Sales Engagement Software: Features, Benefits + Top 5 Tools

An engaged audience is a happy audience. That’s certainly the case from a revenue point of view. When salespeople focus on building relationships, they quickly find that conversions follow. By the time businesses are working at scale, that’s easier said than done. How can one salesperson foster personalized engagement with hundreds of prospects? The answer is in sales engagement software.

Sales engagement software aims to relieve some of the administrative work that sales teams undertake. With less admin, they can prioritize relationship building and bringing in revenue. The software comes in many guises but all serve the same purpose. They make engagement scalable and implement engagement opportunities throughout the entire sales process.

This article will help you understand what to look for in sales engagement software. We’ll also share our selection of the leading software on the market.

• Using sales engagement software to build relationships
• Key features of sales engagement software
• Leading sales engagement software

Sales Engagement Software in Detail

Businesses of all sizes can benefit from using sales engagement software. That said, the real benefits kick in when working at scale. Using software that optimizes the sales process is a masterstroke of ingenuity. If used correctly, the software below can greatly transform a business.

• Streamlining sales processes: Sales processes can be significant journeys both for the customer and the sales team. Sales engagement software makes tracking the status of various leads straightforward. All information related to individual leads is centralized. That means anyone involved in the process has access to what they need within a few clicks. Opportunities no longer go wanting, and leads are nurtured.
• Improved sales metrics tracking: Understanding the sales team's performance is a necessary task for any business. Sales engagement software makes sure all metrics are reported through a straightforward dashboard. That means anyone who wants to know open rates, conversion rates, and other engagement rates can do so. Armed with this knowledge, teams can make decisions based on data.
• Better communication and follow-up: We know there’s an art to the follow-up. Prospects, especially cold ones, rarely engage following the first contact. With sales engagement software, you’re prompted to follow up after a specific time. The best software will automate this process for you based on recipient interactions. You’ll also receive data on this process, allowing you to adapt and evolve your follow-up process.
• Higher conversion rates: Thanks to the above, conversion rates naturally rise. Leads are managed better, communication is consistent and clear, and nurturing opportunities are realized. The whole sales process is smoother. That means happier and more engaged customers who are more likely to convert.

Sales Engagement Software: The Key Features

There is a lot of variation from software to software. They may all offer similar outcomes, but each does so with its own spin. Before you begin your search, create a list of must-have features. Ask yourself what is important to you and your team, and look for that within the software you’re considering. In general, these features are ones to consider:

• User-friendliness: This is software you and your team will use a lot. That means it has to be simple to use with a high degree of accessibility. The easier it is to pick up and use, the more likely your team will engage with it.
• Customization and flexibility: Every sales process differs, so you’ll want one that can adapt to yours. Trying to shoehorn your process into a template isn’t going to lead to great results. Try to select a tool that lets you edit workflows, templates, and engagement strategies. It has to fit with your business to work well with your customers.
• Analytics and reporting: A major feature of these tools is the analytics dashboard and the reports it creates. If a tool doesn’t offer this, don’t consider it. The more detail you can get from the sales engagement software, the better. It means you’re able to make decisions based on data.
• Integrations: You’ll already have a number of different tools in your tech stack. The best sales engagement software will nimbly fit in with those through a suite of integrations. If there isn’t a native one, see if it can create one through third-party tools such as Zapier. Connecting with your CRM is an absolute must-have alongside your email marketing tool.
• Scalability: You need a tool that grows alongside your business. That means it can comfortably accommodate additional team members and a growing number of prospects. This often looks like a simple billing upgrade to the next level, but it’s worth confirming.
• Support and training: The dashboard may seem intuitive, but you’ll want to receive some in-depth training to make the most out of it. Plus, once you’re up and running, additional support can help you when facing a problem.
• Compliance and security: Sales engagement software holds a lot of sensitive data on individuals. You need to ensure that data is secured in a compliant way. That may include compliance with data law and high-security measures.

The Top Sales Engagement Software

Sales engagement software comes in several different forms. Some focus on one medium of communication. Others offer a suite. Some deliver pipeline management. Always consider your aims for the software related to your specific needs. Often, some software will be a better fit for you than others.

Instantly

Email is one of the most engaging ways you interact with your customers. We know that the most engaged customers are those who receive personalized email communication. Email communication that is relevant to their needs and resonates with them. When businesses build a personal connection with their prospects, they eventually stand a greater chance of converting them into paying customers.

This is where Instantly can assist. Instantly offers personalized email campaigns that deliver impressive engagement results, even when working at scale. Working with a larger team? Instantly allows you to add unlimited email accounts to the software. Every single member of your team can reap the benefits. 

It all starts with deliverability. You need to ensure your emails are reaching your prospects’ inboxes. You certainly don’t want to be left asking yourself, “Why are my emails going to spam?” Instantly's AI-powered warm-up uses cutting-edge techniques. It ensures that your campaigns reach the inbox every time. Pair that with sophisticated campaign workflows and automated email follow-ups, and you’ll reap the benefits.

With less admin, your team can focus on nurturing relationships and closing deals. All they’ll have to do is log in to Instantly’s intuitive dashboard. From there, they can check the lead’s recent activity before reaching out. 

Pricing Tiers:

Growth: $37/month

Hypergrowth: $97/month

Free Trial: Available for both tiers.

Key Features:

• Active Leads
• Comprehensive Analytics
• Personalization At Scale Through Merging
• Unlimited Email Accounts
• Unlimited Email Warmup
• Automated Email Sequencing
• Support (Live Chat For Growth, Premium For Hypergrowth)

HubSpot Sales Hub

You might have access to the HubSpot Sales Hub if you're already a HubSpot user. It’s one of the many arms made available within the HubSpot ecosystem. Rather than a focused piece of software, the sales hub includes some different sales engagement features. These include:

• Meeting scheduling
• Lead management
• Email tracking
• Sales process tracking

The initial tier of the sales hub is priced at a reasonable $45 a month before rapidly escalating in price for the latter tiers. There’s a free trial, but it’s more of a demo than a fully functioning piece of software.

Pricing Tiers:

Starter: Starts at $45 per month

Professional: Starts at $450 per month

Enterprise: Starts at $1,200 per month

Free Trial: Available

Key Features:

• Meeting Scheduling
• Pipeline Management
• Lead Management
• Email Tracking

Salesloft

You might need a minute to understand the lingo that Salesloft uses. Each interaction with prospects and leads is called a cadence. That includes emails, meetings, and calls. Whenever a cadence takes place, it is recorded in Salesloft. That means every team member with access can track account activity. They can also manage a lead's movement through the sales process.

Salesloft is positioned as an enterprise product. The only way to access pricing is through a demonstration with a sales rep. There’s also a steep learning curve associated with the software. That said, consumer reviews are very positive, especially regarding the support offered. It just might take a minute to get to grips with it.

Pricing Tiers: Prospect, Sell, Engage, Enterprise

Free Trial: Demos available

Key Features:

• Sales Email
• Calendar management
• Accessible support
• Mobile App Access
• CRM Sync
• Integrations
• Security and Governance

Apollo.io

Similar to Instantly, Apollo is an email-focused engagement software. It has a suite of email marketing tools, and you can also access a significant contacts database. That means you’ll never be short of someone to reach out to.

There is a long list of integrations, so you should be able to mesh Apollo into your current stack. That means you’ll be able to use your current email address. Now, however, you’ll see detailed analytics on your campaigns.

Apollo doesn’t just offer email information. It also helps you to find prospects’ telephone numbers. Combine that with the dialer feature (available at higher price points), and you’ll be able to track, monitor, and progress leads through calls.

Pricing Tiers:

Basic: $49/month

Professional: $96/user/month

Custom: Price on request

Free Trial: Available

Key Features:

• Integration with Email Providers
• Advanced Reports and Dashboards
• Email Credits
• Email Automation through Sequencing
• Dialer (Professional and Custom plans)
• Customizable Reports (Custom plan)

Salesforce Sales Cloud

One of the better known sales platforms, it’s little surprise that Salesforce has a dedicated sales engagement software. Sales Cloud is a powerful engagement platform that allows your team to manage leads through one intuitive dashboard. There’s a variety of features, including activity and lead management. You can also use the analytical tools to forecast and investigate your current pipeline.

The automation software allows you to deftly manage workflows and processes, even across different means of communication.

Pricing Tiers:

Starter: $25/user/month (billed annually)

Professional: $80/user/month (billed annually)

Enterprise: $165/user/month (billed annually)

Unlimited: $330/user/month (billed annually)

Free Trial: Available for all tiers.

Key Features:

• Lead and Contact Management
• Opportunity Management
• AI-driven Automation
• Workflow Management
• Email Integration
• Reports and Dashboards

Key Takeaways

Sales engagement software is an investment. That’s speaking both for your business and the people within it. Investing in one gives you greater control over the sales process and the relationships it creates. Your team will undoubtedly thank you for it. Thanks to automation, the additional time they get means they can focus on their real job.

When your team can focus on nurturing relationships and converting prospects, you’ll quickly see the financial health of your business improve. It’s a lofty promise but one worth pursuing.

• Make sure that whichever software you select can scale and grow with you.
• Consider the long-term when investing. Budget is important, but look for the overall potential return on investment.
• It has to be user-friendly and intuitive. If it’s not, there’s a chance your team won’t embrace it, and the investment is lost.

Selecting a sales engagement software that delivers results is crucial for your future growth. That’s why you need a platform as robust and powerful as Instantly. Intrigued? Why not sign up for a trial and get started today?