syncs insights, feedback, and action plans to CRM & other connected apps
Cons
- Occasionally requires double data entry
- Analytics could be more comprehensive
7. Bombora: Deep B2B sales tool for orgs serious about ABM
Pricing: Packages targeting startups and SMBs start at $25,000 per year which covers unlimited users and reports, Enterprise & Agency pricing is available upon request.
Overview: Bombora is a B2B intelligence platform known for being the largest source of B2B intent data, designed to eliminate guesswork from sales and marketing strategies. The platform identifies organizations that are actively engaged in the buying process and helps teams prioritize the accounts most likely to result in a win.
Best for: Bombora is an effective tool for sales and marketing teams that follow an account-based marketing (ABM) strategy.
Key features:
- Visitor Insights. Bombora visitor insights allow organizations to identify the characteristics of unknown web visitors and gain visibility into how they engage with your content–allowing you to validate the efficacy of your lead gen efforts, content strategy, and paid campaigns.
- Audience Verification. This feature measures the brand impact of digital B2B campaigns by adding a tag to your creative assets–allowing you to learn more about who is seeing your message and how campaign performance tracks against broader ABM goals.
- Audience Solutions. Bombora’s digital audience builder allows users to assemble detailed audience profiles by selecting demographic and firmographic attributes with the platform’s intent data, as well as custom criteria sourced from outside channels.
- Data science. Bombora’s intent data can also be applied to other tools with ML or predictive modeling capabilities to further enhance sales and marketing strategies.
Pros
- Effective tool for identifying in-market accounts
- Reviews on sites like G2Crowd and Trustpilot indicate Bombora’s insights get results
- Helps reps understand buyer mindset//priorities/interests
Cons
- Price point puts this solution out of reach for a lot of companies
- Entry-level plan puts a 25-topic limit on searches
- Many users reported minor challenges defining search
- Reports don’t provide historical data that tracks changes in demand over long periods
- The platform requires users to rely on Excel to upload/download lists
8. Chorus: sales management tool that uses conversational data to improve rep performance
Pricing: Contact Chorus for a quote.
Overview: Chorus is an AI-driven conversational intelligence platform that automatically records and analyzes sales conversations, then provides insights into what behaviors drive performance. The platform allows managers to measure performance based on real interaction data and focus on developing the skills with the greatest impact on revenue.
Best for: Chorus works best for enterprise organizations that rely on outbound sales tactics or host a lot of guided demos or Zoom meetings. The platform’s built-in collaboration tools and easy file-sharing make this a solid bet for those looking for a remote coaching tool.
Key features:
- Capture & analyze interactions. The platform’s focus on analyzing phone calls, meetings and presentations makes it a valuable tool for 1:1 coaching, onboarding new hires and continuously fine-tuning your communication tactics.
- Automatic transcriptions. Chorus records, transcribes, and analyzes sales calls, meetings and demos–eliminating the need to take notes during the call so you can stay focused on the customer. Notes are later sent to the CRM, automatically syncing next steps and insights to account records.
- Recommended next steps. Chorus AI analyzes sales calls to identify the next steps discussed during the conversation–later, the platform automatically emails you a detailed reminder, so that you always follow up as promised.
- Get help during calls. Chorus includes a built-in collaboration tool that allows you to
@Mention colleagues during calls if you run into trouble, without derailing the call.
Pros
- Users can quick send recordings & video to prospects and colleagues
- Syncs with Zoom & Salesforce
- Great sales team management tool
Cons
- Automatic transcriptions aren’t always accurate
- Doesn’t include editing tools for piecing together video clips
- Can be hard to locate analytics for specific calls
Wrapping up
In a sea of CRMs, AI-enabled analytics, and sales engagement platforms there’s no shortage of sales tracking tools that promise to boost performance, revenue, and buyer satisfaction.
Any of the above options provide deep insights into the sales process and more control over rep performance and outcomes.
However, it’s important to remember that no one tool is designed to support every business.
Make sure you look for tools that solve a problem or support a specific business goal, fit your budget, and make life easy on your reps.
To find out if Revenue Grid is right for you, sign up for a demo.
Read also:
Guided selling: what it is, why it matters
Salesforce Einstein Analytics: a Complete Guide
