Selling well really depends on using the right tools. Picture a simple compass on your phone that helps you navigate through the tricky world of selling, giving you clear plans, real-time facts, and tactics to earn more money. That’s what’s so cool about sales tracking apps!
These apps are seen as more than just helpers; they act like your own personal coach, pushing you to beat your previous achievements. In this piece, we’re going to have a look at the importance of these must-have tools for everyday businesses, and we’ll point out a few of the best ones you can get.
Key Features to Look for in a Sales Tracking App
You’ll see a few similar features across each of the options we’re about to go over, but some of them are less common than others.
Here are some of the features you should consider – remember the ones that are a must-have, the ones that are a nice-to-have, and the ones that you don’t need at all:
- All-encompassing Customer Connection Management: Simply put, it’s all about having features controlling different parts of customer relationships, like sales opportunities, leads, accounts, and contacts. This helps keep track of all sales actions, making things a lot more organized.
- Built-in Email and Conversation Tracking: We’re talking about a feature that lets emails and other forms of communication join seamlessly. It records every interaction with leads and customers right within the app, making sure everything is tracked thoroughly.
- Tools to Predict Sales: These are neat tools that guess upcoming sales relying on actual data and trends. They assist in strategic planning and finding out where to put resources.
- Adjustable Reports and Dashboards: What’s more, there are interactive dashboards and tools to make reports that you can tailor to get a live view and breakdown of your data. You can customize these to meet your company’s unique needs.
- Handling Quotes and Contract Management: Yep, you guessed it, it’s a simplified method for creating quotes and managing sales contracts. This enhances the smoothness and accuracy of sales deals.
- Extensive Management and Knowledge of the Sales Pipeline: These are advanced features that handle the sales pipeline while giving a deep look into each phase of the sales process and individual deals.
- Managing Different Territories: Tools here also help to handle sales efforts in various areas or locations to make strategies and distribute resources to the right place, wherever that might be.
- Automated tasks and Streamlined Approval Processes: It’s about making repeated sales tasks automatic and making approval processes smoother to boost how well things operate.
- Advanced Sales Automation and Tools for Engagement: This feature offers advanced automation for sales tasks and includes effective tools to interact with leads and customers.
- Predictable Analysis and AI Possibilities: It’s all about having features of artificial intelligence that offer predictable analysis for trends in sales and creating leads or opportunities based on patterns in data.
- Team Performance Observation and Working Together Features: Tools are in place for watching how well the sales team performs, enabling working together as a team and even joining up with popular communication platforms like Slack.
- Joining up Data and Income Intelligence: This has the ability to connect and analyze data from all sorts of internal and external sources. It also provides an all-rounded view of ways to earn and information about customers.
You’re not going to need all of these features; honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if you only needed one or two.
Still, it’s good to have this in mind before you commit to a new home for your sales process.
The Best Sales Tracking Apps for Businesses
Do you ever get tired of managing sales data from so many different areas? It’s like constantly running in place. You might want to stop and contemplate an easier path. Several reliable software solutions exist specifically for companies. Their aim? To make handling in-the-moment sales as smooth as possible for them.
1. Pipedrive
Simplify your sales management with Pipedrive. Its user-friendly interface helps track deal progress, starting at $14.90/user/month.
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2. Salesforce CRM
A leader in CRM solutions, Salesforce caters to all aspects of the sales process.
It offers customizable features and vast integration capabilities, with plans starting at $80/user/month.
3. Zoho CRM
Ideal for diverse business needs, Zoho CRM integrates seamlessly with other Zoho tools.
Pricing starts at $20/user/month, offering insightful customer data analysis with each plan.
4. Monday.com
Monday.com is a versatile project management tool that excels in sales tracking with clear overviews and collaboration features.
Pricing tiers range from a free basic plan to more advanced options, like the Pro plan, at $16/user/month.
5. Nimble
Stand out in CRM with Nimble’s focus on social sales.
For $29.90/user/month, get a comprehensive view of your customers with social media integration and efficient contact management.
6. Insightly
Merge CRM and project management seamlessly with Insightly.
It’s perfect for complex customer projects, offering plans from $29/user/month and a free trial to get started.
7. Capsule CRM
Ideal for small businesses or CRM beginners, Capsule CRM offers straightforward functionality with plans starting at $18/user/month.
Experience essential CRM features with a free 14-day trial.
8. HubSpot Sales Hub
This all-in-one platform includes Hubspot Sales Hub, CRM, and service tools.
HubSpot’s Professional plan begins at $500/month and provides comprehensive sales automation and analytics.
9. Freshsales
Designed for fast-paced sales teams, Freshsales from Freshworks brings AI-based lead scoring and integrated communication tools.
Plans range from a free basic option to the Enterprise plan at $69/user/month (annual billing).
10. Close
Boost your sales team’s productivity with Close.com’s predictive dialing and email automation features.
Pricing starts at $49/month for a single user, with flexible plans catering to different team sizes.
Picking sales tools for your business can help a lot. You should definitely test out the free trials to see which one is the best. A slow, careful approach to looking at each tool can be better than quickly trying to switch to all of them at once. This way, you don’t get stressed, and you pick a system that really fits what you need. It really can make a positive difference for your business. You might think taking this much time to decide would be too long, but it’s kind of a smart investment. After all, it’s better than the headache of having to switch tools down the line.
Why Should You Use Sales Tracking Apps?
Apps for tracking sales are like digital personal trainers for your business. They help you break your old sales records. Basically, these apps do more than just assist you digitally.
Sales tracking apps shine a spotlight on where your money is coming from. These apps also help build better relationships with your customers. They let you keep track of all your customer interactions, allowing you to provide personalized service. As a result, you build a strong relationship, and the customer keeps coming back.
These apps help your team do better, too, which is really important in an environment where everyone knows what the goals are and can easily check their progress. It’s like a sports team. They play better when they have clear stats and targets. The sales team also does better when they have clear targets and can see how they’re doing.
A study from McKinsey supports this idea. It found that the best-performing teams often use data-driven insights. This is something sales tracking software provides.
Handing out all the sales data to the team is very important. It lets everyone know who is responsible for what. It also makes the sales environment more competitive, which can lead to more sales.
But it’s not about creating a high-pressure environment. The focus should be on getting everyone to work together toward the same goal of growing the business.
Speaking from my own experience, using a good sales tracking system has been a game changer for my business at Level 6 Incentives. We’ve seen many benefits, like getting a clearer picture of our deals, improving relationships with our clients, and motivating our teams to always strive for better.
Choosing the Right Sales Tracking App for Your Business
When you’re trying to pick the right sales tracking app, it’s like picking a new car. You have to think about what you need and what you can spend. What kind of business you run matters a lot in this choice. Small businesses, for example, usually like easy-to-use apps with straightforward features. But bigger companies might need more advanced features, like detailed reports or being able to connect with their CRM system. HubSpot CRM is a good example. It has free services for brand-new businesses and also solutions that work well for growing businesses.
It’s unwise to put too much money into fancy software that is too expensive or not needed. It’s all about finding powerful features that fit within your budget. Many apps, like ZohoCRM, have different price levels to match different budgets.
Your industry also matters a lot. Different industries need different things from their sales tools. For example, real estate agencies could get a lot out of apps that keep track of property listings. Meanwhile, online businesses might get more out of apps that help recover lost sales from abandoned carts.
Defining your needs is also important. For example, does this tool have to work well with my current tech system? Is it important for my team that it’s easy to use? Do I need an app that can track sales from anywhere using mobile apps? So, having these kinds of questions in mind can help you avoid being tricked by fancy features you do not need. Just like you wouldn’t buy a fast car for off-road driving, you should not opt for unnecessary features in sales tracking apps.
Finally, many sales tracking tools give free trials before you decide to buy them. You should take this opportunity to try them out. It’s pretty easy to see if their performance is as good as they say it is by testing it out yourself.
Common Challenges with Sales Tracking Apps
Sales tracking apps, which are useful tools for businesses, sometimes present problems that can be solved. One common issue is the large amount of information these apps create. The trick, however, is learning how to sieve out the significant details from all the unimportant information for a business. You need to consider: Which details truly affect the company? Concentrating on these details and avoiding the unnecessary ones can reduce the data.
However, there may be some difficulties when your team starts using the software. One useful way to solve this problem is by creating an open and comfortable space from the beginning. Essentially, good hands-on training and constant support after putting the software into use are key steps to make this software work.
The third problem has to do with technology. Not all sales tracking apps fit perfectly with your existing systems. Make sure to find solutions that easily work with what you have. If necessary, you might need to consider adding middleware. Using apps like those on Capterra’s list, which are meant for sales teams and have shown to work fine, might come in handy.
Customization is the last hurdle discussed here. Ready-made solutions are plenty, but they might not meet your unique needs. If this happens, look into customized solutions such as those by Level 6 Incentives that create effective programs based on your specific business needs.
Consider every hurdle as a chance to improve. By tackling these common problems, your sales tracking app can reach its full potential, boosting your sales performance. Pretty easy, right?
Maximizing the Benefits of Your Sales Tracking App
Just having a sales tracking app isn’t the whole story. The real magic happens when your team knows how to use it to get the most out of it. So, it’s down to you to make sure your team can use the app skillfully.
Salesforce, for example, gives lots of teaching materials and step-by-step guides on its platform. These resources are the key to reaching peak productivity with your sales tracking app if you use them smartly.
When you’re buried under a pile of data, it can be too much. But quality should always win out over quantity. Use the helpful hints from your sales app to guide your decisions, focusing on important measures like how many sales you close or what it costs to snag a new customer.
Your app probably has a nifty visual dashboard that’s pretty easy to understand. It gives you a clear picture of the important data – you should really take advantage of that.
As your business changes and grows, you need to keep your software up to date. Make sure you tweak its settings to make it work best for your business.
Some companies, like Zoho CRM, give you loads of options to play around with. This helps businesses be more flexible and adapt more easily. Monday is famous for being super flexible – you can basically turn it into any type of CRM that you’d like. Others are more rigid, and you’ll have to adapt to their structure.
Your sales tracking app probably works well with many of the tools you use often. It could bring together or integrate these tools and make them perform better. So, think about it; joining your email marketing tools with your sales tracking app could improve the talk between your business and customers. MailChimp is a good example of this. It makes the process easier for users with its customer-friendly integrations.
Lastly, it’s crucial that your team actually uses the app! How effective your sales tracking app is seriously depends on how much your team uses it. This can be things like asking questions, offering suggestions, or coming up with better ways to use it.
Conclusion
Sales tools that track your progress are pretty important these days, especially for businesses that are always on the move. They’re more than just a digital crutch. These tools can guide you through hard situations in sales and management. They offer up-to-date info, smart advice, and better ways to connect with your customers. Any business aiming for more income should really think about incorporating them.
To choose the right tool, you need to think about your business size, your specific needs in your field, your budget, and how well the tool can work with other systems your business uses. There are a lot of options out there. For example, Pipedrive has clearly organized deal trackers, Salesforce provides a bunch of different features, and Zoho CRM is pretty flexible. There are a lot of apps out there, each offering their unique, helpful skills.
Just owning these apps won’t magically make your business better, though. You have to incorporate them into your daily operations, get your team onboard, and keep up-to-date with the newest features and best ways to use them. Regular use and careful analysis of the insights you gain can lead to smarter decisions, more productivity, and, eventually, better earnings.
It doesn’t matter how big or small your business is; sales tracking tools are essential. They help you maneuver the sales world better by using smart strategies, and this can lead to growth and stronger, profitable customer relationships. It’s high time your business is fully committed to this digital sales tracking transformation.
Start exploring these tools today. Guide your business towards achieving more success and income growth. Remember, the best tool can make your journey towards the top of your sales game a lot smoother.
Are you thinking about improving your company’s sales performance? With Level 6, we create personalized reward programs for you that bring real results. We can improve your performance, sharpen your current plans, reward your sales team, acknowledge your employees, build customer loyalty, and offer customer rebates. What are you waiting for? Give us a call at 855.254.6897 or visit our website to start your customized rewards program. Working together, we can take your business to new heights.
Claudine is the Chief Relationship Officer at Level 6. She holds a master’s degree in industrial/organizational psychology. Her experience includes working as a certified conflict mediator for the United States Postal Service, a human performance analyst for Accenture, an Academic Dean, and a College Director. She is currently an adjunct Professor of Psychology at Southern New Hampshire University. With over 20 years of experience, she joined Level 6 to guide clients seeking effective ways to change behavior and, ultimately, their bottom line.
