Today’s guest blog post is from my friend Elizabeth Harris at Resultist Consulting. When I saw this white paper she wrote on CRM’s a couple of weeks ago I KNEW my readers needed to see this. If you have a CRM, are considering a CRM, or don’t know what a CRM is, this post is for you!
Keeping up can be difficult but, if we have the processes and tools in place, we ride the wave. With the right CRM software solution, relationships become more than just a name on a list. The ability to listen, serve and move prospects to a win-win improves. Regardless of which is best for your team, CRM software is more than a list, it is a contact list with a brain.
When selecting a CRM software system, choices include a robust CRM software solution, a simple CRM designed for very small businesses or a free version to fit your budget. Wikipedia has a list of CRM software, but it lacks wisdom and is not truly helpful for making a decision that is relevant to you.
Automation is perhaps the most valuable aspect of CRM and it’s a shame that not all software packages offer it. Automation is the software’s ability to remind sales and marketing representatives to follow up with customers at the right time. Automation reminds you—or in some cases, actually handles the task for you – of needed activities such as following up 30 days after a sales purchase with another special offer or calling the sales prospect 10 days after the individual signed up for a trial.
Automation via CRM is a primary reason for pulling away from the old Excel spreadsheet and moving to a new system. The benefits outweigh any small learning curve needed.
Instead of walking through every detail and specification, we considered the pros and cons of each CRM solution and summarized them in a free white paper.
Our favorite CRMs:
- Easily and cost efficiently integrates with HubSpot
- Are easy to use (Apple-like intuitiveness)
- Are reasonably priced (now and with future growth)
- Offer a depth and breadth of support resources (from the platform provider and the “ecosystem” around the platform)
There are five favorite tools we think will work for most small to medium sized businesses. Here is a link to the brand new CRM white paper resource titled “The Pros and Cons of Our 5 Favorite CRM Software Systems.”
Since specifications and details are already available, I kept the content more specifically to the “pros & cons” with a few random thoughts.
As you consider our five favorite CRM software systems, look closely at your business processes, discuss with employees what they need and want, contrast that with your bottom line, and you’ll quickly have an accurate picture of the right CRM software for you.
Can you let me know your thoughts about this brand new CRM resource?
Elizabeth Harris – Resultist Consulting
Elizabeth Harris is the founder and CEO of Resultist Consulting. She works with small and mid-sized businesses to organize their sales and revenue processes to make them predictable and profitable.
Elizabeth has more than 20 years of experience as a proven driver of revenue, profitability and accountability. She is a complex B2B sales expert; adept improving businesses in competitive and changing market conditions. Resultist is her fifth business. In one of her previous businesses she grew it from $4M to $16M in annual revenues in 3 ½ years.
Leave a Reply