9 of the Best Sales Management Software Options for 2025

Sales success depends on more than just great pitches and persistence. It requires organisation, clear insights and an easily navigable process. While you could manage all of this manually (and many have over the last couple of decades), it takes precious time and resources.

Sales management software to the rescue — it helps teams manage leads, track progress and make informed decisions, all while improving collaboration and ensuring reps remain as efficient as possible.

While sales tools of years past — like the CRM — are still critical, functions and features have developed. In fact, AI and automation have become top priorities for businesses looking to stay competitive and enable their teams to sell smarter, according to the latest State of Sales report.

So what sales management features should you be looking for? That’s what this article is all about. Dig in below to learn what to look for and how to apply key features for maximum productivity.

• What is sales management software?
• Top 9 sales management software options for your sales team
• Benefits of implementing sales management software
• 5 key features of sales management software to look for
• How to choose the best sales management software for your business
• Sales management software FAQs

Sales management software refers to digital tools that streamline, organise and optimise anything related to the sales process. This includes the storage and organisation of deal and customer data, performance tracking — making it easier for teams to stay on top of their sales goals — and activity tracking. With the help of sales management software, teams can supercharge their sales performance and productivity, driving revenue growth.

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Choosing the right sales management software is a big task, but understanding how sales tools are evaluated can make the decision easier. The following list is curated from G2 and Capterra, both of which score sales software based on user feedback, features available and overall satisfaction.

G2 uses a five-star system focused on usability, customer satisfaction and market presence, while Capterra (which also uses a five-star system) incorporates user ratings across categories like ease of use, customer support and value for money.

Each of the tools listed here has a minimum rating of four stars, ensuring they are top contenders for streamlining your sales process, improving collaboration and helping your team work smarter.

Salesforce Sales Cloud is an AI-powered sales management solution that offers core CRM functionality like lead tracking and contact management, as well as critical reporting tools and advanced AI/automation assistance. It features lead scoring, allowing reps to focus on leads most likely to close, automates email follow-ups and generates real-time sales reports. The platform allows integration with other tools, making it adaptable to your existing sales management systems.

How it helps sales teams:

• Lead management: In addition to customisable, visual pipeline management tools, relationship insights help you to identify new business relationships and contacts by showing you the network of people and companies around each lead.
• Sales engagement: Robust engagement capabilities give reps one place to connect with customers across channels, offering pre-built engagement cadences and outreach templates.
• Reporting: Out-of-the-box, real-time sales analytics dashboards surface insights both for individual reps and the entire sales org. Connections to external data sources allow for comprehensive reporting.
• AI/automation: AI lead scoring and deal insights help reps focus on the right leads to contact. Automatic activity capture saves sales engagement data. AI-generated emails and call summaries help reps make outreach more effective. Recently-released autonomous AI agents nurture inbound leads 24/7 and schedule meetings with reps.

Outreach is a sales execution platform that focuses on streamlining prospect and customer communication across multiple channels. Reviewers note that it’s particularly useful for outbound sales teams looking to organise their outreach efforts and improve response rates. Basic sales automation features help ensure that follow-ups and tasks are done on time.

How it helps sales teams:

• Lead management: Team and individual pipelines with customised filters allow sales teams to track leads with different views.
• Sales engagement: Prebuilt prospecting workflows with an integrated call and meeting scheduler allow reps to begin outreach quickly.
• Reporting: Dashboards provide detailed sales engagement data to reps and managers. View deal forecasts for the entire organisation or for individual reps.
• AI/automation: AI-generated summaries of account activities help reps prepare for sales calls. Auto-generated emails allow reps to conduct outreach quickly.

HubSpot Sales Hub is a CRM that allows teams to manage leads, connect with prospects via email and see critical performance metrics via simple dashboards. Reviewers note that it's easy to use and set up and they appreciate its visual reporting as part of the core CRM.

How it helps sales teams:

• Lead management: Customisable pipeline with automatic lead movement through the pipeline based on rep activity. Build customised workflows to manage critical deal tasks.
• Sales engagement: Integrated email functionality allows reps to connect with prospects and customers in the same place they manage their pipeline.
• Reporting: Dashboards updated in real-time provide the latest sales performance metrics, visible to reps and managers.
• AI/automation: HubSpot Smart CRM allows reps to generate personalised emails for outreach.

Reviewers say Pipedrive, a web-based CRM, offers a clear, visual interface that helps teams track deals at each stage of the sales process. Sales reps can see where deals are stuck and take action based on AI-driven recommendations for next steps. Reviewers like that it’s customisable, allowing teams to tailor the platform to their specific workflows.

How it helps sales teams:

• Lead management: Provides a simple visual sales pipeline for tracking deal progress.
• Sales engagement: Chatbot offers always-on support for web visitors, capturing leads that reps can use for outreach. Email scheduling and tracking allows reps to plan ahead and see how their emails perform.
• Reporting: Standard sales and forecasting reports available, with some customisations.
• AI/automation: Automatic lead assignment allows you to assign leads to your team using pre-defined rules. AI deal and email summaries allow reps to see key deal/customer information quickly.

Monday.com CRM combines project management with sales tools, offering teams a unified way to manage both internal and external-facing workflows. Reviewers appreciate the platform’s collaboration features, real-time updates and file sharing across departments. Users also say that customisable task management workflows improve their daily operations and productivity.

How it helps sales teams:

• Lead management: Drag-and-drop interface lets sales teams structure customised workflows for lead tracking.
• Sales engagement: Smart templates allow reps to generate emails quickly. These emails can be personalised with tokens.
• Reporting: Colour-coded dashboards allow reps to see opportunities in real time.
• AI/automation: Automatically turns meeting notes into action items.

Freshsales is a CRM that offers out-of-the-box sales process management features and automations. It allows teams that need a simple solution to get started without a lot of customisation. Users say the lead scoring and tracking capabilities are effective for targeting prospects most likely to convert.

How it helps sales teams:

• Lead management: Lead and task status view offers key details about deal-related tasks so reps can plan their day efficiently, with status customisation available via a drag-and-drop interface.
• Sales engagement: Email management features let reps send emails and see if their emails have been opened or clicked so they can follow up quickly.
• Reporting: Standard, prebuilt sales reports available with some customisations.
• AI/automation: Automates routine tasks like data entry (rep activity is recorded in each deal record), basic report generation and lead scoring/assignments.

ZoomInfo Sales is a platform that primarily provides access to an extensive B2B contact database, which reps can use for prospecting. It also includes some sales management tools, similar to a CRM. Reviewers say implementation is simple and the platform’s comprehensive contact information saves them time.

How it helps sales teams:

• Lead management: Buyer intent flags show companies that research your solutions, which reps can use to prioritise prospect outreach.
• Sales engagement: ZoomInfo Sales does not include sales engagement tools. However, ZoomInfo Engage (a separate tool) allows reps to create emails using templates with subject line recommendations that help increase engagement.
• Reporting: Conversation analysis is available via ZoomInfo Chorus.
• AI/automation: Sales automations execute key parts of prospecting efforts, including social and email outreach.

LinkedIn Sales Navigator allows sales teams to build relationships through social selling. It helps teams find prospects using advanced filters (like function and seniority level) and engage with them directly through LinkedIn. The platform integrates with CRMs to streamline lead tracking and follow-ups.

How it helps sales teams:

• Lead management: Relationship mapping capabilities help you to track new leads via LinkedIn connections and business associations.
• Sales engagement: InMail lets sellers send messages directly to potential buyers on LinkedIn.
• Reporting: ROI reports show the value LinkedIn Navigator is delivering for your company.
• AI/automation: Uses AI-powered account summaries to help sellers understand prospects, plan for meetings and create effective account plans.

InsideSales (formerly XANT)

InsideSales.com or XANT, uses AI to guide sales reps through the sales process, offering recommendations on the best times and methods to engage leads. Reviewers note that its predictive sales analytics help teams prioritise activities and optimise their sales strategy.

How it helps sales teams:

• Lead management: Lead management is not the focus of InsideSales. However, the software does allow integration with common CRM platforms.
• Sales engagement: Sales cadences organise prospecting and lead follow-up tasks to help sellers engage efficiently via multiple channels.
• Reporting: Dashboards track key metrics on team and individual levels to give both reps and managers a view of performance.
• AI/automation: Automations allow reps to offload simple tasks like updating CRM fields and sending emails.

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Supporting your sales team with the right tools can make all the difference in productivity. Sales management software helps your team succeed at every stage of the sales cycle by streamlining processes, boosting efficiency and delivering key insights. Here's why adopting these tools makes good business sense:

• Better time management: Instead of spending hours organising and inputting data, sales management software automates these tasks. It can log calls, summarise them and even draught follow-up emails that are automatically scheduled. This frees up your team to focus on building relationships and closing deals rather than getting bogged down in administrative work.
• Metrics at your fingertips: Sales management software ensures your team always has up to date information. Whether they're in a meeting or on a call, they can pull comparative numbers, forecasts or customer history in seconds. Access to this instant data not only helps build trust with customers, but also gives your team a competitive edge in negotiations.
• Improved team collaboration: Sales is often a team effort. Sales management software makes collaboration seamless by connecting team members through shared platforms, messaging and real-time updates. Whether resolving customer issues or collaborating on strategies, this software helps keep everyone on the same page and working toward common goals.
• Improved pipeline visibility: Tracking a customer's journey through the sales process is critical to staying ahead of their needs. Sales management software offers clear visibility into each stage of the sales pipeline, ensuring your team is prepared for every conversation and knows exactly what actions are needed to close the deal.
• Better customer experience: With all these tools at their disposal, sales teams can provide a more personalised experience. Real-time insights, instant data access and improved collaboration mean that customers receive quicker, more tailored responses, making them feel valued and understood throughout the sales process.
• Increased revenue: When you invest in sales management software, you minimise risk and give your team support to focus on generating business. They'll be more efficient, make fewer mistakes and have the right information at their fingertips, so they can close more deals and keep customers happy. The result? More revenue for your business.

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When you're choosing sales management software, certain features make a big difference. Understanding how these core capabilities work can help you to choose the right tool for your team. Remember that fancy features mean nothing if they don't match how your team actually sells. Focus on capabilities that simplify your current process rather than tools that require you to change how you work. The goal is to spend less time managing software and more time closing deals. Here's what to look for:

The right sales management tool will make it easy to track every interaction with prospects and customers. Look for features that automatically enrich prospect data and map relationships between decision makers. Your reps should be able to quickly see that the IT Director they're talking to reports to a CIO who's already working with your company on a separate project. The software should capture interactions automatically — like flagging when a prospect opens a pricing email or documenting that three people from the same account attended your webinar last week. Make sure the sales management tool you choose can easily track engagement patterns.

When examining sales pipeline features, look for tools that let you customise deal stages to match your exact sales process — for example, adding a "Technical Review" stage between "Demo" and "Proposal" if that's part of your workflow. Check that reps can update deal status, add notes and change close dates from any screen without navigating through multiple menus. The system should flag potential issues automatically, like alerting a rep when a highly lucrative deal has been in "Contract Review" for more than two weeks. If your team sells both quick-turn licences and longer enterprise deals, confirm that you can track these different pipeline types separately. Pay attention to how the pipeline view reveals bottlenecks — such as showing when too many deals are stuck in legal review — and whether it includes built-in forecasting that accounts for historical close rates by stage.

Look for sales automation features that eliminate repetitive tasks from your team's day. The system should handle scenarios like automatically scheduling a sequence of follow-up emails when a prospect downloads a whitepaper or creating a task for the account executive when their SDR qualifies a lead. Check if you can set up time-saving workflows — like having the system automatically alert customer success when a deal moves to "Closed Won" or remind reps to update the opportunity amount if a quote gets generated. The best systems let you automate routine work while keeping reps in control of important customer interactions.

Examine how the sales software turns data into usable insights. Your managers should be able to quickly spot that Team A's win rate dropped last quarter because demos-to-proposals declined, while Team B is crushing quota by focusing on a particular industry vertical. Look for systems that make it easy to analyse patterns — like showing that enterprise deals close 40% faster when legal is involved before the proposal stage. The reporting should help reps prioritise their time too, by highlighting deal characteristics that make certain prospects more likely to convert. For example, it might recognise that deals with multi-threaded relationships close at twice the rate of single-contact opportunities.

Check how the software performs in real-world scenarios. Your reps should be able to quickly update an opportunity status while walking out of a customer meeting or access the latest account notes while waiting in a client's lobby. Look for features that help in common situations — like being able to easily log a call while driving to the next appointment using voice commands or accessing key customer details even when the wifi drops in a prospect's office building. The mobile experience should help reps stay productive on the go without requiring them to duplicate their work later at their desk.

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Selecting the best sales management software requires careful consideration of your team's unique needs, the software's features and how well it integrates into your existing processes. Follow these steps when evaluating sales management software to find the right solution for your sales organisation:

Map out exactly how your team qualifies, advances and closes deals. Include every step from lead scoring to proposal approval to sales forecasting. Compare this against each platform's workflow tools to ensure that it supports your selling process without awkward workarounds. The right software adapts to how you sell, not the other way around.

Don't just sit through vendor demos — have your reps test the software with actual prospect data and common sales scenarios. Watch them log calls, update opportunities and build quotes. If adding a meeting note takes six clicks or pipeline updates are buried in submenus, your team will find workarounds instead of using the system. The platform that matches your team's natural workflow is the one that will stick.

Beyond per-user pricing, get clear timelines for data migration, team training and customising pipelines and reports. Ask about implementation support and what internal resources you'll need. Understanding exactly when your team can start selling effectively with the new system helps avoid revenue dips during the transition.

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Having the right sales management tool is essential for keeping teams organised, productive and focused on closing deals. Prioritise options that streamline sales processes by bringing all customer data into one place and automating time-consuming tasks. This allows sales teams to spend more time connecting with customers and closing deals. With sales management software that has real-time insights powered by AI, teams can easily prioritise leads and make smarter decisions.

Choosing the right sales software gives your team the tools they need to work more efficiently, stay organised and drive sustained business growth.

This article is for informational purposes only. This article features products from Salesforce, which we own. We have a financial interest in their success, but all recommendations are based on our genuine belief in their value.

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Learn more about commonly asked questions:

Salespeople, managers and teams depend on sales management software. Field sales teams use it to track customer interactions, while inside sales teams manage high-volume lead pipelines. Sales operations teams use it for forecasting and analytics and sales leaders monitor team performance and spot sales coaching opportunities.

By automating routine tasks like data entry and follow-ups, sales management software gives reps more time for meaningful customer conversations. Real-time pipeline visibility helps spot at-risk deals before they slip away, while AI-powered insights for sales guide reps toward the most promising opportunities. Teams using these tools often see shorter sales cycles and higher close rates simply because they're working smarter, not harder.

Pricing varies widely based on team size, features needed and deployment options. Most providers offer tiered pricing plans that let teams start with essential features and scale up as needed. Entry-level packages typically include basic pipeline tracking and contact management, while enterprise solutions add advanced sales analytics, AI capabilities and customisation options. Since pricing structures and features change frequently, it's best to contact vendors directly for current quotes that match your team's specific needs.

Getting up and running with sales management software varies by platform and team size. Cloud-based solutions often take days rather than weeks to implement, especially when they integrate smoothly with existing sales software. While there's always a learning curve, most reps master the essential features within their first week. The key is choosing software with strong onboarding support and training resources.

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