CRM & sales for marketing teams

Start with the work you need to finish

Campaigns connect briefs, assets, audiences and results. In this category, define success as the ability to move an enquiry to a completed sale.

Make ownership and final approval visible. Translate that priority into a requirement that another person can observe, such as completing a handoff without extra instructions or recovering a record after an incorrect edit.

Prepare a realistic sample

For this trial, use ten sample contacts, three opportunities and a follow-up due tomorrow. Keep the inputs consistent across candidates and avoid real personal information during initial testing.

Run these checks

• Import a small synthetic contact list, including one duplicate.
• Move an opportunity through your actual sales stages.
• Assign a follow-up and check how it appears to a colleague.
• Export contacts and opportunities, then inspect the resulting files.
• Change a campaign brief and trace the effect on the work in progress.

Build a shortlist around the workflow

HubSpot

A CRM within a broader platform for marketing, sales and customer service. Explore it when several teams need to work from shared customer information.

Map the exact paid products and seats required by your workflow.

Pipedrive

A sales CRM with pipeline management, lead management and sales automation. Explore it when opportunity tracking and follow-up are central to your day.

Recreate your sales stages and verify the features included in your plan.

Zoho CRM

A CRM offering sales processes, pipeline customisation and automation. Explore it when you need to model your own sales process.

Check which edition supports the customisation your team needs.

Compare the total cost

Use active sales user as a starting unit, then list recurring fees, usage, implementation and the time someone will spend maintaining the setup. Compare current usage with a plausible growth scenario. The lowest entry price is not necessarily the lowest cost for the complete workflow.

Decide what would stop the purchase

• Which automation and reporting features require an upgrade?
• Are email synchronisation and additional pipelines included?
• Can contacts, notes and attachments all be exported?

Write down your mandatory requirements before the trial. If a candidate fails one, record the limitation and either verify a workaround with the vendor or remove it from the shortlist. Do not let an attractive optional feature hide a failed requirement.