10 Best sales management software in 2023 – Plaky

Are you overwhelmed by tons of data and documents concerning your company’s sales? 

Do you feel like you are not paying enough attention to your regular customers? 

Or maybe you think that many potential customers are slipping away only because you fail to recognize them on time? 

If your answer to these questions is yes, you’re probably in dire need of sales management software.

In this article, we will answer the following questions:

• What is sales management software?
• Why is sales management software useful?
• What are the top 10 sales management tools in 2023?

So, keep on reading to discover which sales management software would be the best solution for your business.

What is sales management software?

Sales management software are tools that make sales processes easier by simplifying a variety of sales teams’ tasks. 

Such tools help salespeople:

• Manage contacts,
• Track deals,
• Automate or minimize administrative tasks,
• Track data, and more.

This kind of software enables businesses to analyze and manage interaction with both existing and potential customers. What’s more, sales software helps automate a variety of tasks, such as the creation of workflows and customer history.

Also, sales management tools offer additional advanced options such as:

• Forecasting,
• Analytics, and
• Report generation.

An important aspect of using sales management software is to improve the company’s relations with its customers and increase customer retention, which later leads to sales growth.

Why is sales management software useful?

One of the crucial benefits of using sales management software is that it offers a systematic approach to sales. These tools help you:

• Automate your sales process,
• Prioritize tasks,
• Improve team coordination, and much more.

Another benefit of sales management software is that it helps centralize customer data. This way, anyone on the sales team can access the information they need.

Many companies use spreadsheets to enter customer data. However, due to the fact that a number of people have access to these sheets and modify them all the time — they can get a little chaotic.

The McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) research results show that about a third of all sales tasks can be automated.

This suggests the necessity for utilizing sales software to streamline sales processes.

So, if you waste your precious time on online documentation and data entry — you should definitely give sales management software a try.

It will make your sales process more efficient by helping you sell more products and services and save time.

Top 10 sales management software to try in 2023

If you are thinking about starting to use sales management software, be prepared to face a difficult choice from a wide variety of these tools. 

Some of the criteria you should consider for choosing the right sales management software that suits your needs are:

• User-friendly interface,
• Limitation on the user number,
• Options to integrate with other apps,
• Price,
• Security,
• Technical support options, etc.

To help you make the right choice, here is a rundown of the top 10 sales management software worth trying in 2023.

#1: Plaky — best free software for sales management  

Source: Plaky

Plaky is a task management tool that helps you store and manage your customer information in order to make it more transparent and easily accessible.

This tool is user-friendly, intuitive, and completely free to use.

Pros of using Plaky for sales management

Plaky has manifold advantages. It can help you:

• Streamline client onboarding  — Plaky offers a customizable template for onboarding new clients in a simple way. It helps you divide this process into phases and make it easy for you to track the progress of welcoming new clients. In Plaky, you can add a new card for each client and fill it with any kind of information regarding their onboarding process, such as its status, date, territory, etc. You can also assign a person that is responsible for that client’s onboarding, and much more.
• Store client information in a single place — The Contacts template helps you build a contact list and keep all your contact information in one place. Plaky allows you to add your client company’s name, position, phone number, email address, and all other necessary information.
• Make a pre-onboarding guide to easily track your prospects — With the help of the new Pre-onboarding customers template, you can easily plan the onboarding process by adding the information you need for each phase of the process and easily share it with all team members.
• Create an overview of all your closed and potential deals — Plaky offers a template that helps you keep track of all your deals. The Deals template helps you maintain your customers and reach new ones by keeping all the necessary information in a single place.

Cons of using Plaky for sales management

The disadvantages of Plaky are:

• Limited board views, and
• Limited integration options.

Available for: Web, Windows, Android, iOS

Best for: Small to medium-sized businesses

Type of planPlaky pricingFree trialN/AFree planYesPaid planN/A

#2: Monday sales CRM — best for customizing workflows

Source: Monday sales CRM

The Monday platform offers a great product for sales teams — Monday sales CRM.

When you log in, you first have to create your workspace. Then, you can choose a template or start from scratch to create the dashboards that you need, such as Deals, Contacts, Leads, Accounts, etc. 

Within each dashboard in Monday, you can add new items. For example, within the dashboard Deals, each new deal is created as a new item.

Pros of using Monday sales for sales management

The pros of using Monday sales are:

• User-friendly and customizable interface — Monday’s table view is easily customizable. Inside dashboards, you can add a detailed description of each item. For example, you can assign a deal to a person and add information about a contact on the same card. Monday also lets you attach links and documents to each item.
• Integration with other apps — You can integrate apps like Gmail and Outlook with Monday sales CRM. This way, you will be notified every time a lead opens an email or replies to it.
• Lead management feature — This feature enables users to collect leads from multiple sources. Leads can be organized based on predetermined criteria, and each lead can be automatically scored.

Cons of using Monday sales for sales management

The disadvantages of Monday sales are:

• Not enough customization options for notifications, and
• Setting up automation can be complex if you are not a developer.

💡 Plaky Pro Tip

If you want to find a free app with no limits regarding the number of users, check out this Monday alternative:

• Free Monday.com alternative

Available for: Web, desktop (Windows, macOS, Linux), Android, iOS

Best for: Small to medium-sized businesses

Type of planMonday sales pricingFree trialYes (unlimited number of users)Free planYes (up to 2 users and up to 1,000 contacts)Paid plansBasic ($10 per user/month, starting from 3 users)
Standard ($14 per user/month)
Pro ($24 per user/month)
Enterprise (contact their sales team for information about the price)

#3: Microsoft Dynamics 365 — best for tracking sales

Source: Microsoft Dynamics 365

Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a comprehensive tool used by different types of businesses. It contains 5 modules that you can choose from:

• Sales,
• Marketing,
• Customer service,
• Field service, and
• Project operations. 

The sales module is probably the most popular one, and it features the following options:

• Centralized data,
• Integration with other Microsoft products,
• Advanced find tool, etc.

Pros of using Microsoft Dynamics 365 for sales management

Some of the advantages of Microsoft Dynamics 365 are:

• Dashboard configuration — You can turn any list view of your data into a chart or a dashboard. However, bear in mind that you have to create a list view first and then transform it into a dashboard with a chart on it.
• Team Members license — Microsoft Dynamics 365 is the only platform that contains this feature. It’s designed to give users who don’t require all the elaborate functionalities limited access. It is very limited when it comes to editing data, but it is still useful for irregular users who need to check out some data from time to time.
• Integration with Click Dimensions — Click Dimensions is a digital marketing tool that you can use to connect your website to your sales management platform. You can also use it for email campaigns, events, etc.

Cons of using Microsoft Dynamics 365 for sales management

These are some disadvantages of Microsoft Dynamics 365:

• You can add up to 7 UI elements to the dashboard, and if you need more than that, you have to create one more or a few more dashboards,
• Its interface seems a little complex and not so easy to use, and
• Compared to similar tools, this one is a bit on the expensive side.

Available for: Web, desktop (Microsoft, macOS, Linux), Android, iOS

Best for: Mid-sized to large businesses

Type of planMicrosoft Dynamics 365 pricingFree trialYes (30 days)Free planNoPaid plansSales Professional ($65 per user/month)
Sales Enterprise ($95 per user/month)
Sales Premium ($135 per user/month)
Microsoft Relationship sales ($162 per user/month)
Microsoft Viva Sales ($40 per user/month)

#4: Pipedrive — best for managing deals

Source: Pipedrive

Pipedrive is a great choice for small sales businesses since it helps them stay organized, manage their sales pipelines, and keep track of their leads. 

Pipedrive is easy to use, and it offers an especially practical option for managing deals.

Pros of using Pipedrive for sales management

The main advantages of using Pipedrive are the following:

• Smart contact data option — This incredibly intuitive feature allows you to find leads online and from a database of 400 million profiles from various sources. Using filters, you can select your ideal customer based on the criteria you choose.
• Option to create a customizable dashboard — You can create a dashboard using the information you want and share it with others. Dashboards are pretty intuitive and easy to make.
• Customizable report templates — You can use ready-made report templates and customize them to your needs or create new reports from scratch. These report templates help you track goals, deals, revenue, etc.

Cons of using Pipedrive for sales management

However, Pipedrive also has a few disadvantages. They are the following:

• It has no free plan,
• Its customer support options are limited for some of the plans, and
• Reports and custom fields are limited for some of the plans.

Available for: Web, desktop (Microsoft, macOS, Linux), Android, iOS

Best for: Small to mid-sized businesses

Type of planPipedrive pricingFree trialYes (14 days for all plans)Free planNoPaid plansEssential ($9.90 per user/month billed annually)
Advanced ($19.90 per user/month billed annually)
Professional ($39.90 per user/month billed annually)
Enterprise ($59.90 per user/month billed annually)

#5: HubSpot — best for email marketing 

Source: HubSpot

HubSpot is a comprehensive tool that apart from salespeople, marketers will also adore.

For instance, if you choose the option Projects, you can add various information such as tasks, files, conversations, etc. HubSpot also allows you to assign due dates and owners to every task. 

Under the option Reports, you can create custom reports, and much more.

Pros of using HubSpot for sales management

Take a look at some of the main advantages of HubSpot:

• Pipeline management options — Its powerful tool for pipeline management helps you organize deals hassle-free. You can add, delete, or edit deals or their stages. In addition, you can assign tasks to people working on the said deals.
• Email tracking options — This option lets you know when a prospect opens your email, clicks on a link in it, or downloads a document you attach. This way, you won’t waste your time on prospects who are not interested in your offer and focus on those who can become your clients.
• Document management option — This option enables the creation of a library of sales documents that your team can access at any time. Later, you can choose any document from the library to automatically attach to your email and send to clients.

Cons of using HubSpot for sales management

The disadvantages of HubSpot are the following:

• The free plan is very limited and doesn’t contain a lot of options, and
• Paid plans are too expensive for small businesses.

Available for: Web, Android, iOS

Best for: Mid-sized to large businesses

Type of planHubSpot pricingFree trialYes (14 days)Free planYesPaid plansStarter ($45 per user/month, 2 users minimum)
Professional ($450 per user/month, 5 users minimum)
Enterprise ($1,200 per user/month, 10 users minimum)

#6: Zoho CRM  — best for AI assistance

Source: Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM is one of the least expensive platforms. Still, it offers everything you need for your sales business, depending on the plan you choose.

In Zoho, you can use some basic options like lead and deal management, but also some more advanced ones, like a chatbot for your website, workflow animation, and an AI assistant.

Pros of using Zoho CRM for sales management

Here are some of the advantages of Zoho CRM:

• Comprehensive lead management option — Thanks to Zoho’s lead management feature, you can enter and save lead information, enter estimated revenue, assign stages to colleagues, etc. You can even see the entire history with a lead and attach comments, and also call a contact directly from the contact card.
• Advanced dashboard options — Zoho offers insight into your data via charts and reports that you can generate. You can also make customized dashboards where you can arrange elements any way you like.
• AI assistant option — This is quite a unique sales management feature. The AI assistant Zia can help you with task automation based on your repeated actions. It can also give you forecasts, answer simple questions, and take notes.

Cons of using Zoho for sales management

Zoho CRM has the following disadvantages:

• New users will probably need some time to get used to Zoho’s options since it looks a little complex at first glance, and
• The number of contacts is limited to 100,000.

Available for: Web, Android, iOS

Best for: Small to large businesses

Type of planZoho CRM pricingFree trialYes (for all plans)Free planYes (for up to 3 users)Paid plansStandard ($14 per user/month billed annually)
Professional ($23 per user/month billed annually)
Enterprise ($40 per user/month billed annually)
Ultimate ($52 per user/month billed annually)

#7: Salesforce — best for customer management

Source: Salesforce

Salesforce is probably the sales management tool with the greatest number of users. It helps businesses organize sales, track customers, and much more. 

The essential plan offers a lot of features, so it is convenient for startups and small businesses to try some advanced options.

Pros of using Salesforce for sales management

Here are some of the advantages of using Salesforce:

• Email syncing option — This feature enables you to sync your email app to Salesforce. The content of your emails will be automatically saved in your sales platform. This way, you won’t waste your time manually copying and pasting email conversations with your clients.
• Easy report and dashboard generation — Salesforce offers some ready-made reports and dashboards that users can customize according to their needs. They can modify these reports and turn them into charts and graphs.
• Artificial intelligence feature — This feature helps predict customer behavior and how it changes over time. It can also predict what opportunities can become actual customers, and much more.

Cons of using Salesforce for sales management

The disadvantages of using Salesforce are these:

• Configuration seems complex and time-consuming, and
• To use everything the platform offers you have to pay for add-ons.

Available for: Web, Android, iOS

Best for: Small to large businesses

Type of planSalesforce pricingFree trialYes (30 days)Free planNoPaid plansEssential ($25 per user/month billed annually)
Professional ($75 per user/month billed annually)
Enterprise ($150 per user/month billed annually)
Unlimited ($300 per user/month billed annually)

#8: Freshsales — best for app integration

Source: Freshsales

Freshsales is a good solution for small teams because of its affordable price. 

You can easily manage leads with automated lead features and track your sales pipelines with the help of advanced analytics options.

Pros of using Freshsales for sales management

The main advantages of Freshsales are these:

• AI bot feature — This feature helps establish real-time communication with your website visitors which helps you turn them into leads and customers.
• Good integration option — Freshsales offers integration of up to 30 apps. For instance, you can connect your email app so that you can send emails to your contacts and track their responses.
• Easy to use interface — This platform offers a simple and intuitive interface, which is pretty easy to navigate, especially for beginners.

Cons of using Freshsales for sales management

These are the disadvantages of Freshsales:

• Options for exporting data need improvement, and
• Its free plan doesn’t offer a reporting option.

Available for: Web, desktop (Windows, macOS), Android, iOS

Best for: Small to large businesses

Type of planFreshsales pricingFree trialYesFree planYes (unlimited users)Paid plansGrowth ($15 per user/month billed annually or $18 per user/month billed monthly)
Pro ($39 per user/month billed annually or $47 per user/month billed monthly)
Enterprise ($69 per user/month billed annually or $83 per user/month billed monthly)

#9 Copper — best for total beginners

Source: Copper

Copper is one of the easiest sales management platforms to navigate. Therefore, it is perfect for those users who haven’t used any such platforms before. 

Also, small businesses with simple workflows will find this platform perfect for their needs.

Although Copper is on the expensive side compared to similar platforms, it offers plenty of options that you can try out free of charge. 

Pros of using Copper for sales management

These are the main advantages of using Copper:

• Easy to manage pipelines — The process of sales pipeline creation is quite easy and intuitive. Also, you can move pipelines from stage to stage simply by dragging and dropping.
• Integration with Google workspace — Copper enables Google workspace integration, so you can use your Google apps directly from Copper. For instance, you can track your emails, write documents, and much more.
• Customizable contact profiles — Copper offers an option to create contact profiles and customize them to your needs. These profiles contain some standard information, but you can also add some custom information without much effort.

Cons of using Copper for sales management

Here are some of Copper’s options that need improvement:

• Limited options for communication inside the platform, and
• Its basic plan is pretty limited in terms of functions and supports only 3 users.

Available for: Web, Android, iOS

Best for: Small to large businesses, freelancers

Type of planCopper pricingFree trialYes (all plans)Free planNoPaid plansBasic ($23 per user/month billed annually or $29 per user/month billed monthly)
Professional ($49 per user/month billed annually or $69 per user/month billed monthly)
Business ($99 per user/month billed annually or $134 per user/month billed monthly)

#10: Act! — best for visual sales pipeline representation

Source: Act!

Last but not least, Act! is one of the oldest sales management apps on the market. 

Act! has many options to offer including:

• Automated workflows,
• Templates for building personalized campaigns and landing pages,
• App integration, etc.

Pros of using Act! for sales management

These are some of the advantages of using Act!

• Excellent visual representation of sales pipelines — Act! helps you focus on details inside your sales pipeline thanks to its amazing visual representation. This way, you can easily track opportunities and future customers.
• Effective customer management — Act! is equipped with options that make it easier for you to keep a record of all your customers. You can store call information, emails, and other documents in a single place and access them at any time.
• Offline version available — Act! is also available as a desktop version that you can use offline. This way, you can look up and edit any data even when you don’t have internet access.

Cons of using Act! for sales management

What Act! lacks is the following:

• Trial versions don’t have the same options available in paid versions, and
• The interface looks a little outdated and plain compared to similar software.

Available for: Web, desktop (Windows, Linux), Android, iOS

Best for: Small to medium businesses

Type of planAct! pricingFree trialYesFree planNoPaid plansPremium Desktop ($37.50 per user/month billed annually)
Premium Cloud ($30 per user/month billed annually)
Premium Cloud with desktop sync ($40 per user/month billed annually)

Conclusion: Sales management software helps you boost your sales and secure customer satisfaction

With sales management software — spreadsheets for collecting customer information are a thing of the past! 

Modern sales management software makes this process a lot easier and ensures better safety and availability of your customer data.

Furthermore, these platforms simplify customer relationship management (CRM) by minimizing administration and creating a centralized customer database. 

Besides that, these tools analyze your sales and generate insights to help you close more deals and gather new leads.

Sales software offers many other useful options, such as email integration. This way, you can send emails directly from your sales management platform and track your client’s replies and conversation history.

Some of the sales management platforms offer some advanced options, like a chatbot for your website and an AI assistant.

All things considered — a sales management tool is something every sales business should utilize for various reasons. It reduces your administration to the minimum, but also helps you reach a significant increase in leads, sales revenue, and customer satisfaction at the same time.

✉️ Have you already tried out some of these tools? Which one do you like best? Do you have any other platform that you think we should include in this list? Share your comments and ideas with us at [email protected], and we may include them in this or in some future post. Also, if you know someone who needs help with choosing the right sales management software, share this article with them!