Best CRM for sales automation

As a sales professional, keeping up with leads, managing follow-ups, and closing deals efficiently can be time-consuming without the right tools. A CRM system with sales automation features can help you streamline your sales process by automating repetitive tasks, tracking customer interactions, and managing your pipeline. All in one place. With the right CRM, you can save time, stay organized, and focus more on closing deals.
In this blog post, we’ll explore the best CRM options for sales automation, highlighting tools that will help you boost your productivity and sales performance.

Why you need a CRM

A CRM offers a centralized platform for managing interactions, data, and workflows. And, with the right sales automation features - it can make a difference in what your sales team prioritizes and how they collaborate.

Challenges without a CRM

Without the right CRM in place, a team is likely to face the following challenges that can impact their workload and priorities.

• Disorganization: Scattered data and fragmented processes lead to inefficiencies.
• Missed opportunities: Lack of a unified system causes potential leads to slip through the cracks.
• Inefficient processes: Manual tasks consume valuable time and resources.
• Lack of insight: Inadequate data analytics hinder strategic decision-making.
• Inconsistent communication: Poor coordination results in a disjointed customer experience.

Benefits of a CRM

Fortunately, having the right CRM in your tech stack that has the sales automation features you need can help you address these challenges and enhance your team's performance.

• Centralized information: All customer data and interactions are stored in one place.
• Enhanced efficiency: Automated workflows save time and reduce errors.
• Improved customer relationships: Personalized interactions foster loyalty and satisfaction.
• Better decision-making: Data-driven insights guide strategic actions.
• Increased sales: Streamlined processes lead to higher conversion rates.
• Consistent communication: Unified messaging ensures a cohesive customer experience.

How to evaluate and choose a CRM

With a lot of CRMs on the market it can be hard to distinguish which one is right for you, and has the sales automation features you're after. To help you with your decision making process, we've put together these top tips.

1. Define your requirements

Identifying the key features needed for your business is crucial when selecting the best CRM for sales automation. As a busy sales team, you should focus on features such as lead management, workflow automation, email integration, analytics, and reporting. These features can streamline your sales process, improve efficiency, and boost your team's productivity.

Key features of a CRM for sales automation

• Automated processes: Streamlines tasks by automating repetitive workflows.
• Contact management: Brings all your contacts from multiple inboxes and social media accounts to one place.
• Contact enrichment: Automatically finds leads and customers email addresses and contact information, enhancing efficiency.
• Notes and reminders: Allows you to take notes collaboratively as a team, to create a single source of truth and assign reminders so the right person follows up.
• Structured pipeline: Tracks Leads, Customers through defined stages, ensuring process clarity and effectiveness.
• Mail merge and email sequences: Increases communication efficiency with follow-up templates and automated sequences.
• LinkedIn connection: Seamlessly imports leads and customers from LinkedIn and Sales Navigator to leverage your network within the CRM.
• Analytics: Provides essential data analysis and predictive insights for better planning.

2. Budget considerations

Balancing cost and return on investment is essential. Evaluate the pricing models of various CRM platforms and consider the long-term benefits they offer. An affordable CRM that provides robust sales automation features can significantly enhance your sales performance without straining your budget.

3. Selection process

Researching and choosing the right CRM platform involves several steps. Start by reading reviews and testimonials, comparing features, and seeking recommendations from other founders. Additionally, check for customer support quality and the vendor's reputation in the market. This thorough vetting process ensures you select a reliable partner for your sales automation needs.

4. Get a demo

Make sure you try the CRMs on your short list so you can experience how it can adapt to your workflow and tech stack first hand. Most CRMs offer free trials or demos, allowing you to test their features and usability. During this period, assess how well each CRM integrates with your existing tools and how effectively it automates your sales processes. Make your decision based on which platform best aligns with your business goals and operational needs. Get started with a demo of folk to see why it's loved by sales teams.

3 tips for implementing a CRM

At this stage, it's time to get excited to introduce your new CRM to your team. To help you create a smooth implementation process, we've rounded up the following tips.

1. Import your data into your new CRM

Transitioning to a new CRM can be seamless if you properly import your existing data. Most CRMs, including Folk, allow you to import data via CSV files. This ensures that all your contacts, deals, and sales activities are transferred accurately.

2. Create your first pipeline

Once your data is imported, the next step is to set up your first sales pipeline. Tailor the pipeline stages to reflect your sales automation process. Typical stages might include Lead Generation, Qualification, Proposal, Negotiation, and Closing. Customizing these stages will help streamline your sales efforts and provide clear visibility into each deal's progress.

3. Onboard your team

Having to use a software you're not familiar with can be daunting. To empower your teammates, conduct training sessions to familiarize your sales team with the new CRM's features and benefits. Highlight how sales automation can save time and improve efficiency. Encourage team members to explore the CRM and provide feedback to refine its use. A well-onboarded team is more likely to leverage the CRM to its full potential, driving better sales outcomes.

The 5 best CRMs for sales automation

1. folk

folk is a modern CRM platform for managing contacts, workflows, and relationships, offering customizable pipelines, AI-driven tools, and integrations to enhance deal management and prospecting.

Key features

• Sales cycle and pipeline management: Keep your leads and sales cycle organized with folk's easy to customize dashboards and use their sales automation features to enrich, segment and personalize your communications in moments.
• Contact enrichment: Automatically enriches contact details by finding emails and LinkedIn URLs, enabling efficient outreach without manual data entry or additional costs for email services.
• LinkedIn integration: Seamlessly import contacts from LinkedIn and Sales Navigator to track contacts within folk, and use templates for quicker, streamlined communication.
• Mail merge and email sequences: Full email sync compatible with Gmail and Outlook with access to templates, and tracking features, enabling users to manage all communications directly from the CRM.
• Notes and reminders: Allows you to take notes collaboratively as a team, to create a single source of truth and assign reminders so the right person follows up.
• AI-powered features: AI tools assist in managing contacts and relationships, automating routine tasks, and suggesting actions to improve productivity.
• Integrations: folk integrates seamlessly with over 6,000 apps, including Gmail, Zapier, and Make, allowing users to centralize their workflow and reduce manual data entry.
• Mobile app: Take folk on the go with you with folk's app suitable for iOS and Android users. Access contact information and create notes in meetings in the fully responsive app.

Pros

• Ease of use: folk is praised for its intuitive interface, making it accessible even to non-technical users with quick onboarding and a minimal learning curve.
• All-in-one: folk streamlines your workflow by allowing you to import contacts from LinkedIn, automatically find their emails, reach out through customizable email sequences, and track interactions in a pipeline, eliminating the need for multiple tools and saving time and money.
• Full personalization: Custom fields, pipelines, dashboards, automation and workflows.
• Permissions control: Team leads can control what users have access to and can edit.
• Integrations: folk integrates seamlessly with over 6,000 apps, including Gmail, Zapier, and Make, allowing users to centralize their workflow and reduce manual data entry.

Cons

• Reporting: Currently lacks reporting features, but there are plans for future implementation.
  

Price and plans

You can try folk for free with a 14-day free trial. After that, a monthly or annual subscription plan is as follows.

• Standard: $20 per user, per month.
• Premium: $40 per user, per month.
• Custom: Starts from $60 per user, per month.

2. HubSpot

Hubspot CRM is a user-friendly, scalable platform offering integrated tools for managing sales, marketing, customer service, and operations efficiently.

Key features

• Marketing hub: Includes email marketing, ad tracking, landing pages, and lead generation tools, essential for capturing and nurturing leads.
• Sales hub: Provides deal tracking, pipeline management, sales automation, and reporting, crucial for managing leads and customers efficiently.
• Lead scoring: Prioritize leads with predictive scoring to improve sales efficiency and focus on high-potential prospects.
• Automation capabilities: Offers tools for automating tasks like email marketing and sales workflows, saving time and improving productivity.
• Customizable dashboard and reports: Create custom dashboards and reports to track sales metrics and gain insights into lead and customer behavior.

Pros

• User-friendly interface: HubSpot is known for its intuitive and easy-to-use interface, making it accessible for users of all skill levels.
• Comprehensive free plan: Offers a robust free version that includes essential CRM features, making it ideal for small businesses and startups.
• Seamless integration with Marketing Tools: HubSpot integrates smoothly with its marketing, sales, and service hubs, creating a unified platform for inbound marketing and customer management.
• Automation capabilities: Provides powerful automation tools for tasks like email marketing, lead nurturing, and sales workflows, helping businesses save time and improve efficiency.
• Extensive learning resources: HubSpot Academy offers a wealth of free courses, certifications, and resources to help users get the most out of the platform.

Cons

• High cost at higher tiers: HubSpot’s pricing can become expensive as you move to higher tiers, which may be prohibitive for small businesses as they scale.
• Limited customization in free plan: The free plan and lower tiers have limited customization options, which can restrict flexibility for growing businesses.
• Complexity in advanced features: Some advanced features, such as custom reporting and workflows, have a steep learning curve and may require additional training.
• Email marketing limits: Email marketing functionality in the free plan is restricted by limits on the number of emails you can send, which can be a drawback for businesses with larger lists.
• Limited reporting capabilities in lower tiers: Detailed reporting and analytics features are often locked behind higher-priced plans, limiting insights for businesses on lower tiers.
  

Price and plans

On an annual subscription basis, HubSpot's Sales hub plans are as follows.

• Starter: $15 per user, per month.
• Professional: $90 per user, per month.
• Enterprise: $150 per user, per month.

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3. Pipedrive

Pipedrive is a web-based CRM for small businesses, offering lead management, automation, email integration, and customizable pipelines to optimize sales.

Key features

• Lead and deal management: Centralized tools to manage leads and customer data, interactions, and sales pipelines, helping teams act quickly on opportunities.
• Sales automation: Workflow automation to handle repetitive tasks, such as lead routing, follow-ups, and email sequences, allowing sales teams to focus on closing deals.
• Email integration: Full email sync, templates, and tracking features, enabling users to manage all communications directly from the CRM.
• Advanced reporting and analytics: Real-time data analytics and custom reporting tools to track sales performance, forecast revenue, and gain actionable insights.
• Customization and security: Options to customize pipelines, fields, and user permissions, with robust security measures to protect data.

Pros

• User-friendly interface: Known for its intuitive and visually appealing interface, making it easy for users to navigate and manage their sales pipelines.
• Sales pipeline focus: Specifically designed for managing sales pipelines, offering a visual approach that helps sales teams track deals and activities effectively.
• Customization: Allows for a high degree of customization, enabling users to tailor the platform to their specific sales processes with custom fields and workflows.
• Automation features: Includes automation tools that help streamline repetitive tasks, such as sending follow-up emails and moving deals through the pipeline, saving time and boosting productivity.
• Lead management: Offers effective lead management features, including lead scoring and tracking, which help sales teams prioritize and convert leads more efficiently.

Cons

• Limited advanced features: Lacks some of the more advanced CRM features, such as extensive marketing automation and AI capabilities, which are available in other platforms.
• Basic reporting in lower tiers: The reporting and analytics features in the basic plans are somewhat limited, requiring upgrades to access more in-depth insights.
• No built-in email marketing: Does not include built-in email marketing features, requiring users to integrate with third-party email tools for such functionality.
• Price increases with add-ons: The cost can increase quickly when additional features or integrations are added, making it less cost-effective for businesses with growing needs.
• No free plan: Unlike some other CRM platforms, does not offer a free version, which may be a barrier for very small businesses or startups with limited budgets.
  

Price and plans

Pipedrive's annual subscription plan basis is as follows.

• Essential plan: Starts from $24 per user, per month.
• Advanced plan: Starts from $44 per user, per month.
• Power plan: Starts from $79 per user, per month.
• Enterprise plan: Starts from $129 per user, per month.

4. Zoho

Zoho is a CRM system with a strong sales focus. It has journey orchestration, sales process management, and workflow automation features. There's also something for marketing teams, including event management and customer segmentation.

Key features

• Sales automation: Automates sales tasks like lead management, deal tracking, and follow-up actions.
• Customizable dashboards and reports: Allows users to create and customize dashboards and reports for in-depth analytics.
• Multi-channel communication: Integrates with email, phone, social media, and live chat to manage customer interactions.
• Lead and contact management: Manages customer information, tracks interactions, and segments contacts for targeted campaigns.
• Workflow automation: Automates routine tasks and processes to improve efficiency and reduce manual effort.

Pros

• Affordability: Zoho CRM offers competitive pricing with various tiers, making it accessible to small and medium-sized businesses as well as larger enterprises.
• Customization: Extensive customization options allow businesses to tailor the CRM to their specific needs, including custom fields, modules, and workflows.
• Integration with Zoho suite: Seamless integration with other Zoho products (like Zoho Books, Zoho Projects, and Zoho Campaigns) creates a comprehensive ecosystem for managing different business functions.
• Multi-channel communication: Zoho CRM supports email, phone, social media, and live chat, enabling businesses to manage all customer interactions from a single platform.
• AI-powered features: Zia, the AI assistant, provides intelligent insights, predictive analytics, and task automation, helping to improve sales and marketing efficiency.

Cons

• Steep learning curve: The extensive customization options can be overwhelming for new users, requiring a significant time investment to master the platform.
• Complex setup: Initial setup and configuration can be complex, particularly for businesses without technical expertise or dedicated IT resources.
• User interface: Some users find the interface to be outdated or cluttered compared to other modern CRM platforms, which can affect usability.
• Performance issues: Occasional reports of slow performance, especially with large datasets or complex operations, can hinder productivity.
• Limited third-party integrations: While Zoho integrates well with its own suite of products, integration with third-party applications can be limited or require additional effort.
  

Price and plans

Zoho's free plan is limited to three users. After that, if you're after more features or seats an annual subscription plan is as follows.

• Standard: $20 per user, per month.
• Professional: $35 per user, per month.
• Enterprise: $50 per user, per month.

5. Salesforce

Salesforce is a robust CRM platform for large enterprises, offering tools for sales, marketing, service, and analytics, with extensive scalability.

Key features

• AI Integration: Salesforce Einstein offers AI-driven analytics and automation, providing insights to optimize sales strategies.
• Customization and scalability: Highly customizable and scalable, allowing businesses to tailor the platform to specific sales workflows.
• Extensive integration capabilities: Integrates with a wide range of third-party applications, ensuring seamless operation across different business systems.
• Advanced analytics and reporting: Provides powerful analytics and reporting tools, offering deep insights into sales data.
• Mobile accessibility: Robust mobile app allows users to manage CRM on the go, with full access to key features.

Pros

• Comprehensive feature set: Covers sales, service, marketing, and more, making it a powerful tool for managing customer relationships.
• Highly customizable: Allows businesses to tailor the platform to their specific sales needs with custom fields, objects, and workflows.
• Extensive integration capabilities: Integrates with a vast array of third-party applications, enabling seamless data flow across platforms.
• Scalability: Suitable for businesses of all sizes, with the ability to grow with your business.
• Artificial intelligence (AI) integration: Salesforce Einstein offers predictive analytics, automation, and personalized recommendations to enhance productivity.

Cons

• High cost: Can be expensive, especially for small to medium-sized businesses, with high licensing fees and additional costs for add-ons.
• Steep learning curve: Extensive feature set and complexity require significant time and training for users to become proficient.
• Complex setup and customization: Initial setup and customization can be challenging and often require expert help or certified consultants.
• User interface: Some users find the interface to be outdated and not as intuitive as other modern CRM platforms.
• Overwhelming for small teams: Robust features may be overkill for smaller teams or businesses, leading to underutilization of the platform’s capabilities.
  

Price and plans

• Starter suite: $25/user/month provides basic CRM features for small businesses.
• Pro suite: $100/user/month includes advanced tools for growing businesses.
• Enterprise plan: $165/user/month offers extensive customization and automation for large companies.
• Unlimited plan: $330/user/month provides comprehensive features for large enterprises.
• Einstein 1 Sales: $500/user/month provides AI-driven insights and advanced features for large enterprises.

Conclusion

Choosing the best CRM for sales automation is crucial for optimizing your sales processes and driving growth in your business. Whether you're a startup founder or managing a small to medium-sized business, platforms like folk, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zoho, and Salesforce offer diverse features to meet your unique needs. It's essential to evaluate your requirements, budget, and the specific features each CRM offers to make an informed decision. Once implemented, a CRM can significantly enhance your sales efficiency, streamline workflows, and improve customer relationships. Don't hesitate to try folk for free here.

Need a helping hand? Use our free tool to find your perfect CRM match.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What CRM should you use if you're after sales automation features?

If you're after sales automation features, we suggest looking into CRMs such as folk, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zoho, and Salesforce. Each offers unique features tailored to different business needs. For example, folk is praised for its contact enrichment and LinkedIn integration, while HubSpot excels in marketing automation, and Salesforce is known for its scalability and extensive customization.

Do I need a CRM?

Yes, depending on the complexity of your process. A CRM can streamline your sales process, improve customer relationships, and provide valuable insights. It centralizes data, automates repetitive tasks, and enhances communication, making it easier to manage leads and customers effectively.

How much does a CRM cost?

The cost of a CRM varies widely. For instance, folk starts at $20 per user per month, HubSpot begins at $15 per user per month, Pipedrive at $24 per user per month, Zoho at $20 per user per month, and Salesforce ranges from $25 to $500 per user per month. Prices often increase with advanced features and higher tiers.

Does folk’s CRM respond to sales automation needs?

Yes, folk’s CRM is designed to meet sales automation needs effectively. It offers features like contact enrichment, LinkedIn integration, email sync, and AI-powered tools. These features streamline workflows, enhance productivity, and centralize communication, making it a robust solution for automating sales processes and managing relationships efficiently.