The sales management landscape is very dynamic, so staying ahead of the curve requires leveraging the best tools. In 2024, sales managers have many innovative solutions they can use. To excel, they must equip themselves with platforms designed to streamline their operations, improve team collaboration, accelerate performance, and drive revenue growth. In this article, we explore the modern sales manager’s toolkit, providing insights into the best tools available today.
HubSpot
Mostly known as customer relationship management (CRM) software, HubSpot is much more. It’s also an all-in-one customer service and sales platform aimed at optimizing the company’s inbound marketing strategies. When using HubSpot, you can track your customers’ journey until they have closed the deal and beyond. You also benefit from the most robust marketing and sales tools, an intuitive drag-and-drop website builder, email and marketing automation, content and social media marketing features, and the best customer growth and retention tools.
HubSpot’s best features are:
- HubSpot’s CMS allows you to create and manage your website content. You can create landing pages, forms, and blogs that facilitate seamless content marketing strategies
- HubSpot’s Sales Hub allows the sales team to use tools for lead tracking, email tracking, automation, and pipeline management to enable efficient prospecting and close deals
- Robust analytics tools that provide insights about marketing performance, customer engagement, and lead generation
- Third-party app integrations and analytics tools enhance functionality and adaptability to the unique needs of different businesses
HubSpot pricing:
- FREE Tools
- Starter – €15/month/seat
- Professional – €792/month and includes 3 seats, with additional seats starting at €45/month
- Enterprise – €3,300/month and includes 5 seats, with additional seats starting at €75/month
Salesforce
Salesforce is one of the most comprehensive CRM software solutions that caters to every sales management facet. It offers many features such as AI-powered tools, email automation, and detailed reporting to equip businesses with the tools necessary for the most efficient sales operations. Since it also helps sales representatives streamline their sales cycles through customers’ preferred communication methods, it’s one of the most appreciated tools for closing deals.
Here are Salesforce’s best features:
- Sales Cloud is a suite of tools for sales forecasting, opportunity tracking, collaboration, and lead management
- Service Cloud has features like case management, live chat, omnichannel support, and a knowledge base to deliver exceptional customer service
- Salesforce Marketing Cloud has the most robust automation capabilities for email marketing, personalized marketing campaigns, customer journey mapping, and social media management
- Einstein Analytics uses AI to provide personalized recommendations, predictive analytics, and actionable insights so that sales teams can increase revenue
- Salesforce Integration Ecosystem allows third-party integrations with apps that enhance the tool’s functionality and scalability
Depending on your business goals, Salesforce pricing starts at $25/user/month and can go to as much as $108,000/organization/year.
SignalHire
This is a tool that changed the game of prospecting and lead generation. SignalHire provides sales professionals with unparalleled access to the most valuable contact information and enriches their pipelines with quality leads. Set up Chrome extension to use features like email finder, candidate enrichment, and social media sourcing. This way, sales teams can gain the resources they need to drive sales growth and maximize revenue opportunities.
SignalHire’s best features:
- Incredible contact enrichment capabilities, allowing users to search contacts with filters like company details, job titles, location, and other customizable parameters
- Chrome/Firefox extension to locate contacts on LinkedIn, Facebook and other social media
- Easy search of decision maker’s contacts for B2B sales
- Integration with popular CRM platforms like HubSpot and Salesforce to synchronize contact data, streamline workflow, and enhance sales processes’ productivity
SignalHire pricing:
- 5 FREE a month
- Emails – $49/month (350 searches)
- Phone numbers – $49/month (100 searches)
- Emails and phone numbers – $49/month (100 searches)
PipeDrive
PipeDrive full-stack CRM solution is easy to use, set up, and intuitive to navigate. Its best features work to streamline sales management tasks. It also has a comprehensive overview of your pipeline and automatic lead tracking. For businesses that require KPI tracking across multiple tools and consolidating data into one dashboard, PipeDrive is the most functional solution.
Here are PipeDrive’s other best features:
- Tracking deals from initial contact to closure to gain insights into sales progress and potential problems
- The most robust contact management capabilities allow users not only to store contacts but also to organize them. The platform also makes it possible to track interactions and manage communication more efficiently
- Allows users to schedule tasks, appointments, and follow-ups while tracking activity progress to ensure the business doesn’t lose any important leads
- Comprehensive reporting and analytics tools that offer insights into productivity, pipeline health, and sales performance
PipeDrive pricing:
- Essential – €14/seat/month
- Advanced – €29/seat/month
- Professional – €49/seat/month
- Power – €64/seat/month
- Enterprise – €99/seat/month
Chorus
Chorus is one of the most powerful AI-driven conversation intelligence platforms that revolutionizes sales team performance. It captures, transcribes, and analyzes sales calls or meetings in real time. You can use Chorus to gain insights into coaching opportunities and sales effectiveness, too. This platform uses advanced features and has an intuitive interface, empowering sales professionals to improve customer interactions, achieve better results, and increase revenue.
The other best features of Chorus are:
- Call analysis and feedback to provide opportunities for sales coaching and training
- Overview of the sales pipeline for better pipeline management, forecasting, and deal progression tracking
- Integration with the best CRM platforms and communication tools that ensure data synchronization across systems
Chorus prices are:
- Fixed cost: $8,000/year
- Seats included: 3 + 7 extra seats
- Extra seat: $1,200/year
- Total cost: $16,400 per year
Gong
One of the most innovative conversation intelligence platforms, Gong revolutionizes sales effectiveness. It uses AI technology to analyze sales calls and meetings. By doing so, it uncovers valuable insights and trends that enhance sales performance and customer interactions. Gong also provides real-time transcription and analysis for actionable feedback on sales coaching and training. This way, it improves not only team productivity but also closing rates. Without Gong, sales professionals would not have the tools necessary for driving revenue growth and succeeding.
Some of the other best features of Gong are:
- The software seamlessly integrates with efficient CRM platforms and communication tools to ensure smooth data flow and allow access across streamlined sales operations systems
- Providing insights into customer satisfaction so that sales teams can address customer concerns while improving overall experience
- Creating custom reports and dashboard for tracking key metrics and performance indicators
When it comes to pricing, Gong charges per recorded user. You should pay according to how large your team is and the type of license you want. Integrations don’t cost extra.
Microsoft Teams
This versatile collaboration platform revolutionized workplace communication. Microsoft Teams integrates chat, project management, video conferencing, and file-sharing tools. Sales departments can use it as a unified hub for teamwork. With Microsoft Teams, team members can coordinate their efforts to work faster and smarter.
Microsoft Teams’ best features include:
- Real-time collaboration on documents, presentations, and spreadsheets to eliminate version control problems
- Integration with other Microsoft Office 365 apps like SharePoint, OneDrive, and Outlook
- Customization options and third-party integrations to enhance productivity and increase sales
Microsoft Teams costs:
- Microsoft Teams Essentials – $4.00/user/month
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic – $6/user/month
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard – $12.50/user/month
The platforms listed above enhance workplace communication, streamline sales processes, and boost team productivity. They empower businesses and organizations to work smarter and more efficiently. Any combination of the above tools can support a business that aims to stay competitive.
Featured image credit: Daniel Fazio/Unsplash
