What is Revenue Management Software? A Complete Guide

In a game of darts, players struggle to hit that coveted bullseye.

Hitting the bullseye on product price and customer expectations can seem like the odds are stacked against you. Dart after dart, you squint, aim, and throw in the hopes of hitting the center of revenue growth. When it comes to revenue, you can't afford to leave it up to chance. That's why sales pros invest in the latest revenue management software to develop sales strategies that hit the mark.

If you're ready to beat the odds, keep reading to learn how revenue management software can be your sales team's game changer.

What you’ll learn:

• What is revenue management software?
• Types of revenue management systems
• Why is revenue management software important?
• Key benefits and features of revenue management software
• How to select the best revenue management software

Revenue management software is a modern digital business tool used by sales, finance, product, marketing, and legal teams. The software enables product-to-cash and sales automation on a single platform. In other words, when a customer places an order online by themselves or working with a salesperson negotiating on a quote, the software will process it and send a confirmation to the customer.

The software doesn't stop there. The system will update your inventory (products sold), securely process the payment, generate an invoice, and store all the sales data in your accounting system.

Revenue management software helps businesses launch products with one-time sales and subscription services, while automating underlying business processes.

Salespeople use the software to collect and analyze data on sales activity, customer interactions, and market trends. This data helps them identify sales opportunities, personalize their approach to different customers, and close deals more effectively.

Revenue management systems (RMS) can be categorized in a few ways depending on their functionalities and target industries. To begin, decide whether you want a standalone system or an integrated one.

An all-in-one revenue management solution that offers features like forecasting, pricing, and reporting.

Who it's best for: Best suited for vacation resorts or data analytics companies for large enterprises.

Why: A standalone system is perfect for them because the RMS can handle the complexities of dynamic pricing and large inventory management, and helps them understand how price changes affect customer demand for different packages.

An RMS integrated system embeds itself into existing software to provide additional features.

Who it's best for: Smaller businesses typically gravitate toward integrated RMS options, such as property management companies.

Why: Integrated systems are a more cost-effective approach, since these smaller businesses won't need to worry about the maintenance and licensing fees a standalone system would need.

Once you decide between the two systems, next consider your industry. There are a number of RMS brands to choose from that cater to the following categories.

• Hospitality RMS: Designed for hotels, resorts, and vacation rentals. They factor in seasonality, occupancy rates, and competitor pricing in tourist destinations to optimize room rates.
• Airline RMS: Helps airlines manage ticket pricing based on factors such as flight routes, demand fluctuations, and competitor offerings.
• Event Management RMS: Caters to event organizers, optimizing pricing for tickets, concessions, and other revenue streams based on event type, historical attendance, and competitor pricing.
• SaaS and B2B RMS: These systems focus on dynamic pricing and sales strategies for companies offering software or other B2B services. They analyze customer behavior data and competitor pricing to suggest optimal pricing models and target high-value clients.

It can be a costly decision to make. That's why it's important (once you've narrowed down your list) to think about what features will best aid your team.

Why would you play darts wearing a blindfold? Revenue management software can provide a visual path to profitability. It helps you develop a stronger sales strategy that gives your business an advantage to grow and scale operations.

I've watched the evolution of revenue management software over the past 15 years. It has transformed from on-premise to software as a service (SaaS) and is now incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) and real-time data and analytics in its design. These new features optimize efficiency and productivity across multiple teams. This helps reduce costs of office systems that eat away at your revenue.

More businesses are searching for ways to launch new products into the market faster. They need to support new business models, drive profits, and support a unified customer experience across all channels. Without the features and functionality of revenue management software, your business risks losing out on its market share.

Let's explore exactly how those features impact your bottom line.

Revenue management software is how successful companies gain a competitive edge. The software takes the guesswork out of selling the products and services at the right price and helps your sales team hit their sales key performance indicators (KPIs) through the following capabilities.

By using data to predict demand and optimize pricing, the software helps close more deals at the right price points. This maximizes revenue while considering costs and margins.

How it's done: Revenue management software can provide insights into competitor pricing and customer buying behavior. This information helps salespeople develop and propose pricing strategies for their products or services.

Salespeople gain insights from customer behavior, competitor strategies, and historical trends. This data empowers them to make informed decisions about targeting, pricing, and overall sales strategy, leading to better outcomes.

How it's done: By understanding customer needs and purchase history, the software can boost your sales forecasting capabilities by suggesting upselling or cross-selling opportunities. This allows salespeople to maximize the value of each customer interaction.

The software fosters better communication and collaboration among sales reps and other teams such as Finance, who can then align their strategies for a unified customer experience.

How it's done: You get a one-stop-hub on a centralized platform for all your sales analytics and insights, providing complete visibility across teams.

You might be thinking, "More revenue, better communication, higher productivity — sign me up." However, revenue management software is not a one-size-fits all system. You'll need to consider a few aspects of your business and marketplace before you make a selection.

When I evaluate an RMS, there are a few key functionalities and features that top my must-have list. You want an RMS that manages your entire revenue lifecycle and seamlessly integrates with your CRM. Regardless of whether you choose a standalone or integrated system, I recommend making sure the following options are available.

Allows businesses to experiment with different pricing strategies such as subscriptions, tiered pricing, or pay-per-use models.

Example: A fitness studio uses this to offer a discounted monthly membership or a higher-priced option with access to premium classes.

This provides immediate insights into sales performance, allowing businesses to make data-driven decisions on the fly.

Example: An online retailer uses this to see which products are selling well during a sale and can adjust promotions or restock inventory in real-time.

A Revenue Management System should integrate well with other applications, such as your front end website, channel management to maximize revenue while keeping costs down. Integrations with your CRM and/or ERP system will also simplify data entry and maintain consistency across information databases. When choosing a Revenue Management System, look for seamless, two-way integrations with touching solutions, so that data sharing is automatic and seamless, with minimal additional work.

Example: A software company uses it to provide the most accurate data downstream when a customer subscribes to their service, instead of disparate data in multiple systems. Because of this consistency, it becomes easier for subsequent updates or amendments.