Sales

Customer relationship management (CRM) software for Google lets users sync data between their Google Workspace applications and CRM systems. While there is no CRM made by Google, popular CRM products can integrate with tools like Gmail, Calendar, Google Analytics, and Drive to access Google data from your CRM platform. We evaluated dozens of products to identify the best Google CRM software for small businesses: : Best Google CRM overall—ideal for teams needing integrations with Google apps : Great CRM with Google integrations for teams seeking the most intuitive CRM interface : Excellent for sales reps who need on-the-go Google app capabilities : Top choice for users who want to manage Gmail and Ads in their Google CRM for free : Best CRM for Google Workspace for solopreneurs wanting CRM access from Gmail : Excellent CRM for advanced Chrome extension capabilities : Solid option for users seeking a simple CRM with a Google Drive integration Best Google CRM Software Compared *Based on annual billing; monthly billing is also available for slightly higher rates. Zoho CRM: Best Google CRM Software Overall *Pricing based on annual billing; monthly billing is also available for a higher cost. is a popular CRM system thanks to its free plan option, low-cost and scalable pricing options, and robust integration capabilities with native and third-party software. Feature-wise, the product stands out for its thorough customization options and wide range of automation features that let users create or edit data records, assign tasks, and deploy communications to contacts hands-free through preset workflows. As a Google CRM, Zoho comes equipped with two-way data sync and integrated capabilities for all of Google’s popular apps. Teams can integrate their Gmail account to send and receive emails from the CRM that sync between both systems. There are also Tasks, Calendar, and Contacts, where data is accessible from Zoho and the Google app. Additionally, teams can generate new CRM records through Google Ads or Google Sites web form submissions. Finally, Zoho integrates with Drive so users can access Docs, Sheets, and Slides files to attach to records, send to users, or email to leads. Zoho CRM is a nearly perfect CRM for Google users. The only true downfall is that no Google integrations are available for Zoho’s free plan. is the best alternative that offers Gmail and Google Ads integrations for free. Zoho CRM Plan Summary Zoho CRM Key Features Gmail and contacts to CRM sync: Ability to view Google Contacts records and associated notes within the CRM, one-click add contacts from Gmail, and view and reply to emails using Gmail in Zoho. Google Drive access: Files stored in Google Drive, such as Docs, Sheets, and Slides, can be accessed and attached to communications or data records all from Zoho CRM. Google forms to leads: Teams can have lead records generated automatically through submissions on online Google Ads forms or through their Google Sites website. Task synchronization: Checklists in Google Tasks and Zoho CRM two-way sync and update with one another. Zoho CRM Customer Support Zoho CRM’s tier-based system provides customer support based on the package you select. Email support is available on all plans, plus they offer phone and live chat support on paid plans on a 24/5 or 24/7 basis, depending on your plan tier. There are also self-service options through online resources like product documentation, guided tours, videos, webinars, and tutorials. Want to learn more best-for scenarios of Zoho? Check out our in-depth Zoho CRM review, where we deeply explore its features, usability, and native and third-party integration options. Copper: Best for Product Usability *Pricing based on annual billing; monthly billing is also available for a higher cost. is a CRM built specifically for Google Workspace and Gmail users. In addition to the various integrations with Google apps like Gmail, Drive, Calendar, Contacts, and Sheets, users can perform various sales functions in the Copper system. For instance, they can manage contacts and lead records, engage prospects through direct or mass email, conduct lead scoring, and track deals on custom pipelines. You can also collaborate with team members on projects and tasks. Because Copper is built primarily for Google, its interface design is remarkably similar to that of a Google app. Since Google is well-known for its easy-to-operate tools and clean interfaces, this is an excellent attribute for those looking for the best Google CRM for usability. Like Google, Copper uses a white background interface with red and blue tab functions and black text. Rather than using crowded copy on each page, Copper lays out its modules through the heavy use of icons and minimal menu options for easy navigation. Whether or not you’re looking for a Google CRM, mass email with automation is highly valuable for engaging leads and deploying marketing campaigns. Copper’s mass email capabilities, unfortunately, are quite expensive. It starts at $49 per user on a monthly basis, then goes up to $99 per user, monthly, if they also want to get automated email campaigns. offers the best alternative for creating email marketing campaigns—available starting on the free plan. Copper Plan Summary Copper Key Features Chrome extension: Users can bring Copper into Gmail and Calendar as a side tool to perform functions such as adding and viewing contacts from the Google app interface to the CRM. Google data sync: Ability to send, receive, and store Gmail messages in the CRM, automatically add Google Contacts to the CRM, and manage calendar events between Google Calendar and Copper. Google Drive integration: Teams can link files from Google Drive directly into Copper contact records. Reporting data from Google apps: Users can sync data stored in Google Sheets and Data Studio to easily create Copper CRM reports. Copper Customer Support Copper comes with email and live chat support for all users, plus a Copper Community page to post questions and get help from other users and product partners. Higher-tiered plans get access to personal onboarding assistance plus premium support through a dedicated customer success manager. Like what you see? Find out if Copper is the best CRM for your business in our in-depth Copper CRM review. Freshsales: Best Mobile Google CRM System *Pricing based on annual billing; monthly billing is also available for a higher cost. is a great CRM for sales teams that includes lead management and a built-in telephone on the free plan for unlimited users. The paid plans scale nicely for growing business needs, and the system overall is intuitive. Google users can two-way sync their Gmail accounts to manage emails from the CRM, view CRM lead profiles from Gmail, and keep data up to date in Google and Freshsales for calendar events, to-do tasks, and contact lists. Sales teams that often travel for customer or prospective client meetings like the mobile features Freshsales has to offer. The free plan integrates with Google Maps, where users can store address information and locations on lead and customer records in the CRM. Then, they can access that data from the Freshsales mobile app and receive directions while on the go. Users can also utilize other mobile capabilities, such as sending Gmail messages and monitoring Google Calendar appointments. Freshsales, unfortunately, does not integrate with Google Analytics to get Google Sites website activity reporting from the CRM system. is the best alternative with the Google Analytics integration that collects web traffic data and helps provide search engine optimization (SEO) analytics. Freshsales Plan Summary Freshsales Key Features Gmail sync: Users can create and send Gmail messages from Freshsales and view contact profiles from Gmail’s system. Event and task sync: Ability to manage and synchronize Google Calendar events and Google Tasks from the CRM platform. Google Maps integration: Teams can incorporate Google Maps on the Freshsales app to get directions to contact locations based on CRM address data. Document sync: Users can create and attach Doc or Sheet files by integrating Google Drive into the CRM. Freshsales Customer Support Freshsales offers customer support on a 24/5 basis through phone, live chat, and email channels. Teams can also access self-service support through online resources such as a blog, product tours, video tutorials, and a community forum where users can get answers from other users on their product issues. Is Freshsales the one for you? Find out in our in-depth Freshsales review that has detailed information on usability ratings, features, integrations, and best-for scenarios. HubSpot CRM: Best for Google Email & Marketing Tools *Pricing based on annual billing; monthly billing is also available for a higher cost. **CRM Suite includes sales, marketing, customer service, content management system (CMS), and operations software. Individual modules can be purchased for lower monthly costs. offers powerful sales and marketing software for teams to manage lead data and build relationships through email, chat, and phone communications, as well as meeting scheduling tools. The free plan is available for unlimited users, who get access to a clean, easy-to-use system and excellent CRM features like mass email, document management, and sales pipeline tracking. Within those capabilities, which also make HubSpot the best free CRM for Google apps, is free integration with Gmail and Google Ads. Users can send, receive, and log Gmail messages from the CRM system and track clicks and opens on messages. Teams also get free Google Ads management—letting them create ads, manage audiences, and monitor ad campaign performance, all from HubSpot. HubSpot CRM, though free for unlimited users with robust Gmail and Google Ads management capabilities, starts to get expensive once teams upgrade to the paid plans. and are excellent Google CRM alternatives in terms of scalable and cost-friendly pricing options. HubSpot CRM Plan Summary HubSpot CRM Key Features Free Gmail integration: Teams can access their Gmail account in HubSpot to send and receive emails, log messages into contact records, and track opens and clicks in real time. Google Search Console: Users can look at advanced intelligence on how web traffic interacts with website pages and get Google SEO keywords analytics. HubSpot-Google Ads management: Ability to create, manage, and monitor Google Ads from the CRM using targeted contact lists and audience segments. Meeting sync: Teams can schedule meetings with customers and leads using a built-in CRM meeting scheduler, and two-way sync event data between Google Calendars and the HubSpot calendar. HubSpot Customer Support HubSpot has phone, email, and live chat customer support from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time. Additionally, the provider offers an array of online resources for self-help, like the , a community forum of platform users, and an online library of tutorials and product guides. Did you know that HubSpot is one of the most popular CRMs in the market thanks to its unlimited user free plan, simple interface, and sophisticated marketing features? Find out what else makes this platform an excellent CRM in our HubSpot CRM review. Streak: Best for Solopreneurs *Pricing based on annual billing; monthly billing is also available for a higher cost. Like Copper, is a CRM system built specifically for Google users—giving it an interface similar to Google apps. The CRM includes free integrations with the main Google Workspace products, including Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Sheets, and Chat, for data synchronization and additional CRM functionality. Most of the capabilities work in the form of the Google Chrome extension, in which users can use the Streak CRM while in the Gmail or Google Calendar interface to view tasks, contact data, or timelines. Streak is the best Google CRM software for solopreneurs and freelancers. It has a free plan and an affordable Solo plan for one user. Those plans contain enough data storage capacity, pipeline customization, and task management capabilities to suit a solo-operated business with a unique sales or product delivery process. Since Streak is so easy to use with its tool extension into Gmail, even startup businesses with users who’ve never used a CRM can get value from Streak. The main reason why Streak isn’t considered the best free CRM for Google apps is because of its free plan limitations—only allowing one user. is the best alternative since its free Gmail and Google Ads integration are available to unlimited users. Streak Plan Summary Streak Key Features Chrome Gmail and Calendar extension: Chrome extension which lets users view lead profiles, workflows, and activity timelines as a CRM tool from the Gmail and Calendar systems. Sheets import: Teams can easily import Google Sheets data, such as lead lists, deal processes, projects, or any other customizable workflows, to visual pipelines in the CRM system. Google Chat integration: Users can search contact, file, events, or task records from Streak and add them to Google Chat conversations to collaborate with teammates. Pipelines in Gmail: Teams can view custom work, sales, or project pipelines directly in the Gmail inbox interface to keep work centralized. Streak Customer Support The Free plan only offers self-service, online resources like a knowledge base and blog. Those who upgrade to the paid plans expand their access to live chat support. Finally, Enterprise users get additional customer support via email. See why Streak is one of the most popular CRMs for solopreneurs, startups, and freelancers by checking out our Streak review. We offer detailed information on product features, integrations, system usability, and pricing. Salesforce Essentials: Best for Advanced Google-CRM Capabilities *Pricing based on annual billing; monthly billing is also available for a higher cost. is the small business CRM created by Salesforce. It comes with excellent lead, deal, account, and opportunity management features, as well as a case management module for handling customer service tickets. The Google integrations give Salesforce Essentials all the major capabilities, like sending Gmail messages from Salesforce, syncing Calendar and Gmail data with the CRM, and uploading files to records from Google Drive. Salesforce Essentials offers highly advanced integration capabilities through its Chrome extension. While other products on this list let users access the CRM through a toolbar in Gmail and Calendar, Salesforce can provide more. Not only can users search, find, and add records through the extension, but they can also design email templates and manage CRM tasks. Additionally, teams can schedule appointments and see the best time to contact someone using the side toolbar. The sophistication of Salesforce Essentials, despite the value it offers users, makes the platform challenging to set up, operate, and navigate. and are excellent alternatives for users seeking easy-to-use products that work well with Google applications. Salesforce Essentials Plan Summary Salesforce Essentials Key Features Chrome extension for basic CRM operations: Side toolbar to manage CRM activity from Gmail or Calendar systems, letting users manage records, add emails, craft emails or templates, and monitor tasks. Google Sheets integration: Users can easily generate reports and run analysis in the CRM using uploadable table data from Google Sheets. Chrome extension for advanced capabilities: Users can use the Salesforce Chrome extension within Gmail and Calendar to schedule appointments, insert common phrases to emails with text shortcuts, and view best-time-to-contact recommendations. Two-way email and calendar: Syncable data with Gmail and calendar systems to keep CRM records up to date on activity and previous communications, as well as the Salesforce calendar synced with events. Salesforce Essentials Customer Support Like the other sales cloud products, Salesforce Essentials uses a tiered-based support system—offering more options and services on the premium customer success plans. Live chat and phone support are available 24/7 on the Premier Success plan and above. There are also self-service options through numerous online resources like Trailhead, the help portal, a community forum page, and a self-service product success center. Learn more about the Salesforce features, integrations, add-ons, and best-for use cases in our in-depth Salesforce Essentials review. Agile CRM: Best for Accessing Google Drive Files *Pricing based on annual billing; monthly billing is also available for a higher cost. is an all-in-one sales, marketing, and customer support solution. Its free plan is available for up to 10 users, and users can access cost-friendly, scalable options as their business grows. As a Google CRM, Agile comes with integrations with Calendar, Gmail, and Contacts—allowing teams to keep their events, email communications, and contact data synchronized between the CRM and Google interface. The best Google integration for Agile CRM is Google Drive. It's easy to use and lets users attach documents to deals and contact records for contextual, compliance, and operational purposes. In addition to attaching files to CRM records, users can insert a Google Doc, Slides, or Sheets file as a link within a CRM record. One issue with Agile CRM is that it limits the number of integrations you can have. For instance, on the Free plan, users only get one total integration, and on the Starter plan, they only get three. is the best Google CRM platform that lets teams access numerous external software products, including all of the Google apps on the Standard plan. Agile CRM Plan Summary Agile CRM Key Features Document management: Users can upload Google Drive files directly into the CRM and link documents onto CRM records. Two-way email sync: Gmail integration allows emails with CRM contacts to be saved and viewed as a timeline of communications from CRM records. Google Calendar sync: Appointments and events on Google Calendar will sync to the Agile CRM calendar and vice versa. Contacts integration: Ability to sync contact data between CRM system and Google Contacts applications automatically. Agile CRM Customer Support Agile CRM uses tiered customer support, offering 24/5 email support on all plans and phone support for paid plans. Help desk reps for phone and email are available during standard business hours (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time). Online resources also offer self-service options, including blogs, workshop videos, infographics, setup guides, and onboarding assistance. Discover if Agile CRM is the best product for your business in our Agile CRM review. We uncover everything you need to know about its features, integrations, usability, and best-for circumstances. How We Evaluated the Best CRMs With Google Apps Integrations To determine the best Google CRM software, we only considered platforms that integrate specifically with Google Workspace apps like Gmail, Calendar, Analytics, and Drive. Additionally, we evaluated the extent to which users can get the full functionality of the Google apps from the CRM and the cost to integrate with those Google CRM tools. Finally, we evaluated specific product attributes such as total product price, system ease of use, and customer support. We found to be the best system for Google integration. It offers low-cost pricing options and can connect with all the popular products, like Google Contacts, Analytics, Gmail, Tasks, Drive, Calendar, Ads, and Sites. Not only does the two-way data sync between Zoho and Google’s apps, but a feature extension is also accessible in Zoho. For instance, when integrated with Gmail, users can send and receive Gmail messages in the CRM. They can also generate new contact records in the CRM from Google Ads or Sites web forms. The tabs below offer insight into our evaluation process of the best CRM for Google Suite software products:

Customer database software lets businesses store client data, manage customer interactions, and monitor customer activity and engagement history. Account management teams can access database software using a customer relationship management (CRM) platform or a project management tool. We evaluated dozens of database products to find the best customer database software for small businesses: : Best overall client database software platform : Great customer data management software for teams wanting a user-friendly interface : Excellent for teams needing robust data management : Solid database software for small businesses needing a built-in call center : Terrific customer data software for those wanting to integrate with a third-party, industry-specific platform : Best client database software for users who want dynamic views of customer data : Ideal customer database solution for teams looking for simple automation tools Customer Database Software Compared *Based on annual billing; monthly billing is also available for slightly higher rates. Zoho CRM: Best Customer Database System Overall *Pricing based on annual billing; monthly billing is also available for a higher cost. offers a popular CRM system and is one of our picks for the best account management software. With this platform, teams can store and organize account or customer data, track their activity, and connect with contacts through direct or mass emailing. Users can also book meetings with their clients and filter out customer lists within the system. Account management operations can often become hectic if there isn’t a system for managing client inquiries such as product issues, billing errors, and support requests. Zoho CRM comes with an easy-to-use and robust case management module. The software lets teams receive and respond to support inquiries and create workflow automations for cases. For example, they can create assignment rules to auto-assign cases and notify reps, and also set case escalation rules that go up the hierarchy later based on urgency and case type. Making calls from your CRM is convenient for work centralization, where you can place calls and log conversations in CRM records on one interface. Unfortunately, Zoho CRM requires integration with an external phone system to place and receive calls. is the best alternative for telephonic capabilities as it has a built-in phone available on the free plan. Zoho CRM Plan Summary Zoho CRM Key Features Record storage and tagging: Account and customer data storage including contact information, associated tasks, events, call logs, and notes as well as the ability to tag records with unique information relevant to your account management operations. Data customization: Users can design properties of customer and account records to meet their unique requirements with data fields, links, buttons, and page customization. Automated data management: Teams can automatically run data management workflows, such as updating records using online, social data enrichment, and identifying the best time to contact a client. Case management: Account management and service teams can collect client inquiries in the form of cases, automatically notify account managers, and prioritize cases based on escalation rules. Zoho CRM Customer Support uses a tier-based system with customer availability determined by the package users select. There’s email support included in all plans. Plus, phone and live chat support on the paid plans, either on a 24/5 or 24/7 basis, depending on your plan. Self-service is also available through online resources like product documentation, guided tours, videos, webinars, and tutorials. Want to learn more? Our in-depth Zoho CRM review helps you explore its features, usability ratings, integrations, and best-for use case scenarios. HubSpot CRM: Best for Ease of Use *Pricing based on annual billing; monthly billing is also available for a higher cost. **CRM Suite includes sales, marketing, customer service, content management system (CMS), and operations software. Individual modules can be purchased for lower monthly costs. offers a popular CRM system that offers modules that users can bundle or purchase individually for sales, marketing, customer service, operations, and a content management system (CMS). There is a free plan available for unlimited users, which comes with excellent customer management tools like contact data storage, email and live chat communications, and a meeting scheduler. If your account management team is relatively new to using a client database or CRM equivalent, HubSpot is the best solution for you. The system uses a modern-looking layout and color scheme with button functions indicated on every page—keeping the user interface clean and easy to navigate. Aside from our personal experience with the CRM, ease of use is one of the top attributes users express in their online reviews. While it does offer a free plan for unlimited users, HubSpot becomes expensive once teams upgrade to the paid plans, whether or not they choose a bundled product. is the most comparable to HubSpot and its best alternative—offering a free plan for unlimited users, an easy-to-use interface, and more scalable pricing options. HubSpot CRM Plan Summary HubSpot CRM Key Features Customer engagement: Ability to contact customers through phone call, email, and chat from the CRM as well as schedule meetings with clients through the meeting scheduler. Data management and organization: Teams can store and organize contact, customer, account, and deal data along with associated activity in tailorable records of custom data fields, data properties, required fields, and record layout. List segmentation: Contact list filtering based on preset traits and qualities of customers or accounts for sending targeted email marketing campaigns or calling for upselling and cross-selling opportunities. Reporting and activity insights: Users can generate CRM reports on their customers and accounts, such as recurring revenue tracking, account management performance, customer website activity, and sales pipeline insights. HubSpot Customer Support comes with phone, email, and live chat support from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time. There are also self-service options through an array of online resources, including the HubSpot Academy, a community forum of product users, and an online library of tutorials and guides. Want to learn more? See how else HubSpot helps teams manage customers, track conversations, collaborate, and manage data in our HubSpot CRM review. Zendesk Sell: Best for Robust Data Management *Pricing based on annual billing; monthly billing is also available for a higher cost. is a software platform that lets users store and organize customer data, connect with them via phone, text, or email, and gather insights through activity reporting or sales forecasting. The product gets solid online reviews for usability ratings and teams can easily customize customer data records in terms of fields, objects, and tags to meet their sales or account management needs. What separates Zendesk Sell from the competition is its data management capabilities. In addition to storing and filtering lead, customer, and account records, there’s also automated enrichment, which keeps customer profile information up to date using data found on websites and on social media. There’s also duplicate detection, which prevents cluttered databases by identifying identical records and merging the information into one. Unfortunately, the platform does not offer a free plan, and the paid plans can get costly—not ideal for startups or growing businesses that need to manage customer data. and are the two best traditional CRM alternatives, each offering a free-forever option and lower-priced, scalable paid plans. Zendesk Sell Plan Summary Zendesk Sell Key Features Enrichment and prospecting: Credit-based feature that updates contact information on lead or customer profiles as well as creates profiles for you automatically. Record management and duplicate detection: Teams can store contact, customer, and account records and keep a clean database with duplicate detection. Data customization and filtering: Users can create specific fields or tags associated with customer records and filter out contact lists based on customer attributes. Customer engagement: Account management teams can stay in touch with customers through direct email, bulk email, text messaging, and outbound phone calls. Zendesk Sell Customer Support All plans come with customer support through live chat, phone, and email during standard business hours. There are also self-service resources like a help center and community forum. For additional support, teams can pay extra for premier support packages that come with a technical account manager and system configuration services. Is this the product for your team? See how else it can help your business track and manage customers by reading our in-depth Zendesk Sell review. Freshsales: Best for Engaging Customers Through the Phone *Pricing based on annual billing; monthly billing is also available for a higher cost. is the CRM and sales database software product created by Freshworks. The software stands out for its free plan for unlimited users and its cost-friendly paid options. The CRM features and interface usability get solid reviews online, and small businesses get plenty of value from the customer management tools. These include data storage, activity tracking, and data deduplication and enrichment through Freddy Artificial Intelligence (AI) insights. Account managers need to be ready to answer calls at any time, and their jobs are made easier when they can manage calls and log the conversation information all on one interface. Freshsales comes with a cloud built-in phone system that enables work centralization. Users can place calls from contact records, receive inbound calls, manage a waiting queue, and record and log call notes. Two-way email sync and the ability to send and receive emails from the CRM offer a convenient way to engage with customers. Unfortunately, this feature is not one of the free tools available with . HubSpot is the best alternative for free email features for sending direct and mass emails. Freshsales Plan Summary Freshsales Key Features Customer and account management: Teams can store contact data for customers and accounts while automatically enriching profiles and tracking timelines and lifecycle stages. Cloud telephone system: Users can access a phone system built into the CRM for placing and receiving calls, managing the waiting queue, transferring calls, and logging and recording conversions in customer records. Tasks, activities, appointments, and notes: Ability to create tasks, track contact activity, set appointments, and document notes within customer records. Freddy AI insights: Built-in artificial intelligence tool that can run advanced customer analytics such as data deduplication, next-best action, out-of-office detection, and sales forecasting. Freshsales Customer Support offers all users 24/5 phone, live chat, and email support, plus a dedicated account manager for Enterprise plan users. There are also self-service capabilities from resources such as a blog, product update pages, and video tutorials. Users can also read published case studies or utilize a community forum for questions and answers. Like what you see? Check out our in-depth Freshsales review for insights on pricing, integrations, built-in features, and what users say about the software. Salesforce: Best for Software Integration Capabilities is simultaneously a sales tool and software for customer database management. Teams can track account data, monitor activity, and communication history, and create and collaborate on tasks associated with customer records. That platform also has more advanced features like sales forecasting conversation insights that will indicate teachable moments and trending topics during customer phone calls. Because Salesforce is popular, the provider has enhanced the platform to integrate with over 2,500 native and third-party applications—far more than any other system on this list. Not only are there general-use apps available, but also industry-specific ones that allow firms of all verticals to expand customer database capabilities with industry-specialized features. For instance, the platform is a healthcare tool that can integrate with Salesforce to provide next-step medical care suggestions within CRM records. Because of all the features and advanced tools available in Salesforce, the system tends to be bulky and tricky to navigate, particularly for users new to operating a CRM. is the best alternative for ease of use—containing some of the advanced features similar to Salesforce, like analytics and insights, but with a much easier interface to navigate. Salesforce Plan Summary *Pricing based on annual billing; monthly billing is also available for a higher cost. Salesforce Key Features Contact and account data organization: Teams can organize customer information through data storage, profile views, contact data, and internal conversations about each customer. Customer and revenue insights: Users can generate reports on projected revenue based on customers and leads in the pipeline as well as get conversation insights regarding trending topics and teachable moments during customer calls. Case management: Ability to automate inquiry routing to proper agents, assist with customer cases, track tickets, and store knowledge articles to help account managers during conversations. Task and activity tracking: Teams can view and assign tasks associated with customer records and track each account’s communications history and prior activity. Salesforce Customer Support Salesforce’s tier-based user assistance comes with phone and email support, including 24/7 availability on the higher-priority plans. Self-service options are also available through online resources like Trailhead, webinars, product tutorials, user guides, and certification classes. Check out our in-depth Salesforce review to get comprehensive details on its features, integrations, and other solutions that can help teams boost revenue and manage customers. Airtable: Best for Dynamically Viewing Database of Clients *Pricing based on annual billing; monthly billing is also available for a higher cost. is a project management tool that can be used as a database for clients and a makeshift CRM system. Users can add records into a spreadsheet-style format and track them through numerous views, including calendar, Gantt, Kanban, gallery, and timeline. Since many users are already familiar with the spreadsheet format, the product is intuitive for adding data and easy to operate when changing views. Even though it's not a standard CRM, customer records within Airtable can still include some of the rich fields often allowed in CRMs, such as file attachments, checkboxes, drop-down menu options, tags, and assigned users. There are similar collaboration capabilities where teams can assign and manage tasks associated with customers and comment on records to keep everyone in the loop on activity. Because Airtable isn’t a traditional CRM, it doesn’t have some crucial customer management features such as calling, pipeline management, or revenue forecasting built into the system. and are great alternatives that come with some of the usability attributes offered by Airtable, as well as sales-specific tools. Airtable Plan Summary Airtable Key Features Multiview options: Teams can enter, edit, and view data records multiple ways, including spreadsheet/grid, calendar, form, Kanban, gallery, Gantt, and timeline views. Data storage and collaboration: Users can store customer data in the system and collaborate on records through task assignments and record comments. Application designer: Drag-and-drop ability to create custom interfaces with tailored data fields, automations, visualizations, and data sources. Rich data fields: Data records can include rich data components such as file attachments, drop-down menu options, and checkboxes. Airtable Customer Support All users get access to email support as well as self-service options like a knowledge base and on-demand webinars. Priority support and a dedicated customer success manager are also available for Enterprise users. monday.com CRM: Best for Data Workflow Automation *Pricing based on annual billing; monthly billing is also available for a higher cost. While offers project and work management tools, the monday.com Sales CRM is the templated version, designed to specifically be a sales tracking and customer database software. The system has a free plan, scalable paid plans, and features for managing customer data, record tracking on multiple views, email communications, and data duplicate tracking. There’s also a unique feature for post-sales management where users can track customer onboarding and renewal progress and manage client projects. monday.com and its CRM-specialty product are great for automation. Teams often need to move data around their system, notify users, or assign tasks depending on record updates, such as a lead converting to a customer or a new client generated. Automation gives users a hands-free option to complete these tasks. Compared to other platforms, monday.com has the easiest automation designer to use. It offers no-code, if/then flows where users select items from a drop-down, add conditions, pick an action, and then enable the automation. The free plan is, unfortunately, limited to two users and basic data management features like record creation, document management, and Kanban viewing of customer data. is a great alternative that is not a traditional CRM and has a free option with up to five users, more expanded viewing options, and rich field record management capabilities. monday.com Plan Summary monday.com Key Features Contact and account management: Teams can store customer and account records in the system, such as contact data, activity history, prior communications, association documents, and pipeline status. Intuitive data workflow automation: Easy-to-use, no-code automation with a portal for creating data workflows, such as moving items (customers) to other boards if their status changes or notifying reps if a new item (contact) is added to the system. Post-sales management: Built-in module for post-sales management, including tracking progress on client onboarding and renewals as well as client project management with billable hours tracking and quoting features. Email communications: Users can send, receive, and track emails through monday.com by integrating with Gmail or Outlook. monday.com Customer Support Sales CRM comes with 24/7 support on email and phone channels, with no restrictions based on the plan. All users also get access to a knowledge base and webinar self-service resources, and Enterprise plan users get a dedicated customer success manager. Want to see how else monday.com can support your business? Our monday.com review tells you everything you need to know about its features, pricing, and best-for use case scenarios. How We Evaluated the Best Client Database Software To determine the best customer database software, we considered platforms with features specific to customer and data management, such as data storage, integrations with external databases, and call tracking capabilities. We also looked at automation tools like customer conversation routing and automated communications through email or chat. Finally, we evaluated specific product attributes such as price, system ease of use, and user support. The tabs below offer insight into our evaluation process of the best software for managing a customer database:

Sales training programs are courses, seminars, tutorials, certifications, or simulations designed to improve the techniques and skills of salespeople. Through videos, class lectures, workbooks, role-play, and one-on-one coaching, the best sales training programs improve your team’s sales strategies, foster high performance, and increase your company’s sales. We’ve identified the 17 best options, plus tips to help you maximize your return on investment. Below is an overview of the best sales training opportunities, including focus, price, and duration: Top Sales Training Programs & Courses Best General Sales Training Programs These sales programs are designed for newer reps who want to gain a broad knowledge of the sales realm. They are also suited for experienced reps who wish to attend refresher training courses for sales to reinforce what they already know. General sales training includes all types of sales topics, including sales communication, sales goals, and creating and delivering a sales pitch. Best Prospecting & Inbound Sales Training Programs These training programs are both for handling outbound sales prospecting as well as managing inbound sales leads. The programs include a wide variety of topics, including communicating with prospects, identifying and prioritizing high-quality prospects, setting meetings with prospects, closing deals, and tips for calling prospects. Best Sales Process Training Programs Sales process training focuses on getting leads through the sales funnel or pipeline and into purchasing positions. These training programs focus on process-related aspects such as creating an optimized sales process, streamlining sales strategies, and getting more qualified leads Best Selling Methodology Training Programs These training programs are meant to help improve sales results using the respective training methodology or specialized sales techniques for business-to-business (B2B) selling. These are more appropriate for experienced sales reps looking to add new sales methods to their knowledge base. However, they can also aid any sales rep whose sales process routinely involves identifying and overcoming prospect objections. Best Sales Management Training Programs These sales management training programs are designed for managers or executives who oversee sales teams or departments or manage sales-oriented businesses. Within these programs are learning opportunities for strategizing and running a sales operation. They also cover recruiting, onboarding, and training sales reps. Maximize the Value of Sales Training Programs Signing up and participating in sales training courses isn’t enough to gain valuable insights and improve sales performance. You and your team must come prepared and exert proven learning behaviors to maximize the training’s value. Be fully present: When attending sales training classes in person or online, ensure you and your team are fully paying attention by taking notes and participating in the conversation. Come rested, dedicate time, and minimize distractions to learn as much as possible. Be open and eager to learn: Sales training is an opportunity for reps at all levels to learn new skills and techniques that can dramatically improve performance. So, be open to the dialogue and lessons. Review any notes taken during the modules and complete the take-home materials assigned. Quickly apply what you learned: One of the best ways to retain information is to apply what you learn as soon as possible. For example, the SPIN Selling course teaches you how to use questions to better identify and fulfill prospect needs. Try using the techniques the next time you speak with a prospect. Measure results and adjust when needed: Evaluate whether or not you see improvements in the areas you want to enhance after completing sales training. If not, reinforce training through supplemental methods. These are offered by the programs in the form of videos and workbooks. You can also practice sales skills as a team through role-playing and coaching. Bottom Line The most effective sales training programs improve your team’s ability to meet and achieve sales goals, in turn increasing your company’s bottom line with more leads, conversions, and sales. You can further identify and impact areas that need improvement through specific sales topic training. Sales managers can also gain new insights into not only sales training and coaching, but also the hiring, onboarding, and retaining of talented sales professionals.

Sales onboarding helps equip new sales reps with the knowledge and tools needed to be productive and engaged with your organization. Effective onboarding plans cover various topics, from company-wide policies and proper employee orientation to sales department-specific information. We’ll walk you through the eight components of an onboarding plan, so your new sales team members are empowered to produce results and thrive in their roles. Also, download our onboarding checklist to ensure your business provides new sales reps with a roadmap to their onboarding schedule and the best introductory experience. 1. General Employee Orientation A new employee orientation introduces new hires to your company's values, policies, and inner workings. It should be the first onboarding activity for any new team member. Employee orientations should leave the new employee with an understanding of essential policies and procedures, their terms of employment, and the company makeup. These include different departments, an overview of your organizational chart, and overall business operations. Below are some activities that you can include during a general employee orientation: Send a company-wide new employee announcement email welcoming the new staff member. Review and explain the company’s mission and vision statements to the new staff. Discuss company values, history, leadership, and organizational structure. Tour the facility and make introductions (or for distributed teams, facilitate virtual introductions). Finalize any remaining hiring paperwork, such as new employee forms. Provide and review the employee handbook. Confirm the overall sales compensation structure and bonuses that were extended during the hiring process and review payroll dates. Inform them when their first paycheck will be issued and how to make changes to their employee information or payroll withholding. Outline the employee benefits program, including enrollment instructions, timing, and forms (or how to access the online benefits management system). Go over paid time off (PTO), how to request time off for vacation or illness, and paid company holidays. Review health and safety policies and what to do if injured on the job or in case of emergencies. Provide any items needed for facility access such as keys or keycards, restroom keys or access codes, and employee ID. 2. Workstation & Technology Setup Many sales reps will need to use company computers, mobile phones, tablets, and other devices, as well as apps for each device. Hence, an essential part of onboarding is setting up the new hire’s workstation, technology, and access to apps and accounts in advance. Not only will doing this get your new rep up and running more quickly, but it also makes them feel more welcome and saves valuable time during onboarding and sales training. Set up workstation hardware and equipment, such as desktop, mouse, printer, and an extra monitor. Provide and set up mobile devices like a laptop, smartphone, or tablet and associated apps and accounts. Create an email account for the new hire. Assign a phone extension or number and add the new hire to the company directory. Review how to access voicemail, record greetings, and settings such as placing a caller on hold, transferring a call, do not disturb (DND), and other often-used features. Install needed software and apps and create a user account for company and team collaboration software, such as: Your customer relationship management (CRM) system Project management tools (often included in CRM software) Voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) phone Team messaging software and apps like File-sharing applications such as or Productivity apps like or Video conferencing applications such as Provide an overview of how to use the equipment, software, apps, any available instructional materials or cheat sheets, and who to ask if they need help. Discuss company policies and expectations for the use of company technology, equipment, and supplies. 3. Operational Sales Onboarding Training The next training that should be provided to new sales reps is reviewing your overall sales operations in general. The sales manager usually does operational training. However, it may also be done by an experienced employee assigned to be the new sales rep’s mentor for a time period, such as the first 30 to 90 days. Below are some things to consider when onboarding new employees to your sales operations process: Sales manager sends a new employee announcement, and welcome email to members of the department. Tour the department and make introductions. Show the new hire important spaces such as the break room, restrooms, cafeteria or kitchen, and where to get office supplies. Review the sales department’s organizational chart. Review the sales culture of your organization in terms of working environment, communications, collaboration, and team dynamics. Go over what the typical day-to-day sales operation is like as well as significant milestones such as month-end, quarterly, and year-end procedures. Discuss any operational adjustments required due to seasonal changes, e.g., you may have a “busy season” where most of your revenue is generated. This might require sales employees to work longer hours during that time period and shorter working hours during other time periods. 4. Product & Service Training for New Sales Reps Training should be provided that narrows in specifically on the product or service new sales reps will be selling. This training can occur through various means, including one-to-one training with a product expert, seminars, online training modules, or shadowing another employee. Below are some things you should include when conducting product or service training for new team members: Discuss the technical aspects of the product or service in terms of features, benefits, what it does, and how it works. Share the main selling points (including the unique selling proposition) and what client pain points it addresses. Review the ideal customer types and buyer personas for the product or service being sold, also known as customer profiles. Conduct product demonstrations and presentations covering product use and features. Share access to online products, such as software as a service (SaaS) products, to become familiar with use, features, and benefits. Provide product documentation, technical manuals, user guides, and sales brochures to help the new hire thoroughly understand the products and services they will be selling. 5. Sales Process Training This type of training is specifically for sales activities and continues beyond onboarding for all employees. Training, seminars, tutorials, or shadowing cover general sales tasks like how to place a cold call, conduct a sales pitch, and close a sale. It also encompasses sales methods such as asking questions to qualify a lead or taking a consultative approach to selling by helping customers understand what solutions they need. Below are some items to consider when conducting your sales process training: Review the sales process for getting from a new lead all the way to a new customer, including how to: Generate new leads (tactics used) Input new leads into the CRM Update sales pipeline information Nurture leads Qualify and score leads Close sales Onboard new customers and pass them to account management Go over resources and procedures and provide simulation (role play) exercises for cold calling, including: Cold-calling scripts Following up with cold leads Lead qualification Handling objections Provide training and access to your CRM system for lead nurturing, such as assigning leads to an automated drip campaign. Discuss and provide simulation practices for conducting a sales presentation, sales pitch, or product demo. Remember that onboarding is often a 60 to 90-day process—or even longer. Break up the process into manageable segments, so your new employee isn’t overwhelmed on their first day or week on the job. Assigning a mentor during the first 60 to 90 days is an effective way to facilitate thorough training while ensuring the new hire has someone they can turn to with questions. 6. Goals & Expectations Setting Personalized sales goals, quotas, and performance standards should be set and reviewed with new sales reps before they dial a phone or send an email. Going over sales goals and performance expectations is usually handled in a one-on-one setting with the sales manager or through a team meeting. Outline the minimum performance expectations of each sales rep in terms of metrics and activity, including sales metrics, such as: Number of calls placed Number of appointments scheduled Number of demos booked Number of free trials started Number of proposals sent Total deals closed and/or total sales revenue Go over personal and team sales goals as well as the rewards for hitting them. Discuss procedures or consequences of not hitting minimum sales performance expectations. Cover resources available (e.g., mentoring, training, coaching) to help reps hit their sales goals. 7. Lead Generation Resource Allocation Training Once goals and expectations are set, one more item needs to be addressed to fully onboard a new sales rep and prepare them to succeed. They need access to lead generation resources to start acquiring new customers by visiting clients, making calls, sending emails, networking, and other prospecting activities. Some of these resources can be distributed through your CRM system, including: Providing a lead list to the new sales rep with contact information and any notes. Offering detailed customer profiles on different leads. Explaining how inbound leads are allocated among members of the sales team, such as how leads are assigned from online web forms or incoming phone calls. Assigning the new salesperson to a Chamber of Commerce, trade or business association, or lead share group as a way to create business and referral opportunities. 8. Periodic Check-ins With New Hires Depending on how your sales operation is set up, the full sales onboarding process may take from a few weeks to several months to complete. Regardless of whether your onboarding program has a clear start and end date or is completed incrementally, periodic check-ins should be done. This helps make your new sales rep feel prepared, supported, and confident in their sales capabilities. Check to see if the new salesperson is hitting their required metrics. Ask whether the sales rep has ideas for improvements (new employees come in with fresh eyes, and they may have valuable insights). Determine if the new salesperson is having any specific difficulties with their role. Ask if there are any tools, training, or other resources they think could help them improve their performance. Ensure all of their equipment and technology is working properly. Ask if there is any training or topics covered during onboarding or orientation they would like a refresher on. A key way to measure the progress of new employees is by implementing a 30-60-90 plan for each new hire. This plan outlines the training priorities and goals expected of a new sales rep in their first 30, then 60, then 90 days. Below are samples of what they need to achieve in these milestones: Sales Onboarding Best Practices Onboarding can be nerve-racking for new hires and feel inconvenient for those helping onboard the new reps, but it doesn’t have to be. While following our downloadable sales onboarding checklist, there are many ways to streamline and optimize the onboarding process. Technology Tools for Sales Onboarding Technology enhances onboarding productivity and progress through tools for managing and monitoring the process. Common sales technology used for onboarding includes project management software, CRM systems, and messaging applications. Project Management & Collaboration Tools Project management and collaboration tools offer users with a centralized channel to communicate and update each other on sales tasks and opportunities. Providers like can help sales teams keep each other updated more efficiently. It has workflow automation tools that can trigger actions, such as a new lead generated, and a sales rep can be notified and assigned that lead or sales opportunity. can also be an accessible, low-cost solution for managing onboarding tasks, tracking progress, and viewing it all on a calendar view. Trello uses “cards” that can be incorporated as tasks to be assigned to certain people depending on their role in onboarding sales employees. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Systems CRMs have free project management tools built into the system, which is useful for managing onboarding tasks and for keeping the onboarding process on a set schedule. Providers like offer project management tools that allow teams to collaborate and keep track of items that need to be completed. They can track tasks using Kanban, Gantt, or timeline-style boards, and tasks can be assigned to certain personnel and indicate deadlines. Communication Platforms If you are onboarding remote teams, utilizing communication channels are ideal to provide an interactive platform where new employees can ask questions and receive immediate feedback. One platform you can use is —a video conferencing platform where hundreds of participants can be in a conference at once. While in a meeting, Zoom allows you to talk face-to-face with everyone and share your screen to present a presentation or show a video. Benefits of Having a Sales Onboarding Program Designing and implementing an onboarding program can be a long endeavor that seems tedious when it has to be repeated for every new sales class. However, when it’s viewed as an important investment, you will reap solid benefits. Here are the primary benefits of having a robust and standardized onboarding program: Better sales performance: Having an onboarding program can improve the individual performance of new reps. In fact, data shows that effective onboarding can improve a new rep’s sales quota attainment by more than 16%. Higher employee engagement rate: Onboarding helps improve employee buy-in and commitment to the organization. In fact, employees who felt they had a great onboarding experience were 18x more likely to feel committed to their organization. Increase in employee retention: Employee onboarding helps your employees ease into their roles, as they know what to expect. 50% of companies with standard onboarding processes have greater new hire retention compared to those who don’t. Positive perception of your organization: Having an onboarding program creates a positive perception of your organization among your most essential stakeholders—your employees. Eighty percent of employees who had effective onboarding rated their organization’s performance as “strong.” They were also 113x more likely to rate their human resources department’s capabilities as “high.” Sales managers must understand the benefits of onboarding when implementing a program into their sales operation. On top of onboarding, sales leaders must recruit, develop, and motivate their sales teams to set them up to do their best work. Our ultimate guide to sales management shows you how to put your sales team in the best position to succeed. Bottom Line Sales onboarding is an exciting time for a new sales professional. The process should be planned thoughtfully to ensure they have the best experience possible and get the most out of the training. Constant repetition of the process will help you create effective onboarding practices. Through a standardized onboarding process, you can expect better performance, higher employee retention, and increased productivity, sales, and profitability.

A sales objection is any reason why a lead does not wish to move forward to the next stage of the sales process, and is an inevitable and natural part of selling. Sales reps who aren’t fully prepared may doubt themselves or give up too soon, but overcoming objections is the key to keeping your sales pipeline full, moving, and closing more deals. In this article, we discuss common sales objections and proposed answers to efficiently handle them when they occur. While experiencing sales objections is not always easy, sales agents can better prepare themselves for it. We created a template that agents can use to list potential rebuttals and proof points in handling common objections. Most Common Sales Objections Sales objections may take place at the earliest stages, like cold calling to introduce a product or service. It can also happen toward the last stages of a sale, where a prospect raises an objection after receiving a business proposal or just before a deal closes. Below are some of the most prominent reasons a lead doesn’t go on to the next stage: Budgetary restrictions: The decision-maker or lead doesn’t feel it’s worth the cost or has a capped expense budget they can’t exceed. Fear of change: Prospect (or company) is comfortable with the way they do things and worries that a new solution could cause a difficult change. Prefers a more recognizable brand: The lead is interested in the solution being offered but is not familiar with your brand or is comfortable using a provider they are familiar with. Satisfied with current provider: The prospect could benefit from your solution, however, they are happy with the current provider they are using. It’s essential to differentiate whether a lead objects based on a reason that can be overcome or because your solutions just don’t apply to them. In the latter case, work on improving prospecting research to find leads better-suited for your products or services. But for the former, learning effective strategies for overcoming sales objections will help you close more deals. Scenarios & Tips for Overcoming Objections Part of sales management involves identifying common objections and preparing your team for different types of objection scenarios they will encounter. The goal may be to close the deal on the spot, but it could also be to keep the lead engaged and active in the sales pipeline. Regardless of the reason, being ready to overcome common sales objections before they happen is a must. Depending on the type of objection, your sales reps should also be prepared to share logical proof, like statistics or real-world data, in their communications to discredit or disprove the objection. Emotional selling is also a highly effective technique for overcoming objections and, and is a proven sales strategy. Your team should also use role-playing activities to practice and perfect these skills. Tactics you should use in any communication with your prospect include actively listening to the lead, validating objections, and using questions to understand the scope or source of the objection. It’s also an excellent practice to repeat what you hear to show you are listening and ensure you understand the lead’s concerns correctly. Here is how you can prepare your talking points when it comes to objection handling: 1. Budgetary Restrictions Objecting to a purchase due to budget concerns or restrictions is both common and entirely justifiable. This challenge often occurs at the beginning of a sales process, such as when you introduce your business, and the lead indicates they aren’t interested because of the cost. In some cases, this is true and thus is a factor that disqualifies the prospect. Budget-related sales objections can also occur at the proposal stage of the sales pipeline. This happens when a lead asks for pricing, but finds the product or service is more expensive than anticipated. When budgetary restrictions are the cause of sales objections, you will often hear statements like: “It’s just too expensive for us right now.” “We are on a pretty tight budget and don’t see this fitting in.” “I’m not looking to spend any more money at this time.” When budget-related objections need to be overcome, the key is to focus on the value that can be obtained from your product or service. In this case, statistics about return on investment (ROI) or how a solution saves money or increases productivity are useful. Start by validating the concern, ask questions, and then prepare your objection response based on answers to the questions. An example conversation for overcoming objections about budget or cost might look like this: Prospect: We are on a pretty tight budget and don’t see this fitting in. Sales rep: I completely understand. Many clients I work with find themselves in the same situation working on a tight budget [repeating back what’s heard], so it’s completely reasonable [validation]. Is your concern more the immediate expense or worry that this investment won’t be worth it in the long run? [questions] Prospect: Honestly, it’s a little bit of both. Sales rep: I understand. So both the immediate spending plus worry about long-term value. What I can tell you is that purchasing [insert your solutions] can be looked at as a strong investment that can [value obtained from solutions such as cost-saving or increased productivity]. In fact, all of our clients similar to your business see on average [value stat about ROI, increased productivity, decreased cost, increased sales, and so on]. You might even have a case study or other data to share with the lead. You may be able to further address spending concerns by extending a discount or free trial, or providing a convincing demo or some other type of consultation. If you can’t prove the value to the prospect or overcome the spending objection, keep in mind that the lead may simply not be appropriate for your products or services. 2. Fear of Change Many objections relate to an operational comfort level. A lead may attempt to halt the sales process because they worry about a massive change your solution could cause, even though they are interested and have the budget to invest. Fear of change is understandable but can be mitigated. Below are some common statements that indicate a fear of change objection: “I’m happy with my current setup and don’t wish to make any changes.” “We are fine with how we’ve been doing things and the [solution] we use.” “I don’t really want to make this type of change right now.” This is another instance where emotional selling techniques can be employed in addition to logical statements. For example, triggering the jealousy emotion by explaining how the prospect’s competitor has recently adopted the solution and is now seeing solid results can be effective in this situation. A conversation about this specific objection might look like this: Prospect: We are fine with the way we’ve been doing things and with the current [solution] we use. Sales rep: I totally understand. Making big operational changes can seem scary at times. I see many businesses that feel comfortable with how they’ve been doing things because they feel it’s working. If I may ask, are you aware of some of the changes [mention competitor or similar type of business] has made recently? Prospect: I can’t say I am. Sales rep: They had the same reluctance to change, but were able to [statistics about the value it provided them] and found that the transition was much easier than anticipated. Be sure to focus on how you or a service rep will be with them during every step of the process during a substantial change. The conversation could also continue where you show them that change doesn’t have to be a negative thing. You can point out how their industry is constantly evolving and that they need to evolve to keep up with their competitors. 3. Prefers a More Recognizable Brand A qualified lead interested in shopping for a solution you sell may object to buying because they are not familiar with your business. This is common in brokerage and agency-style industries (such as insurance) involved in third-party sales and for startups and young businesses. It can also occur in distribution-style sales, where a distributor introduces a new product line into a territory. A few statements alluding to this objection include: “I’ll be honest, I’m not very familiar with your company and don’t have enough information to go by.” “I’d prefer a more well-known brand I’ve heard of before.” “I prefer to work with only a few, selected providers.” This objection should truly be considered more of an opportunity than an obstacle. It’s your chance to present your unique selling proposition and show why your business (or product) stands out from the competition. You can also use emotional selling to appeal to the prospect’s pride by telling them they have the opportunity to be an early user, pioneer, or industry leader by adopting the product or service. In addition to having a thorough understanding of the brand or product, managing this objection also requires knowledge about industry competitors. This enables you to showcase how your offering is superior to more well-known alternatives or how it addresses market gaps that can’t be filled by existing products. A sales conversation about this specific objection might go like this: Prospect: I prefer a more well-known brand I’ve heard of before. Sales rep: I completely understand. We are relatively small and focus on specific problems and solutions. Do you mind sharing some of the firms you prefer to use? Prospect: [Says specific firm names or attributes of a firm such as large, multinational, and so on.] Sales rep: Understood. So one thing I will say is we do earn the business of clients who have used those types of firms in the past but took a chance on us even though we are smaller, and they ended up being satisfied. The thing that makes us different and has been an attractive trait for new businesses is [unique selling point]. After this type of conversation, follow up by requesting to send them an email with more information. Client testimonials or independent product reviews are great solutions for leads to review and show you are legitimate. Sweetening the offer with a free add-on for early adopters or offering a risk-free trial, a full product demo, or free consultation can also be persuasive in moving the lead forward. 4. Satisfied With Current Provider Sometimes the solution you are selling is useful (or even a necessity) for your lead, but they are generally happy with their current provider. In this situation, you may have information that is persuasive enough for them to consider your offering. If not, work to keep them in the sales pipeline for the future. Ask for permission to touch base again a few months down the road, such as a month or so before their contract comes up for renewal—if they are willing to share this information. You can also try touching base again around the beginning of the next fiscal year when capital expense decisions will be made. Some common statements for this type of sales objection include: “Thank you, but we already have a provider for this in place.” “I’ll be honest—I’m satisfied with our current provider.” “I am happy with the current provider and don’t know if I need to make changes right now.” “We just implemented our current system and won’t think about changing it again for a while.” The strategy here is similar to the one used when a lead prefers a more recognizable brand. Point out what makes your business or its offerings different with the intent to find any issues, large or small, the lead could be having with their provider. Ask questions like “in a perfect world” what other features or functionality would they want in the product, what could enhance the value for the money, and so on. A conversation about this objection could go like this: Prospect: I’ll be honest. I’m satisfied with our current provider. Sales rep: I totally understand—thanks for letting me know. So, at this time, I’m not looking to change your mind about a purchase decision. I would like to learn more about your needs and share more about how we can help in the future. Is there anything, in particular, you can share about problems you find in [function of business your solutions solves] or things you’d like to see your current provider do better? Prospect: [Expresses problem they’d like to see fixed or issue with current provider.] The next statement from the sales rep will heavily depend on the answer. If the prospect identifies something they wished was better, such as lower prices or a missing feature, offer details about how your solution can fix whatever problems they may have. Always be prepared to deliver a sales pitch that goes into your unique value proposition and how you can offer something better with products and solutions. In the event they aren’t willing to consider making a change, initiate a next step, such as asking to send them an email with more information. General Tips on Overcoming Objections While the tips shared above address specific situations on how to handle sales objections, sometimes you simply encounter leads who are not interested in what you have to offer. Below are additional tips for handling general objections when selling your products or services. Don’t discredit your customers' reasons: Whatever their reasons might be, be respectful of them. If they refuse to give their reasons and simply don’t want to take the conversation further, politely acknowledge their objection and move on to your next lead. Take it as an opportunity to improve your sales skills: Sales objections, especially for rookie sales agents, might be discouraging. However, take this opportunity to get better at selling your products. Be an active listener: While conversations might not necessarily convert to a sale, this is an opportunity to get insights from your leads on what kind of products they want. If they are happy with a competitor, get insights and find ways on how you can do better than your competitors. Use lead scoring or the BANT method: The budget, authority, need, time (BANT) method is a process you can use to qualify leads to help you contact only those who are a good fit for your products and services. Bottom Line Overcoming objections is a part of sales in every industry. Being prepared in sales objection handling at any stage of the sales process is the key to keeping a lead or prospect active in your pipeline. Use proven techniques when handling sales objections, such as active listening, concern validation, and emotional selling, to convert deals and nurture future sales opportunities.

Salesflare is one of our recommended customer relationship management (CRM) software for solo users and a solid option for voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) integrations. In our evaluation, Salesflare ranked high in specialized CRM features, particularly lead scoring and workflow automation. We scored it a little lower in customer service as it only provides support during business hours, and has no phone support. Salesflare is a CRM system that provides companies with data entry and workflow automation tools. It also offers features for email campaigns, email and website engagement tracking, and a mobile app. works best for client-focused solopreneurs and small businesses looking for an easy-to-use CRM with robust task automation features. Salesflare Deciding Factors Salesflare Alternatives If doesn’t meet your business needs, below are some alternatives you can consider: Interested in learning about more providers that might prove suitable for your business needs? Check out our guide on the best CRM for small businesses. We scored pricing 4.5 out of 5 mainly because of its lack of a free plan. Its paid pricing scheme is composed of three paid tiers, and all plans support an unlimited number of users. It also includes CRM data input automation features, email, link, and website visit tracking, as well as personalized email campaigns. Monthly fees range from $29 to $99 per user, monthly, billed annually. You can also sign up for a 30-day free trial for its Pro plan. Click on the drop-down menu below for more information on Salesflare’s plans: Salesflare Features offers CRM features like lead and contact management, collaboration, and project delivery features. It provides automation features that allow your reps to sell more proactively and spend less time on repetitive tasks. We gave Salesflare general features a score of 4.13 out of 5 because it is equipped with features that help users streamline various CRM tasks. These include contact management, lead scoring, and sales processes using visual drag-and-drop pipelines and workflow automation. It also provides insights into your sales performance and tracks all your customer interactions. Below are some of the general features of : Contact and organization management Task and event management Lead management Opportunity management Customizable sales processes Mass emailing Email marketing campaigns Visualize leads with Kanban board Web-to-lead capture We gave a score of 5 out of 5 for its niche features as it includes advanced features like lead scoring, email marketing, workflow automation, and project management. We also like its email-finding feature, allowing users to search for leads’ emails on . Third-party Integrations CRM integrates almost 200 tools and software into various categories. These include accounting, analytics, contact management, customer service, ecommerce, email newsletters, marketing automation, sales, and time tracking. You can also connect it with more than 4,000 apps via . Some of its most popular integrations include: Email (, Office 365, and Google Workspace) Accounting (, FreshBooks, and Xero) Customer support (, Intercom, and LiveChat) Email newsletters (Campaign Monitor, GetResponse, and ) Marketing automation (ActiveCampaign, ClickFunnels, and ) Phone and SMS (CallHippo, , and Twilio) Social media (Facebook, , and Twitter) earned a 3.25 out of 5 score as it doesn’t have phone support and is only available during business hours. Salesflare offers customer support via live chat or email from Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Central European Time. It also has an extensive knowledge base that answers basic questions about how to use Salesflare, its sales pipeline management, sales automation, and lead generation features. We scored a perfect 5 out of 5 due to its straightforward and intuitive interface that is easy to use and navigate. It features tabs to easily access your notifications, tasks, accounts, contacts, opportunities, workflows, insights, and settings. Its menu options are conveniently displayed and properly labeled. Pop-up setup guides also tell first-time users what the buttons are for and what to do next. We scored CRM 4.43 out of 5 as most users who posted reviews online found the CRM easy to use because of its simple yet intuitive interface. They are pleased with its powerful automation features, extensive third-party integration options, and prompt customer service. They also find its email and customer engagement tracking capabilities useful. Some negative comments are about its lack of a free plan. While users noted that it has great email marketing features, they would like to see improvements in its drip campaign capability. Capterra: 4.7 out of 5 based on 132 reviews G2: 4.8 out of 5 based on 215 reviews TrustRadius: 8.4 out of 10 based on 23 reviews Methodology: How We Evaluated Salesflare CRM Reviews To write this review, we tested each system ourselves. We looked at crucial areas, such as pricing, the core set of features every CRM should have, as well as the level of customer support and ease of use. We also looked through existing CRM ratings about Salesflare from credible review sources. Click through the tabs below for our Salesflare review evaluation criteria: Salesflare Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Who will benefit most from using Salesflare? can be used by various businesses—from startups to enterprise-level teams. It offers three paid subscription options that cater to varying business needs and sizes. Its automated data entry makes it one of our top choices for CRMs for solo users who need to keep track of their customer data by themselves. When should I use a Salesflare alternative? Users who need a free CRM should consider other options, as Salesflare only offers paid subscription options. Check out our guide on the best free CRM software to learn about possible alternatives. Salesflare lacks a built-in dialer and requires integration with VoIP platforms. If you need one, consider or instead. Salesflare Review Bottom Line offers a robust set of contact and sales opportunity management features, as well as a wide variety of third-party integrations. Even though it is packed with powerful CRM functionalities, it is still effortless to use and navigate because of its intuitive interface. Its prompt customer support also adds to its long list of advantages. While it’s missing a free plan and an in-app dialer, it is still one of the best CRM options for solo users.

Sales follow-up can be daunting for salespeople, especially after they have made the initial contact and are now waiting for a customer to respond. However, there are data and insights that can guide you on how and when to make the next contact. Using this data as a reference helps ensure your follow-up messaging and techniques are effective. Here are 20 sales follow-up statistics you need to know in 2023. Sales Follow-up Cadence Statistics When you include a sales cadence in your sales management strategy, you provide reps with a foundation for how to follow up on customers. The following sales follow-up statistics will guide your team on the appropriate number of customer touchpoints, the right time, and the best communication channels to use when engaging with buyers. 1. The ideal sales cadence based on replies is six touches within three weeks with follow-ups spaced out three or four days apart. Takeaway: Waiting more than four days to follow up decreases your chance of getting a response. To ensure your sales emails don’t fall through the cracks, automate your email marketing campaigns based on the cadence you have established. The recipients will also be automatically removed from the send list once they reply or set a meeting with you. (Source: Yesware) 2. The best time of the day to send a sales follow-up email is from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., followed by 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Takeaway: There is a marked incline in reply and open rates after breakfast and lunch time. While it’s a good idea to test out different times to see what works best, you can schedule your follow-ups based on this data. (Source: Yesware) 3. On average, you get a 25% email reply rate if you follow up within 24 hours of the initial outreach. Takeaway: Based on this data, it pays to “strike while the iron is hot” because the reply rate drops to below 5% if you follow up one to three days after the initial outreach. Promptly after the initial outreach or a discovery meeting, send a follow-up email with a welcome or thank-you message. Show prospects you care about their needs by offering to answer any questions they might have about your company, product, or service. (Source: Yesware) Sales Follow-up Activity Statistics Sales follow-up stats that relate to rep activity provide sales team leaders with insights into behaviors that contribute to success for top performers. They also highlight the factors in sales that reps can directly control or influence. Below, we list stats involving what top performers are doing differently from average or underperforming sales reps. 4. 81.6% of salespeople who spend 4 or more hours daily on sales-related activities enjoy their job more. Takeaway: Salespeople who engage in more sales activities have greater chances of succeeding. The sense of satisfaction that they get from their job stems from this success. So, if you want to enjoy your job more, spend more time engaging in activities that help you achieve your sales quota. These activities include prospecting, creating proposals, attending sales meetings, conducting sales presentations, generating sales reports, and sending follow-up emails. (Source: Sales Insights Lab) 5. Only 7% of top sales performers pitch their services, while 19% of under-performers do so. Takeaway: Under-performers in sales tend to do a lot more pitching, while the top performers focus more on engaging their prospects in conversation. To engage your customers, find out what they need and offer a solution to their challenges. Instead of just trying to sell a product, you could recommend a certain item based specifically on what they are looking for. (Source: Sales Insights Lab) 6. It takes an average of 8 touches to generate a conversion, but top performers can do it with an average of just 5 touches. Takeaway: Better targeting, messaging, and value offers leads to more conversions. In other words, you can achieve more with less effort. Instead of blindly reaching out to 100 leads, you can narrow down your recipients to those who are most likely to make a purchase. Use your customer relationship management (CRM) software’s lead qualification and lead scoring features to automate this process. (Source: Rain Group) 7. Sales professionals spend 27% of their time actually selling, with more time on administrative & other non-selling duties. Takeaway: Conducting non-selling duties may sound counterintuitive. However, the same data also indicates that effective sellers are spending more time using technology to research their buyers before a follow-up. So, instead of blindly reaching out to decision-makers, they focus more on the prospects who are most likely to make a purchase. (Source: LinkedIn) Buyer Behavior Statistics Sales follow-up stats relating to buyer behavior help you predict how your buyers will act in certain situations. This data enables you to identify new opportunities to connect with customers before your competitors do. They also help you market your product or service more effectively by giving you a better understanding of how buyers think and make purchase decisions. Keep these stats in mind next time you make a follow-up sales call. 8. 82% of buyers will consider accepting meetings with sellers who reach out to them. Takeaway: For salespeople, it is often difficult to successfully schedule a meeting with buyers, but it is not impossible. Those who are persistent enough to follow up with their customers will eventually succeed in setting a meeting. (Source: Rain Group) 9. 71% of buyers who accept meetings want to hear from sellers during the early stages of their buying process. Takeaway: In the early stages of the buying process, buyers are still forming ideas on how to improve their business and are looking for a solution to fix a problem. Take advantage of their interest in your product or service during these stages by getting in touch with them. When drafting follow-up templates, make sure you offer them the best possible solution to their needs. (Source: Rain Group) 10. Need (75%) & budget (64%) are the top factors that contribute to whether a buyer connects with sellers. Takeaway: Buyers may not be aware that they need your offering, but they may want the benefits that your product or service can provide. This is why salespeople must educate buyers and explore ways to connect their goals to what you are offering. When it comes to budget, buyers usually say they do not have the budget for your offering. However, they would often invest in your offering when they are inspired by a good opportunity. (Source: Rain Group) 11. 61% of buyers with a pre-existing relationship with a provider are likely to connect with a rep. Takeaway: Buyers who have previously bought from your company are more likely to open their doors once again to you. Take advantage of this previous connection to continue providing them with what they need. You can also go beyond that by upselling and cross-selling. (Source: Rain Group) 12. 45% of dissatisfied customers open their doors to another provider. Takeaway: There are buyers who are actually dissatisfied with their current provider but may not know that there are better options. During follow-ups, make sure that you show them the full features and benefits of your product or service to demonstrate that a better solution exists. (Source: Rain Group) Contact Method Statistics There are customers who prefer being contacted by sales reps via phone for follow-ups. Others prefer using non-voice channels, such as email and live chat. With several types of communication channels available, it can be difficult to determine which one is best for your company. Take a look at the sales follow-up stats below to see which channels are the most preferred and used by reps and customers. 13. The top preferred contact channel of buyers is email (66%), followed by live in-person events (35%) & social networking sites (34%). Takeaway: Salespeople could schedule more of their follow-ups via email, live events, and social media. When you follow up with buyers via their preferred channel, you are most likely to elicit a positive response from them. (Source: LinkedIn) 14. Cold calling is the method of communication least preferred by buyers. Takeaway: Only 21% of buyers want to be contacted via cold calls. However, it doesn’t mean salespeople should skip it altogether. You can also use this method for follow-ups, but it is best to apply the best timing and cadence for cold call attempts to reach a prospect. (Source: LinkedIn) 15. Salespeople use email to connect with buyers 78% of the time & phone calls 70% of the time. Takeaway: Salespeople use email and phone calls the most when attempting to connect with their customers because they are the most effective. That said, it is best to plan your sales follow-ups using email and phone as your main communication channels. (Source: Rain Group) 16. Social media comments (24%) & text messages (27%) are the channels least used by salespeople in connecting with their customers. Takeaway: Only a few salespeople use social media comments and text messages to reach out to their customers because they are the least effective. You can focus on leveraging social media platforms for social selling and marketing instead of sales follow-ups. When doing follow-ups, it is best to send personalized messages via email or a phone call. (Source: Rain Group) Sales Follow-up Content Statistics The content of follow-up messages is just as important as the channel being used to deliver them. There are certain topics that can help open up doors to business-to-business (B2B) sales opportunities. Read the follow-up statistics below to gather some idea on what you should discuss with customers during your next touchpoint. 17. 68% of buyers are unlikely to connect with a seller who presents information irrelevant to their business. Takeaway: Buyers are more likely to consider connecting with a brand if sellers reach out to them with information that is relevant to their job or business. That said, a salesperson ought to do some research first about their buyer before reaching out or doing a follow-up call. You can also use the email subject line to give the buyer an idea about the topic you are presenting. (Source: LinkedIn) 18. Content with insights relevant to a business (69%) & those that include a description of a provider’s capabilities (67%) attract buyers the most. Takeaway: Buyers want to see content that includes a combination of primary research data relevant to their business and a description of what you can do for them. These are the top factors in content that can influence buyers to accept a meeting with you. (Source: Rain Group) 19. The most effective type of content is the one that is 100% customized to their situation. This is followed by best practices in their area of expertise. Takeaway: When sending follow-up content, remember that 69% of executive-level buyers are influenced by content that includes primary research data relevant to their business. In addition, 55% of this group loves to know what works and what doesn’t in their area of expertise. Top-performing sellers have more robust B2B sales when they use this messaging to connect with buyers. (Source: Rain Group) 20. Only 37% of sellers send customized content to executive-level buyers & 33% use best practices methodology in their messaging. Takeaway: Most sellers focus on client testimonials and insights on the use of their product or service. While these are the most common types of content salespeople use for this particular audience, they are not the most effective. If you want to be among the top performers, start incorporating customized content and best practices into your content for this particular audience. (Source: Rain Group) Bottom Line Top performers in sales always consider the principles and practices that work best, based on follow-up sales data. Use the data in this article as a reference when you’re planning or creating your follow-up communications and content. Keeping abreast of the latest trends helps ensure your messaging is effective and you’re giving your buyers the information they are looking for.

Customer relationship management (CRM) software for startups must meet some of the product demands common for brand-new businesses, including low-cost subscriptions and an easy-to-use interface. The best CRM options include critical features sought by startups, such as lead management, marketing automation, and customization features. We’ve reviewed dozens of products to identify the best CRMs for startups. : Best startup CRM for small businesses overall : Great CRM for startup businesses that need customization for unique operational needs : Ideal for startups seeking a low-cost solution for sales, marketing, and support management : Robust sales CRM for startups that need tools for lead and deal management : Solid CRM system for startups seeking project management tools within the platform : Best CRM tools for startups aiming to use calling outreach for direct sales : Ideal free CRM for startups looking for robust marketing features : Best for startup businesses that want to integrate their CRM with Google Workspace Best CRM for Startups Compared *Based on annual billing; monthly billing is also available for slightly higher rates. Zoho CRM: Best for Leveraging Social Media Platforms *Pricing based on annual billing; monthly billing is also available for a higher cost. is a top pick for the best CRM for small businesses, helping firms manage leads, deals, and marketing campaigns. It has thousands of integration options, both third-party tools and software developed by Zoho. Zoho is a cheap CRM for startups, with a free plan for up to three users and paid options starting at $14 per user, monthly. It also has customization options for tailoring data fields, modules, pages, tabs, and layouts to your specific operation. As many startups use social media to generate leads and develop relationships, they need look no further than Zoho CRM. Included in the Standard plan are integration capabilities with Facebook and Twitter. Once connected, users can generate leads from social media forms that automatically create data records and assign users to the CRM. Additionally, teams can converse with social media followers and track their social activity from CRM records. Unfortunately, the customer support module and mass email capabilities are unavailable on the Free plan—product attributes especially useful for startups. Agile CRM is the best alternative product for sales, marketing, and help desk capabilities, all on the free plan for up to 10 users. Zoho CRM Plan Summary Zoho CRM Key Features Social selling: Teams can integrate with and use Facebook and Twitter to generate leads, connect with prospects, and track social media activity of CRM contacts. Inventory management module: Startups can organize and store product catalogs, vendor data, price books, and inventory counts, as well as create and manage quotes, sales orders, and invoices. Data management: Users can create and store lead, account, deal, and contact records, as well as track tasks, events, call logs, notes, and record tags. Marketing management: Ability to create and send email campaigns using premade email templates. Zoho CRM Customer Support Zoho’s tier-based support system includes email support for all plans as well as phone and live chat support on the paid plans either, 24/5 or 24/7, depending on the tier. There are also plenty of online resources for self-service, including product documentation, tours, tutorial videos, and webinars. Want to learn more? Check out our in-depth Zoho CRM review with detailed insights into product features, overall usability, integration options, and best-for-use case scenarios. Really Simple Systems: Best for Product Customization *Pricing based on annual billing; monthly billing is also available for a higher cost. offers startups excellent lead and pipeline management features for a minimal cost. Additionally, this CRM is well-known for its product usability in terms of setting up a new account, using the built-in features and navigating the interface from module to module. Its minimal use of menu tabs and buttons and the clean interface allow even the least experienced CRM users to easily use the platform. Product customization is especially useful for startups, mainly when offering something unique or using innovative operational processes. Really Simple Systems is the best CRM for system customization. Most of the tailoring options are free, and new firms custom design everything, including data fields, drop-down lists, data tables, charts, and layouts on CRM pages. However, Really Simple Systems does not allow email marketing or integration options until the paid plans. is the best alternative on this list that lets users access email marketing and automation features on the free plan. Really Simple Systems Plan Summary Really Simple Systems Key Features Simple product customization: Easy-to-operate interface for designing data fields, tables, lists, dashboards, pages, and reports to a startup’s unique needs. Lead management: Ability to store and monitor data on contacts, pipeline stages, and activity timelines. Also includes task and event tracking associated with records and the capability to link accounts with one another. Quotes and document storage: Users can create and store quotes, warranties, or other documents in the CRM within contact and company records. Marketing add-on: Through paid add-on or by subscribing to the paid plans, teams can create email templates and campaigns, personalize them based on CRM record data, and schedule deployment while tracking responses and opens. Really Simple Systems Customer Support Really Simple Systems free plan users have access to email and live chat support options along with an online customer portal, tutorials, and webinars. Professional and Enterprise plans get extended support via phone and a dedicated account manager. All support staff is available during standard business hours for North America, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Could Really Simple Systems be the product for you? Find out by reading our Really Simple Systems review to learn more about its features and integrations. Agile CRM: Best Affordable CRM for Managing Sales, Marketing & Support *Pricing based on annual billing; monthly billing is also available for a higher cost. is an excellent, cost-friendly CRM solution for startup businesses thanks to its free plan available for up to 10 users and low-cost paid plans starting at $8.99 per user on a monthly basis. The system is relatively easy to use, especially for new users. It has features necessary to get a business off the ground, including lead management, email marketing, and deal tracking. What makes this CRM system stand out is its all-in-one capabilities. While most CRMs on this list offer sales and marketing features, Agile CRM is one of the few that also includes modules for managing a help desk. These features are particularly useful for tech startups that sell new software and need to help users navigate it. Plus, most of the sales, marketing, and support features are available for free. Since startups may be looking to integrate some of their other outside tools with their CRM, note that Agile CRM is relatively weak in this area. There’s a relatively low number of available integration options with external software, and the Free plan limits you to one integration or plugin. is the best alternative for integrations—offering thousands of third-party and native options. Agile CRM Plan Summary Agile CRM Key Features Sales data customization: Users can customize contact and company profile properties and sales deal stages and milestones to meet their unique business needs. Marketing management: Teams can create and deploy mass email and text campaigns, store premade email templates, and design website elements such as landing pages and web forms. Lead, deal, and contact tracking: Ability to organize contact data, qualify leads using lead scoring, track tasks associated with lead or deal records, and connect with leads through direct email, phone, and a meeting scheduling portal. Help desk module: Free customer service features for collecting, tracking, and resolving service tickets, storing canned and premade customer responses, and reporting on support activity. Agile CRM Customer Support Agile CRM uses a tiered customer support system, offering 24/5 email support on all plans and phone support for paid plans from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern Time. Additionally, users can access self-service resources such as blogs, videos, infographics, setup guides, and onboarding system documentation. Want to learn more about how Agile CRM supports startups and small businesses? Our Agile CRM review offers detailed insights on product features, integrations, system usability, and additional best-for scenarios. Pipedrive: Best for Lead & Deal Management *Pricing based on annual billing; monthly billing is also available for a higher cost. is a sales-focused CRM system that heavily prioritizes features for direct sales activities, such as prospecting, lead generation, qualification, and sending proposals. Users can create custom pipelines to track opportunities and become notified if a deal is “rotten” if it is sitting in the pipeline for too long. There are also lead management tools such as contact data organization, lead activity tracking, duplicate record detection, and a built-in meeting scheduler. Startup businesses in industries with lengthy and complex sales processes, including software providers or business consultants, should consider investing in Pipedrive. The features are great for monitoring sales leads and deals and reporting on sales activities. There are also tools for creating and sending business proposals and collaborating with team members on larger opportunities that may require multiple reps. Pipedrive, unfortunately, is one of the few CRMs on this list that does not offer a free-forever plan. and are the two best alternatives with free-forever plans for startups that prioritize a free plan option. Pipedrive Plan Summary Pipedrive Key Features AI Sales Assistant: AI tool within the CRM system that provides alerts to users on community updates, product feature suggestions, email tracking, activity reminders, and analytics and personalized tips to maximize sales performance. Smart Docs and document management: Teams can easily create, store, and send documents such as quotes or proposals while automating data entry for those documents using CRM lead and company data. Lead management: Users can store contact data and track activity and communications with leads in the CRM. There’s also the ability to assign leads to specific reps, identify and merge duplicate records, and engage leads through email and meeting scheduling tools. Deal and pipeline tracking: Ability to track pending sales opportunities in real time on customizable pipelines as well as be notified for potentially rotting deals in the pipeline. Pipedrive Customer Support Pipedrive offers 24/7 support through live chat and email on all plans. Additionally, their website, which supports over 19 languages, contains help center resources such as knowledge base articles, a community forum, and the Pipedrive Academy. Enterprise users receive additional service channels, including telephone support and custom CRM implementation assistance. Check out our Pipedrive review to learn more about product pricing, usability, features, and third-party integrations to see if it's right for your business. Insightly: Best for Project Management Features *Pricing based on annual billing; monthly billing is also available for a higher cost. is a simple CRM system that helps startup businesses organize lead data, communicate with sales contacts, and track and qualify opportunities. There is a free plan for up to two users, and the CRM comes with many product customization options, including custom objects, fields, page layouts, and sales processes. It also has insight cards, which display additional information like organization or opportunity details on lead records you’re viewing. Many new businesses have to manage numerous side projects or tasks, such as administrative work or content development, in addition to the day-to-day sales and marketing operations. Insightly has a built-in project management module available on the Free plan. Teams can assign and collaborate on project assignments, create workflows associated with projects, and track key milestones for projects. One significant issue with Insightly is that the quote and product management features aren’t available until the Enterprise plan for $99 per user each month. is the best alternative with those features in its inventory management module, available starting on the Professional plan for $23 per user each month. Insightly Plan Summary Insightly Key Features Project management module: Teams can oversee tasks and longer-term projects, create automated events and workflows within projects, and track key metrics and milestones associated with projects. Lead and contact management: Lead generation through web-to-lead capture, lead assignment and routing, and lead qualification features. Mass email: Ability to design and deploy mass email marketing campaigns to custom contact lists. Workflow automation: Task creation, data entry, record updates, and work assignment tasks can be automated for a more efficient pipeline and hands-free experience. Insightly Customer Support Insightly has tier-based support where Free plan users and above get access to the help center for self-service. The paid plans come with email support that has varying response times depending on the package. Additionally, there’s phone support during extended business hours (Pacific Time) for teams that enroll in the Premier Success plan. For more information, check out our Insightly review to learn more about this CRM’s features, integrations, usability ratings, and customer reviews to see if it's the best option for your business. Close: Best for Telephone Features *Pricing based on annual billing; monthly billing is also available for a higher cost. is a sales-focused CRM that lets teams manage their leads, contacts, opportunities, pipelines, and sales-related activities. On top of being able to manage those types of data records and tasks, there are vast capabilities for monitoring and reporting, including the options to create email template performance, activity, sales funnel health, and automation performance reports. Close comes with excellent lead communication features, including email, text, and most notably, a built-in phone. Users can place, receive, and forward calls, record conversations, automate call outreach schedules, and conduct call coaching through listening and whispering tools. Finally, there’s the advanced power dialer tool that auto-dials phone numbers for users based on a preset call list—enabling startup teams to make more calls in less time. However, Close does not have a free plan, and the paid plans are fairly expensive compared to other CRMs on this list. is the best alternative in terms of cost-friendliness—offering a free plan for 10 users and paid plans starting at $8.99 per user on a monthly basis. Close Plan Summary Close Key Features Built-in phone system: Call center module letting teams place and receive calls, send and receive texts, and run call flows such as call forwarding, recording, and power dialing, which dials numbers for users based on a contact list. Email communications with reporting: Two-way email sync to send and receive emails, plus options to store email templates, schedule messages or follow-ups, and send bulk emails with automated sequences. Leads and opportunities: Users can store lead, contact, and opportunity records, run mass data imports or exports, track tasks associated with records, and view pipeline statuses. Custom activities with reports: Ability to create activities associated with a specific sales process, such as calls, emails, meetings, or deals closed, and generate activity performance reports. Close Customer Support All Close users have access to a self-service help center. Additionally, there’s email support available on all plans. Response times vary depending on the plan and service level agreement (SLA). HubSpot CRM: Best for Marketing Features *Pricing based on annual billing; monthly billing is also available for a higher cost. **CRM Suite includes sales, marketing, customer service, content management system (CMS), and operations software. Individual modules can be purchased for lower monthly costs. created one of the most popular CRMs on the market. It's most touted for the free plan available for unlimited users and the intuitive interface design that makes the system easy to operate and navigate. With HubSpot, startups get access to lead, contact, and deal management modules, solutions for document storage, payment processing capabilities, and tools for scheduling meetings and collecting signatures. The best features of HubSpot, however, come on the marketing side. Startups that plan on building relationships through mass marketing and content should choose HubSpot. There’s mass email campaign design and deployment, digital ads management, and the option to create a blog page and receive search engine optimization (SEO) suggestions. Also, users can build landing pages, embed web forms, and host an on-demand video page. While it offers excellent marketing features, HubSpot, even on the Free plan, gets expensive when startups start growing and need more advanced capabilities like a product library or e-signature features. and are the two best options on this list in terms of scalable pricing options. HubSpot CRM Plan Summary HubSpot CRM Key Features Content development and management: Teams can manage and host an on-demand video library, create website blogs from the CRM, receive SEO recommendations, and develop content strategies. Marketing outreach: Ability to create and deploy mass email marketing campaigns with automated sequences as well as digital ads with audience retargeting options. Lead management: Users can organize lead data, run lead scoring calculations, track activity and outreach, and view pipeline or sales cycles statuses. Payment processing: Teams can collect payments through Automated Clearing House (ACH) or credit cards with the integration. HubSpot Customer Support HubSpot offers support through email and live chat from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time. Professional users get expanded access to phone support as well. Finally, HubSpot offers an array of online resources for self-service, including , a community page of product users, and an online library of tutorials and guides. Want to see why sales and marketing teams choose HubSpot as their startup CRM? Read our HubSpot CRM review with insights into the product’s features and modular capabilities that help businesses grow. Streak: Best for Startups Using Google Workspace *Pricing based on annual billing; monthly billing is also available for a higher cost. is a CRM system built specifically to feel like a Google application—making the interface highly intuitive and easy to navigate. Due to that purpose, Streak integrates with numerous products, including Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Sheets, and Chat. The CRM platform offers customizable business processes to track activity associated with anything a startup wants to track, including sales pipelines, projects, and service deliverables. Streak also lets teams store and organize contact data within the system. Users can enable contact enrichment to automatically keep the data up to date, and store associated information such as file attachments, tasks, call logs, and notes. There are also excellent email features for engaging with contacts on a one-to-one basis or through mass email marketing. Streak is considered a great option for freelancers and solopreneurs. That said, the Free and Solo plan only supports one user—not ideal for multi-member or growing startups. is the top alternative in terms of limitless user capacity—allowing unlimited users on the free-forever plan. Streak Plan Summary Streak Key Features Google Workspace integration: Teams can get more from their CRM by integrating with Google products like Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Sheets, and Chat. Contact management: Ability to store contact data, track their pipeline statuses, enrich contact data, and share contact profiles and associated email history with other team members. Information tracking: Contextual information management, including file storage and attachment, call logging, tasks, and record notes. Email communications: Users can send direct or mass email messages to contacts, categorize email templates to share on the pipeline, and track opens and clicks on message links. Streak Customer Support The Free plan is limited to just self-service resources such as a knowledge base and blog. Paid plan users get access to live chat support, which then extends to live chat and email for Enterprise users. Streak is popular and valuable for solopreneurs, startups, and freelance businesses. Find out if it's right for your business by checking out our Streak review for detailed information on features, integrations, and pricing. How We Evaluated the Best Startup CRMs To determine the best CRMs for startups, we considered attributes essential to new firms. For instance, a free plan and low-cost paid plans are appealing since many startups operate on a thin budget. Also, products containing important CRM features such as lead management and marketing automation are crucial to building customer relationships early on. Those features should also be easy to operate as startups contain users new to CRMs. The tabs below offer insight into our evaluation process of the best CRM for startup businesses: