You want your sales team to succeed, right? Well, your business needs the best sales software to help make that happen. Small businesses can greatly benefit from good sales software as it can streamline processes, improve efficiency, and positively impact revenue.
In this article, we will delve into seven of the best sales software for small businesses, as well as discuss the factors that you should consider when selecting the right software for your business.
QuickLook: Best Sales Software for Small Businesses
Why Do Small Businesses Need Sales Software?
A good sales software tailored to a business’s specific needs can act as a powerful tool in enhancing sales operations, providing detailed insights into performance and customer behavior, and ultimately contributing to the growth and success of a small business. There are several reasons why a small business needs good sales software.
Sales software automates routine tasks, allowing sales representatives to focus on selling and reducing the time spent on administrative tasks. Sales software helps in organizing and managing leads effectively, ensuring that no potential customers are overlooked, and prioritizing leads that are more likely to convert.
Top Sales Software for Small Businesses
Whether it’s through better management of leads, improved customer relations, or streamlined operational processes, sales software is integral in enabling small businesses to compete effectively in their respective markets.
The best sales software can vary depending on the specific needs, goals, and scale of your small business. However, there are numerous sales software options known for their exceptional services, user-friendly interfaces, and reasonable pricing that are suitable for small businesses.
So, how do you decide which software is the best fit for your small business? We’re here to help! Discussed below are seven of the top sales software for small businesses for you to consider:
Zendesk Sell
Unlock the power of customer experiences
Build lasting relationships with our complete customer service solution.
With its user-friendly interface and scalability, Zendesk helps businesses build strong customer relationships, improve response times, and deliver exceptional support experiences. Zendesk Sell is designed to enhance productivity, processes, and pipeline visibility for sales teams.
Key features of Zendesk Sell software include:
- Pipeline management: Visual sales pipelines make it easy for users to understand and manage sales processes and progress.
- Sales forecasting: Insightful data and predictive analytics enable users to make informed decisions and optimize sales strategies.
- Integration: Zendesk Sell integrates well with other Zendesk products and various third-party applications, ensuring smooth workflows.
Pricing:
- Team: $19 per user per month
- Growth: $55 per user per month
- Professional: $115 per user per month
- Enterprise: Starts at $169 per user per month
Pros:
- Omnichannel support: Zendesk offers seamless management of customer interactions across multiple communication channels, improving response consistency and customer satisfaction.
- Customizable workflows: The software’s automation and customization options allow businesses to design support workflows tailored to their processes, enhancing efficiency and productivity.
- Self-Service tools: Zendesk’s knowledge base and community forums empower customers to find solutions independently, reducing support volume and fostering a self-sufficient user base.
Cons:
- Cost: Advanced features and add-ons can significantly increase costs, making it less suitable for small budgets.
- Learning curve: The software’s extensive features might require a learning curve for new users, particularly those unfamiliar with customer service software.
- Integration complexities: While Zendesk integrates with various tools, complex integrations might require technical expertise or additional resources, potentially posing challenges for some businesses.
Zoho CRM
Bring the very best out of your customer-facing teams with robust automation, comprehensive analytics, personalized solutions, and more. Sign up and get started in no time—the fastest implementation in the enterprise CRM market.
Zoho CRM is a user-friendly solution that offers automation features, analytics, and seamless integrations with other Zoho products. Zoho CRM is a comprehensive sales software designed to cater to the needs of businesses of all sizes.
Key features of Zoho CRM software include:
- Contact and lead management: Zoho CRM offers tools to effectively manage and organize customer contacts and leads. This includes tracking interactions and communication history.
- Sales automation: The software provides automation capabilities to streamline repetitive tasks and processes, such as lead assignments, follow-up reminders, and email campaigns.
- Analytics and reporting: Zoho CRM offers reporting and analytics features that provide insights into sales performance, lead conversion rates, and other key metrics.
Pricing:
- Standard: $14 per user per month
- Professional: $23 per user per month
- Enterprise: $40 per user per month
- Ultimate: $52 per user per month
Pros:
- Affordable options: Zoho CRM offers a range of pricing plans, including a free version, making it accessible to businesses with varying budgets.
- Free Trial: All Zoho CRM pricing tiers come with a free trial, allowing your sales team to test out which programs will best fit their needs.
- Integration ecosystem: Zoho provides a suite of business tools that can be integrated seamlessly, allowing for a comprehensive ecosystem to manage various aspects of your business operations.
Cons:
- Complexity for advanced features: Some advanced features might have a steeper learning curve, particularly for users new to CRM or more complex functionalities.
- Scalability limitations: While suitable for small to medium-sized businesses, Zoho CRM might have limitations in terms of scalability and advanced features needed by larger enterprises or complex sales operations.
Salesforce Essentials
AI + Data + CRM = more sales and happier customers.
Start or grow your business with the #1 CRM. Salesforce now has AI tools that helps you connect with your customers in a whole new way.
Salesforce is one of the leading companies in the CRM industry. Salesforce Essentials offers a simplified, scaled-down version of Salesforce’s more extensive CRM solutions, making it an affordable and manageable option for small businesses, startups, and growing companies.
Salesforce Essentials is designed to bring the power and efficiency of Salesforce’s CRM solutions to small businesses, allowing them to manage customer relationships, streamline sales processes, and grow their business effectively.
Key features of Salesforce Essentials software include:
- Comprehensive features: Salesforce offers a wide range of tools for sales, marketing, and customer service, all integrated into a single platform. This facilitates seamless collaboration and data sharing across teams.
- Scalability and customization: The platform is highly customizable and can be tailored to match the unique processes and workflows of different businesses. It also scales well as your business grows.
- Cloud-Based and mobile-friendly: Salesforce allows access to information from anywhere with an internet connection. Its mobile app enables users to stay productive on the go, enhancing flexibility and responsiveness.
Pricing:
- Essentials: Starts at $25 per user per month
- Professional: Starts at $75 per user per month
- Enterprise: Starts at $150 per user per month
Pros:
- Analytics and reporting: Salesforce offers robust reporting and analytics features. Small businesses can create customized reports and dashboards to gain insight into their sales and marketing performance.
- Contact and lead management: Salesforce allows small businesses to efficiently manage their contacts and leads. Users can store and organize customer information, track interaction, and segment contacts for targeted campaigns.
- Security: Salesforce provides robust security features, including role-based access control and permission sets, to ensure that users have appropriate levels of access to data and functions. Additionally, Salesforce employs encryption, multi-factor authentication, and continuous monitoring to safeguard customer data.
Cons:
- Complexity: Due to its extensive features, Salesforce can be overwhelming for new users, leading to a steep learning curve. Training and support might be necessary.
- Cost: The software’s pricing can be relatively high, particularly for businesses with larger teams or those needing advanced features. The initial investment, along with potential add-on costs, might be a concern for smaller businesses.
- Integration challenges: While Salesforce offers integration options, connecting with other software systems might require technical expertise or additional third-party tools.
Hubspot Sales Hub
Grow better with HubSpot
Software that's powerful, not overpowering. Seamlessly connect your data, teams, and customers on one CRM platform that grows with your business.
HubSpot is a user-friendly CRM platform with a focus on streamlining communication and enhancing customer relationships. HubSpot Sales Hub is a component of HubSpot’s CRM platform, aimed at providing tools and features that assist sales teams in managing and optimizing their sales processes.
It is designed to cater to businesses of all sizes, offering solutions that help sales professionals work efficiently, reduce the amount of time spent on administrative tasks, and close more deals.
Key features of Hubspot Sales Hub software include:
- Email marketing: With built-in email tools, Hubspot enables small business owners to create, send, and track email campaigns. This helps nurture leads and maintain regular communication with customers.
- Sales automation: Hubspot offers automation features such as lead scoring, task automation, and email templates. These tools help small business owners and entrepreneurs streamline their sales processes, prioritize leaves, and save time.
- Live chat & bots: Sales Hub enables real-time engagement with leads and customers on the website through live chat or interactions can be automated using chatbots.
Pricing:
- Free Tools
- Starter: $18 per month includes 2 paid users ($9 per month per additional user)
- Professional: $450 per month includes 5 paid users ($90 per month per additional user)
- Enterprise: $1,200 per month includes 10 paid users ($120 per month per additional user)
Pros:
- User-friendly interface: HubSpot makes it easy for teams to navigate, adopt, and utilize the platform effectively.
- Integration: It offers seamless integration with other HubSpot tools, creating a comprehensive marketing, sales, and customer service ecosystem for businesses to manage their entire customer lifecycle.
- Free Basic Version: HubSpot’s free version provides features for small businesses to manage contacts, leads, and deals without incurring initial costs.
Cons:
- Limited advanced functionality: The free version lacks advanced features that might be essential for larger or complex businesses, potentially necessitating an upgrade to a paid plan.
- Scaling costs: While the starter plan is reasonably priced, higher-tier plans can become costly as additional features and users are added, making it less affordable.
- Learning curve: Some advanced features might have a learning curve, especially for users who are new to marketing automation and software.
Pipedrive
The CRM platform to grow your business
The first CRM designed by salespeople, for salespeople. Do more to grow your business.
Pipedrive is a cloud-based CRM platform that is designed for sales teams. It offers features for contact management, lead generation, marketing automation, sales pipeline management, and forecasting.
Key features of Pipedrive software include:
- Pipeline management: Pipedrive’s intuitive visual interface allows small businesses to create, customize, and manage their sales pipelines. This feature provides a clear overview of ongoing deals, helping teams stay organized and focused on moving leads through the sales process efficiently.
- Contact and lead management: Pipedrive offers robust contact and lead management capabilities. Users can easily store, categorize, and track interactions with leads and contacts. This feature helps small businesses build and nurture customer relationships effectively.
- Sales automation: Pipedrive provides automation tools that streamline repetitive tasks and workflows. Users can automate lead assignments, follow-up emails, and other actions, reducing manual work and improving efficiency in the sales process.
Pricing:
- Essential: $14.90 per user per month
- Advanced: $27.90 per user per month
- Professional: $49.90 per user per month
- Power: $64.90 per user per month
- Enterprise: $99 per user per month
Pros:
- Visual pipeline: Pipedrive’s visual sales pipeline offers a clear overview of deals, helping sales teams prioritize and progress opportunities effectively.
- User-friendly: The software’s intuitive interface and straightforward design make it easy for users to navigate and adapt quickly, minimizing the learning curve.
Cons:
- Limited marketing features: Pipedrive focuses primarily on sales, lacking some advanced marketing automation and campaign management features.
- Reporting complexity: While Pipedrive provides reporting tools, some users find its reporting capabilities less extensive or more complex than other CRM systems.
MeisterTask
MeisterTask is a task management and collaboration tool designed to facilitate project management for teams. MeisterTask itself is not specifically a sales software; However, sales teams can leverage MeisterTask to manage and organize their sales processes, coordinate team activities, and track progress on sales-related tasks and goals.
Key features of Meistertask software include:
- Sales pipeline: Sales teams can create boards to visualize and manage their sales pipelines, with columns representing different stages of the sales process.
- Lead & opportunity tracking: Leads and sales opportunities can be represented as tasks, allowing teams to track their status, assign responsibility, and ensure timely follow-up.
- Collaboration on deals: Team members can collaborate on specific deals by discussing strategies, sharing documents, and updating each other on progress within each task.
Pricing:
- Pro: $12 per user per month
- Business: $24 per user per month
- Enterprise: Customized pricing tiers for larger businesses
Pros:
- Visualization of sales process: The Kanban-style boards allow sales teams to visualize their sales pipelines effectively, making it easier to track leads and deals at various stages of the sales process.
- Enhanced collaboration: MeisterTask facilitates communication and collaboration among sales team members through features like comments, mentions, and file attachments on tasks.
- Flexibility and customization: Sales teams can customize project boards to suit their specific sales processes and workflow, making the tool adaptable to varying sales strategies.
Cons:
- Lack of sales-specific features: MeisterTask does not offer sales-specific features like contact management, deal tracking, or built-in sales analytics that are typically found in dedicated sales software.
- Limited integration with CRM: While MeisterTask offers some integrations, it may not provide seamless connectivity with all CRM systems, which can be a critical component for sales teams.
- Insufficient reporting for sales analytics: The reporting and analytics features in MeisterTask may not be robust enough to provide the detailed sales insights and forecasts that sales teams require.
Freshsales
Freshsales is a powerful CRM system designed to empower sales teams with AI-powered features, email tracking, and built-in phone capabilities. The software can be utilized effectively by organizations to manage customer relationships and conduct successful marketing campaigns.
Key features of Freshsales software include:
- Email tracking and analytics: Freshsales includes email tracking and analytics features, allowing users to monitor email opens, clicks, and responses. Small businesses can create and send emails directly from the CRM system, making it easier to engage with leads and customers.
- Deal management: Freshsales provides tools for managing sales deals through various stages of the sales pipeline. Small businesses can track and prioritize deals, set reminders, and collaborate with team members. This feature helps in visualizing the sales process, identifying bottlenecks, and improving deal conversion rates.
- Lead scoring: Freshsales includes lead scoring capabilities that allow small businesses to prioritize leads based on their likelihood to convert into customers. Users can set up scoring criteria and automatically assign scores to leads.
Pricing:
- Growth: $15 per user per month
- Pro: $39 per user per month
- Enterprise: $69 per user per month
Pros:
- Intuitive interface: Freshsales offers a user-friendly interface that makes it easy for teams to quickly adopt and navigate the CRM software.
- Lead and contact management: The platform excels in lead and contact management, allowing businesses to organize, track, and nurture leads through customizable pipelines and automated workflows.
- Email tracking and engagement: Freshsales provides email tracking and engagement insights, enabling users to monitor interactions and gauge the effectiveness of their email campaigns.
Cons:
- Limited customization: Freshsales might lack the deep customization options offered by advanced CRM systems, potentially limiting adaptation to unique workflows.
- Complex pricing tiers: Some users find Freshsales’ pricing structure confusing, as certain features are available only in higher-tier plans, potentially making it challenging to select the right plan.
- Learning curve for advanced features: Utilizing advanced features might require time and training, especially for users who are new to CRM software.
What to Consider When Choosing the Best Sales Software for Your Small Business?
When selecting sales software, consider your business’s unique needs, the software’s integration capabilities, ease of use, and overall costs. Ideally, you would want to go for a solution that offers the functionalities you need and integrates well with any other systems or tools you are using, without overwhelming your budget.
Many of the aforementioned options offer free trials or demo versions, allowing you to test and determine if they are the right fit for your business before making a commitment.
1. Ease of Use
Easy-to-use software encourages quick adoption among sales teams, reducing resistance and reluctance to change from existing processes or tools.
2. Contact and Opportunity Management
Having a centralized location for all contact information ensures that sales representatives can easily and quickly access necessary data whenever needed.
3. Sales Analytics and Reporting
Robust analytics allow for accurate sales forecasting, enabling organizations to predict future sales and revenue based on historical data.
4. Integration Capabilities
When sales software integrates well with other business tools, it helps unify various operational aspects, allowing sales reps to perform multiple tasks without switching between platforms. This helps reduce manual data entry and the risk of errors.
5. Mobile Accessibility
Mobile accessibility ensures that sales reps can access resources anytime, anywhere, enabling them to work flexibly and respond promptly to leads and opportunities.
6. Customization Options
Considering customization options when choosing sales software is crucial as it impacts how well the software will align with the specific needs, workflows, and objectives of a business.
7. Customer Support
Quality customer support ensures that any issues users have are addressed promptly, minimizing downtime and disruptions to sales activities.
8. Scalability
Scalable software can adapt and grow with the business, accommodating more users, data, and features as the company expands, ensuring long-term viability.
9. Affordability
Affordability is a crucial factor when selecting sales software because it ensures that the software fits within the budget constraints of the company while meeting its needs.
Which Sales Software is Best for Your Small Business?
Investing in good sales software is crucial for small businesses aiming to optimize their sales processes and accelerate growth. Enhanced organization, real-time insights, and streamlined workflows contribute to improved productivity and, ultimately, increased sales and revenue.
For small businesses operating in competitive markets, leveraging sales software is a strategic move to stay agile, responsive, and customer-centric, positioning the business for sustained success and growth.
FAQs
Can sales software help me improve my sales team’s performance?
Yes, sales software can significantly help improve your sales team’s performance by providing a range of tools and functionalities designed to enhance productivity, efficiency, and sales outcomes.
Can sales software integrate with other business tools I use?
Yes, most sales software solutions offer integration capabilities with a variety of other business tools to ensure seamless workflows and increased productivity.
Are there any industry-specific sales software solutions available?
Yes, there are several industry-specific sales software solutions available, designed to cater to the unique needs, challenges, and workflows of different industries.
How much does sales software for small businesses typically cost?
The cost of sales software for small businesses can vary widely based on the features offered, the number of users, and whether it is a subscription-based or a one-time purchase model.
Are there any limitations to using sales software for small businesses?
Yes, there are some limitations and challenges that businesses should be aware of, such as the additional costs that come with more features, the learning curve some users take to adapt to the program, and integration with other existing systems or tools used by your business, leading to fragmented workflows.
