Sales Forecasting Tools 

uncategorised

Sales Forecasting Tools 

The best sales forecasting tools and next steps to implement AI-driven forecasting in your organization 

The future of forecasting 

In a previous post, we discussed sales forecasting at length and how accurate forecasts can make or break organizations. Forecasting is one of the few things that directly affect how each department in a company plans for the future. From budgeting and hiring decisions, to further production investment.

We also discussed some simple formulas and forecasting models. But each with the caveat that manual processes will always produce a margin of error. The truth is, B2B sales is a web of interdependent and entangled variables.

But you’ll begin to see just how complex the average user journey is.  Especially as you collect more and more data on your prospects, their pain points, and how they move through your sales cycle.

The future of forecasting undoubtedly lies outside the hands of sales reps. It also lies outside of manual processes, or back-of-the-napkin equations. The future of forecasting is in artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Only computers can process the enormous amount of information gathered on prospects. Or do so with accuracy and low margin of error, that is. Besides, no sales rep wants to spend their time gathering and deciphering business intelligence data by hand. They want to sell.

And as a leader, you should want to free them up as much as possible to do the thing they’re best at.

AI continues to infiltrate every aspect of online business. Sales forecasting is no exception. In this guide, you’ll read a summary of some of the most cutting-edge sales forecasting tools. We’ll explore how they use AI to unravel the knot of B2B sales. We’ll also prescribe some next steps and best practices for choosing a tool that works for your organization.

Sales forecasting tools 

Accent Technologies Sales AI and Supercharger CRM 

Accent Technologies is the first and only SaaS company to bring together Sales AI and Content Management in a true Revenue Enablement Platform. We provide both sales and marketing with better visibility into the performance of their teams.

Our CRM Supercharger takes the manual work out of forecasting. We do this by offering reps prescriptive analytics and the best next steps to bring a deal to completion.

In addition, Accent’s Manager’s Dashboard offers at-a-glance insight into pipeline bottlenecks. With this, you can accurately assess the likelihood of deals closing.

This drives revenue through intelligent recommendations for complex sales scenarios. It also provides the data for rich analytics that power better coaching and forecasting. And ultimately, you’ll be able to deliver better long-term customer support

Salesforce 

Salesforce is the “original” SaaS selling platform. It’s become synonymous with online business itself. It’s a web-based CRM application that enables users to forecast revenues, track leads, and manage sales activity.

Salesforce lacks granularity into sales details. It can also be difficult to manipulate for high-level dashboards depicting deal health. But it’s biggest setback is that it’s only as good as the data put into it.

This is where the Accent’s CRM supercharger can help you get the most out of your investment. Supercharger CRM integrates with Salesforce to automate critical data capture. Then it provides leaders with at-a-glance visualizations of crucial sales metrics.

Oracle CX sales

Oracle CX Sales (part of Oracle Cloud CX) is a cloud-based selling platform. It enables leaders to set their teams up for success with big-picture data. It also helps sellers understand and master buyer signals. It does so with complete intelligence and guided experiences.

Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM is a cloud-based CRM that offers opportunity tracking across the sales cycle. In addition to sales rep management and campaign tracking, Zoho CRM offers the following other features:

  • The ability to Import and add leads to accounts 
  • Competition tracking functionality 
  • Integration with other 3rd-party CRMs and marketing automation platforms 

Pipedrive 

Pipedrive is a powerful yet agile real estate CRM software. It helps keep everyone in your team focused on the activities that drive clients to purchase or rent, from property evaluations and showings, to communications strategies.

Home sellers and property agents choose Pipedrive for several reasons. Its versatility, intuitive design, and its robust mobile CRM. It keeps them updated on deals and activities while moving between properties.

It offers the following forecasting features: 

  • Forecasting dashboard
  • Modeling and simulation
  • Graphical data presentation
  • Sales trend analysis  

InsightSquared Sales Analytics 

InsightSquared is a sales analytics platform. It provides sales leaders with the insights they need to drive performance and close deals.

InsightSquared offers a comprehensive set of reports. These reports provide sales leaders with access to crucial information. Information like performance gaps and deal progress.

Additionally, the platform offers the following forecasting features: 

  • Objective Sales Forecasting
  • Sales Retrospectives
  • Pipeline Trends 

Netsuite CRM+ 

NetSuite CRM is built on the same code base as the NetSuite ERP product. It is usually used by customers who are already using NetSuite for ERP/Accounting.

In addition to standard customer relationship management and partner relationship management CRM features, Netsuite CRM+ offers the following: 

  • Sales force automation
  • Opportunity management
  • Quote and order management
  • Sales forecasting 

Clari 

Clari’s Connected Revenue Operations platform claims to help B2B organizations increase win rates, shorten sales cycles, and improve forecast accuracy by using AI technology.

Clari offers the following forecasting and sales automation features: 

  • Pipeline Inspection 
  • Opportunity Management 
  • Activity Intelligence 
  • Connected Revenue Operations 
  • Sales Analytics

Nutshell 

Nutshell claims to offer CRM software that’s simple for small businesses to use. Its aimed to solve the challenge from which most CRMs suffer: motivating sales teams to embrace your product or service.

The platform offers sales process and collaboration tools. It also offers out-of-the-the-box reporting, email sync with Google Apps/Gmail and Office/Outlook, and a user-friendly interface.

Nutshell is best-suited for small-business outbound sales teams. Or in other words, teams that are looking for an affordable, easy-to-use CRM.

It includes the following forecasting features: 

  • Pipeline visualization 
  • Customizable reports 

Predictive Pipeline 

Predictive Pipeline is available on the Salesforce AppExchange. It keeps track of every change in the sales pipeline. Then it aims to predict quota attainment with over 80% accuracy.

It does this with Neuralytics, the XANT predictive engine. The product is based on C9 Predictive Sales, now owned and supported by XANT (formerly InsideSales.com) since May 2015.

Predictive Pipeline helps companies make the “call” to determine in-process deals that will close. It will also help surface deals that haven’t yet been identified.

The platform also includes the following forecasting features: 

  • Predictive Revenue 
  • Change Analysis 
  • Embedded Risk Metrics 
  • Pivot Views 
  • Team Selling 

Jedox 

Jedox is a Business Intelligence and Corporate Performance Management solution. They offer unified planning, analysis, and reporting tools. These capabilities are designed to help finance, sales, purchasing, and marketing teams.

Jedox’s value proposition is the ability to analyze historical sales data for meaningful future insights. Jedox can be used in any team that captures and relies on data. It offers the following forecasting features: 

  • Personalized dashboards 
  • Color-coded scorecards 
  • Cost and profitability analysis 
  • Scenario modeling 
  • Management reporting 

Datahug 

Datahug is a sales optimization solution. It enables sales teams to increase sales velocity and reduce pipeline risk. The claims to help managers have greater visibility into the sales pipeline while reducing the burden on salespeople to update a CRM.

Datahug’s captures and analyzes all sales activity automatically from email, calendar, and CRM. This provides businesses with deal-level visibility. Also more time for coaching, less burden on sales reps, and more accurate forecasts.

In addition to this, it offers the following forecasting features: 

  • Pipeline Management 
  • Sales Coaching 
  • Account-Based Sales 

Adaptive Planning 

Workday Adaptive Planning aims to help with business planning and business agility in sales. The Workday Adaptive Business Planning Cloud offers modeling capabilities for organizations of any size. It helps users to collaborate, gain insights, and make better sales decisions. 

Adaptive Planning offers the following features: 

  • Automated Budgeting and Forecasting 
  • Self-Service Financial Reporting 
  • Integration with Salesforce, NetSuite, Intacct, & MS Dynamics 

Refract 

Refract’s main value proposition is that it “unlocks the black box of revenue intelligence.” It uses AI to analyze calls, demos, and meetings to increase rep performance and accelerate revenue growth.

It offers the following forecasting features: 

  • Correlation Analysis 
  • Dashboard 
  • Graphical Data Presentation 
  • Performance Metrics 
  • Sales Trend Analysis 
  • Statistical Analysis 

People.ai 

People.ai is an AI platform for data-driven sales and marketing. Their software gives sales leaders a complete picture of sales activities and uses AI to help them manage their teams based on real data.

The platform helps marketing teams gain visibility into how their leads move through the funnel after being passed to sales. This allows them to attribute sales activity to the right leads, campaigns, and opportunities.

People.ai offers the following forecasting features: 

  • Dashboards 
  • Sales trend analyses 
  • Performance metrics 
  • Statistical Analysis 

Limelight 

Limelight is a cloud-based sales and marketing platform. It claims to speed up financial reporting with real-time access to relevant data. Limelight helps finance professionals in mid-sized companies automate their manual tasks.

It offers the following forecasting features: 

  • Dashboard 
  • Sales trend analysis 
  • Correlation analysis 
  • Dynamic modeling 
  • Graphical data presentation 
  • Performance metrics 
  • Statistical Analysis 

Jirav 

Jirav claims to be the “next generation of business planning software.” It features an all-in-one budgeting, forecasting, reporting, and dashboarding solution.

The platform boasts a fast, easy implementation and quick time-to-value. It also integrates with popular CRMs and systems including NetSuite, Intacct, QuickBooks, and Xero.

It offers the following forecasting features: 

  • Simulation modeling 
  • Performance metrics 

ClosePlan 

ClosePlan claims to help enterprise sales organizations optimize their opportunity-to-close process. It does this through Deal Scorecards that help sales teams qualify more effectively. This provides a common qualification language across reps.

ClosePlan’s Relationship Maps also allow teams to build org charts with an easy-to-use drag and drop functionality.

The platform offers the following forecasting features: 

  • Forecasting dashboard 
  • Sales trend analysis 
  • Graphical data presentation 
  • Performance metrics 

DealCloud 

DealCloud provides a platform, services, and expertise to power the deal-making capabilities of investment bankers and private equity deal teams. DealCloud offers implementation and account management services with special expertise in investment banking and private equity.

In addition, the platform offers the following forecasting features: 

  • Forecasting dashboard 
  • Graphical data presentation 
  • Performance metrics 

INTUENDI 

INTUENDI is a sales forecasting tool designed for businesses of every size. It’s specifically for product-based businesses. INTUENDI identifies the most profitable inventory to reorder. It then predicts ROI, sales, and margin you’ll get within a given timeframe.

The platform uses AI technology and machine learning to inform leaders of the optimal stock level for each SKU. This way, sales and marketing teams can be confident to stock the products their customers really want.

INTUENDI offers the following forecasting features: 

  • Sales forecasting dashboard 
  • Modeling & simulation 
  • Sales trend analysis 
  • Graphical data presentation 
  • Performance metrics 
  • Statistical analysis 

BAZO 

BAZO simply claims to “deliver hot leads and boost sales on websites.” The app identifies companies that browse to your site and shows you the history of their visits and their contact details. 

One of the value propositions of the platform is the ability to create smart pop-ups that will collect phone numbers or emails.

BAZO offers the following forecasting features: 

  • Competitor analysis 
  • Forecasting dashboards 

MoData 

MoData is an automated sales business intelligence platform designed for teams looking to scale. The platform “provides 360-degree insight on the past, present, and future of your sales team. It instantly connects you with the information you need to make fast confident decisions.” 

MoData offers the following features and forecasting functions: 

  • Out-of-the-box implementation 
  • Forecasting dashboard 
  • Dynamic modeling 
  • Data visualization 
  • Modeling & simulation 
  • Sales trend analysis 
  • Statistical analysis 

SalesDirector.ai 

SalesDirector.ai is a “revenue intelligence platform.” It links people, activity, and engagement across the buying journey and gives leaders visibility into the sales cycle. It also claims to capture all sales, marketing, and customer success activity. This drives actionable revenue insights for growth-minded organizations.

SalesDirector.ai offers the following forecasting features: 

  • Competitor analysis 
  • Correlation analysis 
  • Forecasting dashboard 
  • Dynamic modeling 
  • Graphical data presentation 
  • Performance metrics 
  • Sales trend analysis 
  • Statistical analysis 

Aviso 

Aviso is a revenue growth platform. It delivers AI-driven insights to sales executives, managers, and marketing ops leaders.

The platform “delivers accurate forecasts, prevents deal slippage, and improves win rates.” It does this using smart selling signals and insights.

Aviso offers the following forecasting features: 

  • Forecasting dashboard 
  • Dynamic modeling 
  • Exception reporting 
  • Graphical data presentation 
  • Modeling & simulation 
  • Performance metrics 
  • Sales trend analysis 
  • Statistical analysis 

StockIQ 

StockIQ is a supply chain planning software solution for suppliers and inventory managers. The StockIQ software is tailored to the distribution and manufacturing industries. The platform accelerates the sales and operations planning processes (S&OP). It also ensures timely collaboration among sales, marketing, supply chain, finance, and partners.

StockIQ offers the following forecasting features: 

  • Forecasting dashboard 
  • Exception reporting 
  • Modeling & simulation 
  • Performance metrics 
  • Sales trend analysis 
  • Statistical analysis 

Really Simple Systems CRM 

Really Simple Systems CRM is a platform that manages and tracks sales leads and customers. It also provides an online source of truth for seller information. It’s designed for small and mid-sized organizations, this platform’s main appeal is its simplicity.

It offers the following forecasting features: 

  • Forecasting dashboard 
  • Exception reporting 
  • Sales trend analysis 
  • Graphical data presentation 
  • Performance metrics 
  • Statistical analysis 

Capsule 

Capsule is a cloud-based CRM used for managing all customer-facing and sales activities. It claims to be simple, yet powerful and customizable to meet the needs of any organization. It also integrates with other popular apps. Some of these include: Google’s GSuite, Google Data Studio, MailChimp, and Zapier for advanced sales automation.

Capsule offers the following sales forecasting features: 

  • Forecasting dashboard 
  • Sales trend analysis 
  • Graphical data presentation 
  • Performance metrics 

ForecastX 

ForecastX is a sales forecasting tool that integrates with Microsoft Excel to predict revenue data. It selects the best forecasting algorithm for your business based on a number of user-set variables.

ForecastX offers the following forecasting features: 

  • Correlation analysis 
  • Dynamic modeling 
  • Exception reporting 
  • Graphical data presentation 
  • Modeling & simulation 
  • Performance metrics 
  • Sales trend analysis 
  • Statistical analysis 

DataRails 

DataRails is a financial data management solution. It consolidates and stores all Excel-based data on a cloud-based centralized database. The platform optimizes Excel-based processes including budgeting, forecasting, and planning through automation. It does this all without changing the way finance teams work.

It offers the following forecasting features: 

  • Financial reporting 
  • Fiscal forecasting 

Salesflare 

Salesflare is an online CRM for small and medium-sized B2B businesses. Salesflare automatically populates contact lists with relevant sales data. And it keeps track of all interactions with prospects.

It takes data from email, social media, company databases, phone, and calendar. From there, it creates automated customer timelines and prescriptive insights. 

Salesflare offers the following sales forecasting features: 

  • Forecasting dashboard 
  • Dynamic modeling 
  • Exception reporting 
  • Graphical data presentation 
  • Modeling & simulation 
  • Performance metrics 
  • Sales trend analysis 
  • Statistical analysis 

Prophix Software 

Prophix is a budgeting and financial analysis software solution. Its main value proposition is that it “gives you control over your budget process by saving time and eliminating frustration.” It claims to adapt to the budgeting needs of small, mid, or large-sized organizations.

It offers the following financial forecasting features: 

  • Dynamic modeling 
  • Exception reporting 
  • Graphical data presentation 
  • Modeling & simulation 

Avercast Forecasting Solutions 

Avercast is an exception management reporting tool. It helps organizations avoid stock-out and overstock situations and more intelligently manage inventory. Its main value is in streamlining the supply chain management process.

It offers the following forecasting features: 

  • Correlation analysis 
  • Forecasting dashboards 
  • Dynamic modeling 
  • Exception reporting 
  • Graphical data presentation 
  • Modeling & simulation 
  • Performance metrics 
  • Sales trend analysis 
  • Statistical analysis 

Gong.io 

Gong.io is an inside sales optimization platform. It gives organizations visibility into inside sales conversations. The tool allows leaders to analyze how reps engage with prospects. It also identifies bottlenecks or areas of improvement that can stimulate revenue growth.

In addition to its inside sales features, it offers the following forecasting tools: 

  • Correlation analysis 
  • Performance dashboards 
  • Performance metrics 
  • Inside sales trend analysis 

Vanillasoft 

VanillaSoft is a cloud-based sales engagement platform. It empowers sales teams to respond to leads faster. It also helps them interact more consistently and generate more qualified sales opportunities.

amoCRM 

amoCRM is a unique messaging-powered CRM. It offers multi-channel communication. It facilitates conversations through messengers, emails and calls from a single source of truth.

In addition to this, it offers at-a-glance analytics, reporting, and automation tools. It helps sales leaders forecast revenue by offering the following features: 

  • Forecasting dashboard 
  • Dynamic modeling 
  • Exception reporting 
  • Graphical data presentation 
  • Performance metrics 
  • Sales trend analysis 
  • Statistical analysis 

Close 

Close is a sales engagement CRM designed to help sales leaders turn more leads into revenue. The platform lets employees email, call, and text leads from their desktops all without add-ons. Every touchpoint with a lead is automatically tracked in a visual timeline so sales teams can skip the CRM busywork and focus on the deal.

Close offers the following forecasting tools: 

  • Forecasting dashboard 
  • Performance metrics 

Winmo 

Winmo is a software solution specifically tailored toward advertising agencies of all sizes. It’s designed to help organizations win more clients without referrals or RFPs. It helps agencies grow and gain new business by curating direct contact info, quality leads, and insights into prospects. It helps teams forecast by offering sales trend analysis reports. 

Wolfram Mathematica 

Wolfram Mathematica is a cloud-based technical computing solution. It assists sales organizations and large enterprises with neural networking, image processing & more.

While more on the technical side than the sales side, it offers a powerful suite of AI tools. Capabilities include image processing, geometry, visualization, machine learning, and data mining. 

Wingman 

Wingman is a cloud-based software solution. It’s designed for SaaS companies selling to other businesses.

Its main value is in its real-time sales coaching that gives sales reps the right information at the right time, even while they are on a call. Wingman automatically joins sales calls. Based on the conversation, cue-cards show up to help sales reps. It aids with customer objections, questions, and behavior suggestions. It also assists reps in taking better notes and summarizes calls. It does this by allowing them to bookmark key moments during the call in real team.

In addition to these, Wingman offers the following forecasting tools: 

  • Performance metrics 
  • Performance dashboards 
  • Forecasting dashboards 

Tubular 

Tubular is a sales tracking tool designed for organizations of all sizes. It claims to help reps “convert more leads, close more sales, and track the deal flow from end to end.”

It takes the assumptions and guesswork out of pipeline forecasting and rep performance. It does this by arming sales leaders with concrete data they need to make actionable decisions.

Next steps and recommendations 

Reading through this list may seem overwhelming. With all the forecasting solutions out there vying for your business, how can you possibly know which is right for you?

A theme we often write about on our blog is how important it is to start with “why?” Why do you need a forecasting solution? What current problems are you facing in your organization that has led you to search out an alternative? 

Before taking the plunging into the world of AI, it’s a helpful exercise to understand the biggest gaps in your forecasting strategy. Whether that be data analysis, rep performance, a lack of visibility, or something else.

Once you have a firm grasp on the pain points you need to fix, you can begin shopping robust forecasting vendors and find a solution that works for you. 

Whatever you choose, keep in mind that AI-driven insights are the future of sales forecasting. Any company that wants to future proof must embrace this exciting new technology and harnessing it for revenue growth.

To learn more about how Accent’s suite of software enables rapid revenue growth and an optimized sales cycle, contact our team today for a live demo. 

By Accent Technologies

21st August 2020