As a business owner or sales professional, managing leads and follow-up activities can be a time-consuming and overwhelming process.
If you’re still keeping track of your leads in a spreadsheet, that’s your first mistake.
You’re wasting your time, energy, and resources.
And you’re probably forgetting to follow up with some, making errors inputting their information, and losing track of how many times you tried to call Bob.
Wait, is that Bob H. or Bob T.? (These are exactly the kinds of questions you can avoid by using lead follow-up software.)
Plenty of options exist that can make your sales pipeline and lead follow-up process foolproof, so you don’t have to keep your lead follow-up system in Excel.
In this article, we will explore some of the most popular options, including CRM software, marketing automation software, sales engagement software, and email marketing software.
We will also take a closer look at some of the more affordable options that can help streamline your lead follow-up process. By the end of this article, you will have a better understanding of the tools available to help you manage your leads and follow-up activities more efficiently and effectively.
- 5 Affordable (or FREE) Alternatives to Lead Follow-Up in Excel
- Benefits of Lead Follow-Up Software
- Lead and Follow-Up Tracker Software
5 Affordable (or FREE) Alternatives to Lead Follow-Up in Excel
- Airtable: Airtable is a cloud-based spreadsheet and database tool that allows you to organize your leads and follow-up activities in a more dynamic and visually appealing way. It’s easy to use and has a free plan as well as paid plans with more advanced features. Airtable also integrates with other sales and marketing tools, such as Zendesk, Dropbox, and Typeform, making collaboration and workflow easier.
- Trello: Trello is a project management tool that can be adapted to manage leads and follow-up tasks. You can create boards, lists, and cards to track the status of your leads, set due dates, and assign tasks to team members. Trello has a free plan as well as paid plans with more features. Within Trello’s board view, you can easily move prospects through a visual pipeline (or a series of follow-up tasks). Cloudwards, in their review, highlights Trello’s simplicity and powerful Kanban board functionality, making task management enjoyable and efficient.
- Google Sheets: Google Sheets is a cloud-based spreadsheet tool that is free to use and has collaboration features that allow multiple team members to work on the same document at the same time. You can use Google Sheets to track your leads and follow-up activities, and you can also integrate it with other Google tools like Google Forms to collect lead data. It’s easy to share Google Sheets, and it’s completely free.
- HubSpot CRM: HubSpot CRM is a customer relationship management software that offers basic lead tracking and management features in their free plan, including contact and company records, deals, and tasks. It also integrates with other HubSpot tools like their email marketing and marketing automation software. HubSpot is a great software to use when you’re scaling your business and your sales operations. It has a robust set of features that you can begin using when you upgrade to a paid plan.
- Asana: Asana is a project management tool that can also be adapted to manage leads and follow-up activities. You can create projects, tasks, and subtasks to track the status of your leads and set due dates for follow-up activities. Asana has a free plan as well as paid plans with more features.
These tools may not have all the advanced features of some of the more expensive options, but they can still be very effective in managing your leads and follow-up activities in a more organized and efficient way.
Benefits of Lead Follow-Up Software
Switching to more robust software, such as sales engagement software for lead follow-up, can have significant benefits for your business in the long run, even if it may cost more in the short term. Plus, creating follow-up cadences with automation can even further streamline your sales process. Here are some reasons to consider:
- Increased Efficiency: Sales engagement software can automate many of the tasks involved in sales outreach, such as sending follow-up emails or scheduling appointments. This automation can save you time and increase your team’s productivity, allowing you to focus on other important tasks.
- Better Lead Management: A robust software can provide you with a more comprehensive view of your leads, including their contact information, interactions with your company, and other relevant data. This can help you prioritize your leads, personalize your communications, and ultimately close more deals.
- Improved Collaboration: Dedicated sales software can also enable better collaboration among your team members, allowing everyone to access the same information and work together more effectively. This can help you avoid duplication of effort, ensure consistency in your follow-up activities, and ultimately improve the customer experience.
- Enhanced Reporting: Using sales engagement software can provide you with more detailed and accurate reporting on your lead follow-up activities, allowing you to identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions. This can help you optimize your sales process, increase your conversion rates, and ultimately grow your business.
While switching to a more robust software may require an initial investment, its benefits can ultimately pay off in the form of increased efficiency, better lead management, improved conversion rates, and more sales. So if you’re serious about growing your business and staying ahead of the competition, it’s worth considering a more robust software for your lead follow-up needs.
Lead and Follow-Up Tracker Software
There are several alternatives to tracking leads and follow-up attempts manually inside a spreadsheet, which can make the process more efficient and organized. Here are some options:
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software: A CRM software allows you to track and manage your leads, contacts, and follow-up activities in one place. Some popular options include Pipedrive, HubSpot, and Zoho CRM.
- Marketing automation software: Marketing automation software like HubSpot Marketing Hub, Marketo, or Pardot can help you streamline your lead generation and nurturing processes. These tools allow you to automate follow-up emails, lead scoring, and other repetitive tasks.
- Sales engagement software: Sales engagement software like Kixie can help you track and automate your sales outreach efforts. These tools allow you to schedule follow-up tasks, trigger auto-calls and auto-SMS messages, and track your progress against your sales goals.
- Email marketing software: Email marketing software like Mailchimp or Constant Contact can help you stay in touch with your leads and customers through targeted email campaigns. These tools allow you to segment your email list based on specific criteria, automate follow-up emails, and track your email engagement metrics.
Overall, these tools can help you save time, increase efficiency, and improve the effectiveness of your lead generation and follow-up efforts.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, managing leads and follow-up activities can be a time-consuming process for business owners and sales professionals. Using a spreadsheet to keep track of leads is not an efficient way to manage them, as it can lead to errors and loss of information. Fortunately, there are several affordable or free alternatives available that can streamline the process, such as Airtable, Trello, Google Sheets, HubSpot CRM, and Asana.
Switching to more robust software, such as sales engagement software, can also have significant benefits in the long run, such as increased efficiency, better lead management, improved collaboration, and enhanced reporting. Though it may require an initial investment, the benefits can ultimately pay off in the form of increased productivity, higher conversion rates, and business growth.
