Introduction

From strategic account management to accurate forecasting and effective inventory management system, SaaS sales management software help businesses achieve their goals and stay competitive. With the increasing popularity of SaaS and subscriptions getting within reach of small businesses, SM systems are no longer only meant for enterprises and large organizations. The outcomes of using a SM solution include:

Better organization of information
Reduced data-entry
Streamlined communication
Better teamwork and collaboration
Automated workflow
Accurate forecasting and better planning

Depending on the solution and included features, a sales software allows businesses to:

Standardize retail processes
Effectively manage sales and territories
Manage orders
Generate quotes
Manage contacts
Manage lead-to-conversion process
Acquire and process sales data
Evaluate performance
Run a store online
Efficiency manage inventory
Measure key metrics
Reduce credit risk
Use advanced scripting techniques

The benefits of SM systems are organization-wide, whether used by a large business or SMBs. Let’s start with some key benefits of using a SM software before moving on to some of the best sales management solutions currently available.

Benefits of Sales Management Software

Strategic Account Management

SM solutions serve as a centralized knowledge database that provides users with instant access to sales accounts, which is particularly useful for large businesses dealing with a huge accounts pool. They put all the important information at the fingertips of users and make it much easier to identity and filter accounts based on different criteria such as by revenue.

This aids the management in effectively prioritizing accounts while being able to customize promotions according to the unique requirements of each account. Not only it helps in closing more deals and filtering out accounts that are less promising, it also aids in retaining the existing client base.

Better Planning and Accurate Forecasting

Inaccurate sales forecasting can impact the business performance and is usually a result of inadequate information. Sales Management systems aid businesses in acquiring accurate and up-to-date data that is readily accessible and helps them make accurate forecasts. Access to precise and updated information also provides relief to sales managers, allowing then to focus more on growth instead of spending most of their time on labor-intensive work associated with managing information manually.

Comprehensive Analytics

Reliable analytics is critical in sales planning and help businesses stay competitive by focusing on areas that are profitable and most productive. Most top-of-the-line SM systems come with built-in tools that aid in accessing sales cycles and quantifying sales campaigns.

Inventory Management

Sales managers need up-to-date and accurate information about the inventory status to make new deals and important sales decisions. SM solutions help them keep track of the inventory and manage it more effectively.

Decrease in Workload

Managing things manually and using different solutions to manage sales increases workload and prevents teams from truly focusing on sales growth. SaaS sales management systems take most of the labor-intensive workload off the shoulders of employees so they can focus on things that matter the most for business growth. Sales reps, CS reps and marketers get access to the same repository, which ensures data accuracy and consistency.

User Friendliness

Modern SaaS SM software are designed keeping end users in mind and make it easier for even non-technical users to get started quickly. Rapid deployment and data migration enable businesses to transition to the cloud in less time while being able to make the most out of existing data. Quick access to important information makes the job of sales team easier, allowing them to focus their efforts on boosting revenue and closing more deals.

Reporting and Analysis

Accurate reporting is not only important for managing performance and gauging effectiveness of sales/marketing campaigns, it also aids in planning and product development. SM systems put important information such as traffic volume, conversion ratios and past performance at users’ fingertips, allowing them to timely identify issues so they can dedicate their efforts to achieving the organizational goals.

Lead Source Management

SM systems make it easier to match leads with reps by assigning specific leads to the most relevant people, greatly improving the chances of closing a deal. The ability to identify reps who have built good rapport allows the management to assign them to profitable clients to boost sales and ultimately revenues. SM systems also allow sales teams to focus their efforts on most profitable clients by providing them with insightful information such as returns from different lead sources.

Automation

Automation of business processes allows sales teams to focus more on their core activities by using accurate, up-to-date and centralized information to convert leads into sales. The information is available from anywhere, using almost any device, which makes them more productive even when they are away from the office. Most top-end systems are customizable, allowing users to customize the software according to their own unique business requirements.

Best Sales Management Software

Determining which sales management software works best for a business depends on many factors, including budget, company size, required features, scalability and support. That’s why it’s important to consider business requirements and the SLA (Service Level Agreement) before making a decision. Here are the top 10 and most popular sales management solutions that work well for a variety of industries.

1. Salesforce Sales Cloud

Also known as Salesforce CRM, Salesforce Sales Cloud is part of an integrated CRM platform that supercharges businesses and allows them to connect with their customers in a new way. The Salesforce Customer 360 CRM platform integrates everything around a single platform, providing teams with a shared view of customers.

Salesforce Sales Cloud allows users to manage sales activities efficiently and close more deals while being fully aware of the business health. From personalized buying experiences to on-the-fly strategy adjustment, the system offers everything businesses need to grow and stay competitive. Pricing starts from $24/user/month (annual commitment), while the unlimited plan costs $300/user/month.

Key features:

Contact management
Account management
Lead management
Sales forecasting
Reports and dashboards
On-the-fly strategy adjustment
Personalized buying experiences
Visual workflow, approval automation
Mobile app
Email integration

2. HubSpot Sales

Being one of the most popular sales software, HubSpot Sales is designed for businesses of all sizes and is essentially an eCommerce solution that allows businesses to build and automate their sales process. It’s intuitive and user-friendly interface allows non-technical users such as sales reps to get started in less time without any coding experience. Individual salespersons can take advantage of the free sales tools, while business can opt for paid plans that start from $50/month (1 paid user).

Key features

Automated outreach
Email templates
Email scheduling, sequencing and tracking
Meeting management
Live chat
Sales automation and call queuing
Predictive lead scoring
Reporting
Integration with Salesforce (Bi-directional sync), Gmail and Outlook

3. Freshsales

The Sales CRM by Freshworks features AI-assisted lead scoring, activity capture, and built-in phone/email, allowing sales teams to manage most sales-related tasks using a single platform. It allows sending personalized emails even in the bulk mode so the target list gets messages that are tailed for them. The inbox automatically prioritizes incoming messages based on the predefined criteria. The CRM can also be seamlessly connected to Freshdesk and Google Calendar, making things simpler for users.

Pricing for small businesses starts from $12/user/month (billed annually), while enterprises can opt for the Forest plan that costs $79/user/month (billed annually). Startups that only need basic features can opt for Sprout, the ‘free forever’ plan that includes leads, contacts, built-in phone/email and integration support.

Key features

One-click calling
Sales activity reports
Trendline reports
360-degree customer profiles
AI-assisted lead scoring and deep analytics
Multi-platform
Visual sales pipeline
Personalized emails
Email tracking
Automatic inbox prioritization

4. Pipedrive

Pipedrive is a powerful, yet user friendly sales and pipeline management software that is easy to setup and designed to make boost productivity. Activity-based sales provides users with the insightful information and visibility they need to close more deals. The UI allows them to view deal progress and other actionable information so they can easily track pending actions.

The software seamlessly connects with other platforms and 3rd-party solutions such as Zapier, Google Maps and MailChimp. SMB pricing for Pipedrive starts from $12.50/user/month (billed annually), while the Enterprise plan costs $99/user/month (billed annually). All plans are GDPR compliant and come with 24/7 support, mobile apps, integration support and an Open API.

Key features

Activity-based sales
Open API
Integration with 100+ platforms
Fully customizable
Pipeline management
Email integration
Activity and goal reminders
Sales reporting and forecasting
Android and iOS apps
Integration with Google Apps
Web forms
Full encryption
Multi-currency and multilingual

5. EngageBay

EngageBay is an award-winning product for nurturing and engaging clients for their utmost customer satisfaction. The software provides a seamless experience for customers of small and mid-sized real estate agencies. This diverse package of solutions includes marketing automation, sales bay, live chat and helpdesk.

EngageBay’s deal management software makes it multiple deal tracks, manage your sales pipeline real-time, visual sales pipeline, deal status at a glance, simple drag-and-drop operations and more.

Key features:

360 Degree Customer View
Appointment Scheduling Software
Contact Management Software
Free CRM
Sales CRM
CRM Email Integration
Sales Tools
Lead Scoring
Project Management
CRM Telephony
Lead Management
Employee Engagement
Deal Management

6. TradeGecko

The B2B/supplier-to-customer inventory management software offers powerful features that allow businesses to manage products, customers, orders and insights using a single platform. Designed for multiregional wholesalers/distributors, the software allows businesses to effectively manage their supply chains, sales and customer relationships.

It comes with all the features businesses need to manage inventory, including RFID/barcoding, eCommerce portal, warehouse management and relationship management. The order-to-payment system covers quotes, order processing and fulfillment and real-time payment tracking.

It integrates well with a variety of systems, including Shopify, QuickBooks, Xero, WooCommerce, FBA, Amazon and ShipStation. Pricing starts from $39/user/month (annually) and goes all the way up to $599/user/month (annually).

Key features

Inventory management
Orders and fulfillment
Business intelligence
Customer relationship management
Centralized sales channels
B2B eCommerce portal
Real-time payment tracking
Reports and insights
Integration with online tools
RFID/barcoding
Warehouse management
Quote dispatching and order processing

7. Groove

The sales management software offers a complete suite of features and tools businesses need to manage large-scale customers support. It streamlines the sales cycle and is designed to boost conversion rates by optimizing the sales pipeline and allowing users to create impactful outreach programs. Partnership with Salesforce minimizes data entry time, improves efficiency and helps sales team improve conversion rates.

The software keeps accounts updated, including calendar and emails and provides the management with the information they need to keep track of performance and activities. The Starter package costs $15/agent/month, while the Plus and Pro packages cost $29 and $39 per agent per month respectively.

Key features

Targeted campaigns
Personalized outreach
Shared Inbox
Team collaboration
Automation of routine tasks
Self-service options
Performance management
Activity tracking
API Access (Plus and Pro plans)
Email management
Customer insights
Reporting

8. Brightpearl

The omnichannel retail management system is designed to improve efficiency and customer satisfaction and help the management make smarter decisions. The comprehensive platform checks all the boxes for retailers and offers a complete suite of tools and features they need to manage retail operations. Brightpearl’s product range includes Sales Order Management, Shipping and Fulfillment, Inventory Management, Retail Accounting and more.

The Sales Order Management software helps businesses create seamless shopping experiences by processing multi-channel orders more efficiently. The solution is scalable and supports POS system, automatic order processing as well as offline order processing. Exact pricing depends on user requirements and features need and is available by quote.

Key features

Multi-channel order management
Automatic order processing
Offline order processing
Integrated POS
Customizable workflow
Pre-order and back order management
Drop shipping
Drop shipping and partial fulfillment
3PL integrations
Sales analysis and reporting
Customizable customer terms
Real-time accounting journals

9. Sales Cookie

The sales commission automation software automates incentive programs and simplifies incentive administration asks. The user-friendly platform delivers accurate commissions and solves headaches associated with solving administration issues and manually managing things using spreadsheets. The system is designed keeping needs of small and medium businesses in mind and delivers robust features at a competitive price.

The free trial includes all the features, allowing users to fully test-drive before making a purchase decision. Pricing for businesses is pretty straight forward i.e. $19.99/user/month and includes all the features.

Key features

Personalized rep dashboards
Automatic commission calculation
Reporting and insights
Integration with business systems including Zapier
Incentive plan designing and goals
Flexible rewards
Multi-currency

10. Bpm’online Sales

The cloud-based CRM provides businesses with complete control over their sales processes and helps them manage the entire sales cycle using a single solution. The solution combines key modules including orders and invoicing, customer relationships, lead management, opportunity management, orders and invoices and campaign management. It gives a complete view of customer’s journey and delivers end-to-end processes.

The publisher offers different pricing plans for small, medium and large businesses, which cost $25, $30 and $50 per user per month respectively. The CRM bundle is also available for businesses who want a single platform to manage marketing, sales and service.

Key features

360-degree customer view
Account management
Contact management
Smart data enrichment
Social media integration and data enrichment
Complete customer profiling
Customer segmentation
Comprehensive communication history
Customer database analytics
Team collaboration
Lead and opportunity management
Order and invoice management
Sales forecasting

11. Leadsquared Sales + Mobile CRM

The sales CRM system allows businesses to accelerate growth and sell faster by capturing leads from multiple channels and distributing them to the most relevant sales reps. Smart Views streamline the sales process and remove clutter from the work areas of sales reps. Pricing starts from $25/user/month (annually), while Pro and Super plans cost $50 and $100/user/month respectively.

Key features

Multi-channel lead capturing
Lead distribution
Lead qualification and prioritization
Regimented follow-up
Automated, customized reporting
Lead tracking
Mobile CRM app
Trackable sales email
Developer API
User groups and custom actions
Visual workflow builder (only Super Plan)

Retail POS: Vend POS

Vend POS is a powerful retail POS system that helps businesses sell more and grow. The multi-location inventory and retail management system is accessible from anywhere, using almost any device including mobile devices. The software is designed for a variety of industries, including fashion and apparel, sports and outdoors.

The software can be seamlessly integrated with a variety of popular platforms, including Shopify, Apple, Xero and Deputy. Depending on individual requirements, businesses can choose between Lite, Pro and Enterprise plans, which cost $99, $129 and by quote respectively (annual commitment).

Key features

Available as web-based or on-premises/iPad POS
Works offline
Faster staff training
Cash management
On-account sales
Discounts and notes
Returns/refunds and store credits
Custom receipts
Real-time reporting
Multi-channel inventory
Customer sync
Connection with existing online stores