(a guide for small business owners)
Small businesses & startups are often faced with difficult business decisions about where to invest their time, energy, and dollars. One common question is “to CRM or not to CRM,” and the honest answer is different for every company’s unique circumstances. With hundreds of software options on the market, and a wide array of price points, finding your answer can be challenging.
CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software can have a different definition within each company, and the plethora of options are indicative of that. While some CRMs offer little more than basic contact capture and note-taking capabilities, more sophisticated programs can integrate proposals, project management, invoices, email tracking, and workflows that automate processes, notifications, and reminders. The former can be effective with the basics, but falls short of automating and optimizing your business processes. The latter comes at a higher price point, and additional complexity can lead to budget overruns, struggles with user adoption, or a lack of expertise and support to effectively implement a successful roll-out.
So back to the question…do I need a CRM?
If your small business is managing adequately with spreadsheets and email folders, the answer may be “not yet.” But if you’re ambitious about your growth, struggle to organize and manage your sales, marketing, and opportunities, or find that employee turnover creates challenges with on-boarding new personnel, then a CRM will help you take your business to the next level. A good CRM can eliminate redundancy, mistakes, and spending half your day sorting spreadsheets or digging through your inbox. It can also help you land deals, boost sales, and generate more revenue.
Which one is right for your company?
Lower cost CRMs may appeal to your wallet and can often be configured yourself, but they don’t always provide much value or function. They may use a tiered pricing structure that starts out cheap, but increases exponentially as your team and needs grow. Down the road, their inability to perform more sophisticated tasks could leave you starting over on a new platform. The more sophisticated CRMs may look appealing, but a higher price tag and the resources required for a successful launch may be scarce for a small business. You can procure outside help, but services are often billed by the hour which can leave you vastly over budget, struggling with user adoption, or settling for a system that’s short on function but barely good enough to get the job done. It’s always advisable to read the fine print and ask yourself if your selection will suit your needs in five years.
SYNACT is revolutionizing the small business CRM market with our Accelerate for Sales program, using Microsoft Dynamics 365 as a framework, coupled with an all-inclusive pricing model. It’s ideal for companies with five or fewer users that are looking to better manage sales and marketing efforts with an entry-level, customizable CRM that is scalable for your future needs. What does all-inclusive mean? In short, we’ve simplified the pricing model by charging a monthly fee, with nothing upfront, and nothing afterwards, and offering unlimited configurations, training, and support to make CRM work for you. No fine print. No tiered pricing structures. And no risk of having to choose between functionality and cost.
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