What type of CRM does your business need?
Following up and managing your customer relationships are two of the most important parts of your business when you want to have online success. A wrong decision in the CRM department can cause you thousands of dollars.
Continue reading this article to get the help you need to make your CRM decision.
Choosing the Type of CRM That Is Right for Your Business
The HubSpot Mailchimp debate is real.
Some people are hardcore for HubSpot, but others cheer for the chimp!
It can be difficult to cut through all of the noise, but we are here to help you. The following five tips will help you make a decision that is right for you and your business.
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How’s the Pricing?
If you’re a new business that is just getting started – even a little investment can seem like a lot.
If you have more capital to use, then you might be able to go for a more advanced system.
There is no right answer for how much you should pay for a CRM. See what price is going to work for you long-term because changing CRM can be rather stressful.
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Ease of Use
Have you ever gotten a really cool piece of software and it was the worst experience because of how complicated it was?
We’ve all dealt with this challenge, and while it isn’t fun – that’s just how life is sometimes. Before you make a CRM purchase, look into it and see how complicated it is.
If looking at the sales page gives you a headache, you might want to go elsewhere. You’ll usually be able to tell if the software is going to be user-friendly or if it’s meant for people that are a little more on the technical side of things.
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Reviews
Before purchasing a CRM, look up not only reviews on their site but reviews on other sites.
While it is great to see testimonials on the vendor’s site, you want to find some independent sources to see what they say.
Not all reviews have to be positive to make a CRM good. Don’t just go by the star ratings. Many times, if you just go by the star ratings, you’re going to miss out on a great 4-star product or service because of a review that doesn’t even make sense to you.
For instance, someone may have given them a four star and said something like,” I wasn’t aware that I was going to need the internet to use this.” or “I didn’t know I’d have to put all of my own contacts into the CRM. I thought they were going to give me leads.”
If you come across reviews like that – you know those people simply weren’t educated about how CRM work.
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Implementation Training
Even if the CRM looks easy to use, you need to see what training is available.
You don’t only want to see how much training is available, but you want to see how they deliver the training.
If you learn better through video, then you want to make sure they have video training available. The same is true if you’re a better learner through reading. Most great CRMs have a mix of training that will make it easier for you as you’re setting up your CRM.
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The Reputation of the Company
Once you make sure all of the above things are looking good, you also need to make sure that the company has a good reputation.
Sure, the reviews you read can be helpful, but you can do a few more things to check into the company.
Look at the BBB’s website and see what rating they have. Are there a lot of open customer complaints?
You can also go to relevant forums and ask about the company. See what experiences other customers have had with them.
You can even offer to pay a current customer to have a talk with you so you can ask them some questions. Many people are more than happy to get paid a consulting fee for some honest feedback about a tool that they use.
Using Your CRM
Once you’ve found the perfect CRM, it’s time to put it to work. You’d be surprised how many people purchase a product or service and never truly use it.
Make sure to get at it right away even if you just go through the first training video. Your CRM will help you keep track of who you are trying to do business with, who you’ve done business with, and more.
Once you get the hang of your CRM, you’ll find it is easy to follow up with people you need to give specific information. You’ll also notice that conversions will go up as you keep contact with your contacts.
If you don’t nurture your client relationships, you can’t expect them to buy whenever it comes time to send out a sales promotion. Build a relationship with your clients and you’ll see all of your important metrics skyrocket as long as you’re targeting the right audience.
Your CRM will be one of your best tools that will help you achieve your goals, so don’t miss out on all of the advantages you can start experiencing right away.
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