Top 10 business management software | Salesdorado

There’s no such thing as “sales management software” or “business management software”.

In practice, we buy and use

• CRM software with a number of add-on modules,
• or ERP software with a CRM module and certain accounting modules,
• or pure invoicing/accounting software with integrations to other, more specialized software.

In this article, I’d like to introduce you to ten or so software programs that can help you manage your sales activity, each in a slightly different way.

What are the key features of high-performance sales management software?

Functionalities may vary from one software to another, but they generally include :

• Customer Relationship Management (CRM ): a function that centralizes customer data. It systematizes business processes for effective customer relationship management.
• Sales Administration and Billing (CPQ): CPQ functions enable efficient configuration, pricing and quotation generation. This feature simplifies the sales administration process.
• Purchasing and inventory management (ERP): a platform integrating ERP modules facilitates the seamless monitoring and management of production, procurement and inventory, guaranteeing complete control of all operations.
• Steering and management of financial performance: provides real-time cash flow monitoring, sales performance measurement, and precise management of margin rates at different levels (products, ranges, salespeople, customers, etc.).

Some software packages offer additional features, such as :

• Customization options: Good business management software enables the creation of customized reports, providing a clear view of your company’s performance.
• Customer service automation: while sales automation is commonplace, customer service automation is less ubiquitous. It offers the possibility of automating responses to common queries and improving operational efficiency.

The 3 types of sales management software

ERP

ERP, or enterprise resource planning, is the essential ally for companies, simplifying the management of their day-to-day activities. It covers areas such as accounting, business development, project management, inventory, supply chain and risk management.

Sometimes equipped with CRM functionalities, ERP enables performance to be monitored in terms of budget, financial results and planning.

In short, by focusing on resource management, ERP optimizes business processes, improving product or service quality and overall company profitability. It’s a complete software package, offering a wide range of functions for SMEs and large corporations.

These include: Microsoft Dynamics, Sage, Divalto

CRM

CRM, or Customer Resource Management, is the essential tool for sales, marketing and business development professionals. By tracking customers and their buying behavior, identifying sales opportunities, and streamlining sales processes, it enables effective customer relationship management.

By automating marketing processes, managing social networks and improving customer support, a CRM optimizes sales processes, making it an essential tool for monitoring, managing and optimizing customer relations across all channels.

These include Sellsy, Salesforce, Hubspot and Zoho.

Accounting software

Accounting software, ranging from lightweight options to advanced solutions, meets the varied needs of businesses. The lightweight versions are ideal for small businesses and the self-employed, making it easy to manage quotations, sales invoices and cash flow. These simplified tools are ideal for pre-accounting.

Advanced accounting software, on the other hand, is aimed at small and medium-sized businesses, offering complete management including invoicing, VAT, balance sheet, results tracking and real-time dashboards. Adapted to meet the full range of accounting needs, these solutions make life easier for companies by ensuring reliable, efficient management of their finances.

These include: Sellsy, Pennylane

Top 10 sales management software: comparison table

#1 Sellsy: A complete management tool

Sellsy, the French software, stands out as a versatile CRM tool, also integrating invoicing and accounting functionalities. Its advantage lies in its wealth of functions, tailored to the needs of VSEs, SMEs, service companies, retailers and fast-growing start-ups. Accessible 100% online with a mobile application, Sellsy offers responsive customer support.

Although its CRM functions are advanced, including marketing, prospecting and customer follow-up tools, accounting management remains limited to data entry. Despite this, Sellsy stands out as an easy-to-use all-in-one tool, with modules that can be customized to suit the specific needs of each company.

Rates :

• 15-day free trial
• from €840 per year (€70/month for a minimum of 2 users / 12-month commitment)
• 2940€ / year for 5 users / 12-month commitment

#2 Salesforce: The CRM software leader worldwide and in France

Salesforce embodies CRM, and that’s no accident. It is the most comprehensive and widely used software, making it easy to integrate new recruits, find partners (integrators, trainers, etc.) and ensure compatibility with your other tools.

In concrete terms, this solution comprehensively manages sales pipelines, sales tasks, reporting, CPQ (Configure Price Quote), including the creation of quotations, invoices, purchase orders, etc. If your marketing strategy is based on Account Based Marketing, the adoption of SFDC (Salesforce Dot Com) becomes almost inevitable.

Rates :

• 30-day free trial
• from €300/year/user (12-month commitment)
• 9900€/year for 5 users for the corporate offer with advanced management tools

#3 Hubspot: The best CRM for growing companies

HubSpot stands out as an excellent free CRM, particularly suited to growing VSEs and SMEs. Its free plan offers essential features such as contact organization, prospect communication, appointment scheduling and service ticket management. With its user-friendly interface, it is suitable for new users, but can become costly for more advanced needs.

HubSpot CRM excels at managing leads and sales pipelines, despite some limitations with the free version. For marketing-focused companies with resources at their disposal, HubSpot CRM offers a complete solution for sales prospecting.

Rates :

• Free offer
• from €20/month
• 5292 € / year for 5 users

#4 Microsoft dynamics: A CRM & ERP combination to manage your entire business

Microsoft Dynamics, developed by Microsoft, stands out as a complete CRM for SMEs, ETIs and large companies in the industrial and distribution sectors. With specialized modules such as production, point-of-sale, maintenance and logistics management, it digitalizes all business operations.

Although it’s highly customizable and offers full functionality that can be integrated with Microsoft Office, its complex deployment and high pricing make it more suited to large enterprises, limiting its accessibility for small businesses.

Rates :

• 30-day trial
• 65.5/user/month.

#5 Sage: The complete ERP for large companies

Sage 50 Gestion Commerciale is designed primarily for small businesses, offering a simple, fast and operational solution for managing quotes, invoices, purchases, sales, inventory and accounting online. Sage 100 Gestion Commerciale is designed for small and medium-sized businesses, offering complete control of the sales chain. It offers advanced functionalities such as invoice dematerialization, centralized customer data, electronic signature, secure online payment, as well as in-depth inventory management and intelligent purchasing processes.

Here is a list of modules offering tailor-made solutions:

Sage Business Intelligence, for real-time key indicators.
Sage Bi Reporting, dashboards to guide your strategic choices
Clictill: optimize cash register management
Sage100 Customer Service: optimize customer requests
Sage100 Force Vente: manage customer relations!

Rates :

• 15-day trial
• from €891/year
• 2451€ / year (for 5 premium pack users)

#6 Zoho: An established CRM publisher, and a very complete software package

While Zoho CRM is one of the leading CRM tools for large organizations, it is also well-suited to small and medium-sized businesses. CRM offers an impressive range of functions. On the CRM side, Zoho manages the essentials very well, and also goes a long way, with a host of omnichannel functionalities (e-mail, VOIP, social networks), customer journey orchestration, marketing automation, and – a rare feat – their mobile application is hyper-complete and successful.

Zoho released Zoho Canvas Design Studio last year, which allows you to completely customize the CRM interface, a very compelling point to maximize adoption if you’re planning to migrate.

Rates :

• 15-day trial
• from €45/month/employee (compulsory purchase for the number of employees in the company) or €105/user
• 5400 € / year for 5 users

#7 Divalto : The French ERP & CRM 360 software to manage your business

With Divalto, you can take advantage of a wide range of functions. You can manage reservations and ensure sales by reserving on available stock, current supplier orders or future production. Divalto offers e-payment functions (credit card and bank transfer). In the case of counter sales or deposits, you can send your customers a link by SMS or email to enable them to make instant payment on their smartphone by credit card or bank transfer.

Divalto enables you to gain in productivity by dematerializing your invoices. You give your customers a modern image. This dematerialization of invoices facilitates reliable audits, as your invoices are electronically signed (RGS**) by a trusted third party.

Rates :

• Demo on request
• From €70 / month / user
• 4200 € / year / 5 users

#8 Pennylane: The accounting software to manage your business

Pennylane is a French software package designed for the financial management of VSEs and SMEs. Perfect for VSEs and SMEs with numerous financial flows, the tool is easy to learn and use. Invoicing, cash management, accounting – it’s all there.

Even if the functionalities are less advanced than with specialized software, the advantage of Pennylane is that they are grouped together in a single, accessible and easy-to-use solution. This gives you a comprehensive overview and financial management of your business.

Rates :

• 15-day trial
• from €49 / month / 5 users
• 1188€ / year / 5 users

#9 Axonaut: French general-purpose software for small businesses on a budget

Axonaut, a simplified sales management tool, enables you to efficiently manage your sales operations while optimizing your agenda. All your customer and prospect information is centralized, making it easy to organize appointments, create quotes, issue invoices and follow up on reminders requests.

Primarily aimed at small and medium-sized businesses, this low-cost software offers a user-friendly interface despite its automation limitations. Axonaut is positioned as an accessible and practical solution for the day-to-day management of small businesses.

Rates :

• 15-day trial
• from €49.99/month
• 1055€ / year for 5 users