In today’s world, the art of selling has become even more sophisticated. As a result, investing in a sales CRM system has become a must for every business.
The best sales CRM software for startups simplifies everyday tasks by automating routine tasks and tracking interactions and captures valuable insights into what your customers really want so your team can focus on delivering a five-star experience every time.
There are quite a few CRM systems out there. Want to know which sales CRM can help you take your startup to the next level? Keep reading.
What Is A Sales CRM?
A sales CRM (customer relationship management) tool is software that enables a company to manage and improve its relationships with prospects and customers.
Here are some features you can expect from a sales CRM:
- Lead Management
- Account Management
- Sales Automation
- Centralized Repository
- Sales Collaboration
- Pipeline Management
- Sales Forecasting
- Reporting and Dashboards
You can use these features to store customer information safely, track and optimize your pipeline to drive more sales, and ultimately generate more revenue.
What Makes A Good Sales CRM
There are several key characteristics to keep in mind when choosing a sales CRM system for your business. These include:
- Ease of Integration
A company’s customer data and processes are saved in multiple support systems. A good CRM software should be able to integrate seamlessly with these systems.
- Ease of Customization
Every business has specific needs. A good CRM system should be easily customizable to meet your specific business needs.
- Ability to Scale
When choosing CRM software for your business, scalability is one of the biggest considerations because it addresses a business’ future needs.
- Out-of-the-Box Functionality
The depth and robustness of a CRM software is essential for successful implementation. The greater the functionality, the lesser customization is required.
Top 5 Sales CRM Software
Pipedrive
Pipedrive is an intuitive, easy-to-use sales platform that offers several tools to boost sales and track performance. Top features include lead management, tracking communications, and workflow automation.
Pros
- Syncs cross-channel information and eliminates repetitive admin tasks.
- Essential Plan users can sync emails to Pipedrive using Smart Email BCC. The Advanced, Professional, and Enterprise plans give users access to an in-app inbox and more advanced automated email syncing that is compatible with Gmail and QQ Mail.
- Can be used as a full-fledged Gmail CRM with the Chrome extension.
Cons
- The Zapier integration is a bit complicated and challenging to set up.
Pricing
Pipedrive offers four plans:
- Essential Plan: Costs $15 per month or $14.90 per user when billed annually.
- Advanced Plan: Costs $29 per month or $24.90 per user per month when billed annually.
- Professional Plan: Costs $59 per month or $49.90 per user when paid annually.
- Enterprise Plan: Costs $99 per user, payable annually.
A 14-day free trial is available for the Essential, Advanced, and Professional plans.
Salesforce
Salesforce is a cloud-based CRM platform that offers well-developed, essential tools for small and growing businesses. The platform has many tailor-made solutions for sales, marketing, and customer service teams.
Pros
- Automates routine tasks and decision-making procedures, saving time and effort.
- Provides a fully-customizable CRM system with sophisticated, well-designed capabilities for team collaboration and sales operations.
- Allows sales managers and teams to build very complex task management systems.
Cons
- Problems with customer service and support staff.
Pricing
Salesforce offers four plans:
- Essentials Plan for all-in-one sales and support is $25 per user/month, billed annually.
- Professional Plan offering complete CRM for any size team is $75 per user/month, billed annually.
- Enteprise Plan offering deeply customizable sales CRM for your business is $150 per user/month, billed annually.
- Unlimited Plan for “unlimited CRM power and support” is $300 per user/month, billed annually.
All plans have a 14-day free trial.
Close
Close (formerly known as Close.io) is an all-in-one sales CRM that offers voice, SMS, pipeline view, reporting, and email marketing, along with several integrations, making it an ideal choice for startups and growing companies.
Pros
- Provides sales representatives with pre-recorded voicemail, an excellent time-saving feature for sales reps.
- Has a “predictive dialing feature” that saves time and boosts productivity by enabling sales reps to automatically dial several numbers.
- Can be easily integrated with other platforms, including Mailchimp, Zendesk, Facebook, and Zapier.
Cons
- A manual cleanup may be required when importing bulk data of CSV files, as it might produce duplicate leads.
Pricing
Close offers four plans:
- Starter Plan: Costs $35 per user per month when billed monthly or $29.75 per user per month when billed annually.
- Basic Plan: Costs $65 per user per month when billed monthly or $55.25 per user per month when billed annually.
- Professional Plan: Costs $95 per user per month when billed monthly or $80.75 per user per month when billed annually.
- Business Plan: Costs $145 per user per month when billed monthly or $123.75 per user per month when billed annually.
A 14-day free trial is available for all plans.
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HubSpot
HubSpot is a well-known name in the sales CRM industry. The company offers a powerful CRM loaded with features ranging from easy-to-use content management and automation to advanced marketing tools.
Pros
- Scalable to manage an influx of customer interactions.
- Works seamlessly with G-Suite and Office 365 services.
- The Sales Hub add-on offers AI support, richer prospect insights, and cutting-edge automation.
Cons
- Limited customization options could be a problem when working on specialized projects.
Pricing
- HubSpot CRM is free for unlimited users.
- Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, and Service Hub add-on packages are $50 each per user per month, billed monthly.
- HubSpot CMS starts at $300 per month, billed monthly.
- All-inclusive Starter Growth Suite starts at $113 per user per month, billed monthly.
Zoho CRM
Zoho CRM is an online Sales CRM software with a simple user interface, customizable modules, automation, and social media features. The platform caters to businesses of all sizes and types.
Pros
- Flexible AI layer at higher price tiers.
- Collects customer data from email, live chat, calls, social media, and more.
- Integrates seamlessly with Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ and helps in engaging with leads at the right time.
Cons
- Add-ons and other services are quite expensive.
Pricing
Zoho offers a free version for up to 3 users. Pricing for paid plans is as follows:
- Standard edition is $14 per user/month, billed annually.
- Professional edition is $23 per user/month, billed annually.
- Enterprise edition is $40 per user/month, billed annually.
- Ultimate edition is $52 per user/month, billed annually. Exclusive 30-day free trial.
There is a 15-day free trial for paid versions.
Choosing the Right CRM Software for Your Business
While there may be no ‘best sales CRM’ for every business, some CRM systems like Pipedrive and Zoho are great options for businesses of any size and type.
However, for small and growing businesses, Close remains our top choice as it offers a simple and intuitive user interface, several useful integrations, and unique features like the ‘power dialer’.
The best part? You can avail the free trial without putting in your card details, so there’s no risk of subscribing to one of the paid plans automatically.
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