You believe that running a startup is hard. You work day and night to maximize your resources, get from point A to point B, and carve out your place in the market. But have you considered leveraging AI-driven tools to make your job easier? These automation tools handle manual tasks, increasing productivity and giving you more time to build relationships and close deals.
In this blog post, I’ll share with you:
- 14 Best Sales Tools For Startups
- How to choose the best sales tool for your needs?
- Why should startups invest in sales software? So, let’s dig in and discover how these tools can improve your startup prospecting and lead-generation strategies.
14 Best Sales Tools For Startups
Choosing the right sales tools is essential for startups looking to streamline their sales processes, find email addresses, boost lead generation, and improve customer relationship management (CRM). Here are the 14 sales tools every startup should have on their radar:
Evaboot
Evaboot turns your Sales Navigator searches into clean lead lists with verified emails in one click, and the $9 Starter plan keeps it within an early-stage budget.
Evaboot fills the gap Sales Navigator leaves: Sales Navigator doesn't natively scrape emails or contact data from LinkedIn, but pair it with Evaboot and you can export everything cleanly.
Download the Evaboot extension, run it on your Sales Navigator dashboard, and within seconds it exports all your lead data as a clean CSV file.
Evaboot extracts name, surname, email address, email validity status, company name, website, domain, headcount, and more: everything you need to launch a multichannel outreach and maximize reply rates.
Evaboot’s pricing is credit-based: plans start at $9/month for 100 credits. One credit covers one exported lead, verified email included, and unused credits roll over.
Features
- Lead Export: export leads directly from LinkedIn Sales Navigator searches and lead lists
- Email Finder: find professional emails for every exported lead
- Email Verifier: validate addresses to protect your sender reputation
- Data Cleaning: removes emojis, fixes capitalisation and corrects typos in names and company names
- False Positive Detection: flags leads that match your filters but fall outside your actual ICP
- Integrations: push exports to HubSpot, Pipedrive, Google Sheets, Instantly, lemlist, Zapier, Make and more
Pros
- One-click export from the Sales Navigator search you already built
- Email finder and verifier included in every plan
- Starts at $9/month, and unused credits roll over
- Clean CSV that imports into any CRM or outreach tool
Cons
- Requires an active LinkedIn Sales Navigator subscription
LinkedIn Sales Navigator
One of the best sales tools for startups, for finding the right prospects and decision-makers on LinkedIn's professional network.
If you're starting a business, the first thing to do is create a company page and even a LinkedIn personal account.
LinkedIn is the biggest networking platform and the ultimate goldmine for potential clients and partners. To get the most out of it, upgrade to LinkedIn Sales Navigator, a premium tier built specifically for sales managers and reps. It helps you find and connect with the right prospects and decision-makers by tapping into LinkedIn's vast professional network.
It provides advanced search capabilities, personalized algorithms, and real-time insights to enhance your prospecting efforts.
Pricing: LinkedIn Sales Navigator offers a 30-day free trial, then three paid plans:
- Core (Professional): $119.99/month
- Advanced (Team): $159.99/month
- Advanced Plus (Enterprise): custom pricing
Features
- Advanced lead and company search: filter LinkedIn's entire professional network with granular criteria
- Real-time sales updates: stay current on prospect activity and company news
- Custom lists and notes: organize and annotate leads without leaving the platform
- CRM integration: sync prospect data directly into your existing sales stack
- InMail messaging: reach prospects outside your network with premium direct messages
- Saved leads: bookmark targets and track them over time
- Alerts: get notified on new leads, news mentions, and job changes
Pros
- Access to LinkedIn's vast professional network
- Highly targeted search filters make finding decision-makers fast and precise
- 30-day free trial lets you validate fit before committing
- Pairs seamlessly with Evaboot to export enriched contact data as a CSV
Cons
- No native email extraction: you need a third-party tool like Evaboot to pull contact data
- Paid plans start at $119.99/month
HubSpot CRM
HubSpot is an all-in-one CRM that gives startups discounted access to sales, marketing, and customer service tools under one roof.
HubSpot is one of the most influential and popular CRM tools, offering a comprehensive suite of tools for all aspects of your business. This all-in-one platform integrates sales, marketing, operations, customer service, and content management services, making it a must-have for startups. HubSpot also provides quality and accurate B2B data, powered by Clearbit's databases.
Features
- Single customer view: manage all customer interactions, details, communications, and activities in one place
- Email marketing tools: automate and optimize email campaigns to nurture leads and stay in touch
- Live chat and forms: capture and analyze lead data through chat and customizable forms
- Sales reporting dashboard: track the progress and performance of your sales teams
Pros
- Covers sales, marketing, operations, customer service, and content management in a single platform
- Special startup pricing program with substantial discounts based on funding stage
- Enriched B2B data via Clearbit's databases for accurate prospecting
Cons
- Startup discounts depend on your business stage and funding status
Apollo.io
Apollo.io is a sales intelligence platform that gives startups a 275M-contact database, multichannel outreach, and AI-driven workflows, with a free plan to start.
Apollo.io is a sales intelligence and engagement platform that helps companies identify, connect, and close deals with their target audience. It's particularly effective for startups looking to scale their outreach efforts and maximize value.
You can use Apollo.io for free to get unlimited emails with basic filters and features, a plan built for startups and small businesses. Its Basic Plan starts at $49/month.
Features
- Sales Engagement: reach prospects via email lists, mobile numbers, SMS, chatbots, and social media from one platform
- Comprehensive Database: 275 million contacts and 73 million companies kept accurate and up to date
- End-to-end Workflows: build and automate outbound email sequences, schedule follow-ups, and use pre-built message templates
- AI-powered Solutions: AI handles lead scoring, campaign creation, and customer engagement to sharpen efficiency
- Chrome Extension: free browser extension to find contact info, connect with buyers, and track emails on the fly
- Sales Pipeline Management: track and manage every deal through the funnel in one unified view
Pros
- Free plan with unlimited emails and basic filters
- Database of 275M contacts and 73M companies
- Multi-channel outreach and AI tools in a single platform reduce the need for extra tools
Cons
- Free plan is limited to basic filters and features
La Growth Machine
A multichannel sales automation platform that lets startups engage investors and leads across LinkedIn, email, X, and phone from one platform.
La Growth Machine is a powerful multichannel sales automation platform for sales and GTM teams, integrating LinkedIn, email, X (formerly Twitter), and phone outreach into a single platform.
LGM is an excellent tool for startups looking to raise funds. It provides a custom-built investor database and warms up potential investors before you make contact, increasing your chances of pitching to business angels and venture funds.
LGM offers a 14-day free trial. Its basic plan starts at €60/month.
Features
- Multi-channel engagement: Reach leads via LinkedIn, email, X, or phone calls to maximize conversion rates.
- Lead import and enrichment: Automatically enrich leads from LinkedIn, Sales Navigator, or CSV files.
- Lead management: Manage leads with duplicate detection, blacklisting, and advanced tracking.
- Voice Messaging for LinkedIn: Send personalized voice messages directly from LinkedIn.
- Campaign Analytics: Analyze and optimize campaign effectiveness to streamline outreach strategies.
- Email automation: Use templates and a visual builder to automate campaigns easily.
- AI-powered writing assistance: Improve messaging with AI-powered cold email templates.
Pros
- Custom-built investor database ideal for fundraising startups
- Investor warm-up sequences improve pitch success rates
- True multichannel coverage across LinkedIn, email, X, and phone in one tool
- 14-day free trial lets you validate fit before committing
Cons
- Paid plans start at €60/month after the 14-day free trial
Brevo
Brevo is an all-in-one marketing platform that bundles email, SMS, chat, CRM, and automation under one roof, making it a smart, scalable pick for startups.
Brevo is an all-in-one digital marketing platform known for its robust features that cater to businesses of all sizes, from startups to large enterprises. It supports email marketing, SMS campaigns, chat, and more within a single platform.
Brevo's free plan includes essential email marketing features, with a limit of 300 emails per day. Its starter plan costs $25/month and adds A/B testing and no daily sending limit.
Features
- Email Marketing: Design and optimize email campaigns with templates, A/B testing, and segmentation.
- SMS Marketing: Automate and personalize SMS campaigns for direct audience engagement.
- Chat: Engage website visitors in real time with integrated chat capabilities.
- CRM: Track interactions, manage leads, and store customer data with built-in CRM.
- Marketing Automation: Streamline email campaigns, follow-ups, and lead-scoring tasks.
- Transactional Emails: Ensure reliable email delivery and tracking of order confirmations and notifications.
Pros
- All-in-one platform covering email, SMS, chat, CRM, and automation: no need to juggle multiple tools.
- Free plan lets startups get started without upfront cost.
- Caters to businesses of all sizes, from startups to large enterprises.
Cons
- Free plan caps daily sends at 300 emails.
- A/B testing and unlimited daily sending require the paid starter plan.
Hunter
Hunter is a powerful email search engine for startups that need to find and verify professional email addresses.
Hunter.io is a powerful email search engine and a Chrome extension designed to help businesses find and verify professional email addresses. It specializes in discovering emails associated with any domain, making it easier to connect with prospects.
You can try Hunter.io for free, with 25 searches and 50 verifications per month. The Starter plan costs €49/month, including 500 monthly searches and 1,000 monthly email verifications.
Features
- Email Discovery: Find email addresses associated with any business domain, company name, or prospect name.
- Domain Search: Find all publicly available email addresses associated with a specific domain.
- CRM Integration: Seamlessly integrate with CRMs like HubSpot and Salesforce to manage your contacts.
- Automated Outreach: Automate lead generation and email sending directly from Gmail and Outlook.
- Bulk Email Finder: Perform bulk searches to retrieve multiple email addresses at once.
- API Access: Use the Hunter API to find emails programmatically.
- Email Finder Extension: Find email addresses directly from the website you're visiting via the browser extension.
Pros
- Free tier with 25 searches and 50 verifications per month to get started.
- Broad CRM integration with HubSpot and Salesforce keeps contact management seamless.
- API access lets technical teams automate email discovery at scale.
- Browser extension makes prospecting from any website instant.
Cons
- Free plan is capped at 25 searches and 50 verifications per month.
Saleshandy
Saleshandy is a cold email platform for sales teams and agencies that need scalable outreach, automated follow-ups, and a massive B2B contact database.
If you decide to launch a cold email outreach campaign, Saleshandy is the tool for you.
Saleshandy benefits address sales and marketing teams and agencies looking to optimize cold email and marketing campaigns, book meetings, and close deals.
You can start with a 7-day free trial and then upgrade to the Outreach Starter plan for $27/month.
Features
- Unlimited email accounts: Send from multiple accounts for scalable outreach across multiple domains.
- Automated follow-ups: Automatically schedule and personalize follow-up emails to increase response rates.
- Email tracking: Monitor key metrics such as open rates, clicks, and overall engagement.
- Lead Finder: Access a massive database of over 700 million B2B contacts to find and target potential customers.
- Email Warm-up: Improve email deliverability and sender reputation by gradually warming your email accounts.
Pros
- Unlimited email accounts enable highly scalable outreach across multiple domains.
- Built-in Lead Finder with 700M+ B2B contacts reduces reliance on external prospecting tools.
- Email warm-up feature helps protect sender reputation and improve deliverability.
- Affordable entry-level pricing with a 7-day free trial to test before committing.
Cons
- Paid plans start at $27/month (Outreach Starter) after the 7-day free trial.
Reply.io
Reply.io is a multichannel sales automation platform that uses AI to build outreach sequences, book meetings, and keep emails out of spam, with startup-friendly discounts that can reach 100% off.
Reply.io is an advanced sales automation platform that helps startups and enterprises streamline their outbound sales efforts. You can use it to scale your multichannel communication, to automate and personalize your outreach across multiple channels, including email, LinkedIn, SMS, and WhatsApp.
You can also use Reply.io for other startup functions beyond sales, such as hiring, marketing/PR, and fundraising.
Reply.io offers a 14-day free trial for each of its plans. Upgraded plans start at $49/month and provide essential tools for email outreach.
Eligible startups can apply for a special discount of up to 100% off for the first 3 months, followed by a 15% discount on subsequent plans.
Features
- AI-powered CRM: use AI to manage, analyze, and prioritize leads to streamline the sales process
- Email deliverability tools: optimize emails to bypass spam filters and reach recipients' primary inboxes, improving inbox placement and engagement rates
- AI-generated sequences: create effective outreach sequences tailored to maximize response rates
- AI meeting booking: schedule meetings directly from outreach sequences using AI-powered chatbots for smooth scheduling
Pros
- Covers multiple outreach channels: email, LinkedIn, SMS, and WhatsApp in one platform
- AI handles sequence creation and meeting scheduling, reducing manual work
- Startup program offers up to 100% off for the first 3 months
- Usable beyond sales for hiring, marketing/PR, and fundraising
Cons
- Paid plans start at $49/month after the 14-day free trial
- The 100% startup discount is time-limited and requires eligibility approval
Gmass
Gmass turns Gmail into a mass-email and automation engine, making it a no-fuss choice for startups that want personalized outreach without leaving their inbox.
Gmass is an email marketing and automation tool that allows users to send mass emails directly from their Gmail account. It's popular with marketers, sales reps, and small businesses for its simplicity and effectiveness.
GMass offers a limited free plan where users can send up to 50 daily emails. The standard plan starts at $25/month.
Features
- Send mass emails: send personalized bulk emails from Gmail with automated follow-ups
- Email personalization: use mail merge to customize emails with variables such as name or company
- Automated follow-ups: automatically follow up with contacts who haven't responded
- Email scheduling: schedule emails for optimal sending times to increase engagement
- Campaign Analytics: track opens, clicks, bounces, and responses to measure performance
- Google Sheets integration: import contacts and manage campaigns directly from Google Sheets
- Response Management: automatically sort and manage responses to keep your inbox organized
- Inbox Placement Testing: test deliverability to ensure emails reach the primary inbox, not spam
Pros
- Works directly from your Gmail account
- Built-in automated follow-ups save time on manual outreach
- Google Sheets integration makes contact management straightforward
- Free plan available for low-volume sending
Cons
- Free plan is capped at 50 emails per day
Owler
If your target audience is companies and businesses, Owler's intelligence on 20M+ companies makes it the right tool for competitive research and prospect tracking.
Owler is a business intelligence platform designed to help users track and analyze data about companies, competitors, and industry trends. It provides insights on over 20 million companies, covering both public and private entities.
The free forever version lets you follow up to 5 companies, access 3 news event triggers (funding, acquisition, executive changes), and view 10 unique company profiles per month. The Pro plan starts at $39/month with unlimited company follow-ups, and an enterprise plan is available by contacting their sales team.
Features
- Company profiles: Detailed data on revenue, employees, funding, and news.
- Competitive intelligence: Analyze more than 45 million competitive relationships.
- Advanced search: Filter by revenue, industry, location, and company size.
- News monitoring: Get real-time alerts and historical data snapshots.
- Owler Pro: Unlimited access to in-depth research and analysis.
Pros
- Covers over 20 million public and private companies
- Free plan available for basic company tracking
- Real-time news alerts keep you on top of key competitor events
- Powerful competitive relationship mapping across 45M+ relationships
Cons
- Free plan is limited to 5 companies and 10 profile views per month
- Enterprise pricing requires direct contact with sales
Crunchbase
Crunchbase is a corporate intelligence platform for startup prospecting, surfacing funding data, investor contacts, and competitive insights in one place.
Crunchbase is a corporate intelligence platform ideal for professionals involved in prospecting, market research, and competitive analysis.
It provides a comprehensive database of detailed company profiles, funding details, industry trends, and access to key decision-makers.
Features
- Company Insights: Detailed profiles including financials, funding history, acquisitions, and executive information.
- Find Investors: Access over 200,000 investors with accurate contact information to expand your network.
- Advanced Search: Use filters to narrow companies by industry, location, revenue, and more.
- News and Alerts: Receive real-time updates on companies, including funding rounds and acquisitions.
- CRM Integration: Synchronize Crunchbase data with your CRM for seamless prospecting and lead management.
- Competitive Analysis: Monitor competitor performance, financials, growth, and key industry trends.
Pros
- Detailed company profiles with financials, funding history, acquisitions, and executive information.
- Advanced filters make it easy to pinpoint target companies by industry, location, and revenue.
- Real-time alerts keep you ahead of funding rounds and market moves.
- Direct CRM sync reduces manual data entry and speeds up prospecting workflows.
Cons
- Free access is limited to a 7-day trial of Crunchbase Pro.
GetProspect
A B2B email finder and verifier with a 200M+ contact database and bulk search, with a free plan to try it out.
GetProspect is a B2B email finder and email verification tool featuring a comprehensive database of over 200 million contacts, making it easier to collect B2B emails and focus on effective sales outreach.
GetProspect's free version includes 50 email searches and 200 monthly verifications, ideal for trying out the platform before committing.
Features
- Bulk and Individual Email Finder: Search for email addresses using advanced filters, either in bulk or individually.
- CRM Formatted Pages: Each contact and company has a CRM-style page with detailed information, streamlining lead management.
- Chrome Extension: Search for leads directly on LinkedIn and company websites, simplifying lead generation.
- API Access: Integrate the Email Finder with your existing systems via API.
- Integrations: Connect via Zapier to CRMs like Zoho, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Salesforce, and 5,000+ other apps.
Pros
- 200M+ contact database gives broad B2B coverage
- Free plan available to test the platform
- Chrome extension makes LinkedIn prospecting seamless
- Flexible Zapier integrations with major CRM platforms
- Combines email finding and verification in one tool
Cons
- Free tier is limited to 50 searches and 200 verifications per month
Outreach.io
Outreach.io is an all-in-one B2B sales engagement platform that automates multichannel outreach and delivers AI-driven insights.
Outreach.io is an all-in-one B2B sales engagement platform designed to streamline and improve sales prospecting processes. It helps teams efficiently manage their outreach efforts by automating and coordinating communications across multiple channels, such as email, phone, and social media.
Features
- Multichannel Automation: Streamline email, phone, and social media outreach for consistent communications.
- AI Recommendations: Optimize strategies and increase engagement with AI-driven insights.
- CRM Integration: Seamlessly synchronize with your CRM for smooth data management.
- Pipeline Management: Identify and close gaps in your sales pipeline to improve conversion rates.
- Automated Forecasting: Improve forecast accuracy with scenario modeling and data-driven adjustments.
- Sales Rep Coaching: Provide personalized coaching to reps to improve sales performance.
Pros
- Covers email, phone, and social outreach in a single platform
- AI-driven insights help optimize engagement strategies
- Deep CRM integration keeps data synchronized automatically
- Built-in forecasting and pipeline management supports data-driven decisions
- Personalized rep coaching feature helps improve team-wide sales performance
Cons
- Pricing is custom, available on request only
How to choose the best sales tool for your business needs?
There are indeed excellent tools out there. But you can’t just pick the first one that comes along. Choosing the best sales tool for your business requires careful consideration of several paramount factors before adding them to your tech stack. 1. Business goals and challenges
- Align with goals: The tool should address specific challenges your company faces, such as lead generation, customer relationship management (CRM systems), or sales automation.
- Scalability: Ensure the tool can grow with your business and support your long-term goals. 2. Core Features and Functionality
- Must-Have Features: Identify essential features that align with your sales processes, such as multichannel communication, AI-driven insights, or CRM integration.
- Customization: Look for tools that offer customization options to tailor the platform to your unique needs.
- Automation: This is what’s going to help you save time and focus on other important tasks. 3. Ease of Integration
- Seamless integration: The tool should easily integrate with your existing software stack, including CRM, marketing automation tools, and other key platforms.
- API access: Check if the tool provides API access for custom integrations, which can be critical for complex workflows. 4. User Experience and Adoption
- Easy-to-use interface: Choose a tool with an intuitive design that your team can quickly adopt, minimizing the learning curve.
- Training and support: Choose tools that provide comprehensive onboarding, training resources, and ongoing support to ensure successful implementation. 5. Cost and Return on Investment (ROI)
- Free, freemium, low cost or special pricing plans/offers for startups.
- Budget Compatibility: Ensure the tool fits your budget, considering upfront costs and long-term expenses.
- ROI Potential: Evaluate the potential return on investment by assessing how the tool will improve productivity, sales, and customer satisfaction. Focusing on these factors can help you select a sales tool that meets your current needs and supports your business’s growth and success.
Key Takeaways
Now that you understand the importance and effectiveness of sales prospecting tools, investing in the right tool can significantly enhance your lead-generation strategies. These tools will streamline your sales processes and empower your team to reach new customers, nurture leads effectively, and drive business growth. Benefit from the free versions, test each tool, and equip your startup with the best sales prospecting tool today. This is what will set the stage for long-term success.
FAQ
Why should startups invest in sales software?
Investing in sales software is critical for startups because it streamlines processes, increases productivity, and enables data-driven decision-making. Sales tools minimize the time and effort needed to build strong customer relationships by automating tasks and optimizing lead nurturing. It also ensures that your startup is equipped to scale efficiently and competitively.
What are the top 10 sales tools for startups?
The top 10 sales tools for startups are:
- Evaboot
- LinkedIn Sales Navigator
- HubSpot CRM
- Apollo.io
- La Growth Machine
- Brevo
- Hunter
- Saleshandy
- Reply.io
- Gmass
- Owler
Which Is The Right Sales Tool for Your Business?
The right sales tool for your business often starts with a robust CRM that is the foundation for monitoring sales activities, analyzing your pipeline, and creating a clear strategy. A CRM helps you manage customer relationships and track every interaction, making it an essential tool for any sales team. These tools can automate routine tasks, provide AI-driven insights, and enhance team collaboration to optimize your sales processes for success.
How can startups improve their sales process with automation tools?
The right sales tool for your business should help you streamline and optimize your sales processes by automating menial tasks so your team can focus on high-impact activities like customer calls and demos. Platforms like HubSpot, La Growth Machine, Apollo.io centralize contact management, task tracking, and data analysis, giving your team members powerful tools for efficiency and strategic decision-making.
How can startups choose affordable and effective sales tools?
When choosing affordable and effective sales tools, startups should prioritize key factors such as essential features, ease of use, and reliable customer support. While affordability is critical, balancing it with comprehensive functionality ensures better value. Choose tools that offer scalable licensing to start small and grow your business. Reviews and user feedback can also help you make the best choice.
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