The Best CRM for Tracking Sales in Small Business

Some CRM systems can be so awfully designed, that salespeople feel like they’re being controlled by their CRM, rather than supported.

Most salespeople will never say it to their boss’ face, however. But it’s true…they are asked to track sales on an outdated CRM that nobody likes using.

Does that mean we should do away with CRMs?

Definitely not! Any wise business owner knows to centralise their sales tracking into one system.

But how can you make your salespeople happy?

Answer: Use Zoho. It’s arguably the best CRM for tracking sales in small business, and salespeople love it!

Here’s why:

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Dictionary

A CRM is software that helps you track sales, customer info, and conversations so you don’t lose deals.

SMB means a business that’s not a giant corporation, usually under 250 employees.

Case Study: Best CRM for Tracking Sales in Small Business

One of our salespeople, Mark, used to work for a small business that tracked sales on a spreadsheet. As the small business scaled, data got spread out across multiple touchpoints, instead of being implemented into CRM tools.

(By the way, many companies claim to have the best CRM for tracking sales in small business. But Mark can tell you from experience: these CRMs are designed for corporations in mind.)

“The whole thing was messy,” he said to me. “There was a meeting I had with one of my clients. He’d mentioned an email exchange we had and I had to nod my head and pretend I knew what he was talking about.”

“The problem was this email exchange (…) it must have never made it to the spreadsheet.”

That’s the level of chaos that most salespeople deal with when they work with a small business without a CRM and it has a huge impact on closing deals. But then Mark, along with his team, was given Zoho training as the business eventually scaled.

“That was a game-changer,” he said. “All of a sudden it felt we were pros at our job again, and we saw our commission go through the roof.”

Mark understood this sales CRM so intuitively that several years later, he ended up becoming a specialist at Caldere, providing CRM services to businesses big and small.

But what exactly changed for Mark?

Morning Routine: He started the day by logging into the CRM, which displayed a dashboard that had his to-do list, appointments, and priority leads. CRM automation ensured he’d never miss a follow-up or meeting.

Customer Interactions: Not one piece of information was missed from his brain because it was all there in his sales CRM software. All contact clients, all emails, all calls, and meetings were logged.

Naturally, his customers loved him because he knew his stuff, and he knew his customers.

Lead Management: The CRM organised Mark’s leads by stages in the sales pipeline, so he could qualify the leads and focus more of his time and energy on closing.

Time Management: With less time spent on data entry and searching for information, Mark was doing fieldwork, focusing more on building relationships and closing deals.

This is what you can come to expect with effective sales CRM software. When you have everything in one place, you can use the data to improve your sales strategies.

For small businesses, CRM software like this is powerful. Resources are already stretched thin as it is, so a CRM system that automates routine sales tasks is a must.

The Best CRM App for Tracking Sales in Small Businesses

The irony of modern sales is this: Despite most people buying products and services online nowadays, the modern salesperson is always on the move.

They’re meeting clients, attending events, and closing deals in person or, at the least, over Zoom.

No salesperson wants to be stuck at their desk all day, tracking sales just meet quota. The best CRM for tracking sales in small business, therefore, should be built to move with them …not slow them down

So what many CRMs, such as Zoho have done, is create a CRM app.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: Mobile phones are terrible for CRM services.

I have to agree with you a little bit here. The phone’s screen is too small, it’s difficult to navigate, and you can never get all the functionality you want.

But here’s why Zoho’s sales CRM software is an exception to the rule:

👉 The interface is easy to use, so you can quickly find the info you need.

👉 Salespeople can add voice notes to customer records and work offline. And the data syncs when you’re back online.

👉 RouteIQ helps you plan the best routes for meeting clients, saving time and resources.

👉 The app turns business cards into CRM contacts instantly using your phone’s camera, making it easy to get details after events.

👉 You get real-time alerts for tasks and updates, plus access to sales analytics dashboards to track performance and make smart decisions.

👉 The app is intuitive so you would hardly need any Zoho training for it.

Now the question I ask is this:

Does this sound like a sales CRM system designed for you to be stuck at your desk, filling in data all day, or is it one designed to make your life easier?

I personally think Zoho is a sales CRM software that works for salespeople, not against them.

Plus, evidence suggests a mobile CRM is great for closing leads. When businesses use mobile CRM, they achieve their sales targets 65% of the time, compared to 22% for those without mobile access (Kixie).

What do you think?

Is Your Sales Tracking Turning Reps Into Data Analysts?

When you’re working in a small business, the best CRM for tracking sales needs to close deals, not add to a library of pointless data.

The facts back this up. Companies that implement CRM systems experience an average sales increase of 29% (Kixie).

But as these businesses scale, they run the risk of transforming their sales CRM software into a data analyst’s playground.

In other words, the focus shifts from customer relationship management to data analysis. And this can overwhelm your sales team who have a passion for making sales, not analysing data.

The probability of this happening increases when business owners splash the cash on high-end software instead of a cheap CRM. They want to make the most of what they bought. So this is what they do next:

They turn a user-friendly tool into a complex system that overwhelms sales teams and diverts attention from direct customer engagement.

So if you’re a small business with a new CRM, caution against letting the system become too data-heavy at the expense of usability for salespeople. The CRM automation needs to make life easier, not harder.

We believe Zoho achieves this aim.

But if you still don’t believe Zoho is the best CRM for tracking sales and making deals in small business, here’s a free gift so you can find out yourself:

Compare the Best CRMs for Tracking Sales in Small Business (Free Toolkit)

The simple fact for any sales team is this: If your competitors are using the best CRM for tracking sales, they’re killing it, while small businesses that don’t, are quickly falling behind.

So it’s no surprise businesses can expect an average return of £6.90 for every pound invested in CRM software (Dynamic Consultants Group). Having a CRM is more important than ever for tracking sales and getting those chunky commission.

Does that mean you should pick Zoho?

Answer: Zoho CRM is easy to learn and cheap.

But fundamental to our CRM services is honesty:

All businesses are unique, and how you track sales and close deals depends on your internal systems.

For that reason, we’re giving away a free CRM comparison toolkit.

It will give you 100% transparency and insight on the best CRM for tracking sales in small business. That way, you’re guaranteed to implement the systems your sales team will use (and enjoy using).

Message down below for the free CRM comparison toolkit and we’ll send it to you, no strings attached.

FAQ

The best application for tracking sales in small business is considered Zoho. It’s affordable, customisable, and designed with small business sales teams in mind. They help you track deals, manage contacts, and automate tasks without overwhelming your team.

To track sales effectively in a small business, start with simple tools like spreadsheets or manual methods. As you grow, switch to a centralised CRM, like Zoho, to automate tasks and analyse your sales data more deeply.

The best CRM for sales follow-up is one that automates reminders, tracks every interaction, and keeps leads from slipping through the cracks. Top contenders: Zoho for affordability, HubSpot for popularity, and Pipedrive for deal tracking.

The best CRM for small business is considered Zoho if you have +5 team members or Bigin if your team have less than 5 people on your team. Both CRMs are cheap and customisable, and have all the features of expensive CRMs like Salesforce and HubSpot.

Free Edition: £0/month for up to 3 users. Standard: £12/user/month (billed annually). Professional: £20/user/month. Enterprise: £35/user/month. Ultimate: £45/user/month