Blog

Top Sales and Marketing Software Tools & Platforms to Grow Your Business in 2025

Are you looking for tools to help boost your sales and marketing efforts? This is the perfect spot!

Research indicates that a significant portion of sales teams (73%) see working across departments as extremely or very important for the overall success of their sales process. In addition, 86% of employees and executives blame workplace failures on a lack of collaboration or ineffective communication.

The success of collaboration and teamwork is not solely dependent on having a strong team, but also on the tools and technology used, such as PCs, laptops, software, and apps, which significantly impact the level of collaboration and cooperation.

In today’s fast-paced business world, sales and marketing teams are expected to deliver results in a constantly evolving and competitive environment. To achieve this, having the right tools at your disposal is crucial.

No matter what industry or field you work in, having the right marketing and sales tools is necessary for the successful completion of your job. The right tools can help you streamline your sales and marketing processes, automate repetitive tasks, and provide valuable insights into customer behavior.

In this blog, we will be exploring some of the best sales and marketing tools available in the market, and how they can help you improve your sales and marketing efforts. From lead generation and email marketing to customer relationship management and data analysis, we have got you covered. Get ready to take your sales and marketing efforts to the next level!

Best Marketing and Sales Tools

Here we are sharing 13 unique and extremely helpful sales and marketing tools that SaaS companies can use to streamline their business process.

S. No.	Tool	Key Features	Rating
1	NeverBounce	Email verification, real-time email validation, bulk list cleaning	⭐⭐⭐⭐
2	Google Analytics	Website traffic tracking, user behavior insights, conversion tracking	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
3	Salesmate	CRM automation, sales pipeline, built-in calling & texting	⭐⭐⭐⭐½
4	Reply	Sales engagement, automated outreach, email & LinkedIn integration	⭐⭐⭐⭐
5	LinkedIn Sales Navigator	Advanced lead search, CRM integration, personalized outreach	⭐⭐⭐⭐½
6	Salesforce	Market-leading CRM, advanced analytics, scalable customization	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
7	Marketo	Marketing automation, lead management, campaign analytics	⭐⭐⭐⭐½
8	Clearbit	B2B data enrichment, lead scoring, real-time prospecting	⭐⭐⭐⭐
9	BuzzSumo	Content research, influencer identification, social media insights	⭐⭐⭐⭐½
10	Salesflare	Automated CRM, email & meeting tracking, pipeline visualization	⭐⭐⭐⭐
11	Optimizely	A/B testing, personalization, digital experience optimization	⭐⭐⭐⭐½
12	Slack	Team collaboration, integrations, real-time messaging	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
13	Skype for Business	Video conferencing, instant messaging, Office 365 integration	⭐⭐⭐⭐
14	Omnisend	Omnichannel marketing, email & SMS automation, segmentation	⭐⭐⭐⭐½
15	HubSpot	All-in-one CRM, marketing & sales automation, reporting dashboard	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

NeverBounce

Website	Neverbounce.com
Free Trial	Available
Platforms supported	Web
Best For	Real-time email verification and email list cleaning services

Over 130,000 organizations trust NeverBounce for their email verification and cleaning services,the allowing you to reach more customers by cleaning your lists and preventing bounces, all for less than a penny per email.

Preserve your domain’s authority and brand reputation by not getting penalized for bounced emails. NeverBounce also has easy drag and drop importing via their dashboard or API access, with popular ESP and CRM integrations.

How NeverBounce Helps in Marketing and Sales?

It helps to verify the email address of your potential customer so that you never miss any marketing opportunity.
It allows you to boost your marketing campaign by targeting it to the right email addresses of your customers.
It helps to reduce the bounce rate by eliminating outdated and invalid email addresses.
By simply dropping the email list into the tool, you can clean any number of emails in bulk.
It can save a lot of time and resources compared to manually reviewing each email address.

Pros:

80+ integration option
Bank-level security
A pay-as-you-go plan is available
Free credits in the demo
Live chat support is available

Cons:

Poor customer support
Some users experienced that it inaccurately reports spam emails as valid

Pricing Plans

NeverBounce categorizes their pricing plans into two categories i.e. Pay-As-You-Go and Sync (Automated Cleaning)

Pay-As-You-Go Pricing:

Emails	Price per email
up to 10,000	$0.008
up to 100,000	$0.005
up to 250,000	$0.004
up to 1,000,000	$0.003

Custom price available for emails over 1,000,000 under the enterprise plan.

Sync (Automated Cleaning) Pricing:

Emails	Price per month	Price per year (save 20%)
up to 1,000	$10.00	$8.00
up to 10,000	$49.00	$39.20
up to 50,000	$99.00	$79.20
up to 100,000	$159.00	$127.20
up to 250,000	$259.00	$199.20
up to 5,00,000	$499.00	$399.20
up to 1,000,000	$999.00	$799.20
over 1,000,000	Custom Price	Custom Price

Google Analytics

Website	Analytics.google.com/analytics/web/provision
Free Trial	Completely Free
Platforms supported	Web, Android
Best For	To get information about traffic on your website

Google Analytics is a free web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic. It allows website owners and marketers to track key metrics such as the number of visitors, the source of traffic, and how users interact with the website.

The tool provides detailed reports on the performance of the website, including the number of pageviews, the average time spent on the site, the bounce rate, and conversion rates. This information can be used to optimize the website for better engagement and conversions, and to make informed decisions about marketing and advertising efforts.

Overall, Google Analytics is a powerful tool that helps website owners and marketers to understand and improve their website performance and to make data-driven decisions about their online presence.

How does Google Analytics Help in Marketing and Sales?

It gives you insights into the performance of your marketing campaign so that you can make better decisions.
It helps to know the different stages of a customer’s journey and how they interact with your site.
Provides real-time data on website traffic, conversion rates, and other key metrics.
It allows you to integrate your Google Ad account to get insights into the effectiveness of online advertising campaigns.
You can play with different settings and filters to customize the report according to your needs.
It helps to know the audience that comes to your websites, such as their location, age, interests, and much more.

Pros:

Free to use
Seamless sign-in through a Google account
Effortless integration with other Google products
Google help articles
Robust reporting and analytics
The mobile app is available

Cons:

Different ways to get customer support
Steep learning curve

Pricing Plans

Google Analytics is Free to use.

Salesmate

Website	www.salesmate.io
Free Trial	Available
Platforms supported	Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
Best For	CRM, sales management and automation software

Salesmate is a cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) software designed for small to medium-sized businesses. It is a platform that helps sales teams manage their customer interactions and track their sales pipeline, from initial contact to close.

With user-friendly UI and automated workflows, sales managers can help their team members keep their eye on the most crucial deals and pursue them regularly.

Global sales teams use this CRM for capturing leads and managing their sales pipelines. With intuitive integrations, managers can be assured that all the additional details of the prospect get filled automatically into the sales pipeline hence decreasing unnecessary manual labor.

With Salesmate CRM, business owners can easily generate insightful sales reports and manage their deals on the go. With real-time notifications of the deal updates on the smart devices, business owners can pursue new leads while they are away from their desks, too. Salesmate CRM has also developed iOS and Android apps for smart devices so that you can make more sales while on the go.

How Salesmate Helps in Marketing and Sales?

It comes with a marketing automation feature that automates repetitive tasks in marketing campaigns.
Just like marketing automation, Its CRM comes with a sales automation feature that helps you to focus on product selling rather than time-consuming repetitive tasks.
It allows sales and marketing teams to collaborate and communicate in real time.
Performance indicators and sales pipeline analytics of this tool will help you track your sales and marketing performance.
It helps you to recognize and manage potential customers, including lead tracking and lead nurturing.

Pros:

A 15-day free trial is available
Live chat and email support
iOS and Android apps are available
API Access
Chrome extension is available
Free templates and tools
Video tutorials and ebooks are available

Cons:

The cost of calls is relatively higher
Some integration features could be smoother

Pricing Plans

Salesmate offers four pricing plans that include Starter, Growth, Boost, and Enterprise. Pricing details of each plan are given below:

Plan	Yearly Price (Save 20%)	Monthly Price
Starter	$12/user/month	$15/user/month
Growth	$24/user/month	$30/user/month
Boost	$40/user/month	$50/user/month
Enterprise	Custom plans	Custom plans

Reply

Website	Reply.io
Free Trial	Available
Platforms supported	Web
Best For	Multichannel sales engagement and sales automation platform

Reply is an email prospecting and sales automation tool that automates personalized emails and follow-ups. The platform allows users to send an email with automatic follow-ups, connects replies to your mailbox, and provides detailed analytics such as delivery, click, open, and response rates.

It’s an effective way for sales teams to save up to 10 hours a week on outreach and allow them to spend more time on the actual selling.

How does Reply Help in Marketing and Sales?

With the email automation feature of Reply, you can send personalized emails and follow-ups to prospects at scale.
It helps to engage with prospects through various channels, such as email, social media, and phone.
It can help you to improve your response rates and engage more prospects through personalized email messages and follow-ups.
Powerful Chrome extension of Reply helps you to extract email contacts from social media sites like LinkedIn.
It helps you to verify the email addresses and phone numbers of prospects to save time and establish healthy communication.

Pros:

AI email assistance
Robust reports and analytics
Email A/B testing
Reply Academy to learn the software
Wide range of integration
Chrome extension is available
User-friendly interface

Cons:

Difficult to connect to the third-party mail server
It’s not easy to set up

Pricing Plans

Reply categorizes their pricing plans into two categories, i.e., Sales Engagement and Email Search.

Sales Engagement For Business Pricing:

Plan	Pricing
Starter	$60/user/month
Professional	$90/user/month
Custom	Custom Price

Sales Engagement For Agencies Pricing:

Plan	Pricing
Agency Starter	$60/user/month
Agency Professional	$90/user/month

Email Search Pricing:

Plan	Pricing
Starter	Free
Advanced	$49
Unlimited	$99 (Free with Annual sales engagement plans)

Start Using Reply Now

LinkedIn Sales Navigator

Website	Business.linkedin.com/sales-solutions
Free Trial	Available
Platforms supported	Web
Best For	To uncover sales insights and find new prospects for any sales operation

LinkedIn Sales Navigator is an intuitive sales tool created to assist sales teams, business owners, and individuals in building and nurturing customer relationships inside their networks. This sales prospecting tool enables the said users to enhance their sales closure, hence boosting their business revenue.

Using LinkedIn Sales Navigator, sales professionals can reach out to customers with enhanced search and filter features. This tool provides actionable insights into the leads and prospects so that sales professionals do not work in the dark and know their traits.

Engaging with leads and prospects becomes really easy using personalized schemes with these insights. Business owners and sales professionals can easily bifurcate personal and professional brands, allowing individuals to focus on their sales outreach campaigns. LinkedIn Sales Navigator is somewhat expensive for small businesses, as pricing for teams is set on a per-seat basis.

How does LinkedIn Sales Navigator Help in Marketing and Sales?

It helps to extract potential leads based on a user’s preferences and activity on LinkedIn.
It allows you to send personalized messages to leads that eventually increase sales.
Provides seamless integration with popular CRM tools, such as Salesforce and HubSpot, to build strong connections.
It helps you to manage your sales leads and customer relationships more efficiently.
Insights and updates on lead activity and company news, which can be used to personalize and prioritize outreach efforts.

Pros:

A free trial is available
Advanced search options
Engagement tracking
Integration with popular CRM
Wide range of filters
Creates custom lists

Cons:

Some users report that the pricing is higher

Pricing Plans

LinkedIn Sales Navigator offers three plans that include Core, Advanced, and Advanced Plus. Pricing of all these plans is based on a custom pricing model.

Salesforce

Website	www.salesforce.com
Free Trial	Available
Platforms supported	Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
Best For	A cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) platform for sales, service, and marketing

While there are many options available today, Salesforce remains the industry standard for customer relationship management (CRM) software that allows tracking every step of the sale. This software enables users to effectively manage leads, opportunities, sales pipelines, support requests, and more. From phone calls and emails to working with colleagues, everything is tracked in one place, enabling your sales team to stay on top of every deal and also engage more effectively with prospective clients. The SaaS allows you to:

Collect and monitor leads
Track insights for better sales opportunities
Improve the productivity of your sales reps
Engage directly with leads and create email campaigns
Collaborate with sales reps and other members of your team

It also integrates with HubSpot, creating a seamless connection between marketing and sales if you’re on the marketing automation platform.

How does Salesforce help in Marketing and Sales?

Provides insights to enhance the experience of customers at every step of the buying journey.
It helps to view your customer data to cater to their needs, preferences, and buying behavior.
It helps to automate the sales process, set up alerts for key sales activities, and collaborate with team members.
You can easily create targeted marketing campaigns, track campaign performance, and automate marketing tasks to increase efficiency.
It helps to close deals faster and provides you with real-time insights to optimize campaigns.

Pros:

Call support
User-friendly interface
Huge learning resources
A free trial is available
Real-time sales insights
Seamless integration with other Salesforce products

Cons:

Difficult to customize

Pricing Plans

Salesforce offers four pricing plans that include Essentials, Professional, Enterprise, and Unlimited. Pricing details of each plan are given below:

Plan	Pricing
Essentials	$25/user/month
Professional	$75/user/month
Enterprise	$150/user/month
Unlimited	$300/user/month

Marketo

Website	Business.adobe.com/in/products/marketo/adobe-marketo.html
Free Trial	Not Available
Platforms supported	Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
Best For	A marketing automation platform for lead management, email marketing, and analytics

Marketo offers powerful marketing automation software to engage prospects and customers via digital marketing. The platform offers a suite of applications to drive engagement from one place, from personalized display ads to predictive content.

With an integrated approach to customer marketing, sales teams can benefit from increased insights and from creating effective automated sales campaigns.

How Marketo Helps in Marketing and Sales?

It helps you to streamline and automate your marketing, which ultimately leads to increased sales.
It helps you to understand where leads are in the sales funnel and what their interests are.
Targeted emails and other communications can help move leads closer to a purchase.
You can manage and measure the success of marketing campaigns across multiple channels, such as email and social media.
You can align your sales and marketing teams by providing real-time visibility into the lead status and activity.

Pros:

Insightful marketing analytics
Native CRM integration
Advanced personalization
Sales insights
Good support

Cons:

Pricing is not disclosed
Lack of personalized learning resources for Marketo

Pricing Plans

Marketo offers four plans that include Growth, Select, Prime, and Ultimate. Pricing of all these plans is based on a custom pricing model.

Clearbit

Website	Clearbit.com
Free Trial	Not Available
Platforms supported	Web
Best For	Lead management platform with AI and ML technologies

Clearbit is a business lead management solution that collects data about customers. This SaaS (Software as a Service) tool enables users to create sales teams, identify prospective leads, and gather important information about their customers.

Clearbit is a collection of powerful APIs that are designed to help business owners grow their businesses. This smart tool is helpful in successful lead segmentation using their email address. Just feed your contacts’ email addresses and Clearbit will provide you with the associated social data of your contacts, such as –

Name,
Twitter and Facebook profiles,
Avatars,
URLs and more.

With such a powerful profile enrichment tool, you can successfully run all your online sales and marketing campaigns using tailored promotions based on the contacts’ online activities. This SaaS tool provides information about a company using its domain address, such as

company name,
capital generated,
number of employees,
market categories.

With such powerful insights, you can run your best promotions that include competitive pricing and discounts. Being a sales professional or a digital marketer, we can bet that such a great tool enables the success of your SaaS business campaigns.

How does Clearbit help in Marketing and Sales?

It helps to capture contact details, job titles, social media profiles, and company details of potential customers.
It allows you to segment the audience based on job title, industry, company size, and more.
It helps to understand the needs and pain points of your prospects for more informed and personalized sales conversion.
Provides insights into customer behavior and preferences to optimize marketing campaigns and track performance.
Automated and real-time data enrichment makes the data collection process quicker and more efficient.

Pros:

100+ attributes
Native integration
User-friendly interface
Help Center articles are available
API Access
The demo is available on demand

Cons:

Pricing is not disclosed
Difficulty in finding LinkedIn profiles of companies

Pricing Plans

Clearbit offers custom pricing plans. You can contact the vendor for pricing details.

BuzzSumo

Website	Buzzsumo.com
Free Trial	Available
Platforms supported	Web
Best For	Content curation & influencer marketing

To get a full picture of the competitive environment in your market, you have to understand how content is performing in all avenues of the web, and BuzzSumo helps you do that. BuzzSumo is an excellent tool for marketers when it comes to analyzing social media data as well as curating content ideas. BuzzSumo allows you to analyze content by domain or topic to see which posts are being shared the most. It’s also great in helping you find key influencers whom you can contact once your content has been published as part of your content promotion strategy.

The social SaaS provides:

Content insights regarding author, domain, and more
Search content engagement in the past 24 hours and up to the past year
View shares of content across all social media platforms
Search social backlinks
Content curation
Find and research influencers

How BuzzSumo Helps in Marketing and Sales?

It helps to analyze the content of competitors to know their strengths and weaknesses.
It helps to connect with influencers, build relationships, and leverage their audience for promoting your brand.
It provides insights into the most shared and engaged content on social media platforms.
You can smooth your marketing strategy by utilizing the data provided by this tool.
It monitors the trend in your industry to keep you aligned with the latest trends.
It helps to generate leads by identifying people who are interested in specific topics or brands.

Pros:

Chrome extension is available
API Access
A 30-day free trial is available
A free plan is available
Intuitive interface
Help Center articles and live chat support

Cons:

Lags sometimes when integrating with Slack
Search is limited to only 10 in the free plan

Pricing Plans

BuzzSumo offers one Free plan and three pricing plans that include Pro, Plus, and Large. Pricing details of each plan are given below:

Plan	Yearly Price (Save 20%)	Monthly Price
Pro	$79/month	$99/month
Plus	$139/month	$179/month
Large	$239/month	$299//month

Try BuzzSumo For FREE

Salesflare

Website	Salesflare.com
Free Trial	Available
Platforms supported	Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
Best For	CRM tool for small and medium-sized B2B businesses

Salesflare is an easy-to-use CRM for small to medium businesses, designed to help them increase sales with minimal effort. This platform is simple to use, provides visuals, and automatically stores your customer data so you can attend to your customers and focus on sales.

Salesflare is an artificial intelligence sales assistant for Outlook, Gmail, and mobile devices. Working with your CRM, the platform automatically assists your follow-ups, takes over your admin, and creates transparent customer conversations that can be handled by the team. Salesflare makes it easy for teams to boost sales performance.

How Does Salesflare Help in Marketing and Sales?

Automation and lead tracking can help you focus on closing deals rather than manual data entry.
It helps to keep track of all your leads and their interactions with your team to streamline the sales process.
A visual pipeline view offered by Salesflare helps you to manage your sales funnel, track deals, and analyze your performance.
It assists you in following up on potential prospects at the right time.
You can easily integrate with 3000+ tools, including sales and marketing tools, using Zapier integration.

Pros:

Live chat support
Interactive dashboard
A free trial is available
Knowledge base articles to learn
Drag and drop functionality
Automated emails based on triggers

Cons:

Some users faced issues connecting their email to Salesflare
Sometimes sends multiple reminders instead of one

Pricing Plans

Salesflare offers three pricing plans that include Growth, Pro, and Enterprise. Pricing details of each plan is given below:

Plan	Monthly Price
Growth	$29/user/month
Pro	$49/user/month
Enterprise	$99/user/month

Try Salesflare Now

Optimizely

Website	www.optimizely.com
Free Trial	Not Available, but have Free version
Platforms supported	Web
Best For	Digital experience platform software as a service

Optimizely is a website optimization platform that provides users with A/B and multivariate testing. Users who do not have a technical background can

make dynamic variations to websites,
test the discrepancies to live traffic and
gather instant results.

Optimizely allows users to optimize customer experience and enables business owners to drive up the value of their digital products and campaigns through a best-in-class experimentation software platform. Product and marketing professionals can use evidence-based results for:

accelerating innovation,
lower the risk of new features, and
drive up the return on investment (ROI)

How Optimizely Helps in Marketing and Sales?

It offers a marketing campaign management platform that helps to manage and streamline marketing efficiently.
It helps you to test different versions of a website to see which one performs better in terms of sales, conversions, and engagement.
Helps to measure the performance of the campaigns and make data-driven decisions with real-time analytics.
It enables you to segment the audience based on various criteria such as demographics, interests, and behavior.
It helps to enhance the experience of individual users based on their behavior, preferences, and past interactions with the brand.

Pros:

User-friendly dashboard
Detailed data and insights
Customizable targeting
Seamless integration with other tools
Learning resources are available
Advanced Targeting

Cons:

Pricing is not disclosed
Limited support

Pricing Plans:

Optimizely pricing is available on request. You’ll need to reach out to the vendor for a custom quote.

Slack

Website	Slack.com
Free Trial	Available
Platforms supported	Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
Best For	Team communication and workflows

Slack is a messaging app that allows users to migrate their communication in one place with real-time messaging, archiving, and search features. Slack allows seamless integration with external services.

With its built-in internal and external sharing options, sales and marketing professionals can store and share files with their teammates from any place and from any device with internet. An advanced search, filter, add-on, and sorting procedure from Slack enables users to have those important files right in front of them. Slack has apps for iOS and Android that are an add on to your work on the go style, so even when you are logged into multiple devices, your system will recognize the same and will mark messages as “read” when you do so.

How does Slack help in Marketing and Sales?

It helps to easily connect with client teams to discuss ongoing projects or to make sales pitches.
The file-sharing feature makes it easy for the sales and marketing teams to collaborate and access important information.
It can send notifications when leads are generated, deals are closed, or when certain actions are taken.
It helps to track the progress and measure the success of the sales and marketing team through robust reporting and analytics.
It offers a wide range of communication channels such as direct messaging, group messaging, and video conferencing.

Pros:

The mobile app is available
A lot of integration options
User-friendly interface
Accessible on any device
Resource library to learn
Workflow builder

Cons:

Lack of live customer support

Pricing Plans

Slack offers a Free plan and three pricing plans that include Pro, Business+, and Enterprise Grid. Pricing details of each plan are given below:

Plan	Monthly Price
Pro	₹218/user/month
Business+	₹375.20/user/month
Enterprise Grid	Custom Price

Skype for Business

Website	www.skype.com
Free Trial	No Free Trial, But Free Version Available
Platforms supported	Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
Best For	VoIP software for phone calls, chats, and video conferencing

Skype - Marketing and Sales Tool — Skype – Sales and Marketing Platforms

Skype is a VoIP solution that enables managers to do video conferencing, make international calls, and send texts to prospects, clients, and team members via the web. Skype enables its users with

instant messaging,
group video conferencing,
video and group chat,
document and image sharing.

Skype, although it has a free basic tool available in the market, it also offers business features in its paid version. Business owners can use this paid version and get

business conferencing (up to 250 people),
MS Office tool,
third-party business app integration.

Pricing Plans

Skype offers a Free plan and three pricing plans that include Microsoft Teams Essentials, Microsoft 365 Business Basic, and Microsoft 365 Business Standard. Pricing details of each plan are given below:

Plan	Monthly Price
Microsoft Teams Essentials	₹100.00/user/month
Microsoft 365 Business Basic	₹136.25/user/month
Microsoft 365 Business Standard	₹719.40/user/month

Omnisend

Website	www.omnisend.com
Free Trial	Available
Platforms Supported	Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
Best For	E-commerce businesses looking for omnichannel marketing automation with email, SMS, and push notifications to boost customer engagement and sales.

Omnisend is a marketing tool built especially for online stores. It combines email, SMS, and automation to help businesses connect with customers, boost sales, and build loyalty. With ready-to-use workflows, customer segmentation, dynamic content, and A/B testing, it makes it easy to create personalized campaigns across multiple channels, ensuring consistent communication with customers wherever they are. It is one of the best sales and marketing software for small businesses.

Pros

Supports multi-channel marketing across email, SMS, and web push.
Tailored for e-commerce with tools like abandoned cart reminders and product suggestions.
Easy to use with a drag-and-drop editor.
Flexible pricing plans suitable for different business sizes.

Cons

Limited features for B2B companies.
Some features take time to fully learn.
Customer support response may be slower during peak times.

Pricing Plans:

Plan	Monthly Price
Free	$0/month (up to 250 contacts & 500 emails/month)
Standard	From $16/month (based on contact list size)
Pro	From $59/month (based on contact list size)

HubSpot

Website	www.hubspot.com
Free Trial	Available
Platforms Supported	Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
Best For	Businesses of all sizes that need an all-in-one CRM with powerful sales, marketing, customer service, and automation tools to grow and manage customer relationships effectively.

HubSpot Sales Hub is a CRM that helps sales teams manage leads and track progress with clear dashboards. It’s known for its simple design and strong customer support.

How it helps sales teams:

Lead management: Let teams build custom workflows and automatically move leads through the pipeline.
AI and automation: Uses AI to help reps write better emails and save time.
Reporting: Provides easy-to-read dashboards so teams can quickly see their progress.
Sales engagement: Reps can send, schedule, and track emails directly from the platform without needing another tool.

Pros

Easy-to-use design with a simple interface.
Strong customer support and resources.
Powerful lead management and automation features.
Built-in email tools for outreach and engagement.
Clear dashboards and reporting for tracking progress.

Cons

It can get expensive as you scale and add features.
Some advanced tools require higher-tier plans.
Setup and customization may take time for new users.

Pricing Plans:

Plan	Monthly Price
Free	$0/month (basic CRM tools)
Starter	From $18/month (billed annually, 2 users)
Professional	From $450/month (billed annually, 5 users)
Enterprise	From $1,200/month (billed annually, 10 users)

Conclusion

Our picks of the top sales and marketing tools are comprehensive, covering everything from customer management, data analysis, and email marketing to social media management and team collaboration.

Whether you’re a startup or an established business, investing in the right sales and marketing tools can lead to substantial improvements in your business, boosting productivity, simplifying work processes, and generating revenue. Consider the specific needs and goals of your SaaS company and choose the tools that best align with your sales and marketing strategies. With the right tools in hand, you’re on your way to achieving greater success in the SaaS industry.

With this list at your disposal, your sales and marketing teams will no longer fall short of their goals and will be able to work cohesively and effectively.

FAQs

What are sales and marketing tool?

A sales and marketing tool are software or technology platform that helps businesses improve their sales and marketing efforts. These tools can assist with a wide range of activities, including lead generation, customer relationship management, email marketing, social media management, data analysis, and more.

What are some of the best marketing and sales tools available today?

Some of the best marketing and sales tools include NeverBounce, Salesforce, Salesmate, Marketo, Reply, Clearbit, BuzzSumo, Slack and Salesflare.

Why is it important to use marketing tools?

Marketing tools are crucial for businesses to effectively reach target audience, communicate value, and measure marketing success, leading to increased brand awareness, traffic, leads, and revenue growth.

What should I look for when choosing marketing and sales tools?

When choosing marketing and sales tools, you should consider factors such as your business goals, target audience, budget, and available resources. You should also look for tools that are user-friendly, offer robust analytics and reporting, and integrate with your existing technology stack.

How do marketing and sales tools help in customer relationship management?

Marketing and sales tools can help businesses manage and track interactions with their customers, including email communications, phone calls, and meetings. This data can be used to personalize customer experiences and build stronger relationships with them.

Can marketing and sales tools automate tasks?

Yes, many marketing and sales tools offer automation features that can save time and effort by automating repetitive tasks, such as email campaigns, social media posting, and lead nurturing.

September 10, 2025

Research-backed Skincare Brand Asaya Secures Rs. 28 Crore in Pre-Series A Funding

Asaya, India’s science-driven skincare brand revolutionizing hyperpigmentation solutions, announced its Rs. 28 crore pre-Series A funding round. RPSG Capital, one of India’s largest consumer-focused VCs, led the investment. Strategic investors include Suyash Saraf and Anisha Agarwal Saraf, Co-founders of Dot & Key, as well as existing backers OTP Ventures and Huddle Ventures.

The brand has achieved 400% year-over-year growth by addressing hyperpigmentation – a concern affecting millions of Indian consumers, but one that has been overlooked in mainstream product launches. Asaya’s proprietary, patented molecule MelaMe™ delivers clinically proven results in just 14 days, consistently outperforming multi-billion dollar international brands when tested on Indian skin types.

Founded by three FMCG and Consumer experts, each with over 23 years of experience, Asaya takes a research-first approach that sets it apart from brands using commoditized formulas. “We’re not just another beauty brand entering this crowded market,” said Neeraj Biyani, Co-founder, Asaya. “We’re addressing one of India’s most prevalent unsolved skincare concerns through breakthrough research and formulations created specifically for Indian skin. It is our patented MelaMe™ complex and clinical results that set us apart.”

“Asaya’s 5x revenue growth in the last 12 months proves Indian consumers are ready for science-backed solutions tailored to their specific needs rather than one-size-fits-all solutions,” added Abhishek Goenka, Lead Investor, RPSG Capital. “Asaya’s targeted approach and proven efficacy make them ideally positioned to capture this shift toward specialized skincare.”

The funding will establish a state-of-the-art innovation center, accelerating product development. The brand plans to launch six innovative product solutions over the next 12 months, including a product line featuring another patented molecule targeting a major Indian skin concern – the result of 1.5 years of dedicated research.

“Asaya’s dedicated research and Indian skin-specific formulations represent exactly the innovation our beauty industry needs,” said Suyash Saraf, Co-founder of Dot & Key and HyperScale Ventures. “Their remarkable traction with growth rates significantly higher than the industry average, adding thousands of consumers daily, proves that.”

Existing investors guiding Asaya include OTP Ventures, founded by Suhail Sameer (the first investor in Mamaearth), and Huddle Ventures, known for backing Blue Tokai and Bold Care. The company is set to soon expand across quick-commerce platforms while scaling operations and delivery speed nationwide.

About Asaya

Founded with a mission to solve India’s most pressing skincare concerns through scientific innovation, Asaya has rapidly established itself as a leader in the hyperpigmentation category. The brand’s research-first approach has yielded patented formulations that deliver clinically proven results tailored specifically to Indian skin types. With a focus on transparency, efficacy, and consumer education, Asaya continues to set new standards in the Indian beauty industry.

The company’s commitment to research and development, combined with its impressive repeat purchase rates and viral product success, positions it as a formidable player in India’s evolving beauty landscape.

September 10, 2025

Top Sales Management Tools & Software to Boost Team Performance in 2025

In today’s competitive business landscape, effective sales management plays a pivotal role in driving success. The ability to influence how sales transactions occur greatly influences a venture’s success. This is where a sales management tool assumes paramount importance, guiding managers in steering their business trajectory. In the present landscape, a diverse range of sales management tools exists, offering comprehensive integrations and effective automation services that enhance sales and yield remarkable outcomes.

To equip sales teams with the best resources, we’ve curated a list of the top sales management tools that every sales manager can consider employing to enhance their team’s productivity. From streamlining processes to enhancing productivity and boosting revenue, these tools have proven their worth in the world of sales. Join us as we delve into the features, benefits, and insights behind each tool, uncovering how they can elevate your sales strategies to new heights.

Best Sales Management Software Tools

With the growing technology and competition, every business activity needs certain tools for achieving the best possible performance. The following are the top sales management software tools that every sales manager needs:

S. No.	Tool	Key Features	Rating
1	Pipedrive	Sales pipeline management, customizable workflows, activity reminders	⭐⭐⭐⭐
2	Clari	Revenue forecasting, AI-driven insights, pipeline visibility	⭐⭐⭐⭐½
3	Zendesk Sell	Lead management, sales email tracking, mobile CRM	⭐⭐⭐⭐
4	Freshsales	AI-based lead scoring, 360° customer view, workflow automation	⭐⭐⭐⭐½
5	HubSpot Sales	Email tracking, meeting scheduler, CRM integration	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
6	Keap	CRM + marketing automation, lead capture, payments integration	⭐⭐⭐⭐
7	Oracle NetSuite	Enterprise CRM, sales forecasting, order & pipeline management	⭐⭐⭐⭐½
8	Nextiva	VoIP + CRM integration, team collaboration, customer engagement	⭐⭐⭐⭐
9	Salesloft	Sales engagement, call/email automation, analytics dashboards	⭐⭐⭐⭐½
10	Workbooks	Mid-market CRM, marketing automation, reporting & dashboards	⭐⭐⭐⭐
11	Salesforce	Market-leading CRM, advanced customization, AI-powered insights	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Pipedrive

Website	www.pipedrive.com
Free Trial	Available
Platforms Supported	Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
Best For	Small to medium-sized businesses looking for a user-friendly sales CRM with pipeline management and automation capabilities.

Pipedrive is a sales management tool that gives in-depth analytics that will guide businesses to have better control over their sales. Their simple dashboards are extremely user-friendly and let users prioritize deals. They have unique features like pipeline management, sales reporting, email integration, and sales forecasting among many others, which will help in aiding sales procedures.

With the help of customizable pipelines, this tool helps to add more details to every different deal. By creating reliable records, relevant data charts, and tracking deals and activities, Pipedrive improves the productivity of businesses. They are also integrated with Zapier, MailChimp, and Google Maps.

Ultimate Guide: Getting started with Pipedrive CRM

Pipedrive Pricing Plans

Plan	Yearly Price	Monthly Price
Essential	US$9.90/month	US$11.90/month
Advanced	US$19.190/month	US$24.90/month
Professional	US$39.90/month	US$49.90/month
Power	US$49.90/month	US$59.90/month
Enterprise	US$59.90/month	US$74.90/month

Clari

Website	www.clari.com
Free Trial	Available
Platforms Supported	Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
Best For	Sales teams and leaders seeking AI-driven forecasting, opportunity management, and real-time visibility into sales data to optimize revenue growth.

Clari’s sales management tool aids the sales team by pointing out the areas of the business that need better focus. Clari identifies and eliminates any blind spots that can adversely affect the business and thereby improves the accuracy of sales pipeline inspection and forecasting. Clari, in that way, saves the team from giving unnecessary attention to irrelevant details while directing the entire team towards immediate areas of concern.

The tool has integrated itself with Salesforce CRM, Oracle CRM, SAP CRM, and Microsoft Dynamics CRM, among several others. They also track the progress of individual deals and predict their closing. By prioritising these details on the dashboard, Clari facilitates the prioritisation of services for the sales team. They provide a free trial option for the users, after which they can consult the team for a service that best suits their business requirements.

Clari Pricing Plans

Clari offers custom pricing plans. Please contact vendors for pricing details.

Zendesk Sell

Website	www.zendesk.com/in/sell
Free Trial	Available
Platforms Supported	Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
Best For	Businesses seeking a sales CRM with automation features, real-time insights, and customizable pipelines to manage and optimize sales processes.

Zendesk Sell is a sales CRM (Customer Relationship Management) platform designed to help businesses effectively manage their sales processes and relationships with customers. Zendesk Sell offers a range of features aimed at streamlining sales operations, enhancing collaboration among sales teams, and providing insights to drive revenue growth.

Zendesk Sell supplies the necessary tools for sales management and customer engagement. Zendesk Sell also acts as a storage space for all the synced calls, call records, and emails. These stored data can be accessed from any device. Their functionality has been efficiently automated, and the tool even assigns the leads to the appropriate sales personnel based on the information it has. The extensive integration it has with other platforms makes this tool even more attractive to prospective users. Their suite of tools is known for enhancing the sales team’s productivity.

It’s suitable for businesses of different sizes and industries, helping them to enhance their sales efficiency, improve customer relationships, and achieve their revenue targets.

Zendesk Sell Pricing Plans

Plan	Yearly Price	Monthly Price
Sell Team	US $19/agent/month	US $25/agent/month
Sell Growth	US $55/agent/month	US $69/agent/month
Sell Professional	US $115/agent/month	US $149/agent/month

Freshsales

Website	www.freshworks.com/crm/sales
Free Trial	Available
Platforms Supported	Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
Best For	Sales teams and businesses looking for a user-friendly CRM solution with lead management, email tracking, and AI-based insights to improve sales efficiency and customer relationships.

Freshsales is a customer relationship management (CRM) software designed to help businesses effectively manage their sales processes and interactions with customers. Developed by Freshworks, Freshsales offers a range of tools and features aimed at enhancing sales productivity, optimizing lead management, and improving customer relationships.

Key features of Freshsales include lead scoring, contact management, deal tracking, email tracking, and sales analytics. The platform allows sales teams to track leads, manage contacts, and monitor the progress of deals through customizable pipelines. It also provides automation capabilities to streamline repetitive tasks and workflows, helping sales professionals save time and focus on high-priority activities.

It integrates with various communication tools and offers omnichannel communication options to facilitate seamless interactions with leads and customers.

FreshSales CRM Tutorial in 2023

Freshsales Pricing Plans

Plan	Yearly Price	Monthly Price
Free	₹0	₹0
Growth	₹999/user/month	₹1,199/user/month
Pro	₹2799/user/month	₹3399/user/month
Enterprise	₹4999/user/month	₹5,999/user/month

HubSpot Sales

Website	www.hubspot.com/products/sales
Free Trial	Available
Platforms Supported	Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
Best For	Businesses of all sizes looking for an integrated CRM and sales platform offering email tracking, automation, analytics, and lead management to enhance sales performance.

Another popular sales management tool for sales managers on the list is HubSpot Sales Hub. It is designed to help businesses manage and optimize their sales processes, streamline interactions with leads and customers, and ultimately drive revenue growth. It is a great platform that allows sales managers to attract new clients as well as retain the existing ones. This sales management software allows you to attract the best leads by giving you insight into visitors visiting your company’s website. It offers features like contact management, email scheduling, deal pipeline, meeting scheduling, live chat, etc.

HubSpot Sales Hub is suitable for businesses of all sizes, from startups to enterprises, looking to improve their sales processes, enhance customer relationships, and achieve their revenue goals.

HubSpot Sales Hub Pricing Plans

Plan	Price
Free	$0
Starter	Starting at $45/month
Professional	Starting at $450/month
Enterprise	Starting at $1200/month

Keap

Website	Keap.com
Free Trial	Available
Platforms Supported	Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
Best For	Small businesses and solopreneurs seeking an all-in-one CRM and marketing automation solution to manage contacts, automate tasks, and nurture leads.

Keap, is a customer relationship management (CRM) and marketing automation software designed to assist businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, in managing their sales and marketing efforts. Keap offers a suite of tools that help streamline processes, enhance communication, and nurture leads throughout the sales cycle.

Key features of Keap include contact management, lead scoring, email marketing, automation workflows, sales pipeline management, and mobile access. The platform is focused on helping businesses organize their contacts, automate tasks, and engage with leads and customers effectively.

Get started with Keap – advanced campaign builder

Keap Pricing Plans

Plan	Price
Pro	$159/month
Max	$229/month
Max Classic	Custom Pricing

Oracle NetSuite

Website	www.netsuite.com
Free Trial	Not Available
Platforms Supported	Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
Best For	Businesses looking for a comprehensive cloud-based ERP and CRM solution to manage financials, operations, customer relationships, and sales processes.

Oracle NetSuite offers comprehensive assistance to prospects from the initial stages of lead management. Operating solely in the cloud, its core emphasis lies in providing a real-time view of customers. This involves closely monitoring buyer activity to provide timely updates on potential purchase timings and prospect dynamics, following predefined criteria. Its automated services enable efficient campaign creation, with the tool suggesting campaigns to focus on, enhancing campaign optimization. Furthermore, it supports joint-market campaigns and aids in sales forecasting, adding to its array of features.

Oracle NetSuite Pricing Plans

Oracle NetSuite offers custom pricing plans. Please contact vendors for pricing details.

Nextiva

Website	www.nextiva.com
Free Trial	Available
Platforms Supported	Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
Best For	Businesses seeking a comprehensive communication platform with VoIP phone systems, collaboration tools, CRM integration, and analytics for enhancing customer interactions and team productivity.

Focusing on communication, Nextiva enables the user to manage the whole sales team through CRM, cloud phone service, and live chat. Through their well-laid-out interface, it empowers the user to handle a sales team containing a large number of people in a single platform. Since communication is a key part of making sales, Nextiva has continued to be one of the top tools used by most of the sales team for its efficient features. This provides all details of the caller and manages the pipeline immediately after every call starts. Nextiva is also popular because of its extensive integration and cost-effectiveness.

Nextiva Pricing Plans

Plan	Yearly Price	Monthly Price
Essential	$18.95/user/month	$25.95/user/month
Professional	$22.95/user/month	$30.95/user/month
Enterprise	$32.95/user/month	$40.95/user/month

Salesloft

Website	Salesloft.com
Free Trial	Not Available
Platforms Supported	Web
Best For	Sales teams looking for a sales engagement platform with email tracking, call automation, analytics, and personalized cadences to streamline outreach and improve sales effectiveness.

Saleloft - sales management software — Top Sales Manager Software – Saleloft

SalesLoft is a dynamic sales engagement platform designed to empower sales teams with advanced tools for effective outreach and communication. The platform offers a comprehensive range of features such as email tracking and automation, call automation, cadence management, and more to enhance sales processes, optimize customer interactions, and drive better results.

The state-of-the-art Modern Revenue Workspace offered by SalesLoft serves as a centralized hub for sellers to efficiently execute digital selling tasks, engage with buyers, gain clarity on their next steps, and access valuable coaching and insights for achieving success. SalesLoft is trusted by numerous high-performing sales teams globally, including renowned names like IBM, Shopify, Square, and Cisco, all of whom leverage its capabilities to drive increased revenue.

Saleloft Pricing Plans

Saleloft offers custom pricing plans. Please get in touch with vendors for pricing details.

Workbooks

Website	www.workbooks.com
Free Trial	Available
Platforms Supported	Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
Best For	Businesses seeking a comprehensive CRM and business management solution to streamline sales, marketing, and customer service processes, with tools for automation, analytics, and collaboration.

Workbooks’ sales management tool helps in improving the efficiency of sales representatives in a significant manner. Through this tool, managing the sales team becomes a lot more simple as it offers features like real-time reporting, activity tracking, opportunity identification, and so on. Features like activity training will ensure that each lead is paid close attention to and no lead is missed or overlooked at any cost.

This also stores information about each prospect to later use for their targeted campaigning programs. Through its feature called Workbooks Enrich, it provides users with information regarding relevant prospects. This has a double-sided benefit as it helps both the user and the customer to have an exhaustive view of the nature of the business they are dealing with.

Workbooks Pricing Plans

Plan	Price
CRM	$39 per user per month billed annually
Business	$79 per user per month billed annually

Salesforce

Website	www.salesforce.com
Free Trial	Available
Platforms Supported	Web, Android, iPhone/iPad
Best For	Businesses of all sizes looking for a highly customizable and scalable CRM platform with advanced sales, marketing, customer service, and AI-powered analytics to drive growth and customer engagement.

Salesforce is one of the biggest names in CRM, giving businesses everything they need to manage customers, sales, and marketing in one place. What makes it special are its powerful tools like advanced analytics, sales forecasting, and endless customization options, which are perfect for big and complex organizations. It’s highly scalable, so it grows with your business. With Salesforce, companies get a full 360-degree view of their customers, helping them track, capture, and nurture leads to close more deals successfully.

Salesforce Pricing Plans:

Plan	Price (per user/month, billed annually)
Starter	$25
Professional	$80
Enterprise	$165
Unlimited	$330
Unlimited+	$500

Conclusion

The above-mentioned sale management tools have been in the market for a while now, leading businesses through paths of success. They have all helped in breaking the traditional walls of sales management by bringing automation and customization into the picture. The choice of the right tool is always the key factor in making the best out of these available services and making a positive impact on the business. It will depend on various factors like size, budget, and requirements of the company.

FAQs

What is sales management software?

Sales management software is a solutions designed to assist sales teams in organizing, automating, and optimizing their sales processes to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.

What are the best tools for sales managers?

The following are some of the popular tools for sales managers:

Pipedrive
Clari
Zendesk Sell
Freshsales
HubSpot Sales
Keap
Oracle NetSuite
Nextiva
Salesloft
Workbooks

What is a sale strategy?

It refers to a strategy used by the sales team to position and sell products or
A sales strategy is a well-defined plan outlining the approach, tactics, and actions a business takes to achieve its sales goals and objectives.

Why should businesses use sales management software?

Sales management software streamline sales activities, improve customer interactions, and provide valuable insights, leading to increased productivity, better sales outcomes, and enhanced customer relationships.

What is the role of sales management?

Sales management refers to the planning, implementing, and controlling of sales of a company’s products or services. It also involves recruiting and training the sales team members.

How do these tools help in managing leads?

Sales management tools help in lead management by centralizing lead information, tracking interactions, assigning tasks, and nurturing leads through personalized communication and automated follow-ups.

How do I choose the right sales management tool for my business?

Consider factors like your business size, sales process complexity, integration needs, budget, and user-friendly interface when selecting a sales management tool.

September 10, 2025

Oracle Lays off 3,000 Global, 100+ in India Offices. AI First, People Later?
Change is inevitable, and so is laying off employees for AI in 2025. The year is about to end (it’s already September), but layoffs don’t seem to rest at all. Oracle joins the list as more than 100 have already lost their jobs in India offices. The number is expected to go up by a few hundred people in the upcoming days. The company began letting go of its employees starting from the first week of September 2025. And what exactly is happening at Oracle? Is the company suffering from the same old AI fever as everyone else, or is there more? Is the company doing something for the employees, or just goodbyes for now? Well, learn more details below.

Why Is Oracle Laying Off?

The company said goodbye to about 100 employees, and these cuts are happening in different departments, including its Cloud Team. It’s tragic that employees with more than 15–20 years at Oracle also lost their jobs suddenly.

And Why Is Oracle Doing It Now?

To focus on AI – Just like other companies in the corporate world, Oracle is also shifting its focus to Artificial Intelligence. And also have big plans to invest more in AI. According to an article on AI CERTs, the company announced to invest about $3 billion ($1 billion in Germany and $2 billion in the Netherlands) to build data centers and AI-ready computing environments.

Cost-cutting – According to Oracle’s News Page published on June 11, 2025, their revenues in “Total quarterly revenues were up 11% year-over-year in USD and constant currency to $15.9 billion.” And now, Oracle wants to go profit-centric and improve those numbers by cutting down on its expenditure. And so the layoffs are happening now.

Reorganisation – And some regular restructuring within the team is also a reason.

What Did Employees of Oracle Get After Getting Fired?

Oracle is trying to be generous towards its employees, and so is continuing some of the incentives (or a severance package) like:
- 15 days’ salary for every year that the employee has worked at Oracle.
- Medical insurance for up to one year.
- Some got garden leave, meaning they get paid and also don’t have to work for the notice period.
Global Situation for Oracle

What is interesting is that Oracle has about 30,000 employees in India in total. And India alone got the company about ₹20,459 crore revenue in FY 2024, which was 20% higher than the previous year. And yet Indian offices were the victims of layoffs. Well, the layoff situation with Oracle is not just limited to the Indian offices, it seems. Last week, Oracle also laid off over 3,000 employees globally.
September 9, 2025
Indian Brands That Nearly Faded Away and Came Back Stronger
The Indian business landscape moves fast, and it doesn’t wait for anyone. Brands that once seemed untouchable can disappear almost overnight. Brands that once seemed untouchable can disappear almost overnight. However, some manage to defy the odds. They stumble, rethink, and return, stronger, smarter, and more determined than before.

Take Micromax, which became a national pride to make a striking comeback in the smartphone world. Or Nokia, a familiar name that reappeared with modern devices, winning back loyal fans. Maruti Suzuki reserved its position as the car brand Indians trust most. These stories prove one thing: in India’s tough market, true success is about making a comeback that matters.

How These Indian Brands Rebuilt Their Legacy?

How These Indian Brands Rebuilt Their Legacy?

Indian Brands That Nearly Faded Away and Came Back Stronger

Micromax

Fall: Once India’s smartphone star and a strong rival to Samsung, Micromax lost ground in the mid-2010s as Chinese brands like Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo flooded the market with advanced, affordable smartphones. Its inability to innovate, poor after-sales service, and failure to support 4G during the Reliance Jio rollout contributed to its dominance collapsing. By mid-2020, its market share had plummeted dramatically, and many wondered if the brand was on its last legs.

Comeback: Micromax returned with the “IN Series”, made in India under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative, backed by INR 500 crore in R&D and manufacturing. Launched in late 2020, devices like the IN Note 1 and IN 1B focused on affordable specs, stock Android, 4G capabilities, and patriotic appeal, targeting value-conscious Indian consumers.

Maruti Suzuki

Fall: In the early 2000s, Maruti Suzuki faced rising competition from Hyundai, Tata, and other automakers, which began eroding its dominance in hatchbacks and sedans. By 2021, its overall market share dropped from 49% to around 42%, largely due to missing out on India’s booming SUV market, where rivals like Hyundai and Tata captured the majority of sales. Delays in mid-SUV launches and the phase-out of diesel engines further limited its presence, while global semiconductor shortages also hit production, leaving over 250,000 pending orders.

Comeback: Maruti has responded with strategic expansion in entry-level SUVs like the Brezza and S-Cross, while planning five new SUVs, including a mid-SUV challenger to the Hyundai Creta and a three-row premium SUV. Investments in CNG models, hybrid technology, and EVs (with a target to launch an electric vehicle by 2025) show the company is actively adapting to market shifts. With its unmatched dealer network and strong brand trust, Maruti aims to reclaim lost ground in SUVs while maintaining dominance in hatchbacks and sedans.

Nokia

Fall: Once the king of mobile phones, Nokia struggled after the launch of the iPhone in 2007. Its reliance on the Symbian OS, slow adaptation to touchscreen technology, and failed innovations like the N97 caused its market share to collapse. By 2013, Nokia’s smartphone division was sold to Microsoft, and the brand’s global market share had fallen to just 3%.

Comeback: Nokia shifted focus from smartphones to network solutions and 5G technology under CEO Rajeev Suri. Strategic investments in 5G infrastructure, ReefShark chips, and global telecom partnerships helped the company regain its footing. By 2020, Nokia partnered with over 300 telecom companies and captured 29% of the global 5G market, with revenue rising to $26 billion by 2022.

Nokia’s Comeback: How Nokia Plans to Dominate the 5G Era

Explore Nokia’s bold strategy to lead the 5G revolution with cutting-edge technology, global partnerships, and a renewed focus on innovation and market expansion.

StartupTalkySakshi Jadhav

Bajaj Auto

Fall: Bajaj Auto struggled as gear scooters like the Chetak became outdated against competitors like Hero Honda’s Activa. Attempts to revive scooters with models like Kristal failed, leading to exiting the scooter segment in 2009.

Comeback: The brand repositioned as a motorcycle company, launching the Pulsar series in 2001, which became a youth icon for performance and style. Nostalgic campaigns like “Hamara Bajaj” and international expansion in Africa, South Asia, and Latin America helped Bajaj regain market strength and become a global two-wheeler leader.

Raymond

Fall: Once India’s leading luxury textile and men’s fashion brand, Raymond faced a decline in the late 2000s due to global competition, shifting consumer preferences toward casual and fast fashion, operational inefficiencies, and high debt. The rise of online retail and failure to modernize supply chains further weakened the brand.

Comeback: Raymond attempted to revive itself through restructuring, divesting non-core businesses, and modernizing its product portfolio. While some manufacturing units and retail stores were closed, the brand focused on premium fabrics, menswear innovations, and maintaining its legacy of quality, keeping it relevant in urban India.

Godrej Group

Fall: While Godrej has been a trusted household name for decades, growth in certain segments slowed due to stiff competition in FMCG and consumer durables, slower international expansion, and evolving market dynamics.

Comeback: Under chairman Adi Godrej, the Group refocused on consumer products, FMCG, and international markets. With organic growth in FMCG and strategic acquisitions internationally, Godrej now serves 600 million Indians and hundreds of millions more globally. The Group is also expanding B2B ventures domestically, using e-commerce channels without directly entering online retail, showing agility in modernizing its strategy.

The Rise and Fall: Top 10 Global Brands That Failed in India

Discover why major global brands struggled and failed in the Indian market. Learn key lessons from their downfall and what it reveals about Indian consumer behavior.

StartupTalkySakshi Jadhav

Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M)

Fall: M&M faced challenges in the automotive market for years, trailing behind Hyundai and Tata Motors, especially in the compact and premium SUV segments. Overall industry competition and declining SUV demand in some segments limited its growth.

Comeback: M&M surged ahead in FY25 by focusing on large SUVs like the Bolero Neo, Scorpio, Thar Roxx, and XUV700, achieving 36% year-on-year growth in this category while competitors’ sales fell by 24%. The company leveraged a rugged brand appeal and wide pricing strategy, attracting buyers from both mass-market and premium SUV segments, ultimately becoming India’s second-largest automaker.

Cafe Coffee Day (CCD)

Fall: CCD faced a massive debt crisis, accumulating around INR 10,000 crore due to over-diversification into unrelated sectors like real estate, IT services, and resorts, which strained its core coffee business. The tragic death of founder V.G. Siddhartha in 2019 further shook the company, leading to declining sales.

Comeback: Under the leadership of Malavika Hegde since December 2020, CCD focused on stabilizing operations, selling non-core assets, and reducing debt. By March 2024, the company had brought down its debt to INR 1,363 crore. While sales remain subdued, CCD strengthened its core coffee business, maintained efficient operations, and retained market presence, laying the groundwork for potential future growth.

CCD CEO Malavika Hegde: Praise and Criticism for Rs 250 Crore Profit

Currently, CCD owns 572 cafes along with 332 CCD Value Express kiosks spread out over the nation. It is a substantial business with more than 36,000 vending machines providing coffee to CCD customers.

StartupTalkySayantan Mondal

Royal Enfield (India)

Fall: By 1994, Royal Enfield India was on the verge of bankruptcy, struggling with declining demand, outdated products, and stiff competition from fuel-efficient bikes. The company was heavily loss-making under the parent company Eicher Motors, and a turnaround seemed unlikely.

Comeback: At 26, Siddhartha Lal took over as CEO in 2000 and focused on reviving the brand by understanding customers firsthand, introducing cost-effective product improvements, and repositioning Royal Enfield as a lifestyle and community-focused brand. New models like the Thunderbird and Electra X were launched, combining heritage with innovation. By 2010, sales doubled from 25,000 units in 2005 to 50,000 units, and by FY14, Royal Enfield contributed 80% of Eicher Motors’ profits, driving revenues to INR 8,738 crore and net profit to INR 702 crore.

Reliance Industries Ltd.

Fall: Reliance was historically dependent on its energy and petrochemicals business, which faced cyclical challenges and limited growth. Retail and telecom were minor contributors.

Comeback: The company rewrote its growth story by focusing on Reliance Retail and Jio Platforms. Aggressive retail expansion, acquisitions like Future Retail, omnichannel strategies, and private labels strengthened Reliance Retail. Jio disrupted telecom with affordable data, advanced 4G/5G networks, and a digital ecosystem, enabling seamless integration with retail. This synergy between retail and telecom has driven growth, digital adoption, and new revenue streams, making Reliance a consumer- and tech-focused powerhouse.

Conclusion

These top 10 Indian brands prove that failure is just a stepping stone to success. By embracing innovation, adapting to market changes, and staying true to their core values, they turned setbacks into remarkable comebacks. From revamping products to reimagining marketing and expanding globally, each brand showcased resilience, strategic thinking, and a deep understanding of consumer needs.

In India’s fast-moving market, reinvention is what separates temporary failures from lasting legends. These stories remind us that challenges are not roadblocks but opportunities, opportunities to learn, innovate, and return stronger than ever.

Failed Startups In India | Why Indian Startups Are Not Successful

Why do many Indian startups fail to soar high in the sky? The reasons are evident from this case study comprising 21 failed startups in India.

StartupTalkyLakshya Singh

FAQs

What are some Indian brands that came back stronger?

Some Indian brands that came back stronger are:
- Micromax
- Maruti Suzuki
- Nokia
- Bajaj Auto
- Raymond
- Godrej Group
- Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M)
- Café Coffee Day (CCD)
- Royal Enfield
- Reliance Industries Ltd.
What steps did Raymond take to rebuild its brand?

Raymond restructured its operations, divested non-core businesses, modernized its menswear portfolio, and focused on premium fabrics to stay relevant in a competitive fashion market.

Why did Nokia fail, and how did it make a comeback?

Nokia lost ground due to slow adaptation to touchscreens and reliance on Symbian OS. It made a comeback by shifting focus to telecom solutions and 5G infrastructure, becoming a major player with global partnerships and significant 5G market share.
September 9, 2025

Daily Indian Funding Roundup & Key News – 9th September 2025: TraqCheck Raises Bridge Round, Prowrrap Secures ₹4 Cr, ElevenLabs Launches $100 Mn Employee Tender & More

India’s startup and business ecosystem remained vibrant on 9th September 2025, with key funding rounds, strategic investments, and major business updates shaping the market. From startups like TraqCheck, Prowrrap, and IndiGrid securing funding, to ElevenLabs offering employee liquidity and Misfits expanding production, the day witnessed significant activity across sectors. Additionally, developments in fintech and government initiatives, including UPI transaction growth and the India Semiconductor Mission, highlighted the evolving landscape of technology, finance, and industry in India.

Daily Indian Funding Roundup – 9th September 2025

Company	Amount	Round	Lead Investor(s)	Sector
TraqCheck	Undisclosed	Bridge Round	Angel investors Alok Oberoi and Siddharth Mehta, with participation from Sivaramakrishnan S. Iyer	AI‑driven HR / background verification
Prowrrap	INR 4 crore	Seed Round	Calance Software Pvt Ltd and Amit Govil	B2B procurement platform for packaging, warehouse assets, turnkey projects
IndiGrid	$4 million	Strategic Funding	Existing investor Cactus Venture Partners	EV components / ESDM manufacturing
ElevenLabs	$100 million (employee tender)	Employee Tender	Sequoia Capital, ICONIQ Growth, Andreessen Horowitz, Smash Capital, World Innovation Lab, others	Voice AI / Conversational AI agents
Misfits	Undisclosed	Seed Funding	Nu Ventures, Subba Rao Telidevara, Bijoy Daga (Turiya Advisory), Robert Pancras	Prebiotic soda / Functional beverages

TraqCheck raises bridge round at $17 Mn valuation

TraqCheck, an AI-powered HR platform for background verifications, raised a bridge round at a $17 million valuation. The investment will help scale its verification products in India and Europe, expand AI-based HR tools, and grow engineering, product, and growth teams.

Prowrrap raises INR 4 cr in Seed round

Delhi-based B2B procurement startup Prowrrap raised INR 4 crore in a seed round led by Calance Software and Amit Govil. The funds will enhance technology, scale distribution across India, and deepen its presence in quick commerce, fresh & natural produce, e‑commerce, and MSMEs.

IndiGrid raises $4 Mn led by Cactus Venture Partners

IndiGrid, an EV components and ESDM startup, raised $4 million from existing investor Cactus Venture Partners. The funds will expand production, improve automation, hire talent, and strengthen the company’s presence in India and global markets.

ElevenLabs launches $100 Mn employee tender at $6.6 B valuation

Voice AI firm ElevenLabs started a $100 million employee tender at a $6.6 billion valuation, giving employees liquidity while reinforcing long-term commitment. The company continues to grow rapidly, with enterprise revenue up 200% YoY and expansion into India.

Misfits raises seed funding

Mumbai-based prebiotic soda brand Misfits raised seed funding from Nu Ventures and several angels. The proceeds will enhance production capacity, expand distribution, and accelerate market growth while promoting plant-based, zero-sugar, and preservative-free functional beverages.

Key Business News for 9th September 2025

UPI in August: BHIM Surpasses Amazon Pay; PhonePe Continues to Lead

In August 2025, the BHIM app led UPI transactions among government-backed platforms, surpassing Amazon Pay with 10 crore transactions worth nearly INR 15,000 crore. PhonePe maintained its dominance with a 46.64% market share, processing 893 crore transactions out of the total 19.47 billion during the month.

Government to Fast-Track Next Round of India Semiconductor Mission

At Semicon 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced plans to expedite the approval of the India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) 2.0. The government aims to increase funding—potentially exceeding $10 billion—to support the establishment of semiconductor fabs, assembly and testing units, and MSMEs. The initiative seeks to reduce import dependence by encouraging local supply chains for essential materials.

September 9, 2025

No More Translation Jugaad: Google AI Mode Now Speaks Hindi, ‘Namaste India’
Technology is now in everyone’s hands: kids, young adults, and the elderly, too. Emphasising the elderly, they often prefer reading in their native language for emotional connection, cultural identity, and better understanding. And how often do you hear your parents talk to Google or YouTube (audio search) for recipes or tips in your language?

Most likely, and wouldn’t it be helpful to get responses in the same language as well? Of course, it would. Hindi is a widely spoken language in India (according to the 2011 Census of India, about 43.63% of the Indian population speaks Hindi). For that matter, and because of the buzz around AI, Google is now expanding its AI mode in search to include Hindi. How does that work? Will you have to change any settings? Well, learn.

What Is Google’s AI Mode in Search?

When you search for something on Google, you’ll find the “AI Mode” on the very top left. The AI mode will give you the gist of the concept that you are looking for (in a very personalized way). So, you don’t have to go through all the links in the search to know what it is. Google introduced this feature in March 2024, but only in English. This feature was an experimental one just to compete with big AI platforms like ChatGPT Search and Perplexity AI. And now (on 9 September 2025), with this new advancement, you can search for anything in Hindi on the AI Mode.

Expansion to Hindi & More Languages

Well, this update is powered by Google’s Gemini 2.5 model. And Google is primarily expanding it in five new languages, including:
- Hindi
- Indonesian
- Japanese
- Korean
- Brazilian Portuguese.
How Is It Different From a Normal Search?

Normal Search →
- You’ll have to type a query (and the query should be short to get the most relevant answer).
- Then you’ll get a big list of links.
- Go manually through the links (click multiple times to find your answer).
AI Mode →
- You can ask any question as long as you want (complex and detailed questions).
- Now, the question runs through AI. It understands all the layers of your question.
- It breaks it down to be simple for you.
- Give you the most relevant, personalised answer in one go.
- And the best part, you can interact with AI in any mode you want, let’s say typing, speaking, or even uploading a picture.
Example: List Shah Rukh Khan’s new movies, their release dates, and where I can watch them, and OTT platforms they might stream on. Do You Have To Change The Settings? No, you just need to naturally type (or speak) in your query in Romanized Hindi or actually Hindi. And you’ll get the search in Hindi.

This is how the new Hindi AI Mode on Google Search looks like

Why Is This Important for Hindi Speakers?

One might think that it is easy to use translation or change the Google language settings to Hindi. However, they are merely word-for-word translations and lack cultural understanding or naturalness. With this new feature, Google has worked on local culture, knowledge, and context as well.

In short, the AI is becoming ‘Desi.’

More New Google AI Capabilities (Rolling Out Slowly)

Just last month, Google added an agentic feature, allowing the AI to take actions on your behalf. What kind? Let’s say:
- Making restaurant reservations
- And coming soon: booking local service appointments and event tickets.
However, these features at the moment are only available for Google AI Ultra subscribers in the U.S.

What Is Google Saying About Hindi AI Mode?

Hema Budhraju, VP of Product Management for Search, said, “AI is transforming Search to make it more useful and easier than ever to ask Google anything. We’re excited to bring AI mode to Hindi and look forward to seeing how people use it.”
September 9, 2025
Sudarshan News Launches Relief Initiative to Support the People of Punjab with Essential Aid and Uplifting Solidarity
In a powerful demonstration of social responsibility and national unity, Sudarshan News has launched a large-scale humanitarian initiative aimed at extending vital support to communities in Punjab. This mission, driven by empathy and patriotism, is focused on delivering essential food supplies, daily necessities, and emotional solidarity to individuals and families in need across the state.

With the spirit of Seva at its core, the initiative is not merely about aid—but about restoring hope, reinforcing courage, and reaffirming a sense of national togetherness during challenging times.

“At Sudarshan News, we believe journalism goes beyond reporting—it must serve the nation in action,” said Suresh Chavhanke , Editor-in-Chief of Sudarshan News. “Punjab has always been the pride of India. Today, as the people of Punjab face hardship, it is our duty to stand beside them—not just with words, but with meaningful support.”

The relief campaign involves the organized distribution of:
- Nutritional food items (including grains, pulses, oils, and fresh produce)
- Personal care and hygiene products
- Clothing, blankets, and other essential goods
- Handwritten letters and messages of solidarity from across the country
These supplies are being mobilized through a robust on-ground network in coordination with local NGOs, community leaders, and volunteers to ensure timely and respectful delivery to those most in need.

Key Objectives of the Initiative:
- To provide immediate material relief to affected families across Punjab
- To foster national unity by sending messages of love, strength, and courage
- To amplify awareness through responsible media coverage, inspiring others to join the cause
The initiative is being covered by Sudarshan News across its platforms, ensuring transparency, visibility, and a call-to-action for others to contribute.

“This is not charity—this is solidarity,” added Chavhanke. “We want every citizen of Punjab to know that the entire nation stands with them—with love, courage, and unwavering support.”

Sudarshan News invites all Indians—individuals, corporate partners, and civil society organizations—to join this mission and be part of a larger movement of compassion.
September 9, 2025

Top Consulting Tools & Software Every Business Consultant Needs in 2025

The role of business consultants has evolved significantly in recent years, with increasing responsibilities and tasks that require them to juggle multiple priorities every single day. From prospecting for new clients to managing the needs of existing ones, the sheer volume of work can be overwhelming. Whether you are analyzing data, creating presentations, managing projects, or communicating with clients, having the right set of tools can help you work more efficiently and effectively.

With so many tools available, it is essential to make prudent choices that not only simplify work but also enhance client relationships and provide a competitive edge in a crowded industry. This article will explore some of the best tools that business consultants can use to streamline their work and deliver results for their clients. By the end of this post, you will have a better understanding of the tools you need to succeed as a business consultant in today’s competitive market.

Sr. No.	Tool	Key Features	Rating
1	Capsule	Contact & Lead Management, Task & Sales Tracking	4.3/5
2	Keap	Automated Marketing, CRM & Sales Pipeline	4.1/5
3	Ring Central	VoIP & Phone System, Team Messaging & Meetings	4.2/5
4	Slack	Team Messaging & Channels, Integrations with Apps & Tools	4.5/5
5	Accelo	Project Management, Client Billing & Automation	4.0/5
6	Trello	Kanban Boards & Task Management, Team Collaboration & Workflow	4.4/5
7	Xero	Accounting & Invoicing, Bank Reconciliation	4.3/5
8	QuickBooks	Accounting & Tax Management, Expense & Payroll Tracking	4.2/5
9	Hootsuite	Social Media Scheduling, Analytics & Reporting	4.4/5
10	Sprout Social	Social Media Publishing, Engagement & Analytics	4.2/5

Tools for Client Relationship Management

As a business consultant, maintaining strong relationships with your clients is crucial for success. To do so, you need to have effective Client Relationship Management (CRM) tools that can help you stay organized, track communication, and build stronger connections with your clients.

Here are some of the best CRM tools for business consultants:

Capsule

Website	Capsulecrm.com
Free Trial	Available
Platforms supported	Web, Android, iPhone/iPad

Client Relationship Management CRM is one of the most important aspects of business consulting. Keeping track of the client information, vendors, contacts, etc. Capsule is an excellent application used by both individuals and businesses. It is an all-in-one stop to maintain a record of deals, bids, proposals, and all other relevant information about the client.

It is designed specifically for growing businesses and thereby gives different levels of access to different kinds of clients. This feature becomes extremely useful when it comes to situations wherein different team members work on different phases of the respective project. The app is also mobile-friendly.

Pricing:

Plan	Monthly Price
Enterprise	$54 USD / Per user, per month
Teams	$36 USD / Per user, per month
Professional	$18 USD / Per user, per month

Try Capsule For Free

Keap

Website	Keap.com
Free Trial	Available
Platforms supported	Web, Android, iPhone/iPad

Keap provides a centralized system that is integrated to collect, assemble, and manage customer data. Along with the CRM facilities that it provides, Keap goes the extra mile by providing a platform for sales and marketing automation.

Additionally, email automation, appointment scheduling, sales pipelining, invoicing etc. are some other features that Keap offers. Thus, Keap becomes a single stop for a number of activities that would have otherwise required more than twenty apps.

Management Consultant Tools

Pricing:

Plan	Yearly Price
Pro	$149 /month (Billed at $1788/year)
Max	$199 /month (Billed at $2388/year)
Max Classic	Custom Pricing

Start Using Keap Now

By using these CRM tools, you can streamline your work and build stronger relationships with your clients. Whether you are a solo consultant or part of a team, these tools can help you stay organized, improve communication, and ultimately deliver better results for your clients.

Tools for Communication

As a business consultant, effective communication is key to building strong relationships with your clients and achieving your goals. Fortunately, there are many communication tools available that can help you streamline your communication and collaborate more effectively.

Here are some of the best communication tools for business consultants:

Ring Central

Website	www.ringcentral.com
Free Trial	Available
Platforms supported	Web, Android, iPhone/iPad

Communication with clients in a professional setup goes beyond emails. Today, with the hyper-integration of technology into our daily lives, instantaneous responses have become a basic norm that the client expects the business consultancy to follow.

RingCentral is a multifunctional collaboration tool that helps the client gain access to the respective consultancy in any manner. The best part is that you don’t have to ask the client to download any app since it can be accessed via browser as well. It helps you share your screen, shift from different forms of calls and so on. They have designed their services to be compatible with both iOS and Android so that the team members can work from their personal devices.

Pricing:

Plan	Yearly Price
Essentials	$19.99/user/month
Standard	$27.99/user/month
Premium	$34.99/user/month
Ultimate	$49.99/user/month

Slack

Website	Slack.com
Free Trial	Available
Platforms supported	Web, Android, iPhone/iPad

Slack is a communication platform that helps you send instant messages to your team through a messenger. It helps you create specific groups for different purposes of communication between the group members.

They have specially curated archives that keep an eye on every detail of the discussion that has ever been made through the platform. With more than a thousand app integrations, Slack is an excellent platform that helps you streamline your business communications and progress.

Pricing:

Plan	Monthly Price
Free	₹0/month
Pro	₹218/month*
Business+	₹375.20/month*
Enterprise Grid	Custom Price

By using these communication tools, you can stay connected with your team and clients, collaborate more effectively, and ultimately achieve better results. Whether you are working remotely or in an office, these tools can help you communicate more efficiently and build stronger relationships with your clients.

Tools for Project Management

As a business consultant, managing multiple projects can be challenging, but having the right project management tools can make a big difference. These tools can help you stay organized, track progress, and collaborate with your team and clients.

Here are some of the best project management tools for business consultants:

Accelo

Website	www.accelo.com
Free Trial	Available
Platforms supported	Web, Android, iPhone/iPad

Managing a project and delivering it to the client at the right time without exceeding the budget is what sustains and attracts more clients to the business. Accelo adds value to this vision by helping the consultancies to manage time through automation of various tasks that would otherwise need manual inputs.

It has the additional facility to integrate the functionalities of already existing apps like Gmail, Microsoft Office, etc. into its domain. They also generate automatic invoices by making use of projects and timesheets. Based on the client’s requirements, the app lets you collaborate with their respective products and thereby keep track of the progress of the same.

Pricing:

Plan	Monthly Price
Plus	$30/product/user/month
Premium	$49/product/user/month

Trello

Website	Trello.com
Free Trial	Available
Platforms supported	Web, Android, iPhone/iPad

Project Management, being a cumbersome task, demands an efficient app to keep track of the progress of the project. Trello is an excellent project management tool in that regard. It has a very user-friendly interface that provides a number of options for customization.

It helps in managing, organizing, and capturing details of the project to completion. To further increase the efficiency of the work done through the app, Trello has also integrated itself with many other apps.

Pricing:

Plan	Yearly Price
Free	$0
Standard	$5/user/month
Premium	$10/user/month
Enterprise	$17.50/user/month

By using these project management tools, you can stay organized, track progress, and collaborate more effectively with your team and clients. Whether you are working on multiple projects at once or managing a large team, these tools can help you stay on top of your work and deliver results for your clients.

Tools for Finance

As a business consultant, having a good understanding of finance is essential to providing valuable insights to your clients. Fortunately, there are many finance tools available that can help you analyze data, create financial models, and make informed decisions.

Here are some of the best finance tools for business consultants:

Xero

Website	www.xero.com
Free Trial	Available
Platforms supported	Web, Android, iPhone/iPad

Tracking account details, reviewing bills that are to be received and payable, payroll management, etc., are important activities that should be managed properly for all your efforts to bear fruit.

Xero is an excellent accounting software that is made for business consultants. It gives you an exemplary dashboard view of all your finances that comes along with various features for expense management.

They have designed the app in such a way that it is capable of handling international businesses at a multi-currency level. By automatically tracking payments and backing up relevant data, Xero has gained the attention and interest of business consultants over a short span of time.

Pricing:

Plan	Monthly Price
Starter	$25 USD per month
Standard	$40 USD per month
Premium	$54 USD per month

QuickBooks

Website	Quickbooks.intuit.com
Free Trial	Available
Platforms supported	Web, Android, iPhone/iPad

QuickBooks is a popular accounting software developed and marketed by Intuit. It is designed to help small and medium-sized businesses manage their financial operations, including invoicing, payments, payroll, inventory, and reporting. QuickBooks is available in both online and desktop versions, and offers a range of features and integrations to help businesses automate and streamline their accounting processes.

It is a single space where you can manage money and expenses. Very similar to Xero, it allows you to track your expenses, create invoices, and keep track of the inflow and outflow of money.

Pricing:

Plan	Monthly Price
Simple Start	$15 per month
Essentials	$27.50 per month
Plus	$42.50 per month
Advanced	$100 per month

Try QuickBooks Now

By using these finance tools, you can gain a better understanding of your clients’ financial data, create accurate financial models, and provide valuable insights that can help them make informed decisions. Whether you are managing finances for your own business or providing consulting services to clients, these tools can help you achieve better results.

Tools for Social Media Scheduling

Social media is an essential aspect of any modern business, and as a business consultant, it is crucial to help your clients manage their social media presence. One of the most effective ways to do this is by using social media scheduling tools. These tools allow you to plan, create, and schedule posts in advance, so you can ensure a consistent and engaging presence on social media.

Here are some of the best social media scheduling tools for business consultants:

Hootsuite

Website	www.hootsuite.com
Free Trial	Available
Platforms supported	Web, Android, iPhone/iPad

Social media marketing has evolved as one of the primary factors for brand building and publicity. An app like Hootsuite steps in to understand and adapt to the nuances of the industry.

It helps you maintain all your social media marketing in a single place. The users can create content and share it across whichever social media platform they choose. Considering the fact that a firm will need multiple accounts on various platforms, an app like Hootsuite will be handy.

By using these social media scheduling tools, you can help your clients stay organized, consistent, and engaging on social media. Whether you are managing social media for your own business or providing consulting services to clients, these tools can help you achieve better results and make the most of your social media efforts.

Pricing:

Plan	Monthly Price
Professional	$49 per month
Team	$129 per month
Business	$599/month per month
Enterprise	Custom Pricing

Sprout Social

Website	www.sproutsocial.com
Free Trial	Available
Platforms supported	Web, Android, iPhone/iPad

Sprout Social is a powerful platform that streamlines social media management for businesses and individuals. It offers robust features like content publishing across multiple networks, AI-assisted post ideas, and scheduling, as well as engagement tools such as a unified inbox and real-time brand monitoring. Its analytics help track performance, identify the best times to post, and benchmark against industry standards, while social listening tools monitor trends, mentions, and hashtags with AI-powered summaries. The employee advocacy feature boosts brand awareness by enabling team members to share authentic content. Though it requires investment in cost and learning, Sprout Social delivers significant value, especially for agencies or larger organisations managing complex social media needs.

Pricing:

Plan	Monthly Price
Professional	$249 per month
Advanced	$399 per month
Premium	$499 per month
Enterprise	Custom Pricing

Conclusion

As a business consultant, you need to be vigilant and mindful of the details to ensure the quality of work remains high and technical mistakes are avoided. While the right tools can undoubtedly make your work easier, it’s vital to understand that they should be viewed as supplements to your skills, rather than replacements.

In essence, being a business consultant is no easy feat. It requires a combination of skills, experience, and tools to be successful. By leveraging the right tools at the right time and maintaining a hands-on approach to your work, you can provide value to your clients and establish yourself as a reliable and trustworthy consultant. However, by exploring some of the best tools available in each category, you can gain a better understanding of what’s available and make an informed decision. Ultimately, it’s the perfect balance of technology and human intervention that will enable you to thrive in the business consulting industry.

FAQs

What are some popular tools that business consultants can use?

Trello, Slack, Keap, Capsule, and Hootsuite are some of the best consultant tools to provide valuable insights and deliver results for your clients.

What work does a business consultant do?

A business consultant works with clients to help them improve their business operations and achieve their goals. They analyze the client’s current business practices, identify areas for improvement, and provide recommendations for change. Business consultants may also assist with project management, financial analysis, marketing strategies, and other aspects of the client’s business.

What Types of Tools Does a Business Consultant Need?

A business consultant needs a variety of tools to effectively manage their work, including communication tools, project management software, financial analysis tools, CRM software, time tracking tools, survey tools, social media scheduling tools, and more.

How do I select the best tools for my business consulting needs?

Selecting the best tools for your business consulting needs requires careful consideration of your specific requirements, budget, and preferred features. It’s important to research and compare multiple tools before making a final decision and to take advantage of free trials and demos whenever possible.

Why client relationship management (CRM) is important for business consultants?

For business consultants, CRM is critical for maintaining strong relationships with clients, keeping track of client communications and data, and identifying opportunities to provide additional value to clients.

Why project management is important for business consultants?

For business consultants, project management is essential for managing multiple clients, keeping track of project timelines and deliverables, and ensuring that all tasks are completed efficiently and effectively.

September 9, 2025

Over 100 Luminaries of Performance and Growth Marketing Address CLICK 2025

New Delhi, August 21, 2025 — CLICK 2025, India’s leading performance and growth marketing conference, organised by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), and held at Andaz, New Delhi, concluded on August 21, 2025. The conference, registering over 6000 footfall, brought together marketers, industry leaders, and innovators to discuss emerging trends and strategies in performance marketing. More than 100 speakers from the digital marketing ecosystem addressed over 20 sessions across two days, including 25+ masterclasses and case studies.

Speaking at a session on high-performance new-age brands, Sidharth Shakdher, CMO & Business Head – Paytm commented, “High performance brands are able to build sustainable growth loops. They use data very effectively, whether deterministic or probabilistic, to learn consumer cohorts and intelligently drive the next step in growth.”

During his panel discussion, Rajiv Dubey, VP Marketing Experience at Dabur India Ltd., said, “Connected TV is going to be mainstream as every TV is turning into a smart TV and screens are only getting bigger. What’s lacking is a unified measurement system — we need a framework that brings TV and CTV together. But one thing is certain: If you continue to advertise, you will see results.”

“We’ve done early experiments to bring interactivity to CTV, because the next big play is about personalisation. Whether it’s contextual ads, QR code scans, or chatbot engagement during live matches, we are only scratching the surface”, commented Aakash Gupta, VP Product- Monetization & Creators at JioStar.

At another panel discussion, Vikar Shaikh, Head-Digital Strategy at Valueleaf, said “Q-commerce is reshaping consumer behaviour—what was once a monthly purchase cycle is now weekly, with apps being opened 4–5 times a week. While ROI is vital, brands must also set aside budgets for long-term brand building beyond pure performance.”

Among the major speakers at CLICK 2025 were Lee-Ann Johnstone – Founder, Affiverse; Rajiv Dubey – Vice President – Marketing, Dabur India; Sidharth Shakdher – CMO & Business Head, Paytm; Vikram Singh – Digital Marketing Head, ITC Hotels; Anchit Chandra – Digital Marketing Head & CRM, Muthoot Fincorp ONE; Dennis Yu – CEO, Blitz Metrics; Parul Bhargava – CEO, vCommission; Srikanth Bureddy – Co-founder, Valueleaf; Sanjay Sindhwani – CEO, Indian Express Digital; Meetu Mulchandani – Head, Brand Factory, Honasa Consumer; Prajakta Rathe – Deputy General Manager, Reliance Retail; Chanpreet Arora – Chief Business Officer, Wholsum Foods

(Slurrpfarm & Mille); Simon Stanley – Head of Affiliates, Kaspersky; and Pankaj Sharma – CEO & Director, MGID.

The partners for CLICK 2025 are vCommission, Valueleaf, Singhtek, Apptrove by Trackier, Confluencr, MGID, Affise, GrabOn and Offer18. The conference is also supported by ONDC.

About Internet and Mobile Association of India

The Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) is a not-for-profit industry body with more than 600 members, including Indian and multinational corporations, as well as start-ups. IAMAI has been instrumental in shaping India’s digital economy. IAMAI advocates free and fair competition, and progressive and enabling laws for businesses as well as for consumers. The overarching objective of IAMAI is to ensure the progress of the internet and the digital economy. Its major areas of activities are public policy and advocacy, business to business conferences, research, promotion of start-ups and promotion of consumer trust and safety.

September 9, 2025