Pipedrive vs. Monday – Two Top Sales CRMs

The debate about which tool is the best sales CRM won’t come to an end any time soon because businesses have unique needs. A CRM (which stands for customer relationship management) is software that makes it easier to communicate with clients and prospects by storing useful information so interactions are timely and relevant.

Though the goals of people using a CRM may vary, it’s almost always tied back to increasing sales. That could be through developing a better customer experience and improving retention, sending the right message at the right time, or ensuring you’re sending personalized follow-ups during long sales cycles.

This article focuses on two of the best sales CRMs on the market. When you’re done, you’ll have a clear understanding of what each offers so you can make an informed decision about whether or not it’s right for you.

What all CRMs solutions should have

Before diving into an analysis of the best CRM for sales, it’s important to understand the features a CRM must have. It’ll make it easier for you to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each solution and join the 87% of businesses that have adopted a CRM solution.

Contact management

The first and most important feature the best sales CRM system will have is the ability manage your contacts. This goes above and beyond adding their name, email, and phone number. You should be able to include information relevant to your company, set up custom fields, and add notes. Together, these features keep your interactions more personal and ensure your sales team is effective.

Lead scoring

Sales, no matter the company, industry, or customer demographics is challenging. The reality is that many deals aren’t won, especially if you’re spending time on the wrong prospects. Lead scoring within your CRM will help you focus attention on the people most likely to turn into clients. The key is to use available features to create a scoring system based on criteria that matter to you.

Clear reporting

Reporting ties everything together. Without it, you’re flying blind and don’t know how efficient your team is or at which stage you’re losing opportunities. The best CRM for sales will update reports in near real-time and give you deep insights into what you’re doing right and what isn’t working. For example, if you need to know the best sales rep, the type of customer that brings in the most revenue, etc. then your reporting should be able to show you that without too much effort.

Automation

The last aspect the best sales CRM will have is a way to automate routine tasks. Of course, you can’t automate many aspects of sales like meetings or handling objections. Instead, focus of a solution that lets you automate things like updating contact records, sending out follow-up emails, moving people to different deal stages, etc. Each task is small but repetitive and robs sales teams of the efficiency needed to close complex deals.

Pipedrive CRM

Pipedrive is among the best CRM for sales because it has a clear focus on optimizing the different stages and aspects of a deal. It gives customers the ability to store contacts as organizations and people then attach them to specific deals. If you’re communicating up and down the chain of command in a company, you’ll be able to keep track of the individuals you’ve spoken to and how close to a deal the organization is.

You can also track and automate communications from within Pipedrive. Instead of having to log out, go to your email client, and send messages, you’re able to do it from within the platform and get insights into who’s opening and clicking your messages.  In addition to email automation, you can use a chatbot on your website to qualify leads, route them to the proper place based on how they answered questions, and even book meetings. Pipedrive also comes with robust contact management features such as custom fields and notes so anyone in your organization will be able to understand how a deal is progressing at a glance.

Pipedrive has a visual deal pipeline that can be customized to fit your organization’s needs. It doesn’t matter if you have three stages or twenty. Create a team pipeline and filter based on stage, individual reps, or other factors. The deals themselves can contain granular data with information like deal size, estimated close date, stage, and probability of winning.

Finally, Pipedrive is a strong contender for best CRM because of its reporting features. It starts with sales and activity reports to let you know who’s meeting their quota and who’s working with the CRM. Beyond that, you’re able to access forecast reports based on past performance, current deals in the pipeline, and win probability.

Pipedrive Pros

• The ability to automate routine tasks and free up your sales team
• Robust reporting and forecasting to get a clear picture of your finances
• Chatbot to automate lead generation and qualification
• Visual deal flow for your entire team or individuals
• Mobile apps so you and your team can stay plugged in at all times

Pipedrive Cons

• Can’t track users on your website or in your apps
• Have to use a third party integration for digital signatures
• No on premise solution for customers who have sensitive data storage needs

Monday CRM

Monday was founded in 2014 but it only recently started to make waves as one of the best CRMs for sales teams. It brings a number of unique approaches that give teams the tools to increase sales. A minor but interesting one is the ability to color code everything so it draws attention to the most important tasks.

Monday stands out because it can double as an onboarding solution for new sales reps. Map out all the learning materials and training tasks new team members will need to finish before they start meeting with customers and get clear insights into their progress. It can also serve as a team wiki and a place to store sales collateral such as contracts, product descriptions, and more.

Part of the power of Monday lies in your ability to drill down and get granular data like calls placed to contacts, follow-ups performed, and deal stage. At the same time, you can step all the way out and see how your entire team is progressing as well as the dependencies between them. There are multiple views that show you all of your data such as Kanban boards and calendars.

You’re able to create forms, embed them on your website, and send contacts to the right part of your CRM. Monday also equips customers with the ability to add detailed information for every contact, use custom fields, and append notes to understand the nuances required to close the deal in the shortest amount of time possible.

Monday is one of the best sales CRMs because it has the essential features which include the ability to automate routine tasks and take back your time. It shows you when you have a deadline, makes the tasks due today more prominent, and keeps you up to date on missed tasks. It also has a useful feature that allows you to click the call icon and reach out to prospects and customers with their preferred communication channel which doesn’t have to be a calling application (It’ll also show you their time zone so you’re calling at the appropriate time).

Monday Pros

• Fully customizable to meet the needs of your organization
• Visual tasks so you can easily see the most important tasks
• You can drill down into your sales pipeline or zoom all the way out and get a clearer view
• Useful templates to organize your sales pipeline
• Easily see the stage each deal is in

Monday Cons

• Doesn’t have true sales forecasting capabilities
• Cannot send emails directly from Monday
• Doesn’t have in app or website tracking

Conclusion

A CRM can be a great asset to increase sales across your organization but it’s important to choose the one that meets your peculiar needs. Both Monday and Pipedrive are among the best CRM solutions on the market and can be customized based on your requirements. Before deciding on any particular tool, be sure to do your research and ensure it’s in line with your business goals.