LD Staff Writer
Did I remember to send that welcome email?
Was that remedy order sent out?
Was the quote that went to the client the most updated version?
As a small business owner, it’s probable that you’ve experienced these (and many more) sweat-inducing questions. A simple solution is to go it alone, acting as the sole member of your small business “team” – but it simply isn’t possible to do everything yourself and achieve sustainable growth.
Another solution? Hire a couple people to help with the workload. The problem of working with a small team, however, is that your data gets strewn in multiple places… It’s surely a struggle to keep track of everything yourself, but it’s almost as much of hassle to micromanage other people.
What you need, then, is software that houses your critical info all in one place. Unfortunately, keeping the cost manageable can be difficult. It’s also a pain to delve into a new process, just to find that it doesn’t meet your needs – forcing someone on the team to undo everything, and start over from scratch.
Most small businesses need an affordable customer relationship management software (CRM) that works in the way their team functions. It’s no good to have left handed scissors if you’re right handed… You need the proper tools for the way you work.
Let’s look at how to identify the right CRM for you by exploring some common questions.
What if I don’t have money to spend on it?
Your first stop is Hubspot. It’s completely free for as many users as you’d like, and allows you to explore tiered pricing to add parts you need – whether that’s marketing tools or sales sequencing. Even the extra “hubs” that are built into CRM platform are free to check out.
What if I already use a ton of different apps, and want to continue using them?
Check out Insightly! It’s also free – but only for two users.
It’s got a ton of functionality for connected apps like MailChimp, our favorite chat program Slack, and some strong automation utilities like Zapier. At low volume, these things work wonderfully, as they’re available free until you start to reach a critical mass.
Unfortunately, the costs of each integrated app – even at their lowest non-free pricing – can stack up, and the overhead could get overwhelming fast.
If your organization is super small, or your budget fits the Insightly model, this might be a great option for you!
What if I want to automate?
At $15 a month, Zoho allows for a top-to-bottom style automation flow chart to be built, helping nurture your new leads and create other internal tasking. It’s also got an AI called Zia, built in for those moments when you’re stubbornly doing things the slow and manual way. Zia will prompt you about making those tasks simpler, and with your approval, will automate them!
All these products do similar things. Even though we looked specifically at some of the higher tier selling points, it’s possible to find success through the basic model of these CRM options, or to explore other solutions to find the best fit for you!
Like most things, it all comes back finding products that fit with your workflow. Check out these options, and use them as springboards to finding the affordable CRM of your dreams.
Want to learn more?
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