Best CRM for cold calling

As a sales professional making hundreds of cold calls a day, managing leads, tracking follow-ups, and staying organized becomes a bit tricky to manage without the right support. A dedicated Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system can help you streamline your cold calling efforts by keeping track of prospects, automating follow-up reminders, and providing insights into your call performance—all in one place. The right CRM will help you stay on top of your sales pipeline, improve efficiency, and ultimately increase your success rate.
In this blog post, we’ll explore the best CRM options for cold calling, focusing on tools that will help you manage your leads, track calls, and close more deals.

How to evaluate and choose a CRM

1. Define your requirements

When selecting the best CRM for cold calling, it's crucial to identify the key features that will benefit your business. We've rounded up some key features that can be helpful for your cold calling needs.

Key features of a CRM for cold calling

• Automated processes: Streamlines tasks by automating repetitive workflows.
• Contact enrichment: Automatically finds Leads, Customers email addresses and contact information, enhancing efficiency.
• 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 integration: Seamlessly imports Leads, Customers from LinkedIn and tracks conversations within the CRM.

2. Budget Considerations

Balancing cost and return on investment is vital when choosing a CRM for cold calling. Assess the pricing plans of various CRM platforms and consider the long-term benefits versus the initial cost. While some CRMs may offer advanced features at a higher price, they can significantly boost your sales team's productivity and lead conversion rates, ultimately providing a higher ROI.

3. Selection Process

To find the right CRM platform that suits your busy workflow, start by researching top-rated CRMs specialized in cold calling. Read user reviews, compare feature lists, and request demos. Check for vendors with a strong reputation in customer support and continuous software updates. Engaging with vendors through webinars or consultations can also provide deeper insights into how their CRM can meet your specific needs.

4. Get a demo

Trial different CRM platforms to understand their usability and effectiveness in cold calling. Compare features like call tracking, reporting, and integration capabilities. Engage your sales team in the evaluation process to gather their feedback. Choose a CRM that not only meets your current requirements but also scales with your business growth, ensuring long-term value. Get started with a demo of folk and see how it can streamline your cold calling processes.

3 tips for implementing a CRM

At this stage it's time to get excited about your brand new CRM system! We've rounded up some tips to help you make the most of your onboarding experience.

1. Import your data into your new CRM

Migrating your existing data is a critical step when switching CRMs. Start by exporting your data as a CSV file from your current CRM. Once you have your data ready, import it into your new CRM to ensure a smooth transition without losing any valuable information.

2. Create your first pipeline

Setting up your initial pipeline tailored to cold calling is essential for tracking your progress and managing leads effectively. Define the stages that correspond to your cold calling process, such as "Initial Contact," "Follow-Up," "Qualified Lead," and "Closed Deal." This structured approach helps in monitoring the status of each lead and ensures no potential client falls through the cracks.

3. Onboard your team

Once your CRM is set up, it's time to get your team on board. Provide comprehensive training sessions to familiarize them with the CRM's features, particularly those designed for cold calling. Encourage your team to utilize the CRM for logging calls, setting reminders, and tracking follow-ups. Effective onboarding ensures that everyone is aligned and can leverage the CRM to its full potential, ultimately boosting your cold calling efficiency.

The 5 best CRMs for cold calling

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

• 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.
• Social media integration: Seamlessly import contacts from LinkedIn and Sales Navigator, Instagram, Twitter and more to track all your contacts within folk, and use templates for quicker, streamlined communication.
• Mail merge and email sequences: Full email sync compatible with Gmail and Outlook, access to templates, and tracking features, enabling users to manage all communications directly from the CRM.
• 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.

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.
• Multiple pipeline management: Create separate pipelines for each cold calling project, attach notes from each call directly to a profile and set reminders for when you need to follow-up.
• Full personalization: From custom fields, pipelines, dashboards, automation and workflows.
• 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

• Sales Hub: Provides deal tracking, pipeline management, sales automation, and reporting, essential for managing and monitoring cold calling efforts and converting leads into customers.
• Lead scoring: Prioritize leads with predictive scoring to improve sales efficiency, allowing you to focus on high-potential cold calls.
• Automation capabilities: Automate follow-up emails and sales workflows to streamline your cold calling process and ensure timely follow-ups.
• Customizable dashboard and reports: Create customized dashboards and reports to track cold calling metrics and gain insights into your sales performance.
• Seamless integration with marketing tools: Integrates smoothly with marketing tools to ensure your cold calling efforts are aligned with broader marketing campaigns and strategies.

Pros

• User-friendly interface: The intuitive interface makes it easy for sales teams to manage cold calls and track leads without a steep learning curve.
• Comprehensive free plan: The robust free version includes essential CRM features, making it ideal for small businesses and startups focused on cold calling.
• Automation capabilities: Powerful automation tools help save time by automating repetitive tasks like follow-up emails and scheduling calls.
• Extensive learning resources: HubSpot Academy offers free courses and certifications to help sales teams improve their cold calling techniques and CRM usage.
• Customizable dashboard and reports: Customizable dashboards and reports allow you to track cold calling metrics and gain actionable insights.

Cons

• High cost at higher tiers: Pricing can become expensive at higher tiers, which may be prohibitive for small businesses as they scale their cold calling efforts.
• Limited customization in free plan: The free plan has limited customization options, which can restrict flexibility for businesses with specific cold calling needs.
• Complexity in advanced features: Advanced features like custom reporting and workflows have a steep learning curve, potentially requiring additional training.
• Email marketing limits: The free plan restricts the number of emails you can send, which can be a drawback for businesses with large cold calling lists.
• Additional costs for add-ons: Many useful features come as paid add-ons, increasing the overall cost for businesses looking to enhance their cold calling capabilities.

Price and Plans

HubSpot's sales hub annual subscription is as follows.

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

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 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: The CRM is 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.
• Affordability: Offers competitive pricing, making it accessible to small and medium-sized businesses without sacrificing essential CRM features.
• 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.

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.
• Restricted customization options: While customizable, it does not offer as many advanced customization options as some other CRMs, which can be a drawback for businesses with complex needs.
• 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.
• Limited customer support hours: Customer support is not available 24/7, which can be inconvenient for businesses operating in different time zones or needing immediate assistance.

Price and plans

An 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. Its got features such as journey orchestration, sales process management and workflow automation. There's also something for marketing teams, including lead hurting, event management and customer segmentation.

Key features

• Sales automation: Automates sales tasks like lead management, deal tracking, and follow-up actions, streamlining cold calling efforts.
• Multi-channel communication: Integrates with phone, email, social media, and live chat, allowing seamless management of interactions with leads and customers.
• Lead and contact management: Efficiently manages customer information, tracks interactions, and segments contacts for targeted cold calling campaigns.
• AI-powered sales assistant (Zia): Provides predictive analytics, task automation, and intelligent suggestions to enhance cold calling performance.
• Sales pipeline management: Visualizes and manages sales pipelines, helping to track the progress of cold calls and follow-up actions.

Pros

• Affordability: Competitive pricing with various tiers makes Zoho CRM accessible to startups and small businesses focused on cold calling.
• Customization: Extensive customization options allow tailoring the CRM to specific cold calling needs, including custom fields and workflows.
• Multi-channel communication: Supports phone, email, social media, and live chat, enabling management of all cold calling interactions from a single platform.
• AI-powered features: Zia, the AI assistant, offers intelligent insights and predictive analytics, improving the efficiency of cold calling campaigns.
• Mobile accessibility: Robust mobile app allows managing customer relationships and accessing data on the go, essential for cold calling on the move.

Cons

• Steep learning curve: Extensive customization options can be overwhelming for new users, requiring time to master the platform.
• Complex setup: Initial setup and configuration can be complex, especially for businesses without technical expertise.
• User interface: Some users find the interface outdated or cluttered, which can affect usability during cold calling operations.
• Performance issues: Occasional reports of slow performance, especially with large datasets, can hinder cold calling productivity.
• Limited third-party integrations: Integration with third-party applications can be limited, requiring additional effort for comprehensive cold calling workflows.

Price and plans

Free plan limited to three users suitable for small businesses. After that, 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

• Lead management: Efficiently track and manage leads from initial contact through to conversion, essential for cold calling campaigns.
• Call logging: Automatically log call details and outcomes to keep accurate records of all interactions with prospects and customers.
• Auto-dialer integration: Integrate with auto-dialer systems to streamline the cold calling process and increase call efficiency.
• Follow-up reminders: Set automated reminders for follow-up calls, ensuring no lead is forgotten.
• Reporting and analytics: Gain insights into call performance and lead conversion rates to continually refine your cold calling strategy.

Pros

• Comprehensive feature set: Salesforce offers a wide range of features that support every aspect of cold calling, from lead management to follow-up automation.
• Highly customizable: Customize the CRM to fit your specific cold calling workflows and business needs.
• Extensive integration capabilities: Seamlessly integrate with auto-dialers and other third-party tools to enhance your cold calling efforts.
• Advanced analytics and reporting: Utilize powerful analytics to track cold calling performance and optimize strategies.

Cons

• High cost: The pricing can be prohibitive for small businesses, especially when factoring in additional costs for necessary add-ons.
• Steep learning curve: New users may find the extensive feature set overwhelming, requiring significant time to become proficient.
• Complex setup and customization: Initial setup and customization can be challenging, often necessitating expert assistance.
• Overwhelming for small teams: The robust features may be more than what small teams need, leading to underutilization.
• Performance issues: Users sometimes report slow performance, particularly when handling large volumes of data.

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 cold calling can significantly impact your business's efficiency and success. Whether you are a startup founder or leading a small business, having a CRM tailored to your cold calling needs can streamline processes, enhance lead management, and boost sales performance. Platforms like Folk, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zoho, and Salesforce each offer unique features and benefits, catering to different business sizes and requirements. Folk stands out for its ease of use and all-in-one capabilities, while HubSpot offers a comprehensive free plan and robust automation tools. Pipedrive excels with its user-friendly interface and sales pipeline focus, Zoho provides extensive customization and multi-channel communication, and Salesforce offers a highly scalable solution with advanced features for larger enterprises. Evaluate your specific needs, budget, and team requirements to select the CRM that will best support your cold calling efforts and drive your business growth. Get started with your search by trying folk for free here.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What do busy sales professionals who cold call use as a CRM?

Sales professionals often use CRM solutions such as folk, Hubspot, Pipedrive, Zoho, and Salesforce. Folk is particularly popular for its ease of use and integration capabilities, while Hubspot and Salesforce are known for their extensive features. Pipedrive and Zoho are favored for their affordability and customization options.

Do I need a CRM?

Yes, depending on the complexity of your process. A CRM can streamline your cold calling efforts, improve lead management, and enhance overall business performance by automating routine tasks and providing valuable insights.

How much does a CRM cost?

CRM costs can vary widely. Basic plans start around $15 to $25 per user per month, while more advanced plans can range from $50 to $500 per user per month, depending on the features and scalability required.

Does folk’s CRM respond to cold calling needs?

Yes, folk’s CRM is highly effective for cold calling. It offers features like contact enrichment, LinkedIn integration, email sequences, and customizable pipelines, which streamline the cold calling process. Its intuitive interface and automation tools help save time and improve lead management, making it a great choice for cold calling.