A side-by-side comparison of the most popular CRM and Marketing systems for promotional products distributors.
“What’s the best CRM?” is a frequent question in the promotional products distributor community. With so many options, including industry-specific software such as Sage, ESP, and Commonsku, there is a lot to consider. In these discussions, Zoho and HubSpot are the most frequently mentioned platforms, with GoHighLevel starting to gain attention.
If you are in the market for a new CRM system, this article is for you. Having used all three, we’ll do a deep dive into how they compare and what each can offer a promotional products business running an account-based B2B model.
Why You Need a CRM Outside Your Industry Software
Many promo distributors already use industry order management systems like Sage, ESP, or Commonsku. These systems are excellent for managing and tracking orders and all their moving parts, but while they do include CRM functionality, it is geared towards the production aspect of the business. But they are limited when it comes to prospecting for new business, following up with existing clients to maximize their potential, and penetrating existing accounts.
A standalone CRM is essential for:
- Prospecting and tracking new leads
- Managing follow-ups and nurturing sequences
- Coordinating multi-department sales opportunities
- Expanding existing accounts with cross-sells and upsells
Without a CRM that focuses on the sales and marketing workflows, your team risks losing visibility into potential growth and may struggle to maintain consistent engagement with clients.
What They All Have in Common
All three are feature-rich, solid platforms that support the account-based marketing functionality a promo business sales team needs to be more effective in their work and close more sales.
Account & Contact Management
- Store companies, multiple contacts within organizations, buying roles, departments, and deals history
Pipelines for Deals, Quotes & Reorders
- Track new opportunities, seasonal orders, reorders, and annual budget cycles
Segmentation & Lists
- Target top accounts, new buyers, inactive accounts, or departmental stakeholders
Automation & Nurture Sequences
- Create automated email sequences, task assignments, reminders, and multi-channel follow-ups
Reporting & Dashboards
- Track revenue per account, reorder cycles, lost deals, and rep productivity
Integration With External Apps (Zapier + Others)
- All three platforms integrate with Zapier connecting to:
- Order systems and webstores
- Promo-specific vendors
- Email marketing tools
- Google Sheets and project management platforms
- All three platforms also support API access for advanced integrations
Centralized Marketing & Communication Tools
- Social media accounts management
- Email marketing campaigns
- Website chat features
- Appointment booking app
- Website visitors tracking
These shared capabilities allow promo distributors to run true account-based programs, nurture existing accounts, and expand inside clients’ accounts while keeping marketing, sales, and operations aligned.
HubSpot
HubSpot is a solid platform that has been around for a long time. It’s widely used for its polished design, ease of onboarding, and ABM-focused features. We had a CRM account a while back, and we currently use it to run some of our clients’ email newsletters.
Pros
- Fast adoption and easy for reps to use
- Free CRM to start and test workflows
- Strong ABM capabilities: account views, buying committees, custom objects, playbooks
- Excellent integrations, including Zapier and a large native marketplace
- Extensive documentation, training, and partner network
Cons
- Costs rise rapidly as you scale: advanced automation, reporting, sequences, and custom objects require paid Professional or Enterprise tiers
- Fragmented into multiple hubs (Sales, Marketing, Service), which can complicate budgeting
Learning Curve, Support & Integrations
- Learning curve: low for basic CRM; moderate for advanced ABM
- Support: excellent
- Integrations: strong ecosystem and easy Zapier workflows
- Long-term cost: highest of the three systems
Zoho One
Zoho is a solid system that has also been around for many years. It started with the CRM portion and later launched standalone marketing and finance apps, priced individually, which could also be integrated. They eventually launched Zoho One, as an integrated suite of 40+ apps, including CRM, finance, inventory, help desk, and analytics, making it ideal for promo companies seeking a cost-effective, all-in-one solution.
Pros
- Most cost-effective solution overall
- Includes nearly every business app you need under one subscription
- Free CRM for up to 3 users to test and prove your model
- Highly customizable: custom modules, workflows, and functions for approval processes, quoting, and cross-department tracking
- Good integrations and Zapier support
- Includes Zoho Projects, a project management app, at no additional cost
- Includes Zoho Books, a financial app that can replace QuickBooks at no additional cost
- Includes other apps that might be useful to you, such as surveys,
Cons
- UI consistency varies across apps
- Requires planning which apps to adopt
- Moderate learning curve due to suite breadth
Learning Curve, Support & Cost Efficiency
- Learning curve: moderate
- Support: good with vendor and partner network
- Integrations: strong with Zapier + APIs
- Long-term cost: lowest of all three systems
GoHighLevel
GoHighLevel (GHL) is the new kid on the block. Designed primarily for agencies to resell as subaccounts to their clients, allowing them to easily access their accounts from one central place and run their marketing activities. Its ability to replicate a whole setup, including customizations and automations, as a template and install it in another account is another strong feature for agencies. It’s ideal for high-automation environments, running funnels, campaigns, SMS follow-ups, booking calendars, and CRM for multiple companies, all in one platform.
Pros
- All-in-one marketing + CRM + SMS stack: Funnels, landing pages, email, SMS, automation, booking calendars, and pipelines included
- Deep automation capabilities for follow-ups, reactivation campaigns, and event-driven workflows
- Strong two-way SMS for sales follow-up
- Cost-effective for multiple brands or sub-accounts
Cons
- Not as strong in enterprise CRM modeling: complex account hierarchies require workarounds.
- Steeper learning curve for building workflows and funnels
- Support quality can vary for subaccounts because it depends on the diligence of the parent account.
- There is a risk of data exposure if yours is a subaccount, since the parent account has access to your data.
Word of Caution
- GoHighLevel is often resold as a white-label account
- Signing up under someone else’s account can be risky: if the account closes or is poorly managed, your system could become inaccessible
Always confirm you are signing up under an official HighLevel account or a trusted reseller with a clear service agreement that includes a clause that will allow you to transfer your account to GoHighLevel directly at your request.
To Summarize
- HubSpot: Best for fast adoption, polished ABM, and strong integrations. Expect the highest costs as you scale.
- Zoho One: Best for a cost-effective all-in-one solution with full suite access, cross-department adoption, and free CRM testing for three users. Paid accounts include Zoho Books for financial management at no additional cost.
- GoHighLevel: Best for automation-heavy teams, SMS outreach, and multi-brand/sub-account setups. Not easy to implement, the learning curve can be steep. Watch out for white-label resellers pitfalls.
Our Take
After testing and using all three, our preference is Zoho One. We started using it over 15 years ago, switched to other popular options as they emerged, and eventually returned to Zoho every time. At this point, we run our entire business, including project management and accounting, and everything in between. We have become Zoho Partners and are helping distributors with implementation. Another solid option is HubSpot, though it’s more expensive. But if you use it and have customized it, you’re better off staying with it. Some of our clients are on HubSpot, and we run their marketing on the platform so they have all their data in one place. So we are very familiar with it as well.
As far as GoHighLevel, is not the best option for a distributor business B2B model in our opinion.
With that said, the best CRM for your business is the one you actually use. So if you are using one and have built it out to suit your needs with pipeline stages, email templates, and workflows, you don’t need to switch.
Need Help?
If you are looking for help in your Zoho One CRM implementation, we can help in 2 ways:
DIY
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DFY
If you don’t have the time to do it yourself and prefer a done-for-you solution, we can help. You can be up and running in no time!
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