Lead management refers to the structured process involved in tracking, nurturing, and converting potential prospects into leads. The process involves a series of steps from initially capturing and qualifying leads to then using more targeted marketing and sales efforts to engage and nurture them through the funnel. By using a solid and structured lead management process, businesses are able to focus on the best, high-quality leads.
Lead management software has been made to help businesses capture, track and nurture potential customers that come through their pipeline. This type of software aims to streamline processes and make everything easier, starting from the moment a lead enters your pipeline to the point where they become a customer of yours.
Lead management software includes tools for:
For businesses that experience high lead volumes or long sales cycles, lead management software can be really valuable to invest in. It can help to keep everything organised, automate follow-ups, and ensures marketing and sales teams stay in sync.
Not all lead management tools are created equal. To find the right fit for your business, think about these important things:
Finding the best lead management software is all about picking a tool that works for you now and can expand as your business grows. Remember these key points, and you’ll be set to turn more leads into customers faster.
As part of the research for our latest playbook, The State of Lead Management 2025, we conducted a survey asking marketers about their current lead management processes. We explored their go-to CRMs, the tools they use for tracking marketing performance and attribution, and the platforms they’d be open to adopting in the future. Based on these insights, we’ve compiled key findings and broken them down to help you discover the best lead management tools to use in 2025.
Best for: Marketing attribution and tracking
One of the most exciting emerging platforms in lead management is Ruler Analytics. While only 5% of marketers in our survey currently use it, we believe Ruler is a rising star in the space, thanks to its ability to track lead journeys across multiple touchpoints.
Unlike traditional lead tracking tools, Ruler connects website visitors to revenue, showing exactly which marketing efforts are driving conversions. Plus, it works really well with CRMs, so sales teams can easily keep an eye on their pipeline activities.
What makes Ruler really powerful is its ability to follow leads through long sales processes. As leads move along the pipeline over days, weeks, or even months, Ruler keeps feeding data into your CRM. This helps marketing teams see how leads are doing and if they are creating real value in later stages of the funnel. When a lead finally makes a purchase, Ruler sends the revenue information back to its platform, showing which interactions helped influence the deal.
Key features:
Ruler Analytics is a great tool for businesses that want to use data to make smart marketing choices. It gives a clear and precise look at how leads move through their journey, meaning marketing teams can stop guessing and start focusing on the campaigns that truly drive revenue. It’s definitely a tool to keep an eye on in 2025.
Best for: Website tracking and user behaviour analysis
With 44% of marketers in our survey using Google Analytics to track marketing performance and attribution, it remains one of the most widely adopted tools in digital marketing. As a free and powerful analytics platform, it provides businesses with deep insights into website traffic, user behaviour, and conversion paths.
Marketeers can use Google Analytics to find out where their leads are coming from, see how effective their campaigns are, and figure out how visitors are using their site. By setting up goals and conversion tracking, businesses can link their sales and leads to specific marketing activities, making it an essential tool for improving strategies.
The introduction of Google Analytics 4 (GA4) has made things even better by focusing more on the user experience and using AI to provide smarter predictions. GA4 tracks events, which gives businesses a better understanding of customer journeys across different devices and interactions. However, switching from the old Universal Analytics to GA4 has been tricky for some marketers, requiring a learning curve to fully understand the new system.
Key features:
For businesses focused on improving their marketing attribution and understanding customer behaviour, Google Analytics remains an indispensable tool in 2025.
Best for: All-in-one inbound marketing and CRM
HubSpot is one of the most widely used CRMs, with 21% of marketers in our survey relying on it. Known for its user-friendly design and seamless integrations, it’s a go-to choice for businesses looking to streamline lead management, marketing, and sales.
Its Marketing Analytics & Dashboard software offers in-depth campaign analysis, including Attribution Reporting that tracks every customer interaction and links revenue back to key marketing touchpoints. This helps businesses focus on what’s actually driving conversions.
HubSpot’s built-in lead-capture tools—like forms, chatbots, and live chat—make it easy to collect and segment inbound leads. Automated workflows and lead scoring then help sales teams prioritise and nurture high-value prospects.
With tight integration between its marketing, sales, and service hubs, HubSpot ensures teams have full visibility into each lead’s journey. Whilst the platform’s many features can be overwhelming for beginners, webinars and guides make onboarding easier.
Key features:
For businesses seeking an all-in-one CRM with strong automation and analytics, HubSpot remains a top choice in 2025.
Best for: Scalable and customisable CRM solutions
Salesforce is the undisputed leader when it comes to CRM platforms, with 38% of marketers in our survey using it to track their marketing performance and attribution. It’s relied on by more than 100,000 companies around the globe, providing a strong and flexible way to manage leads from the first interaction all the way to conversion.
What sets Salesforce apart is its customisability. Businesses can build on its core features with add-ons and custom extensions, making it ideal for companies that need a CRM that grows with them. It also features powerful automation tools, including workflow rules and lead scoring, helping sales teams focus on the most valuable leads whilst cutting down on manual tasks.
Key features:
For businesses looking for a powerful, scalable, and deeply customisable CRM, Salesforce remains one of the top-tier choices in 2025.
Best for: Sales engagement and lead nurturing
Keeping leads engaged during the sales process can be tough. In fact, 19% of marketers in our survey said they struggle to keep engagement consistent as leads move through the sales funnel. Salesloft provides sales teams with the tools to make their workflows smoother.
By automating communication sequences, sales reps can keep leads engaged with personalised outreach at every stage. Instant engagement notifications alert teams when a prospect interacts with an email or link, ensuring they follow up at the perfect moment.
One of Salesloft’s standout features is lead scoring automation, which helps prioritise the best opportunities by analysing captured leads and identifying the most promising prospects.
Key features:
As Simon Burlison, Head of SDR at Moneypenny, puts it: “Salesloft has been a game-changer for our team. The automation and engagement insights save us time and help us target prospects with precision.”
Whether you’re looking for advanced attribution with Ruler Analytics, in-depth website tracking with Google Analytics, or an all-in-one CRM like HubSpot or Salesforce, the right tools can help you transform your lead management process.
At Moneypenny, we understand the importance of having a seamless lead management system in place. That’s why we’ve created The State of Lead Management 2025 to provide valuable insights and help businesses like yours make informed decisions about lead management in 2025. Download today!
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