Apollo IO: B2B prospecting and lead management platform

What is Apollo?

Apollo.io is an integrated SaaS tool founded in San Francisco designed for the generation and follow-up of sales leads, mainly oriented to B2B.

In recent years, it has been possible toget leads on LinkedIn. Finally, new SaaS tools aim to make lead generation largely automated. One of these tools is Apollo. Let's take a look at this versatile tool.

It offers a comprehensive database with information on business contacts, including mobile phone numbers. Apollo offers a centralized “cockpit” for managing leads, allowing sales professionals to make calls, emails, and postal mail directly from the app.

It integrates advanced research and intelligence capabilities to identify the most promising leads, and is distinguished by the frequency with which its data is updated, reducing the time spent on obsolete leads.

Apollo Target Users

Apollo is a sales engagement platform that is particularly suitable for small businesses, startups, and small sales teams.

Designed to simplify the import of contact data into outbound sales sequences, it is ideal for those who are just starting out or looking to do cold prospecting.

On the other hand, for larger sales teams, tools like Outreach or Salesloft might be more appropriate. Apollo stands out for its generous free trial, making it appealing to solo founders and SMEs/SMIs or startups.

Features

Apollo offers the following features:

1. Looking for Leads

Apollo.io excels in finding qualified leads, offering access to an exhaustive database to effectively target prospects.

• Extensive database: Access more than 200 million decision makers and 10 million companies.
• Advanced filtering: Identify relevant leads based on specific criteria.
• LinkedIn integration: Use LinkedIn data to refine your search.

This set of lead search tools is essential for targeting the right people and maximizing the chances of conversion.

2. Workflow Management

Apollo.io offers advanced features to organize and execute sales campaigns in a structured way.

• Customizable sequences: Create structured sales paths for effective follow-up.
• Built-in dialer: Make calls directly from the application, synchronized with your CRM.
• Task Management: Keep track of your interactions with prospects and plan your actions.

Apollo.io's workflow management streamlines sales efforts, allowing teams to focus on high-value interactions.

3. Business Intelligence Capabilities

Apollo.io provides valuable insights to refine sales strategies thanks to its advanced sales intelligence.

• Analysis and Best Practices: Evaluate what's working to optimize your sales approaches.
• Lead scoring: Prioritize leads based on their conversion potential.
• Custom cockpit: Manage your leads from a centralized dashboard, adapted to your needs.

These intelligence capabilities help target sales efforts more effectively, increasing the chances of success.

4. Integrations and Platform

Apollo.io serves as a centralized platform to integrate various sales and marketing tools, improving overall efficiency.

• Various integrations: Connect to CRMs, messaging tools, and social platforms.
• Centralization of Tasks: Manage all of your sales and marketing activities from one place.

The Apollo.io platform is a complete ecosystem for sales professionals, offering increased efficiency thanks to its extensive integrations.

5. Chrome extension

The Apollo.io Chrome extension enhances the user experience by providing quick and convenient access to key features.

• Easy Access: Use Apollo features directly from your browser.
• Research integration: Find and manage leads without leaving your browser.

This Chrome extension is a valuable addition, making using Apollo.io even more convenient and accessible.

Pricing

Now that we've talked about Apollo's many features, let's look at pricing.

With Apollo, the price of the service is set per user, with different levels according to the needs of each customer.

• Free plan : If you need limited features or are just starting out, there is a free version. It offers limited features, such as a cap on daily emails that need to go through Gmail. In addition, you get reduced versions of some basic functions.
• Basic : For those who need more features, there's a basic plan that costs $49 per month. In this case, you can use any email provider, benefit from full CRM integrations, and customization.
• Professional : Commercial departments that need most features can choose the professional plan, which costs $99 per month. It provides access to the telephone dialer, call recording, etc.
• Personalized : Finally, there is a personalized plan. Pricing is done in consultation with the sales department, since subscribers must choose what they need. On their custom or annual plans, one can access the Apollo.io API and negotiate custom limits.

Alternatives to Apollo

Apollo has a number of interesting alternatives that are listed below if you are not convinced by the platform:

1. monday.com

Monday.com is a tool for project management and team collaboration, suitable for a variety of industries and business sizes. It facilitates planning, monitoring, and collaboration on various projects and tasks.

Features

• Multipurpose Project Management: Monitoring the progress of tasks, assignment and organization of projects.
• Customizable tables: Create tables to visualize project data intuitively.
• Real-Time Collaboration: Integrated team communication and collaboration for increased efficiency.

Pricing

• Individual: Free for up to 2 users with basic features.
• Standard: Starting at €8/user/month for additional features such as calendars and timelines.
• Pro: Starting at €16/user/month for advanced features like automation and integration.
• Company: Customized pricing for business solutions with advanced security and support features.

Monday.com is characterized by its flexibility and intuitive approach to project management.

It is ideal for teams looking for a comprehensive and customizable project management tool that offers a variety of options for effective collaboration.

SEE MORE: Try monday.com for free today

2. Freshsales by Freshworks

Freshsales, developed by Freshworks, is a comprehensive CRM and sales automation tool that's ideal for businesses of all sizes looking to improve lead management and sales processes.

Features

• Management of leads and contacts: Organize and track your leads and contacts to optimize sales opportunities.
• Sales process automation: Automate repetitive tasks and focus on closing sales.
• Artificial intelligence: Use AI-based tools for accurate sales predictions and effective lead scoring.

Pricing

• Free: Free with basic features for small teams.
• Growth: Starting at €15/user/month for advanced features.
• Pro: Starting at €39/user/month for professional features.
• Company: Starting at €69/user/month for business solutions.

Freshsales is a versatile and affordable solution for businesses of all sizes. With its user-friendly interface and powerful AI tools, it offers great value for money, especially for small and medium-sized businesses.

SEE MORE: Try Freshsales for free today

3. HubSpot Marketing Hub

HubSpot Marketing Hub is a comprehensive sales automation platform, integrating a robust CRM. It's designed to help businesses of all sizes manage their marketing campaigns and sales processes.

Features

• Complete lead management: Lead tracking, segmentation and nurturing to optimize conversions.
• Marketing automation: Create and manage automated campaigns for maximum efficiency.
• CRM integrations: Seamless integration with HubSpot CRM for a comprehensive view of customer interactions

Pricing

• Starter: Starting at €42/month with basic features.
• Professional: Starting at €740/month for advanced features.
• Company: Starting at €2944 per month for large businesses with complex needs.

HubSpot CRM is ideal for businesses looking for an all-in-one marketing and sales solution. Its costs can be high, but the advanced features make the investment worth the investment for growing businesses.

SEE MORE: Start a free HubSpot trial today

Customer Support

Email customer support is offered for all plans except the free plan.

The customized plan offers a dedicated customer success manager, as well as training and onboarding.

The customer service is located overseas, which is generally satisfactory. The chat option is quite effective in resolving most issues during business hours. The team is responsive and friendly.

FAQs

Who are the users of Apollo.io?

Apollo.io has the following typical customers: Startups, SMEs, Agencies, Businesses

What operating system does Apollo.io support?

Apollo.io supports the following operating systems: Web App, Windows

Final Verdict

Apollo is the combination of a database and a sales engagement platform that makes this product appealing and worth trying.

The San Francisco Apollo company is interesting especially at the price of the monthly professional plan, because of the risk-free flexibility.

• Great value for money for the professional plan
• Monthly contract available
• A two in one feature

If you are in the process of setting up your sales system, you may be interested in a comparison between Zoho and Salesforce if you need a CRM. Zoho CRM is not integrated with Apollo!