Going to implement marketing automation and considering SalesForce? We advice to view similar platforms to make a decision.

When clients choose marketing automation software, in most cases they are looking for functionality for email builder, marketing lead database, landing page builder, lead scoring, segmentation etc.

Comparing SalesForce with competitors people pay attention to the automation builder, customer data platform, chatbots, conversations, survey builder, segmentation, number of triggers and actions and so on.

We’ve compiled a list of top 10 competitors that are very resembling in cost and features to SalesForce. The list is based on popularity, so if SalesForce doesn’t suit you in any way, here you can easily select the best variant for you.

E2 Shop System

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We help shops and manufacturers of all kinds and sizes work smarter for improved efficiencies, greater flexibility and bigger profits.

Equisoft

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Equisoft is another CRM solution specifically designed for financial advisors. It is the only CRM that aggregates client and product data from gateways with insurance and investment platforms—giving advisors a full view of all client data at a glance.

Commence CRM Software

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Commence is a complete CRM solution designed to automate the front-end business process that impacts the sales execution and customer service including contact and account management and email.

Zendesk

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Zendesk is a service-first CRM company that builds software designed to improve customer relationships. As employees, we encourage each other to grow and innovate. As a company, we roll up our sleeves to plant roots in the communities we call home.

OfficeClip

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OfficeClip LLC is a leading provider of web-based business solutions for small and medium businesses. We provide integrated solutions to manage customers, employees, and projects. OfficeClip has a suite of different applications like Timesheet and Expense tracker, Contact Manager, and Support Desk.

Contactually

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Contactually is a real estate CRM that focuses on relationship building and automation to help realtors get more business and more referrals from their sphere. Contactually knows it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of your contact list. When you get overwhelmed, you miss opportunities.

Sendible

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Sendible is an all-in-one social media management tool. The SaaS platform simplifies the process of planning and executing multi-platform social media marketing campaigns.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM

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Microsoft Dynamics CRM is a customer relationship management software package developed by Microsoft focused on enhancing the customer relationship for any organization. Out of the box, the product focuses mainly on Sales, Marketing, and Customer Service sectors, though Microsoft has been marketing Dynamics CRM as an XRM platform and has been encouraging partners to use its proprietary (.NET based) framework to customize it. In recent years, it has also grown as an Analytics platform driven by CRM.

Redtail CRM

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Redtail CRM - web-based Client Relationship Management software, integrates widely and deeply with other popular tools in the financial services industry.

Really Simple Systems

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Our CRM our philosophy is based upon taking complex applications than making them easy and affordable. Experience tells us that the majority of SMEs don't need half of the functionality available in most CRMs and will never use it. So, by applying our philosophy to our CRM we have created a system that organizations can easily adopt and use to successfully manage their business. Basically, making CRM simple!

Copper CRM

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Copper is a CRM solution designed for its further integration with G Suite. The software resembles the look of Google products. This CRM platform is an ideal choice for small businesses that aim to increase their productivity level.

How to choose SalesForce substitute

Many marketing automation platforms are resembling each other. Software with the same features can differ in cost by 2 times. The first feature you should look at is the availability of node interface. This is a basic feature of marketing automation apps and if it doesn’t include this feature, most likely this software isn’t ready yet. All node interfaces look almost identical. It's important not to pay attention to the UI, but look at the features.

In a month, you'll get used to the UI, but the missing features will always annoy you. Changing marketing automation software is very time-consuming. If you have the usual email chains set up, it's not that hard to change platform. But if you've already set up integrations, workflow, and have complex funnels, it can take years to replace the tool. That's why you should be attentive to study SalesForce competitors.

What to pay attention to when investigating the flow builder? It has 4 important features categories.

1. Triggers. For example, "Form submit" is a trigger that starts a funnel. The most often used triggers are: opening an email, clicking a link in an email, reaching a goal, adding or removing a tag, closing a deal, visiting a page, etc. In each system for marketing automation this set may differ. The more, the better.
2. Action. For instance, "Send email". This is the most standard action you can have. The most popular actions are: add or remove a tag, send a text message, send a messenger message, set a salesperson task, update a transaction, notify someone by email, move a transaction to another stage, etc.
3. Delay. For example, "Wait 3 days. Subscriber submit the form on the website and get in the marketing automation app (Trigger), the system sends a Welcome email (Action). After that the tool waits 2 hours (delay) and sends a second email. This is the most simple automation. But there are other variants. For example, "Wait until something happens". Or wait until January 20th, or wait until 10 PM in the subscriber’s time zone.
4. If/else. For example, "If a lead, has the tag "Purchased product #1", send the email, if the subscriber doesn't have the tag "Purchased product #1", wait 4 days and send the email. The most often used if/else parameters are: visited the site page, bought certain items, opened certain emails, user field the user card matches some requirements. This is information according to which you can segment the subscriber base.

Analyzing the automation builder, you should look carefully at all four categories of features. The more, the better. Usually it appears that powerful marketing automation software with the greatest number of features look uncomfortable. New platforms look nice, but they have few features. You look into the tool you want to use very deeply. Otherwise, it will be very hard to change it in the future.

After you've analyzed the automation builder, you need to whether there are integrations with the platforms you need. Fortunately, Apiway can help you. In most cases, apps like SalesForce are the core of business IT infrastructure. It's like a digital hub for all your customer. This type of app is like an tree, which is putting its tentacles into other software. Software like SalesForce has to integrate with most other ones. Or you’ll have to spend a lot of money and time making custom integrations.

Also those who are looking for alternatives to SalesForce use tools from other categories like chatbot software, helpdesk software, CRM system, lead management software