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Syed Mohammad Sharfuzzaman Nayeem
4 mins read

The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Sales Automation Platform

Choosing the right sales automation platform is very important in the digital age, as automation becomes more relevant for businesses.

Imagine your sales team huddled around a conference table, sipping coffee, juggling spreadsheets, taking notes, and sending dozens of emails. You could cut the chaos with a knife. 

A sales automation platform can easily replace the chaos. 

In 2024, the global sales automation tools market was more than $9 billion, and it is expected to become $17.5 billion, almost double, by 2033. What drives this growth? An increased adoption of AI sales tool by businesses. 

Digital channels will drive 80% of B2B sales by 2025, meaning sales automation is no longer optional for companies. As a matter of fact, companies are already leveraging AI in sales workflows and have reported an ROI growth of 10-20%

The right platform pays off, regardless of whether you are a scrappy startup or an enterprise giant. But, which is the right sales automation platform for you?

Why Does A Sales Automation Platform Matter?

A sales automation platform can save chunks of time usually wasted in doing redundant tasks and can help sales reps to focus on the strategic aspects.

It’s better to ask, “Is a sales automation platform worth it?” before you click ‘Buy.’ 

Sales reps spend 1/3rd of their day doing admin tasks. Manual data entry and follow-ups take a lot of time. 

A useful platform automates redundant tasks like lead scoring, email outreach, and call logging. This frees bandwidth, and sellers can focus on selling.  

Research shows that sales teams can save up to 2 hours per day on routine tasks when they use automation. 2 hours saved = huge productivity gains. One of the reasons why AI based sales tools are gaining popularity is. 

What Are the Key Features of a Sales Automation Platform?

Tools should automate workflows, have clear analytics, have seamless CRM integrations, and so on.

Having 100 features doesn’t matter. Focus on the ones that solve your team’s pain points - 

Workflow Automation

This is a basic feature. Your emails, lead scoring, follow-ups, and any other admin tasks should be automated. 

CRM Integration

Sales reps often say that CRM is critical to their success. So, seamless syncing with CRM is a must. 

AI-Driven Insights

A modern sales automation platform integrates AI in sales with predictive lead scoring and conversation intelligence capabilities. They act as digital sales assistants, which suggest the next course of action. 

Analytics & Reporting

Finally, the best B2B sales tools will provide clear and concise analytics dashboards. This makes tracking pipeline health and forecasting sales more accurate. 

AI in Sales is the Game Changer

We live in an era where ai based sales tools are making even automation smarter. An AI sales tool can do anything today. Be it scheduling meetings or analyzing sales calls to get better insights. 

The best sales AI tools provide - 

  1. Virtual assistants that never sleep and work 24/7.
  2. Digital sales assistant like Salesforce’s Einstein or HubSpot’s assign scores to leads to identify priority. 
  3. Personalized outreach at a scale. Nabiq can analyze the traits of customers and craft outreach messages catering to specific customers. 

AI in sales can boost leads, reduce call time, and costs for your company. The upside of AI based sales tools is simple - 

Automate dull tasks, make sales reps more productive, and score double-digit boosts for ROI.

Which Sales Automation Platform is the Best?

There are many options in the market like Salesforce and HubSpot. The best one is the tools that solves your pain points.

The following are the best sales AI tools and B2B sales that are killing it currently - 

Sales Tools Comparison
Tools Best for Features
Salesforce Enterprises and custom setups AI insights, deep CRM integration
HubSpot SMBs and fast-growing startups Intuitive UI, email sequencing, reporting
Outreach High-velocity outbound sales Sequences, automation, and AI coaching
Apollo Lead generation + engagement Integrated database + multi-channel sequences
Salesloft Conversational marketing and chatbots AI-powered digital sales assistant
Gong Conversation analytics Revenue intelligence, call coaching

Salesforce and HubSpot seem to be very ahead in the game. For 18 years straight, Salesforce has secured the spot for Leader in Gartner’s Sales Automation Magic Quadrant.

On the other hand, HubSpot has always received praise for its user-friendly interface. Its revenue has skyrocketed from $883 M in 2020 to $2.4 B in 2024, which means it is serving its customers right. 

Apart from the suggestions above, there are countless other sales automation platforms or AI sales tools. However, the best AI sales tools will be the one that actually works for your team.

So, demo a few tools to see which one clicks. 

How to Choose the Right Sales Automation Platform

Don't fall for the trap of brand names or many features. Pick the tool that resolves your team's problems.

The best tool cannot be a one-size-fits-all. Your approach should be - 

Step 1: Identify Your Sales Bottlenecks

Is there a leak in your sales funnel? Are sales reps losing leads? Are the follow-ups too manual? 

Find your pain point and match it to the feature of the tool. 

Step 2: List Must-Have Integrations

Take your existing CRM, calendar, and all the other tools you are using into account and see if they connect with the sales automation platform easily. 

Step 3: Consider Total Cost of Ownership

What are the other costs that you might have to incur? Onboarding, add-ons, etc. Consider all of these before making a decision. 

Step 4: Prioritize AI Capabilities

Pick the platforms that use AI-based sales tools. Because AI-powered tools can help improve workflows, and not just track them. 

Step 5: Test User Experience

Check product reviews. Ask your teams to use the tool on a free trial or demo basis. 

What Are the Pitfalls?

❌ Focusing on the brand name alone

❌ Avoiding AI

❌ Taking the learning curve for granted

❌Skipping customization

Digital Sales Assistant Will Rule the Future

An AI sales tool can do a lot of cool stuff, and it has the potential to do a lot more. Your digital sales assistant will draft follow-up responses, close deals, score your prospects, work on voice command, and suggest the best move for your business. 

AI-guided selling will improve traditional selling in the coming years. So, if you are not using AI sales tools now, you are going to play catch-up later. 

It’s more important now than ever to choose the right sales automation platform for your business. Because the right digital sales assistant will take the grunt work off your plate and help you strategize better. 

For more updates on sales and AI in sales, stay tuned with us!

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