best sales management tools

When you type “sales management software” into G2, you get a list of 802 tools. Calling the choice wide would be a slight understatement. Choosing the wrong tool can be costly—not just financially, but also in terms of time. Especially, if you end up switching to a better-suited system after already investing in the first one.

With so many options, how do you pick the right platform, i.e., one that fits your needs and budget? 

In this article, we list 8 sales management tools worth exploring. Each features opinions from real-life users on what they like and dislike about the specific tool. 

What to pay attention to while shortlisting sales management tools

Usability.

It can be tempting to choose a tool that offers dozens of features, hoping you might need them at some point in the future. However, many feature-rich platforms are often complex and have a steep learning curve, which can negatively impact adoption rates. I recommend selecting a tool that’s easy to learn without lengthy training–like Livespace. 

Long-term cost. 

Focusing on entry-level price only is one of the most common mistakes we’ve heard about from sales management software users. If the tool you’re considering charges per seat, how many employees will use it? Also, always try to forecast future costs, like having to build custom integrations or upgrading to a higher plan to get access to more functionalities.  

1. Livespace

Livespace is a CRM for small and medium businesses operating in a B2B model or B2C with a consultative sales approach. It works especially well for companies with complex sales processes, which include many steps. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, regardless of how unique your customer acquisition process is, our tool can fully reflect it. Secondly, it tells you exactly what you should do to win the deal for each opportunity you’re working on.

best sales management software; Livespace helps you spot sales opportunities and predict your future income

Thanks to this, Livespace is one of the top tools for sales managers, giving them more control over their team actions and results.

Best features

  • Profit forecastingget a clear view of your future income with Livespace’s forecasting tools. You can even set values for each sales stage to make your predictions more accurate. 
  • Sales boton top of assigning leads to sales team members, it also handles repetitive tasks, freeing up your time to focus on what matters most.  
  • Sales process automationcreate after-sales tasks or update deal statuses automatically based on specific triggers without any manual work. 

What people like about Livespace’s sales management software

In online reviews, Livespace users repetitively mention that their teams were able to quickly pick up work, without engaging in lengthy onboarding or special training methods.

In his Capterra review, one sales support specialist called Livespace “the simplest system I have worked on in my 11 years of work in the factoring industry.”

Another user, who switched to it from inFlow Inventory and HubSpot, said that the platform strikes the balance between simplicity and versatility:

“Livespace has the exact right amount of features to make it work without being overwhelming and not being overly simplified at the same time.” 

The downside 

Some users mention they’d like to see more sophisticated reporting and automation options.

2. Pipedrive

Pipedrive uses AI to automate entire sales processes, including pipeline tracking, lead optimization, and deal management – all so you can focus on selling. It offers plenty of integration options (over 500 to be more specific) so you can rest assured that whichever tool you use, you’ll be able to connect it with Pipedrive.

tools for sales managers; an example from Pipedrive 

Image source 

Best features

  • Pipeline management – the visual pipeline gives sales teams a clear overview of the entire sales process, letting them track deals across various stages and effectively manage deals. 
  • Email integration and tracking – you can manage all your communication within Pipedrive as it integrates with email services like Outlook and Gmail. It offers customizable email templates to boost your outreach efforts. 
  • Activity tracking and automation – Pipedrive users can schedule, track, and manage sales activities to ensure timely follow-ups and task completion. The automation features free salespeople from repetitive tasks and give them more time to focus on closing deals.

What people like about Pipedrive’s sales management software

Teresha Aird, Co-Founder & CMO at Offices.net, said, “we chose Pipedrive for our sales team after trialing several different options. Its visual pipeline stood out—it is simple to customize and makes tracking deals intuitive. We were drawn to its focus on sales processes without being overloaded with marketing features that we didn’t need at the time of implementation. The standout feature is its ease of use. The drag-and-drop functionality for managing deals keeps the process simple and saves time.”

The downside 

Pipedrive has limited customization options, which might be challenging especially if your business needs extensive tailoring to align with unique processes. This downside hasn’t gone unnoticed by Aird, she said “I’d like to see more integration options with tools outside its core ecosystem. For instance, connecting it directly to some email marketing platforms feels clunky and requires third-party apps to pull off.”

3. Zendesk Sell

Zendesk Sell is another sales management tool worth looking into. It isn’t just a CRM, it’s a sales acceleration platform that’s designed to streamline sales processes. It allows sales teams to work smarter, close deals faster, and achieve better results with less effort. With Zendesk Sell, teams can benefit from a clearer understanding of their sales pipeline, letting them prioritize high-value opportunities and stay on top of every deal.

sales management software; a dashboard from Zendesk

Image source 

Best features

  • Email integration – users appreciate the seamless email integration, which allows them to sync existing email accounts, use templates, and automatically track communications. 
  • Powerful analytics – Zendesk offers detailed reports and insights, which help spot bottlenecks faster, forecast revenue, and optimize sales processes for better results. 
  • Mobile-friendly – no matter if you’re in the office or on the go, you can access all your information thanks to the fully functional mobile app. 

What people like about Zendesk’s sales team management software

“I really like to have everything in one place. All of my files, emails, tasks, contacts, notes, everything is all connected. Having it all in one place simplifies my life a lot. I also like that you can assign things to other people,” said one of the users in their Capterra review.  

The downside 

Naturally, Zendesk Sell isn’t free from flaws. Users have mixed opinions about its integration features. They’re disappointed by the lack of third-party and social media integrations, which they believe reduces the software’s overall usefulness and adaptability for their business requirements. Some users also complain about it not being intuitive enough and being a bit too expensive, especially for smaller businesses. 

4. ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign helps sales teams close deals faster by combining automation and personalization. Its automation capabilities take repetitive tasks off your plate, letting you focus on building meaningful relationships. While its personalization features give you the chance to engage with leads at the right time and with the right message making every interaction count. 

Clear pipelines and insightful reporting keep sales teams informed about where to invest their efforts, which reduces time wasted and help them hit their sales goals. 

sales management software; a dashboard from ActiveCampaign

Image source 

Best features

  • Lead nurturing – ActiveCampaign allows you to automate relevant content based on order sizes, response times, and other factors, making sure that every contact gets a flow that’s right for them.
  • Customer journey mapping – you can track leads from the awareness stage all the way through to conversion.
  • Customizable pipelines – it lets users adapt pipelines to match their sales process, making it easier to track and manage deals. 

What people like about ActiveCampaign’s sales management software

Here is what one user mentioned in their G2 review: “I love ActiveCampaign. We switched from a much more difficult and confusing software a couple months ago. It was not an easy migration because we had so many automations to move, but ActiveCampaign’s customer support is top-notch. Almost every time I’ve needed them, they have blown me away with their responsiveness and willingness to get to the bottom of the problem. That, combined with the workshop, made our migration as smooth as it possibly could be”.

“I am very impressed with the capabilities of the software, too. It is SOOOOO much easier to use than our previous one, and I find myself looking forward to getting in there and seeing what’s going on, instead of dreading it. Our sales team uses the CRM everyday, and is very happy with it, as well,” she added. 

The downside 

Although it integrates sales CRM features, these can feel less robust compared to dedicated CRM platforms like Salesforce or HubSpot. ActiveCampaign’s wide range of features and complex automation workflows can overwhelm new users, increasing the learning curve. In fact, ActiveCampaign is more of a marketing automation tool than a 360 CRM.

5. HubSpot

HubSpot is a massive engine, which provides a 360-degree view of customer, marketing, and sales data. Describing its full capabilities is well beyond the scope of this piece, so let’s zero-in on what it can do for sales management.

We can roughly categorize its tools for sales managers into two – a free, basic CRM, and a more advanced platform called Sales Hub.

sales management software; example from HubSpot’s free CRM tool 

 

Image source

The free tool lets you save data for up to 1,000 contacts. It offers several functionalities, like creating sales email templates (up to three), a shared inbox for lead and client communication, and deal pipeline (one per account). Once you’ve hit these limits, you can subscribe to a paid Sales Hub plan, which starts at $20/seat/month.

Best features 

  • Deal pipeline management – for tracking both team- and individual-level sales performance.
  • Sales automation – for setting automated, personalized follow-ups across different channels.
  • Email tracking – for checking email open rates, clicks, and scoring deals.

What people like about HubSpot’s sales management tools

Users value different aspects of HubSpot based on their plan – free or paid.

Here’s what Robin Salvador, CEO & Co-Founder at Caffeine Brothers, told us about the free CRM:

“The thing we value most is its lead tracking—every interaction is captured in one place. This has been very helpful for understanding where prospects are in the pipeline”.

Meanwhile, Sales Hub user Alex Ugarte, Operations Manager at London Office Space, said:

“We use Sales Hub for its user-friendly interface and seamless integration with our marketing tools. It excels in tracking sales activities, managing pipelines, and providing detailed analytics. We chose it due to its ability to scale with our growing team and its robust automation features, which streamline follow-ups and reduce manual tasks.”  

The downside 

While not a downside, per se, many users point out that HubSpot’s free functionalities quickly become insufficient. The CRM gives a good feel of what HubSpot’s sales team management software is capable of, but using it for larger-scale sales operations requires upgrading to a paid plan. Ugarte also mentioned reporting: “The reporting features on the free tier can feel limiting; advanced analytics require upgrading, which can be a significant cost for smaller businesses with limited budgets.”

Also, HubSpot has a steeper learning curve than tools like Livespace and Pipedrive.

6. Salesforce Cloud

Salesforce is another sales management software powerhouse. Here, we focus on its Sales Cloud platform. It pulls in data from different departments in the company and offers advanced analytics and AI-powered sales tools to make employees’ work more efficient. 

As the name gives away, the solution is cloud-based, letting teams work together remotely and access data safely anywhere. It’s also divided into a few modules, including those focused on growing sales engagement and developing sales programs.

sales team management software; screen from Sales Cloud, one of Salesforce’s tools for sales managers

Image source

Best features

  • AppExchange Marketplace – the marketplace gives access to thousands of 3rd party apps and integrations. Salesforce says it lets you “build custom apps in just a few clicks”.
  • Customization options – users appreciate that they can tailor their workflows and customize user interfaces and data structures, depending on ongoing needs.
  • Task automation – users can lean on the platform’s automation and AI capabilities to spend less time on routine tasks like follow-up emails and more on human-human interactions.

What people like about Salesforce Cloud sales team management software

“It helps your data stick to one place and has great compatibility to be used with various other applications directly. Beyond this, it also ensures that you can create the dashboards as per your requirements” –  said Enterprise Implementation Manager Akshay Bhagchandani in his review on G2.

The downside 

The number one aspect tentative Salesforce users mention is its steep learning curve, requiring lengthy upfront training. Others also mention its high long-term cost. There’s no free plan, and subscriptions for the most basic, slimmed-down version of the CRM start at $25/user/month. To use advanced features like AI sales agents, companies must sign up to an enterprise subscription, which start at $165/user/month.

It’s also worth mentioning that – to use certain functionalities or integrations – users must often upgrade to higher plans, which generates extra cost.

7. Monday

Monday CRM is another popular sales team management software. Among others, it lets sales team members track opportunities, schedule personalized follow-up messages and calls, and customize their workflows. It’s also known for its automation features – users can set up rules, like “when email is opened, notify the sales representative via email”.

sales team management software; screenshot from Monday CRM

Image source

Best features

  • Drag-and-drop customizations – Monday lets businesses rearrange different sales stages and add tasks to the backlog without any coding.
  • Robust integrations – the platform offers plenty of third-party integrations with apps like Slack, Zoom, and others.
  • Mobile Access – sales team members can access tasks and prospect data remotely, boosting their reaction time and productivity without access to a laptop or desktop device.

What people like about the Monday CRM sales management platform

“I love how Monday CRM adapts to my sales process, letting me customize workflows rather than follow a rigid structure. Its visual interface helps our team quickly see where deals stand,” said Account Manager Desiree McCarthy on G2.

“It keeps track of all my contacts and most of my interactions with clients, also great for managing projects and workflows” – according to a review from a real estate broker associate on Capterra.

The downside 

The commonly mentioned downside of Monday CRM is its growing complexity as needs become more advanced. Users mention that the more integrations and custom features, the harder it can be to keep track.

8. Instantly CRM

Instantly is a multi-channel sales management platform that lets you warm up leads, run cold email outreach campaigns, and manage all communication with prospects in one place. It offers integrations with Zapier, Slack, and Google Calendar, among other popular tools. On top of the CRM itself, users can also acquire verified leads and use Instantly’s email sending and warmup products.

tools for sales managers; screen of a shared inbox in Instantly CRM

Image source

What makes it stand out from most sales management platforms is that it offers unlimited team seats, under a flat-fee subscription. 

Best features

  • AI-driven personalization available in the higher CRM plan; the platform analyzes lead data and uses it to automate personalized messages.
  • Customizable sales pipelines – users can create custom sales flows tailored to specific conditions, improving targeting and efficiency in sales campaigns.
  • Single inbox it acts as a single source of truth, bringing all emails, call history, and sales tasks into a single place.

What people like about Instantly CRM sales management software

In online reviews, users particularly appreciate ease of use, as in this comment from Raphael Durand on G2: “Instantly is very user friendly and it allows you to start running email campaigns in no time at all. The DFY emails make it easy to get up and running and after 14 days of warming up the emails, you get cracking and do your outreach.” 

The downside 

Some people mention that certain features don’t feel complete: “The new lead finder feels like an incomplete idea. Sure, it helps gather leads, but it lacks depth. The inability to craft or automate ice breakers directly within the tool is a huge letdown—it feels like a missed opportunity for personalization, which is key in outreach,” said Khaled Abd El Nasser on G2.

There are plenty of tools for sales managers, so choose wisely

Choosing the right sales team management software can take time. The best way to check if the option you’re considering is the right fit is by scheduling a demo (it’s even better than signing up to a free trial). The reason for this is that you don’t need to figure out how it works yourself; the company’s team will walk you through and answer any questions, including how you could use it for specific scenarios.

Schedule a demo to see if Livespace fits your needs. 

 

[Total: 0   Average: 0/5]

Author

Kasia & Anna from Contentki
Kasia & Anna from Contentki
We’re a content duo working with tech and SaaS brands from all over the world. With experience in sales, marketing, and product, we create content that’s packed with insights and practical tips. Our goal is to help brands share their expertise and build trust while keeping things engaging and approachable.