Does anyone know of any software which accompanies multiple sales reps and a sales manager? I have been slowly building up my own database with MySQL and PHP but I need more and have run out of time. Thus I am probably going to scratch the whole idea and just adopt some "off the shelf" program. I'd like a system that allows an administrative assistant to enter in new leads as they come in. The sales manager can assign the leads to a specific sales rep. The sales rep can print the lead details and add notes to the lead, as well as update the status of the lead. "Pending, dead or sold". Also very important is reporting the sale date. The reason I started writing my own database is that I never found what I needed off the shelf... Any ideas?
You're looking for Customer Relationship Management software (CRM). There used to be one called Sugar CRM. Once you get the keywords right you'll find there are loads of options. Is Zoho still going? Some will be hosted, some will be scripts, some will be expensive, some will fit in with your budget. Take a look at lots of them, there will be one that fits with your requirements.
You can use Microsoft SQL Server instead of MySQL. Microsoft SQL Server is one of the market's most established, popular, and consistent rivals.
except that SQL server is not a CRM solution, it's just a database platform. I imagine @niyoc382 would be happy to change if the right CRM product required it but it's not an answer in itself.
Here is a list of CRM software that I have used over the years: Goldmine, ACT!, SalesForce, SugarCRM, Copper CRM, HubSpot CRM, Highrise CRM and FreshWorks. They all have pluses and minuses and the cost range among this group varies greatly. One or two of these may no longer be around, btw.
Sales Force is perfect for this as it organizes the data in a great way, but you could also use Microsoft SQL or something similar that would be quite as good for your needs.
Are Salesforce and Microsoft SQL even comparable? One is a fully-fledged system, the other is a blank canvas, right?