Scoring a sale is equal parts science and art.
The artist’s side falls to the person in charge of the sales process. All the tools in the world cannot replace the charisma, empathy, and human insights a sales representative brings to the table.
However, technology provides us with all the tools we need to streamline the entire process: data, automation, and personalization.
Sales software can be a great tool in your sales department’s arsenal, but with so many competing solutions on the market, finding one that works for you is no easy task.
So to help you out, we’ve compiled a list of 15 of the best sales software solutions that your sales reps will love—and so will your bottom line.
What Do We Mean by “Sales Software”?
We’re starting with a bit of a disclaimer: “sales software” is a rather vague term.
This is mostly why many businesses may struggle to find an appropriate solution for them. And if you just type the term in a Google search, the results will be extremely diverse.
In theory, sales software refers to any type of application or platform that can support a business’ sales process.
Its goal is to streamline sales efforts and increase the conversion rate.
In practice, sales software can target different stages of the funnel. But overall, a good sales solution should offer benefits such as:
- Increased sales productivity;
- Automating certain manual tasks;
- Improving sales workflow;
- Save time and money;
- Reveal issues in the sales cycle;
- Integrate with other software to calibrate the company’s marketing and sales efforts, etc.
That’s a lot to expect from a few lines of code, isn’t it?
Well, whether you can expect all these benefits or not depends on the type of sales software you choose.
What Are the Different Types of Sales Software?
Sales software tools come in all shapes and sizes.
Part of choosing the best sales software for your company is figuring out what needs should be fulfilled by such a solution.
Below, let’s go through some of the main types of sales software platforms.
Note that many of the solutions you can find on the market may combine several approaches; we’ll discuss more of that in the reviews section.
- Sales Productivity
Some solutions are optimized to help the team get better results during their sales efforts.
They are supposed to get past different problems that come up at various stages of the sales funnel, especially those that depend on how productive the team is.
These are the tools that can help generate leads, easily schedule meetings, scribble down proposals, make reports, and automate repetitive tasks.
- Sales Acceleration
These tools help sales organizations get more deals in less time.
They can be used to shorten the sales cycle and help the team get more conversions in less time.
Such tools can do this by automating repetitive tasks or optimizing various stages of the sales funnel.
Others may provide enhanced integration abilities to connect multiple essential services, such as marketing.
- Data-Driven or Sales Intelligence
AI and machine learning are used in data-driven software to help sales teams gather and understand information about prospects to improve customer relationships.
These tools remove much of the guesswork that could be involved in the sales funnel.
They can tell you who is most likely to convert, when they are most likely to convert, and even which products and services to recommend as cross- or upsells.
These tools can make sales forecasting based on user data, allowing people to make better decisions about how to approach a client.
- Customer Relationship Management
A sales CRM helps optimize the relationship a business has with its customers.
They can be used as part of a customer retention strategy to encourage repeat sales.
In many businesses, getting a prospect to convert is half the battle.
The real revenue comes from creating a loyal customer base that keeps coming back for more.
A sales CRM can help you achieve this through many methods:
- Streamline communication;
- Gather customer data in one place;
- Personalize all marketing messages;
- Improve customer engagement, etc.
- Customer Success
Customer success tools are used to make sure that buyers get the results they want from a product or service.
People have a reason for buying something, and their initial purchase alone might not be enough to help them reach that goal.
As a result, customer satisfaction can go down because they think the product or service doesn’t live up to its promises.
But customer success tools give sellers more information about a customer’s past purchases, feedback, and other important information, so they can act when they need to.
For instance, these tools can help you identify a dissatisfied customer and quickly reach out to them before they decide to abandon your business.
- Configure, Price, and Quote
CPQ tools streamline the quoting and proposal processes.
When a client contacts a company, the longer it takes for the company to respond with a quote, the higher the chances of that client leaving.
CPQ tools can accelerate the process as well as make your quotes and proposals more accurate.
They use the client’s expectations to quickly find relevant, up-to-date information that can be added to a proposal. For example:
- Appropriate products or services;
- Accurate prices;
- Needs profile;
- Opportunities for upselling, etc.
- Document Tracking and E-signature
In a digital world, the physical pen-and-paper method is a huge hurdle that can slash your conversion rates.
Through e-signature and document tracking solutions, you can bring contract signing online.
These tools keep a record of all the digital documents, both for the client and the services provided.
Moreover, many administrative tasks can be automated by these tools.
For one thing, nobody needs to print out several copies of a contract and then physically mail them anywhere.
Clients can also receive all the paperwork, ready to sign, in a very short timeframe, and updates to contracts can be made on the fly when necessary.
What Are the Best Sales Software Tools?
Sales managers can rely on several tools to optimize their efforts and get better results.
Choosing the right sales software for a business is tricky since you first need to determine what specific hurdles your team needs to overcome.
Still, it helps to know what the market has to offer.
To this end, we’ve gathered 15 of the best sales software solutions you may use to enhance your sales funnel and improve conversions:
| Sales Software | Free account | Free trial / Demo | Price | Type | Best for |
| ActiveCampaign | No | 14-Day Free Trial | Starts at $19/Month (Paid Yearly) | All-In-One Sales Platform | Top Sales Platform |
| ZenDesk Sales | No | 30-Day Free Trial | Starts at $19/Month (Paid Yearly) | All-In-One Sales Platform | Runner-up |
| HubSpot Sales | Yes | Demo | Starts at $18.40/Month | All-In-One Sales Platform | Businesses of All Sizes |
| Lessonly | No | Demo | Custom Pricing | Training Platform | Training Sales Staff |
| Salesforce CRM | No | 14-Day Free Trial | Starts at $25/Month (Paid Yearly) | Customer Relationship Management | Productivity Tracking |
| LinkedIn Sales Navigator | No | Demo And Free Trial | Starts at $99/Month | Sales Acceleration | B2B Sales |
| Pipeliner CRM | No | 14-Day Free Trial | Starts at $50/Month (Paid Yearly) | Customer Relationship Management | Fast ROI |
| Talkdesk | No | Demo | Starts At $75/User/Month | Call Center Support | Sales Calls |
| Salesmate | No | Demo, 15-Day Free Trial | Starts at $15/User/Month | Customer Relationship Management | Small Businesses and Startups |
| Clearbit | Yes | Demo | Custom Pricing | Sales Intelligence | Attracting Leads |
| Zoho CRM | No | 15-Day Free Trial | Starts at $14/Month (Paid Yearly) | Customer Relationship Management | Entry-Level Businesses |
| Gong | No | Demo | Custom Pricing | Data-Driven | Revenue Intelligence |
| DocuSign | Yes | 30-Day Free Trial | Starts at $15/Month | E-Signature | Digital Document Signing and Management |
| ChurnZero | No | Demo | Custom Pricing | Sales Acceleration | Customer Success |
| Toggl | No | 14-Day Free Trial | Starts at $9/User/Month | Sales Productivity | Inter-Departmental Collaboration |
- ActiveCampaign: Best Overall Sales Software
Most people are probably familiar with ActiveCampaign for its powerful marketing solutions, but they also offer one of the best sales software on the market.
ActiveCampaign has six different products designed to support your sales goals:
- CRM
- Sales Automation
- Sales Engagement
- Lead Generation
- Win Probability (to predict sales wins and losses)
- Inbox Extension (to see all your emails in one place)
If you already use ActiveCampaign for its email and marketing features, then opting for their sales services is the logical next step.
Both are highly intuitive solutions, even for beginners, and are simple to use.
Plus, ActiveCampaign keeps its rates convenient, which is another plus, especially for smaller businesses.
They even provide special bundles if you want to use both their marketing and sales solutions.
Pros
- Powerful automation features;
- In-depth sales metrics;
- User-friendly interface;
- Marketing and sales ecosystem in one location;
- Affordable monthly plans;
Cons
- There is no free plan (only a free trial).
- ZenDesk Sales: Runner-Up Sales Software
ZenDesk Sales is likely what most people imagine when talking about sales software.
It’s a very powerful tool trusted by thousands of businesses worldwide.
This solution is designed for convenience, so you can find all the services you need to support your sales goals.
Users can automate their workflow, manage their contacts and leads, track sales activities, and even set up triggers for different tasks, all in one interface.
Plus, if there’s anything ZenDesk can’t do, that can probably be solved through an integration.
The service has over a thousand apps you can integrate into the platform, including Zoom and Slack.
Integrations are divided into categories like email marketing or analytics.
You can just browse through them and see all the different apps you can mix and match to create a more personalized experience.
Pros
- A powerful solution to ease the sales process;
- Free trial;
- Includes automation, lead management, and contact management features;
- Amazing integration capabilities;
- User-friendly iOS and Android mobile apps;
Cons
- While mostly affordable, plans with more advanced features are pricier.
- HubSpot Sales: The Best All-In-One Sales Solution
HubSpot’s sales management software is set up as a unified platform to help businesses grow their revenue and meet their conversion expectations.
Their UX and UI are some of the best in the industry.
Its sales solution includes staple features like task automation for data entry, contact management, pipeline management, and even secure payments.
Plus, the HubSpot ecosystem includes several useful tools, such as sales enablement software, lead management, and many CRM functionalities.
Pros
- Key features include task management, customer communication, collaboration tools, and more;
- Core functionalities are completely free;
- CRM integration, marketing support, and other products to support several business processes
Cons
- It works best as an all-in-one solution, not a point solution;
- No free trial for premium features, but you can book a demo.
- Seismic’s Lessonly: Best for Sales Training
Lessonly (now run under Seismic) is a great tool for training your entire sales department.
Its key features are designed to support the needs of your team members through:
- Personalized learning and coaching;
- Engagement tools to enhance the buyer experience;
- In-depth insights to make better decisions;
- Easy access to sales content;
- AI-supported content generation.
Through Lessonly, sales departments can quickly train new members and enhance the skills of current ones.
The platform provides employees with a convenient way to improve their skills at their own pace and consult the relevant information whenever they need it.
The tool can also enable your team to have the right support when trying to make a sale, at the right time.
Pros
- Intuitive and user-friendly platform;
- Helps train both new and current sales employees;
- Delivers personalized coaching at a department level;
Cons
- Solely a training tool.
- Salesforce CRM: Best for Performance Tracking
Salesforce CRM is a SaaS (software as a service) tool for B2C customer relationship management.
The goal of the platform is to connect the dots between customer data and their interactions with a company.
This enables sellers to make data-based decisions.
The sales platform is useful both for sales and marketing departments and can help improve lead management, conversion rates, and even customer retention.
Salesforce CRM is also a good tool for managers since it offers some insights into the department’s productivity and performance.
Through their customized dashboards, both managers and employees can keep an eye on their sales performance.
Pros
- The tool can be customized to a degree to meet most use cases;
- Free trial;
- Uses cloud technology;
- Good customer support;
- Includes workflow and approval automation features;
- In-depth sales performance insights ;
Cons
- There is no free version (just a free trial).
- LinkedIn Sales Navigator: Best for B2B Sales
The biggest benefit of using LinkedIn Sales Navigator is that you can access the social network’s profile catalog and identify sales opportunities for your business.
LinkedIn is already a powerful tool for B2B companies, and this extra service makes lead management easier.
Users can tap into several tools that allow them to present their offers directly to prospects without relying on middlemen.
The sales platform also allows you to send outreach messages to any relevant content whenever necessary.
Pros
- One of the best B2B lead generation solutions;
- Free trial;
- Detailed metrics and reporting
- If your business is already using LinkedIn in its sales efforts, this tool is the next logical upgrade.
Cons
- Relatively pricey compared to its competitors.
- Pipeliner CRM: Best for Fast ROI
Pipeliner CRM removes the concern of whether your sales team can learn to quickly use the platform or not.
Everything is designed to facilitate fast adoption, thanks to its user-friendly interface, drag-and-drop builder, and visual-heavy approach.
Key features are in no way technical, allowing most team members to quickly learn how to leverage the tool to its full potential.
Moreover, Pipeliner CRM provides great customization options, so every user can make this tool their own based on their particular needs.
Regarding its sales support, the software has automation features, easy access to customer data, and lots of useful add-ons to enhance the capabilities of the tool.
Pros
- Great integration abilities;
- 14-day free trial;
- Very easy-to-learn tool;
- Can be used offline to an extent;
- Social media integration features;
Cons
- Reporting is not as comprehensive as we’d like.
- Talkdesk: Best for Sales Calls
Talkdesk is a cloud-based call center platform.
If your business routinely sells through the phone, this tool is a great way to make the process a lot smoother.
Talkdesk includes an impressive list of key features such as text-to-speech, auto-dialer, and automation-based tools to improve customer service processes.
One of the best features of Talkdesk is its transcription capabilities.
Callers can access a full transcript of their call with their customers, effectively making sure nothing is missed or forgotten after the conversation.
The tool can be used to support communications within the company through a single phone system or even be integrated with other company tools like Slack or Zoom.
Pros
- Intuitive and user-friendly platform;
- Provides lots of customization features;
- Affordable price plans;
- Can be easily integrated with other sales tools, like a CRM;
Cons
- Some customizable features may only be modified by the Talkdesk support staff;
- No free trial.
- Salesmate: Best for Small Businesses and Startups
Salesmate is a CRM software designed to help small or new businesses grow their sales department and optimize their sales strategy.
The tool supports a company’s need to engage prospective customers by automating time-consuming manual tasks.
It features an impressive list of functions such as pipeline management, sales tracking, VoIP calling, task automation, and sales reporting.
Salesmate claims their tool requires little to no training, and yes, their software does have a user-friendly and simple approach.
However, considering the vast number of features, we think it’s fair to say that Salesmate still presents a slight learning curve.
Pros
- Great third-party integration capabilities;
- Affordable tool;
- Small-business focused;
- 15-day free trial;
Cons
- There is no free plan, which for small businesses may be a problem.
- Clearbit: Best for Attracting Leads
Clearbit is a sales intelligence tool created to support a company’s lead generation goals.
Through its key features, you can access all the relevant data you need to turn a prospect into a buyer and spot any unqualified leads before you invest too much time in them.
Instead, sales leaders can divert their team’s attention to valuable leads and increase the chance of getting more deals.
The platform is optimized for B2B lead generation, offering access to over 200 million contacts coming from over 40 million companies.
It facilitates your access to the right decision-makers at these companies based on your ideal customer profile.
With Clearbit, you can trigger sales alerts, create personalized content, and even identify companies behind anonymous website visits and book meetings with them.
The tool also has some automation capabilities, allowing users to automatically match leads with the appropriate sales rep that can seal the deal.
Pros
- Great features to nurture qualified leads;
- Detailed website visitor tracking;
- The enrichment API provides even more comprehensive data;
- Accurate insights and reports;
Cons
- No B2C data;
- Pricing is based on the features package you choose (no free trial available).
- Zoho CRM – Best Entry-Level CRM
Newcomers may be slightly intimidated by most sales platforms, but that’s unlikely to happen with Zoho CRM.
This tool encompasses virtually anything modern sales organizations need to shorten a sale cycle and optimize their operations:
- Project management tools
- Centralized knowledge management
- Collaboration tools
- Analytics solutions
Among many other business solutions, all within one user-friendly interface.
With Zoho CRM, you can manage leads, automate repetitive taste, improve customer engagement, and manage your sales systems.
Zoho CRM also provides additional business software that could assist your company with additional needs, such as marketing automation, customer service, and even custom solutions.
All in all, we think most sales teams will be pleased with what Zoho CRM has to offer.
Pros
- One of the most feature-rich sales platforms;
- Can double as a sales engagement platform;
- 15-day free trial;
- Best for new business professionals looking to grow their operations;
Cons
- No free plan.
- Gong: Best for Revenue Growth
Gong’s goal is to help companies increase their revenue by understanding every customer interaction and assisting sales teams in collaborating well.
The tool is especially useful if your company has remote workers who need a better way to communicate.
On the sales side, Gong captures interactions with a customer and alerts sales reps about the risks and opportunities involved.
Therefore, sales professionals can make data-based decisions on how to approach a potential customer, increasing the probability of a sale.
Gong also provides some nice coaching features that help sales managers support their team’s needs and onboard new sales reps faster.
Pros
- Great customer support;
- AI-based win and loss predictions;
- Good selection of third-party app integration;
- Custom integrations can also be requested;
Cons
- Analytics features need improvement.
- DocuSign: Best for Digital Document Signing
DocuSign is an e-signature tool that makes life easier for any company that’s ever needed a quick way to deliver their paperwork.
Digital files are securely stored on the platform, and users can provide access solely to the relevant parties and individuals.
You can add your signature right on the app without needing to download and re-upload anything.
When a contract is signed, all relevant parties are notified, allowing sales professionals to quickly move a customer to the next stage.
Pros
- Great analytics;
- Multiparty signing is available;
- Intuitive and easy-to-use platform;
- Provides many customizable document templates;
- Highly secure;
- 30-day free trial;
Cons
- Limited integrations.
- ChurnZero – Best for Customer Success
If you’re having difficulties with customer retention, then give ChurnZero a shot.
This sales software is designed to prevent churn and increase retention from the start of a customer’s interaction with your company.
At its core, ChurnZero is a customer onboarding platform that can automate many tasks, such as creating reminders or sending out important notices to customers.
Sales reps can also fully track customers in their onboarding process, set timelines for each milestone, and even establish goals and expectations.
ChurnZero equips sales professionals with the tools they need to provide better experiences to new customers.
The smoother the process, the more likely the rep is to convert a prospect and even turn them into a returning buyer.
Pros
- One of the best customer success tools;
- Highly intuitive platform;
- Consolidates all client information in one place;
- Automates many client management tasks;
- Free demo;
Cons
- Dashboard views are not customizable;
- No free trial.
- Toggl: Best for Inter-Departmental Collaboration
Toggl is a solution designed to help departments be on the same page.
When talking about sales, this often means getting your marketing and sales teams in perfect sync.
Toggl allows you to create project timelines and assign tasks to any member of the team, while sales managers can track their progress and even see what other departments are doing.
Sales and marketing teams can adapt their operations to support each other’s activity, so they can work together in perfect unison and disseminate consistent messages.
Pros
- Many project management functionalities;
- Simple and intuitive tool;
- Can be used to improve team productivity;
- Drag-and-drop method for creating a project timeline;
- 14-day free trial;
Cons
- It doesn’t include a wide range of features like other sales tools we’ve seen.
How to Choose the Right Sales Software for Your Business
The benefits of sales software can include anything from streamlined sales operations to higher revenue.
But there’s a caveat.
You can only experience these perks if you choose the right software provider.
And to do that, you have to consider:
- Type of sales software: sales software tools can mean a lot of things. The first step in your research is to determine what type of solution you need for your company, based on your more pressing needs like sales acceleration, customer management, etc.
- Your budget—how much you can afford to spend—will impact the type of sales software you choose. More affordable tools may provide limited capabilities, but that could be overcome if the tools allow third-party integrations.
- The requirements of your sales representatives and departments—sales software benefits both companies and the sales teams who will use it. As a result, you cannot select a solution without considering your sales team and the key features of your business tools;
- Integration capabilities: lastly, look for sales software that allows you to integrate tools you’re already using in your business, such as marketing automation tools, email marketing, or communication software.
Wrapping Up
Sales software tools can be useful for any business that runs its operation even partly online.
While there are a lot of different types on the market, their main goal is to support both the company and its sales team in how they approach the sales process.
So we encourage you to use our guide to understand what the different types of sales software are and which one of our top 15 choices will help you improve your sales process.
