Beverlee Rasmussen CEC PCC How to choose the right CRM?
It’s a question that challenges lots of small business owners. Even here at Systems Business Coach we are struggling to find the right fit.
A CRM (Customer Relationship Management System) stores data that makes you a better provider, saves you time and helps you organize sales systems.
Customer data it an asset. It improves your marketing by organizing and maintaining customer relationships.
But if you don’t have the right fit, you won’t be able to access the benefits.
That’s why I want to share these tips with you.
1. Prioritize YOUR small business when you choose a CRM
Don’t ask “Which one is the best?”
Ask “Which one best for me?”
In order to choose the right CRM, you need to know what provider is going to best fit how you run your business.
Ask these questions to help narrow down the options:
- What are the four pieces of data we cannot live without?
- How easy can we train new employees on this software?
- What are the marketing implications for this data collection?
2. Choose the right size CRM
There’s lots of options when choosing the right CRM for your small business—Salesforce, Infusionsoft, Hubspot and more.
But maybe you don’t need an outside source.
If you don’t have many customers or you are just starting out, you can simply use an Excel spreadsheet. That’s fine!
Don’t spend money on something that is too big for you to
implement.
Don’t choose the CRM that has the biggest capacity just because it’s marketed as the best. Choose the CRM that fits the size of your small business.
3. Evaluate the top CRM choices for your small business
If you know you need more than an Excel sheet— great! Take your top 3 CRM choices and evaluate them.
First, use each of them for a short period of time. (less that 2-4 hours.)
Then use this checklist to compare the features and benefits of each system:
How easy is it to:
- use
- integrate with your other systems
- input existing contacts
- collect new contacts
- communicate
- organize
Do you like:
- the look and feel
- your confidence level.
What’s your thoughts?
Have a CRM experience you want to share? Anything else you’d like to add to our Features and Benefits checklist?
Let me know in the comments!
I hope you choose the right CRM for your small business. As always, SBC is here to help.
Until next time, enjoy your Entrepreneurial Journey!
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